Uplifting Photos in the Wake of the Corona Virus, Day 36 | Jenn Terrell, Roller Derby Queen
Uplift Blog Series: I wanted to help be a part of online positivity in the wake of the coronavirus and social distancing measures. I have had the honor of working with some amazing people who have such interesting and uplifting stories. ❤️I think now is the perfect time to share some of those. At first, I was going to put them all into one post but I think they are each so strong they deserve their own post and it will give me something to look forward to sharing with the world each day.
DAY 36
Did any of you watch The Last Dance docuseries last night? I am shook! I love watching series like that about super successful people. This series features some of the most successful people of all time (Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippin(who is from Arkansas by the way), Dennis Rodman, and more). The amount of work they put in plus how they had to keep a level head through it all. It was so inspiring! They are releasing two episodes every Sunday on ESPN. You know where I will be every Sunday evening until all 10 episodes are done. ❤️If you haven’t started watching it you totally should! It explores the iconic work of the Bulls on their championship streak. I am not super into sports but this is on a different level.
Years ago I found my sport. I went to the movie theater to watch Whip it. It was a movie about roller derby. As soon as I left the theater I went home and googled the nearest roller derby team to me and I was at practice soon after. I was too young to play at first. At the time you had to be 21 and I was 20 I think? So I could only practice for a while but I had definitely found my sport. I practiced my heart out and became one of the main players on the team in about six months. I played with some amazing women! Women from all over the career spectrum. There was a nurse, a graphic designer, a clothing designer, teachers, sales people, a research scientist, etc. I was so inspired by these women. By day they were at their day jobs and by night they had on fish nets and were trying to knock me down at practice. Those years were some of the best. I grew a confidence in myself that I had never had before. I was finally pretty good at something. And to have people chanting my derby name while I played is like nothing I had ever experienced. The confidence and support I received during those years was like none other. Roller derby provided me with an amazing community. One I still have today. I could reach out to any of my derby sisters and I know they would help me if I ever needed it and vice versa. Some of them still book photoshoots from me and I am also photographing one of my derby sister’s elopements once the pandemic is over.
Thinking about all of this just makes me want to get back out there and play again. You might see on skates soon after this pandemic is over. ❤️So here are some photos of my glory days. I hope there are still many to come.
HUGE THANKS TO ERIC WYLES for taking photos of us over the years. I would not have many of these amazing memories if he didn’t spend hours upon hours photographing us, editing the photos, sharing them and tagging us. He is a gem who has given us a peek into our history.
Side note: I have played for more than few teams because I have moved cities (and states and even countries) more than a few times but Central Arkansas Roller Derby is where I got my start and where I played the longest. My coach there saw something in me and he really pushed me to be the best player I could be. From what I have gathered the league has changed up quite a bit since then. These photos are all from my time with Central Arkansas Roller Derby.
