The Roar of the Crowd

The rollergirls (and Noa Fantastica, natch) got all dolled up in our fishnets and blood smeared uniforms to skate in the County Fair parade yesterday.

There were a few complications.

Right from the start, the ground was wet, and covered with wet leaves. Wet leaves + roller skates = Daff O'Drill struggling to stay upright and moving in a forwardly direction.

As I was in the midst of my struggle to A. not eat it hard and B. try to find the rest of the team in the community college parking lot (where every sports team, non profit, fireman, cheerleader, gymnast, nursery school and drama club had gathered in a sort of Full Blown Chaos/Staging Area) I almost ran over a bagpiper.

I saw a few people that I knew, but I was feeling a bit shy what with my sequined hotpants and my precarious skating situation. Because I was unable to stop with certainty, I didn't want to try to approach anyone. So I kept my head down, furiously texting.

"We're next to the science building."
"I'M next to the science building."
"We're to the left of the entrance."
"I'M to the left of the entrance."
"We're in the front."
"I'M in the front - I'm behind the rainbow."
"Rainbow?"
I was hiding behind a flatbed truck which held an enormous rainbow made out of balloons. And I was getting agitated. Amazingly, the rainbow was not visible from their location, on the other side of the park rangers.
"What DO you see from where you are?" I typed, hoping for something, anything to help me hone in on their location in the massive crowd.
"We're next to the bagpipers."
Oh. Well, since I had almost ran over a few of those, I knew exactly where to go.

So I found the team, and we stood around sweating in this insane heat and post-rainstorm humidity. I was bitching about how hot I was, when I realized we had a much larger problem.

Gnats.

The air was full of them. My clothes were covered with them. They were in my hair, and my teeth, and stuck in the corners of my eyes. They were - for all intents and purposes - swarming the downtown area.

And as much as I wanted to turn around and drive back to the house, I didn't. Because I was going to be in a PARADE and I love a parade. Oh yes I do. And just as I was remarking about how much I love a parade, I spotted a certain government official riding by, waving at the gathered crowd. A government official I have very strong feelings about. Very negative feelings. Very, very negative.

Because I was once again in uniform, I was not able to respond in a way that normally, I would have. I was representing the team, and the team cannot shout obscenities at elected officials, no matter how much we want to. So instead we all stood, and stared, and made loud comments about how strong our negative impressions are of this particular individual and her policies.

I love these girls (and Noa Fantastica). And not just because these girls (and Noa Fantastica) can rock hot pants like no one's business.

When it was our turn to start parading, we really gave it our all (between spitting out bugs and skidding in the gravel). It was so much FUN. And the crowd, they just went wild! At first I thought they were excited to see the Roller Girls (and their hotpants and fishnets). But then........then I realized something. They were calling out the names of specific Rollergirls.

It's a toss-up, but I would have to say that the educators probably got the biggest response, since there were so many students watching the parade......but the public defenders on the team seemed to have quite a following as well. If the  crowds weren't screaming for their teacher's attention, they were showing unbridaled support to their lawyer.

And since they were all, you know, not in jail, I'm guessing we have some good lawyers on the team.

Bonus.

Because if ever there was a team that needed lawyers, it would be the Rollergirls.