Roller derby keeps me healthy and fit

I realized when I was in high school that I liked working out. This happened during my sophomore year when I randomly ended up at the swim team try outs for my high school swim team. While I was in the pool swimming laps, with the coaches above yelling at me, something inside me turned on: a drive to be fast and to be the best swimmer I could be. I ended up on the swim team for two years and absolutely loved the daily rigorous work outs it required.

There is no better feeling than the tired and muscle-less, yet accomplished and sharp, feeling that you get after a good work out. And then there's the hunger you get, and the satisfaction once you eat something. I also fell in love with the competition, being pushed to my athletic limit, and being a part of a team.

When I got to college I knew I wanted to join another sports team. I joined the novice crew team (rowing in an 8 person boat). At this point I realized I can push myself to levels of extreme exercise that most people can't. Crew was gnarly! We did erg machine workouts at 5 am that would have most girls puking by the end of the workout. We launched our row boat, barefoot, in icy cold water before the sun came up. We rowed through the "development" of our blisters, which were constantly getting splashed by the salt water because of the teetering of the uneven boat being controlled by 8 inexperienced rowers. And we couldn't let go of the salt water logged wood oar that was rubbing over and over on our open and bleeding "developing" blisters, or the oar we let go of would smack the girl behind us in the face. It was torture...and I loved it! All of it!

When I was done with college in 2004 I remember having a sinking feeling at the thought that I would never again have an opportunity to play on a competitive sports team. It was a horrible feeling and I remember really feeling like it would never ever happen again and that there was nothing I could do about it. Sure I could go play on a club or a community team, but those kinds of teams didn't have the level of intensity or seriousness that I craved.

When I found out about roller derby that something inside me, the same something I felt when I jumped in the pool the first day of swim team try outs, turned back on. All of a sudden I wanted to be the best skater and roller derby player I could be. Its been a long road, because four years ago, when I found out about roller derby, I couldn't even stand on roller skates. The last time I had had skates on was when I was about 10, and I wasn't very good then. Today I can not only skate, I can play roller derby. And roller derby provides me with a level of athleticism and competition that I never could have imagined having when I was graduating from college.

Roller derby has turned out to be the most challenging sport I have ever played. And aside from rowing and swimming I have also played softball, baseball, basketball, and football over the years, along with being a cheer leader and being on the dance team. Nothing challenged me like roller derby does. Roller derby challenges my mind and my body every single time I go to practice or play a game.

So along with this intense level of competition and athleticism comes a lot of responsibility as far as taking care of my body - at least for me it does. It took me awhile to get here, but I have a protein shake before and after practice now. I used to come home from practice, shower and go straight to bed. I never slept very well, if at all sometimes, on practice nights. I finally found out its imperative to replenish or recharge my body after a gnarly workout. I make my protein shakes with whey protein powder, cacao bits, a spoonful of peanut butter, a frozen banana, frozen blueberries, non fat plain yogurt, two dates, and rice milk. Sometimes I will add agave honey to sweeten it or vitamin c powder if I am feeling really crappy. I have noticed my endurance increase dramatically since I have been taking the protein shakes. I also take Emergencies, a vitamin c and vitamin b powder I mix with water, before and after practice.

I keep my diet full of fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish whenever possible, and lean meats. I eat a lot! Especially when I am going to practice regularly, which for me means skating 10-15 hours a week at practice, not including another 3-6 hours of skating outside at the beach. As long as I am getting all the good foods in, I allow myself to have bad stuff too.

It all seems to be working out because I am in the best shape I can ever remember being in and I am 29 years old. Once again, roller derby saved my ass. Quite literally actually, as I have never received so many compliments on my ass in my life!!

Kali Katt
Southern California Roller Derby Examiner

The opinions in this blog are the opinions of Kali Katt and no one elses.