From Baby Steps to Leaps of Faith

In day to day life, people set goals for themselves.  From the most simple, such as, "I will recycle one piece of paper today to help the environment",  to others that seem almost impossible, like a two pack a day smoker quitting cold turkey. Such different missions to accomplish for each candidate, and depending on the ambition of the person, the simple goal can become the difficult and vice-versa. 

If you play a competitive sport, chances are you have plenty of goals that you would like to achieve. Become faster, get stronger, have more stamina, jump higher.  We set goals as individuals and goals as teams. Through watching our predecessors, we become inspired to reach higher, run further, hit harder, fall smaller. Still, one person's easy goal can be another's major hurdle.

In roller derby a simple drill for one skater can be what seems like an extreme obstacle course for another.  For all of those struggling to reach even the most simple of achievements, know that for every skater who glides through drills like they are second nature, there is a skater who is battling to make that first crossover.  Have patience, stick it out and keep trying, because if you really want it, you will do it.

After being taught for over a year how to jump while on skates, for the very first time last night, I performed what could be considered a good jump.  It came to me out of nowhere.  My feet left the floor and the air seemed to just hold them up without my really thinking about it.  I never liked jumping and always dreaded the drills that required practicing this skill.  Still, I tried my best to push myself through even though I was never happy during the process.  Suddenly, last night, I jumped without really thinking about it.  It just sort of happened.  I jumped once, jumped twice, jumped and landed 180 degrees facing the other direction and jumped again.  Are there skaters who can jump better and higher than I did last night? Many.  But that's ok.  I jumped higher than I ever have and that's what mattered to me.  I'm telling you this not to brag or boast, and not to give you the impression that because it took me so long to learn something, it will take you over a year to learn whatever it is you're trying to do (but if it does, that's ok).  I'm telling you this, because I want you to keep the faith, let yourself go, and do your best to have fun in the process of it all.  That crossover will happen, your speed can excel, your hits will get harder, you will learn to stand up on those skates and balance.  Do all that you can to stay focused and always remember that no goal, no matter what it may be, is too small. 

xo

Etta