It takes work.

Did you catch the NY Times article? Last night was the Gotham Girls Roller Derby Championship. The NY Times ran a timely piece. Undefeated for the season Bronx Gridlock against reigning champions Queens of Pain. Bronx took the Golden Skate! These girls came out fighting and never let go of their lead, even after The Queens miraculous almost comeback. The Bronx girls, many of whom have been a great help to me at Skills Nights, embody what the sport is about for me. Relentless resolve, teamwork, and kickass skating. Bronx knew they had to work for it, and they worked it in every jam.

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After Friday night's Skill Night debacle, where about eight girls from other state teams made their presences known, I met up with AH for practice up by her house on Saturday. We worked on slaloms and one leg glides -- the kind we're actually expected to do.

We met up again in the afternoon for a lesson with the Skate Guru. We weren't the only girls trying to get last minute derby tryout advice from him.

When I got there, he was finishing up with two girls. One was doing powerhouse slaloms across the park. As I put on my gear, Lezly came over and gushed about this girl, "the best he's ever seen." Comforting, for sure. It didn't stop there. I'm not sure if he realized I could hear him, but the girls asked he he had another class, and he mentioned that he did, with more derby wannabes...but don't worry. Basically, he was glad she was leaving so as to not intimidate us.

I don't intimidate easily. Sure this girl never skated on quads, but she plays competitive ice hockey. The skills overlap. I've been skating since October. Before that, I skated on roller blades...and that was to go forward and fast, no skill involved. I don't need the Guru's praise, I need his training. Same with the GGRD Skills Nights. The biggest takeaways are the lessons learned. From there, it's up to me to make things work. It takes dedication, which I have in excess, and practice, which I'm not afraid of.

I realize that Monday is a long shot, for this year, and I'm at peace with that. But I'll go and I'll try. I'll accept life's next adventure. And I'll be back next fall vying for a spot.