Roller Derby is a dangerous sport.
In my few practices so far, all I've had for protective gear are the wrist guards I bought after I first went skating back in late February. I'm thankful I had those, because I have sure fallen a lot.
One of the things we will learn in an upcoming practice is proper falling technique. Because you are propelling yourself forward, most of the time you should be falling forward, onto your knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. However, if you are without protective gear, falling on your ass, where there is padding, is advisable. Just try to fall either left or right so as to avoid injuring your tailbone.
On Sunday night, when I found out I would in fact be a member of the team, I went ahead and placed my order for my gear online. Where I live, there aren't much in the way of skate shops. You can find a few things, but if you are looking to get all your gear at once, it is best to look online. I won't list a specific shop here, but you can google "derby gear" or something similar and you should find plenty of places. Your local league will likely have some suggestions on where to order, and may even have some discount codes for you.
The MINIMUM gear you will need is:
helmet, knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads, mouth guard, and your skates.
You may also want to purchase some padded shorts for added hip/butt protection especially if you are a new skater.
Also, talk to your league about skates and wheels. If you are going to stick with derby for a while, you don't want to go cheap. Talk to the girls in your league and see if you can try on some of their gear to see if you like the way it fits and feels. That way you can order a brand you'll be comfortable with.
I haven't gotten my gear yet, but when I do I plan to take pictures and post them here!
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