Recently, we had members of the 709 Derby Girls come to visit a bridging event with our Brownie and Guide units. We thought it would be a cool new sport to learn about, and we knew the girls would be excited about meeting the Derby Girls, seeing their cool roller derby gear and all their impressive roller skate tricks!
We had a great group of Derby Girls teach us how to play (in our sneakers), strategize, train, and of course, how to be safe when playing. We learned to “pick a cheek” when falling backwards to protect your tailbone (words to live by!). What we didn’t realize ahead of time was how much more we, and the girls, could learn from Derby and the girls who play it!
While we may not have realized it right away, the Brownies and Guides did, and talk quickly turned to how Roller Derby shares a lot of the same values as Girl Guides of Canada…
Girl Empowerment: Roller Derby is the ultimate Girl Power sport! It’s all about being strong women, working as a team, thinking strategically and making quick decisions. Talk about a confidence booster!
Respect: Roller Derby has its own culture, and a large part of it is safe play and good sportsmanship. Even with the proper safety gear and with everyone being careful, accidents can still happen! When they do, all the players stop, take a knee and wait to make sure that the player is okay – applauding when they get up. After the bout, the teams acknowledge each other’s hard work with handshakes and they choose a player on the other team to receive an MVP award.
Inclusivity: Women of all ages, shapes, sizes and abilities are welcomed into the Roller Derby family! While the players come from all walks of life and have very different levels of experience, everyone has their strengths and can find a home in a Derby League.
Our Guides and Brownies had a great night getting to know these great role models and training as Official Junior Derby Girls! We can’t wait to have them back again next year!
By guest blogger Holly Baker.
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What’s new at Girl Guides? Returning girls who are either moving up or changing units can register for the 2013/2014 Guiding year starting 10am EDT Wednesday, May 1, 2013. Don’t forget to register!
We took our Guide unit to a roller derby match in Victoria BC this past fall. It was a great experience for the girls! They were excited to see the players being physical but respectful of each other, supportive, and competetive all at the same time. The derby girls were so pleased to have our Guides cheer them on, and many of them told us about their own formative years as Guides. Roller Derby rocks!!
I love it! I just went to see a Derby game myself a month ago… I may just plan something for girls in my city for next year! Cool idea.. great messages as well. Thanks 🙂
I love this idea. What do the proudly held certificates say?