Skater of the Month - Emma Belter

NAME: Emma Belter

NUMBER: 313

How did you get into roller derby?

I got into roller derby after jumping in the Tay on January 1st 2011! I met an old school friend in the pub on Hogmany and she was doing the New Year Dook in Broughty Ferry the next morning and I decided that I would join her so she wasn’t on her own. Something about plunging into the freezing cold River Tay and swimming obviously addled my brain because I made a decision that day that I would say yes to anything sporty I was asked to do for the whole of 2011. This led to me trying skiing, wall climbing, touch rugby, Krav Maga, netball and all sorts of bizarre fitness classes through out the course of the year. When 2 of the girls at my husbands work told him about the Dundee Roller Girls open day in November I couldn’t say no and popped along to Dundee International Sport Center to give it a try. I was totally hooked after that day and couldn’t wait for fresh meat to start in January 2012.

What has been your favourite derby experience so far?

There have been so many great experiences, I love scrims, the boot camps I have done have been so much fun and just nailing things that I really struggled with is a great feeling too but the best thing about Derby for me is the people I have met. I have made some fantastic friends through Derby that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise and this for me beats all the other things hands down.

What do you do when you're not skating?

I work in a rubber factory but when I’m not there I try to fit in some tennis, swimming, gym classes, netball, the odd exercise weekend, shopping, gin drinking, eating out and plenty of socialising with friends. Now I have every weekend off I love going to watch Derby as much as possible too. My challenge for this year is to learn to knit and sew and I am getting there slowly with the knitting at least.

What do you think is the most important thing for a new skater to learn?

I think the best advice I can give is to not be so hard on yourself and just enjoy it. There will be times when you are so frustrated with things you want to cry and give up but keep at it because it is so worth it in the end. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, never tell yourself that either and never give up.

Who do you choose as next month’s Skater of the Month?

This was really hard as I had so many choices but the person I have gone for really stands out for me. She is dedicated, a team player, always has a smile on her face and an encouraging word and a hug for people. She also makes amazing cakes and has become a huge part of Dundee Roller Girls. I really can’t wait to see her bout for the 1st time and I will even try to scream louder than she does when it happens. My skater of the month is the one and only Alix!