My Name is Annie and I am Fresh Meat

My Name is Annie and I’m Fresh Meat.

Most people laugh when they hear me refer to myself as fresh meat.  I don’t blame them; the last time I used that phrase was in reference to freshmen in high school.  And you know what?  It’s exactly the same thing.

Freshman year of high school sucks.  It’s gut-wrenching and painful.  You learn completely new things about yourself, have to make new friends and find your niche.  Your curriculum changes and suddenly you’re learning really hard stuff.  And your bookbag gets REALLY heavy.

Starting roller derby is no different.  In the four weeks since I started the fresh meat program, I’ve pushed myself further than I ever thought I could.  I’ve skated on numb legs, forced myself to keep going when every muscle in my body was on fire, eaten more pain killers than those three times I threw my back out (combined), successfully and unsuccessfully fought back tears, and screamed more than a few expletives.  And I’m not even halfway through.  But you know what keeps me going?  This is something I really, really want to do.

I’m not athletic.  At all.  I’m definitely not the kind of person people associate with a sport, much less a sport like derby.  And I’ll admit that, while I didn’t think it would be a cakewalk, I didn’t expect it to be this rough, either.  Derby practices are HARD.  But I love it.  I love seeing myself improve each week.  And I can’t think of anything other than derby that can give me that kind of satisfaction.

I saw a quote the other day that sums it up perfectly: “It if is important to you, you will find a way.  If not, you’ll find an excuse.”  I will not find an excuse.

P.S. Oh, another way being fresh meat is like being a freshman in high school?  Skate bags are REALLY heavy.

From CQS Fresh Meat
Annie Lambert