What You Got in That Bag?

One of our veteran skaters and team captains, Thunder Lips, describes the process of selecting her perfect skates.

Adventures in Vandals

Most girls start out unsure of what it means to be a derby girl and if they have what it takes to make it through the Fresh Meat process. No matter if you have the right stuff or not, you need the gear to try – and it is costly. So I, like many other girls started out with an economy skate and I choose the Riedel “R3”.

When I bought them I was told they’d get me through a year and that they did….along with a foot full of blisters and a massive underfoot callus. See, the R3 eventually gets broken in and with continued skating it keeps getting broken in to the point where it didn’t fit my foot any more. It got to the point where my feet looked like they’d been eaten by my skates. So…I finally caved and faced that there was no way around buying and breaking in a new pair of skates, a derby girl’s most dreaded process.

At our event last summer, “Commotion by the Ocean”, we had Black Eyed Susan Skate Shop as a vendor. Marzipain took one look at my feet and was bound and determined to help me find the right fit for my foot and skating style. We tried on She Devils – too slim, we tried Wickeds – too heavy, we tried something that was WAY out of my price range, but I recall it being a little loose. Then I tried on my beloved Riedel Vandals. I took them for a spin on the Radar Flat Out wheels they came with, and I fell in love.

The wheels were great for the surface we were skating on that night in our bout against Madison, and the skate was a perfect match for my foot and my budget. They are leather boots with fully adjustable trucks, and with some trial and error, I finally got the right wheels for me, Atom Tantrums. As a “jammer/blocker,” I need a wheel that will allow me to perform both duties on the track without giving up one function or another – speed without grip, grip without speed or a wheel too heavy that it will impact my performance no matter where I am on the track, and Tantrums are perfect for me!

I’d like to say don’t waste your money on the cheap skates but that would not be good advice, get what you can afford to start but upgrade when you can to what you know feels good and will last!!

-Thunder Lips

Let’s see how those Vandals perform in the Dominion season opener this Sunday!! We’ll be facing the DC Rollergirls once again on our home track at the Haygood Skating Center in Virginia Beach.

Be sure to get your tickets – you don’t want to miss this hot derby action.

http://www.dominionderbygirls.net/tickets.php

The doors open at 6:30 so get there early to stake out a good seat!!!

1 Comment

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  By cheap roller skates, May 15, 2010 @ 10:20 pm

  Good job guys!

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