If you’re a newer, scrim ready, skaters with three or fewer games under your belt, we are here to tell you why coming to this Bootcamp will make a difference in your derby career.
Read MoreGlasgow Roller Derby’s statement on the Supreme Court ruling on the equality act
At Glasgow Roller Derby, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to trans inclusion. We believe in fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for all athletes, regardless of gender identity. Our league stands united in promoting equality, respect, and acceptance within our sport and community.
We align with the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) gender policy, which supports the inclusion of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive participants. By adhering to these guidelines, we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate and thrive in roller derby.
We stand in solidarity with the trans community, celebrating diversity and championing the rights of all individuals to be their authentic selves. Glasgow Roller Derby remains dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive space for everyone, without fear or discrimination.
We strongly disagree with the recent decision by the UK Supreme Court. This decision undermines the identity and rights of transgender individuals, and we stand firmly against it.
We are in solidarity with our trans and non-binary community and call on our supporters to join us in standing up for trans rights.
We urge anyone affected by the Supreme Court decision to reach out for support to:
• Switchboard LGBT https://switchboard.lgbt/
• MindLine Trans+
https://www.mindinsomerset.org.uk/
• MindOut
https://mindout.org.uk/
• TransActual
https://transactual.org.uk/
• Mermaids
https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/
🏳️⚧️🩵🩷🤍💛🖤
Meet the GRD team: Sherblock Holmes
What's your skate name and number?
Sherblock Holmes, 221
How long have you been playing roller derby?
2 years (tho only 2/3 months with GRD)
What's your favourite thing about roller derby?
The community - I’ve never met a more amazing group of humans. And the hitting - I do like to hit my pals, consensually.
Who is your derby hero, or favourite team?
Frank intense from MRD - an absolute legend
What’s your best derby moment?
My first 5NRD game - I was dreadful but I did it and I was so proud.
What do you like to do when you aren't playing derby?
Reading! Or bouldering atm.
Tell us an interesting fact about you.
I have a 3 legged cat called Roo (because he hops like a kangaroo).
Keeping the heid
One of our brilliant coaches, Devil’s Advoskate, shares her top tips for managing stress and anxiety on game days.
Disclaimer: I'm not in qualified in mental health management. These are just some tools I use from my own and team experience.
On the lead up
Managing anxiety on the lead up to the day is important. In the weeks leading up to it, I find attending more practices and speaking to my teammates about how we are going to play helps me to feel prepared. In saying that, there is nothing wrong with resting a week prior and this can be a really good thing to do.
Getting enough sleep and keeping your body fueled is also really important, I'm not in any way a dietitian, but there's lots of information available about keeping your body fueled on the lead up to big sporting events. You'll know your own body and what foods to avoid that make you feel rubbish.
Organise yourself
On the days leading up, make sure your kit is in good order, you know where your uniform is, and you know when and where you need to be on game day and how to make that happen.
This is especially important for away games. There's nothing worse on game day than stressing about how to get to the venue. So organize this in advance and it will ease stress on the day.
Managing intrusive thoughts
An intrusive thought is imagining a scenario that causes distress (not to be confused with impulsive thoughts). For me I imagine a jammer running full force at me and clipping my chin. For other it might be wheels falling off your skates; for jammers, it might be getting stuck in the pack.
If you have a repetitive intrusive thought that is keeping you up at night, take some time to dissect it.
Is there any realism to the thought? If I'm imagining that a vat of oil is going to spill on the track and it'll be a slip and slide, that is not a realistic concern! The chances of this happening are slim to none. It’s an unhelpful and invalid thought, so put it on the bin.
For thoughts that have validity, think about how we can reduce the chance of it happening. I can tighten my wheels before I go on track, I could not face the jammer, I can pass the star. Whenever the intrusive thought comes up, run through the solution in your head.
Learn your needs
We all have different personalities and needs - learn what yours are. If you are someone who is pretty chill most of the time, you likely need pumped up. If you are highly excitable or anxious, you likely need to bring some peace to yourself.
Create positive triggers
We often talk about negative triggers, but triggers can actually be a really good thing. Our emotions can fluctuate through out the day, so it is good to create triggers for different emotion depending on what you need.
You can create triggers by associating a song, quote, action object or anything really to an emotion. If you watch athletes, you will see a lot do this. Some will bang their chest, other intensely stare, most will at the very least power pose. They are invoking the feeling they need to perform their best.
Just make sure if you are picking a physical object, it's small and accessible enough to be near the bench.
The next time you feel an emotion that helps you in roller derby, try to associate it to something. For example, if you're at the gym and you're feeling strong and powerful, stick on a song and keep it playing for as long as the feeling is with you. If you are feeling safe and calm, do the same. What ever emotions you need on the day, any time you feel it try to connect it to something. If you do it often enough, you will invoke that emotion when you strike a pose, hold an object or think of a song, and you can access the emotion whenever you need it.
Dealing with hard hitters
I find the best way to deal with them is small jukes, especially as a blocker, because you don't want to give up your space.
The thing about hard hitters is a lot wind up to it. They put all their weight behind it, and once they are committed they struggle to break the momentum, so even just a small step forward or back will screw their timing. When they do manage to hit or when taking a hit is necessary - for example, jammer hitting the wall - breathe out heavily with the impact (it contracts your core muscles and makes you stronger). Simultaneously, hit them back to fight the force of the hit. Breathing out with the hit also helps if you are prone to hyperventilating.
If an opposing skater is causing problems for everyone, it's a good strategy to have one skater disable them for the jam - be persistently in their way. If its someone who is fouling, force them into space near the outside. OPR have better coverage than the inside.
How to feedback issues
Avoid singular blame. So for example, don't say to someone, “You left the inside line open.” Instead, state the problem and offer a solution. For example, “The jammer is getting past on the inside line. Let's have butt's right on the line and rotate the tripod.”
Dealing with the red mist
We play a high adrenaline sport and its really easy for that to turn to anger, especially when you are facing a lot of adversity. Use your positive triggers to get yourself regulated - ask for a couple jams off if that's what you need. If you see your team mate is experiencing this, it sometimes feels natural to share their outrage, especially if you agree. For example, you know someone fouled against them. But this can actually increase and prolong the red mist and it turns it into an angry rant that unsettles the whole team. It's better to just acknowledge the feeling then and advise they to take a break.
Dealing with an upset teammate
Everyone is different. Some folk need a quick hug and they are good to go. For others, a hug will break dam and a flood of emotions with come out.
Get to know your teammates and what they need in moments of distress. It's ok to ask, “What do you need from me in this moment?”. Sometimes having a buddy who gets what you need can be a really good thing just make sure they are in the head space to take it.
Breath work is really good for working through any dysregulation of emotion. You want to breathe out for double the time you take a breath in. How long depends on how shallow your breathing is. For example, if I'm just off, track breathing out for long periods of time feels suffocating. You can start with breathing in for 2 seconds then out for 4, in for 3, out for 6, in for 4 out for 8.
Meet the GRD team: Hazzard
What's your skate name and number?
Hazzard 810
How long have you been playing roller derby?
Since 2011 so about 13 years?!
What's your favourite thing about roller derby?
The people! The community and the inclusion. Everyone is so welcoming and will make you feel a part of the team no matter where you are.
Who is your derby hero, or favourite team?
So many! All of the last Team Scotland for sure. People like Crazy Legs (Auld Reekie) who pioneer all things derby. And everyone who puts in massive effort in their league and in their roller derby community. And my wee babes at New Town where it all started for me💙🖤⚡️
What’s your best derby moment?
Being a part of the 2018 World Cup as manager for Team Scotland and then playing in an Italian derby tournament in 2019 as well as a guest. Love that international derby life!
What do you like to do when you aren't playing derby?
Visual merchandising for Nike and hugging my wee pug!
Tell us an interesting fact about you.
My great great granny worked for John Logie Baird (person that invented the TV) as a maid so she would have dusted the first television! 😂