now this is in no way an advertisement for the brands i use, i’m just trying to show what i use at the moment and from my own experience and talking to other girls it seems pretty much standard for freshies starting out.

basically to start training for derby on the most basic level you need the following

• quad skates
• helmet
• knee (decent)/elbow pads
• wrist guards
• mouth guard
• striped knee high socks (not really but it’s a plus ^_^)
• water water water

from left to right : 1) puma street skates crica 2000 2) sure grip rebels 3) s-one cromag (for fat heads) 4) protec wrist guards 5) 187 knee pages 6) no-name elbowpads

1)  puma skates these babies were bought in 2000 when i had every intention on rolling around the streets of melbourne in my time off work. after about 5 mins on them and a near spectacular fall i was scared off them for the next 9 years which they spent in my various bedrooms since.. well until june 2009. after researching roller derby for a while i convinced a friend to come out with me to the local rink (caribbean rollerama 4 lyfe !!) for a test run. it was fun but alot of hard work,  i was pretty uneasy and decided that i was just going to bite the bullet and invest in a decent pair of skates to practice with especially seeing as the wheel nuts stick out too far and are not allowed to be used in derby. this brings us to…

2) sure grip rebels the first time i picked these sexy little girls up i knew the difference between them and the old pumas was massive. i tossed the pumas aside and got down to the rink as quickly as possible. moving around in the rebels was effortless compared the to pumas. The sure grips have given me no aches, no blisters and no foot monsters, that is not to say they won’t after more strenuous work outs but i’m very happy with them.

but skates are not just about the boot. the wheels i have are sure grip fugitives  (62mm 92-95A pink -  62mm is the size of the wheel, and 92-95A is the hardness, basically the harder the wheel the faster) they are pretty much middle ground in terms of grippyness and hardness. i thought this was the best way to go due to not knowing what the surface was going to be like everywhere. the bearings are the standard sure-grip speedy ABEC 7’s compared to ABEC 1’s (the lowest grade available)  that i had in my pumas… i will upgrade to the ultra pricey ceramic bearings later down the track but what i have at the moment seem perfect for anyone starting out. if you want to skate outside alot you will want some cheaper bearings and softer wheels on standby so u don’t go arse over tit at the mere sight of a pebble or twig in the way. i don’t have a set myself so i will refrain from commenting further.

suregrip rebels seem to be very popular with skaters starting out, they are reasonably priced which is good. it’s probably not a good idea to spend too much more on your first pair until you work out where u stand in the world of derby. another popular boot with the girls i’ve seen around is the riedell r3’s or the riedell vandals i’ve heard alot of good things about these and are keen to try some on… plus the vandals have uber sexy white stripes down the side ^_^.

australian shops are quite expensive for skates that are imported . i personally bought mine from sin city skates and including the shipping they were still considerably cheaper then over here.  now thats not to say this hasn’t changed in the last few months but make sure u shop around. there’s a good chance you could get a better skate setup overseas for the same price as a lesser skate in oz.

but enough about these so called “derby skates”. i’m pretty sure that the fisher price bad boys are what we all started out on. The sounds of awesome (read:cheap) plastic grinding on footpaths or deserted streets, the children’s screams (myself included) at the many grazed knees, sprained ankles and bruises that resulted still ring fondly in my ears. i eagerly await the day when there is a local derby league where “my first skates” are the main requirement. oh the things (injuries) i could do (to myself) on these puppies.

3) s-one cromag helmet now i’ll be honest. i wasn’t given much choice in the way of helmets. the first helmet i bought was a protec but it didn’t fit. however it seems like a good helmet, well priced and popular with derby girls. now after shopping around i found the xxxl cromag and ordered one from the states. fits like a glove surprisingly and i have no complaints.the only thing left to do with it is sticker it up.

4) protec wrist guards a must even though you are not supposed to be landing with your hands first at all.  if i had been wearing these babies when i was 14 i would be minus one fractured wrist.

5) 187 knee pads so good! basically with all the knee falling you will need to be doing you really need a good pair of knee pads. these were recommended by so many people. the protecs up to this point were not as good but i think they’ve just changed the design to match the 187 type. basically you need a big set of pad thats going to allow you to fall on them over and over and over again without hurting your knee in the process. the 187’s are nice and big, very comfy, easy to drop onto and slide on and they also have a removable/replaceable thingy.. err u know what i mean…the hard bit.

6) no-name elbow guards it’s been my experience so far that elbow pads are needed but not as important as knee pads for fresh meat training. thus i am still using the bare minimum (read:cheap) pads until i get into the league at which point i will upgrade. it’s good to get used to wearing the pads and having a feel for them being there but when your starting out save your money and put them into your knee pads or some ice packs ^_^.

7) mouth guard it’s required but each to their own on which brand/type. i like my dr.shock gel mouth guard.. well i don’t like it, it makes me look like an idiot and i can’t talk when i wear it but it’s comfortable enough. most mouth guards you can get at pharmacy or sports stores.

if i get some new gear in the future i’ll try and give it a bit of a review on here. even though i won’t be skating for a while i just want to buy more stuff, more wheels, new bearings, tools, more striped socks..it’s a good thing i had my credit limit lowered.