Skating to Happiness
Categories: People
Jun 22, 2012
Georgia Goodwin is Operations Coordinator at GES…
I’m not sure where or how to start this, so I’ll start by saying something pretty cliché, “Roller Derby saved my soul!” But I really mean it, Roller Derby saved my life. I’m not sure if I found derby or if derby found me.
I wasn’t bored or tired of my daily routines, but depressed. This type of thing happens to people like me, right (this is what I kept telling myself)? We grow older and things start to get monotonous. I was missing my spark for life and wanted to deviate from the everyday grind, aka marriage, house, dogs, job and family (the whole nine yards). I needed a new life! My husband worked nights which left me with the house and the dogs. As the winter crept in I found myself getting antsy. I wondered to myself, what’s next?
Then, out of the (wonderful) blue, I received a message from an old high school friend. She’d been playing roller derby and a light bulb went off in my head! If she could do it, I could too. I was interested in learning more. What is involved? Why did she choose it and was it for me? I joined her at the local rink and we caught up, skated and I wanted MORE…
I started attending games as a non-skating official. After a few bouts, this still wasn’t enough for me. I became more involved with these girls and grabbed myself a pair of skates, which were worn once, sold at a great discounted price and my size! I strapped those babies on and haven’t looked back since (even though I’ve ended up on my butt a few times).
My first group was “The Red Rockettes.” Our team was taught the minimum skills required to play in public scrimmages. I did two 12 week sessions before getting recruited to the, “Big Girls League,” aka Wasatch Roller Derby. I had never been a part of a league before, which made me feel like I affected something bigger than myself. Being a part of GES’, “One Team,” made this transition easy. While working at our Salt Lake City office, I learned that every decision I made had more of an impact than just what I did. It influenced our clients, my coworkers and my company’s bottom line. Teamwork was my motto and I carried this over to help push my team to many victories.
Today I’m stronger, healthier, and a better person, surrounded by a loving supportive family of over 50 beautiful and talented women (not to mention some women who could take on some of the strongest men I know). I’m currently a part of the Black Diamond Divas. We practice two to four times a week, have weekly games, scrimmages and serve on committees to perform community service. I squeeze all of this in while enjoying my job, running the dogs, loving my husband, cleaning my house, eating and other, “life stuff.” I enjoy every minute and wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t forget to always push for more than just, “The life that everyone else has.”
Do you have any unusual hobbies that your coworkers don’t know about? Share them with us on our Facebook wall!
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- Double Duty: Balancing Personal and Professional Lives
- Resolving to be Less Resolute
- Dear Diary
By: Georgia Goodwin