Derby Fitness Training Creates More Skaters 2012

January-February 2012
RINKSIDER
17
Derby fitness training creates more skaters
By Dionne Obeso
D
erby skaters can be a great boon
to a rink. They provide income
from skate sales if you carry derby
equipment, especially when a new group
is starting up. They also bring people into
your rink who might not otherwise have
thought skating was for them, from the
new players who are getting their derby on
to the spectators who never realized how
cool skating was until they came to watch
their co-worker tear it up on the derby track
and got to check out your rink first hand.
In addition to their game days and
the many fans and potential skaters that a
derby team might bring in, they may also
need to rent your rink out for multiple
practice sessions every week, and for tryouts. And what about those skaters who
don’t quite make the cut for the teams? If
they are truly dedicated to learning derby
they may come in on their own to practice,
but some derby groups are taking things
a step even further and are beginning to
host derby fitness classes, both for derby
wannabes who are hoping to hone their
skills and for the tough and terrific ladies
who want a fun way to keep fit without the
commitment of a competitive derby team
schedule.
If you don’t have a local derby team,
it will be worth your time to at least post
a signup or interest list to see if you have
sufficient interest to start a local team. If
Independent Voice of the Industry
you do have a local derby team, consider
encouraging them to branch out into educating other skaters and potential derby
girls through a derby fitness class.
The L.A. Derby Dolls are one group
who take full advantage of the opportunity
to train other women who have skating
aspirations. Shannon Kobylka, aka Janis
Choplin, is one of the leaders of this team,
and says that their derby fitness program
can draw up to 200 skaters in a week.
She said that the idea for their program germinated from the large number
of derby hopefuls that they would have
to turn away after tryouts. Many of the
skaters were not good enough, but could
have improved if they had had some sort
of education in derby skating. They also
knew that lots of women would love to
have been able to skate derby, but did not
have the kind of lifestyle that would allow
for 3-4 practice sessions a week as well as
competitions themselves.
Currently 12-15 teachers rotate
through the der,by fitness classes, although
Kobylka said that “there are a core group
of about six teachers who work with the
classes regularly.” These classes are held
several nights a week, and the teachers
focus on one skill every week to help
build the skill of participants. “We work
on beginning derby skills, from basic skate
techniques like strides and falls and jumping in skates, to how to block, how to fall
safely, ways to stop and take off, basic
agility, jammer skills and team strategy.
Each class also has strength and endurance
cardio portion,” Kobylka said.
In addition to providing local fitness
classes, the L.A. Derby Dolls see to
it that their community stays healthy
by providing free annual health fairs
and other classes. (Photo credit: Jess
Reynolds)
The classes are scheduled and
planned out ahead of time, and classes are
set up with a cut-off date for registration so
that one group is going through the skills
at the same time in the same order. “This is
done because each week the skills we work
on build on the last. Not allowing people
to jump in the middle prevents a lot of
potential injuries and also helps to prevent
drop outs by fostering a team feeling in the
participants since they are a fixed group
going through the same training together
every week,” said Kobylka.
When asked for advice for anyone
hoping to start up a new derby fitness
class, Kobylka advised that you always
be as clear as possible with potential participants. “You have to make it really clear
from the start exactly what you are offering, what your expectations are, and what
the participants can expect to get out of the
class,” she said. This prevents confusion
or upset later in the game. For example,
some participants might think that the
derby fitness program will mean automatic
acceptance in the full competitive derby
team later on, and it is important to be clear
whether or not that is the case.
While the L.A. Derby Dolls rent out
a warehouse to practice and train in, many
derby teams still use local rinks for their
home base, and your rink could be the
perfect location for derby dreams. Things
like practice sessions and a derby fitness
team could be just the thing to round out
your rink schedule and fill some voids in
your floor time while providing you with
a respectful and wonderful team of women
who will treat your rink like their home
away from home.