Meet Orpa & Vicky – They are both fierce roller derby skaters and moms. Read how they juggle motherhood and skating, and how they feel about skating:

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 2…
Orpa, 40 years old
Derby name: Beatchix Kiddo

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀?
18 and 8

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰s?
February 2023

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?
(especially making time to come to practice)
I’m a single mom. I skip one practice every 2nd week, all other practices my eldest daughter looks after my youngest or she is with her dad.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?
EVERYTHING. The sweat, the community, the confidence, the strength I’ve built in my body. It’s the best gift I could’ve given myself. As a mom, you give a lot of yourself to your kids, forgetting that if you nurture yourself, you can be the best version of yourself – for you and everyone else. This is something for just me and it’s my mental and physical haven. It’s hard to imagine I ever lived without it!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?
They’re super proud! And think it’s badass. They get so excited watching me play and having them there to cheer me on at bouts gives me such fire.

*****

𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘂𝗽, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝟯…
Vicky Alvarez Campos.
41 years old
Derby name: Vixen

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀?
7, 5 and almost 3 years old.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰s?
I started skating a year and a half ago. I used to rollerblade as a kid but only took on rollerskating very recently.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?
Committing to practice twice a week might not seem easy but the time (7 to 9pm) works quite well for me. If it was earlier, it wouldn’t be so easy. Before leaving for practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays, everyone at home has eaten, bathed and are ready for bed. I’m very thankful for my husband as he always encourages me to go – I think he can tell I’m a happier person and better wife when I go to Roller Derby.

It’s not easy as a mom to make and allow time to ourselves. I’ve learnt (after 3 kids ) that allowing time and doing an activity that is just for me and not for my family, makes me more fulfilled and therefore a better mom.
I want my children to know that I’m a good mother but I’m not selfless; I also have my hobbies and friends at Roller Derby.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?
I love so many things about skating and Roller Derby! First of all, it’s a full body workout and a super fun one – the two hours practice go by so fast! There’s so much to learn and you can see the progress within those initial 12-week basic course… From barely going forward to going backwards, knowing how to stop in different ways and doing cool tricks – it’s super rewarding. I love that Roller Derby is a team sport; we work hard but we also laugh hard. When I go to practice, I can leave all my day worries aside and just focus on my feet and not falling.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿?
My kids can’t wait to be old enough for them to also be able to skate with their mom. They love that I wear cool skates and a shiny helmet. They have come to watch the two Bouts I played in and was really nice seeing them on the sideline supporting me.
My 5 year old says that she will be a Roller Derby coach – she loves giving me strategy tips on how to block and “run with the star”.

If you’d like to learn how to skate, either to become a roller derby player or just to skate for fun, sign up for our Skate Basics courses that run throughout the year.