One More Game.

Derby road trip was great fun. I haven't embarked on a trip like that for almost a whole year, and it was definitely fun.

I've concluded that Derby is very much an addiction for me. It's not really that good for me -- my body is aching and so very sore. The possibility of totally breaking myself at play is always very real (knock on wood). It takes up a goodly amount of my spare time in the week, whether training, practicing or helping on committees -- time I would sometimes very much like back. I'm even sometimes on the fence about how entitled I should be to having this very involved "interest" outside my family (maybe something for a deeper post another time).

...BUT...

Oh man, the excitement of the days leading up to a game, the crazy team camaraderie, the jacked up pure adrenaline thrill of the game, the crowd loving it, even feeling all the bruises and scrapes afterwards... I'm hooked. Just when I start envisioning my life without the extra commitments and aches and drama... I get a good solid hit of pure derby high and I'm hooked in all over again. What was I thinking? Live without derby? How could I choose to never play again? Never skate again?

And this weekend was no different. The game was a close battle. The lead tipped back and forth a few times and in the end our team was edged out by a fairly close margin. The crowd was amped and in Turn 4 there were a few utterly RABID fans which was a first for me. Their, shall we say, "enthusiasm" for the home team led them to hurl insults at us whenever we would take out their jammer... I got called a few colorful names. After I got over my girly shock, it actually fired me up cause when the home crowd HATES you, it probably means you're doing something right!

Despite the tense battle and the tempers which flashed on the track, it was all good when the final whistle blew. And in true derby style, we followed up 90 minutes of on-track battle with a four hour dance marathon afterwards.

All in all, it was a great weekend. And while I still battle with the question of just how much longer I will play derby, at this moment it appears that the answer is, as always, still "One More Game."