Trials and triumphs of a middle aged student

My daughter and I are so much alike, yet so very different.  We are both the kind of women that go all in on whatever we do.  For twenty plus years I went all in when it came to raising my children, now my focus is on my adult education courses.  Brittany gave her school work everything she had in high school and has since that time given all of her attention to her job.  Throughout high school and after she was also heavily committed to refereeing soccer.  She has traveled through the Northeast in her capacity as a professional soccer referee and has been honored as the young female referee for the state of NH.  This past year she became eligible for tuition reimbursement from her employer.  I was so happy for her and had hoped she would take advantage of this opportunity to get her adult college degree in her twenties instead of waiting until her forties as I did.

Brittany found a new passion this past year, Roller Derby.  Needless to say I was horrified!  My beautiful, classy young daughter is now a bruiser.  She walks around with abrasions, black eyes and bruises all over her arms and legs.  I have always supported my children in their extracurricular activities of softball, soccer, basketball, drama, etc. but this was beyond my apprehension.  I love sports, I instilled the love of sports in my daughters but is roller derby actually a sport?  My daughter had never been on roller skates in her life, I figured she would try it out and decide this was not for her.  Boy did I ever underestimate my daughter.  She started skating in October and has already become one of the better skaters in NH.  She currently skates for “Skate Free or Die,” a NH roller derby organization that has just recently been accepted into the international derby association of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).

Although I did not want to attend the bouts (games) I have because I believe in supporting my family in whatever it is they are passionate about.  I have become an actual fan.  This is a sport and I actually understand the game and have even come to enjoy it.  It is not as brutal as I imagined although I have witnessed teammates of my daughter breaking collar bones and teeth during bouts.  The physical endurance these athletes have is nothing to take for granted.  They train harder than you can imagine.  My daughter practices 4 times a week for up to four hours at a time.  Although she has always been active in playing sports she has never transformed her body like she has by her derby training.

My daughter is only 22 years old and is loving life and her accomplishments.  I had hoped she would attend college directly after high school but she chose a different path.  She has succeeded in this path so I am very happy for her.  Her company offered her tuition reimbursement so I had hoped she would immediately take advantage of this, but once again she has chosen a different path.  Her path will lead her to become the woman she will become, to date she has made wise decisions and has done well for herself.  We are so very different and have taken very different paths in our lives but we are so very similar in the fact that we chose our individual paths which will fulfill us and lead us to become the women we aspire to be.

When the time is right and my daughter is ready I have no doubt she will attain her adult college degree and thrive in the academic environment.
 

If you are looking for a night out of doing something different then come to a Skate Free or Die event at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester for a night of laughs, bruises and fun!

PS  My daughter's derby persona is "Slick Tracy"