Thursday, December 02, 2010

I'm a Derby girl

What happens when you put 25+ women on quad skates for a park district fitness class designed to teach the basics of roller derby? You get a motley crew of skinny, curvy, tattooed urban and mom-hair suburban 20, 30 and 40 somethings adopting derby names (mine is Alma-Geddon) and enthusiastically dressing the part in fishnets, shiny booty shorts and knee socks.

You also get the Holy Grail: a workout that doesn't feel like a workout. Whether its rolling around the track to Lady Gaga, practicing plow, toe or T-stops, competing in relay races or falling on purpose on our well-padded knees, elbows and wrists, Derby Lite is the most fun I've had while working my ass and inner thighs. And I'm really sad to find that only beginner classes are offered on Saturday mornings, the time most convenient for me. If I opt to enroll in the intermediate class, which I'm sorely tempted to, I'll be running up against a variety of other weeknight commitments.

Give Derby Lite a try and watch me nail my cross-overs on Get in Gear Day, your opportunity to get a taste of what Derby Lite is all about. Come to the ARC building (18 Chicago Ave) on Sunday, December 13th from 12-3pm.