Boot Camp for New Skaters Kicks It Up a Notch

The path to success for Queen City Roller Girl hopefuls has been intense but rewarding.

At the beginning of January, the newest batch of Queen’s Court skaters began an arduous 13-week boot camp, a training program designed to teach everything required to pass the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) assessment. The fresh-faced skaters have been learning how to skate, stop, hit, whip, fall correctly, and then get up and jump the dreaded six-inch foam barrier.

Queen’s Court skaters who pass their assessments will become full-fledged members of Queen City Roller Girls. They will be able to skate in league practice and during scrimmages, and also contribute to the league by volunteering. The second part of the Queen’s Court training will include learning game play, strategy and other roller derby skills that are essential for becoming a member of one of the QCRG teams.

Skaters who do not pass their assessments will have to leave Queen’s Court but will be welcome to try again during the next intake of skaters in June. This is a changeup from the past several years, in which skaters who did not pass their assessments could continue to practice in Queen’s Court.

Vile Love It and HerHeiny Granger, the two Queen’s Court coaches this season, say the return to a boot camp style is a way to better focus and organize the skaters’ time.

“We wanted to have a specific timeframe for our new skaters to learn and practice the skills needed to pass the WFTDA minimum skills assessments,” Vile said. “After that is accomplished, we will be able to move on to game play situations to prepare new skaters to bout and be ready to be drafted a team in October.”

Any female age eighteen and over who is interested in joining QCRG’s next intake of skaters in June may contact training@qcrg.net for more information.