Diamond Dog, My Derby Story

This entry in The Rollergirl Project is a small glimpse into the life of a derby girl. This entry is by Diamond Dog who skates with the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls of Bloomington, IN. More pictures of her can be found at Cory's website

I got my first pair of roller skates for my 6th birthday in 1989. They were white with red wheels and they had Popples on the side. They were the best present ever!

I grew up on a quiet cul de sac in Noblesville Indiana with tons of kids. We would put on our roller skates and race down the street, I would tuck one arm behind my back and pretend to be Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair. My sister would tie pillows to her butt so that she wouldn’t get hurt but I never wore any safety gear. Honestly it is amazing that I survived childhood with no broken bones. I jumped off the top of swing sets and climbed trees all day.

When I reached adulthood, I had become a teen mom to a kick ass set of twin boys. I had made friends with a few derby girls outside of the derby world, I also have a cousin who skates for Grand Raggidy so when my cousins team came down to play BHRG I went to watch a bout. I was in love! I wanted to do it so bad and I decided as a graduation present to myself I would start to play roller derby. I even picked out my derby name Diamond Dog 2 years before I started skating. The name comes from my undying love of my favorite singer David Bowie.

So, in 2011 a few months before I graduated I bought skates and gear and went to a BHRG skills camp. I thought, “I skated as a kid how hard can it be?” Well it took me that first skills camp to learn it was a lot harder than I thought. I realized that I could go forward on skates, but I couldn’t stop or turn really at all. I signed up for the boot camp and my first practice, I messed up a ligament in my knee. That was my first injury. After the boot camp was over, I went to the new skater program the DisOrderlies once a week and learned so much, like “Hey, guess what, I can stop now!” Not only that but I can do many different kinds of stops!

 

March 2012, I broke my wrist, that was a fun one because I went to a doctor twice in a two week period to be told I had a pinched nerve and finally went to the ER where the doctor told me I had a fracture that went in 3 different directions on my radius. Way to go urgent care clinic who misdiagnosed me.

The biggest critique that I always got from the coaches who watched us was that I needed to work on core more, I kept trying and it seemed like something was wrong so I went to a doctor during the off season and found out that I had a hernia. They did surgery and guess what; there were FOUR hernias, so that explains a lot. Now I’m back again and better than ever, I can do sit ups now when I couldn’t do those before. I’ve learned so much since I started skating. My next goal, besides making the league and a team, is to learn how to be a wrecking ball on the track.

So that is my derby story. You know that obnoxiously catchy song by Chumbawumba, Tub Thumping? That is my derby song, I get knocked down but I get up again, you’re never going to keep me down. Because I’ve gotten knocked down by injury a lot but it will never keep me down because I always get back up and put my skates back on and hit the track.

I love this sport so much, I always joke that I suffer from Derby Distraction Disorder because I think about it so much. My non derby friends don’t understand at all how wonderful derby is. I also love the league BHRG so much, it is the best group of people that I’ve ever met (besides my besties outside of derby ;) ) Everyone in BHRG is so encouraging and wonderful everyone brings their own unique skills to the table and it makes this wonderful organization. I am so glad that I started skating and wish that I had right after that first bout that I went to instead of waiting 2 years. And no matter how many times I get knocked down I will ALWAYS get back up and keep skating.

Body By Derby: Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls

Body By Derby is a figure study of active derby athletes to show the different body types of active skaters and the physical effects derby has on the players. This entry features skaters from Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls. More pictures can be found at Cory's website.

From Left: Aceta Menacin, Shock 'n Roll, Mae Kim Hurl, Shifty McGee, Bobbi McGuillotine, and Bombshell Shock

 

	Name	Aceta Menacin
	Age	23
	Children	0
	Height	5'8"
	Weight	137
	Weight before derby	145
	Started	February 2011
	Key Position	Jammer
	Practice time per week	5
	Other Workout
	Diet	No Fructose
	Laps in 5 minutes	33
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment

 

	Name	Shock 'n Roll
	Age	29
	Children	0
	Height	5'10"
	Weight	185
	Weight before derby	175
	Started	2008
	Key Position	Defensive Blocker
	Practice time per week	7-9 hours
	Other Workout	2 hours weight training per week and 2 X 4 mile runs per week
	Diet	Not really.  I just strive to minimize processed food in my diet
	Laps in 5 minutes	33
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Being part of the Flatliners (WFTDA-Sanctioned)

 

	Name	Mae Kim Hurl
	Age	21
	Children	0
	Height	5'0"
	Weight	130 of pure muscle baby!
	Weight before derby	120
	Started	2011
	Key Position	Blocker & Jammer
	Practice time per week	9
	Other Workout	Hiking & Core
	Diet	Vegitarian
	Laps in 5 minutes	28
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Derby!

 

	Name	Shifty McGee
	Age	24
	Children	0
	Height	5'9"
	Weight	140
	Weight before derby	130
	Started	2009
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	9
	Other Workout
	Diet
	Laps in 5 minutes	34
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	1 arm push ups

 

	Name	Bobbi McGuillotine
	Age	23
	Children	0
	Height	5'7"
	Weight	163
	Weight before derby	150
	Started	2010
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	12+ In season
	Other Workout	8+
	Diet	Ice Cream
	Laps in 5 minutes	30
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Getting my brown belt in judo

 

	Name	Bombshell Shock
	Age	29 (for 2 more weeks!)
	Children	0
	Height	5'6"
	Weight	140
	Weight before derby	150
	Started	December 2007
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week
	Other Workout	Weights twice per week and run three times per week
	Diet	Try to eat healthy for good performance
	Laps in 5 minutes	32
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Will hopefully run my first half marathon at the end of October. Being a starter for BHRG Flatliner (WFTDA-sanctioned team)

 

Body By Derby: Black-N-Bluegrass Rollergirls

Body By Derby is a figure study of active derby athletes to show the different body types of active skaters and the physical effects derby has on the players. This entry features skaters from Black-N-Bluegrass Rollergirls. More pictures can be found at Cory's website.

From Left:  Aine Ass, Red Emma, Neva Shakeababy, Beka Rekanize, Jessie Maims, and Rosie the Riv-hit-her

 

	Name	Aine Ass (pronounced onya ass)
	Age	28
	Children	1
	Height	5'6"
	Weight	170
	Weight before derby	180
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	5 Hrs
	Other Workout	Weight train 3- 5 times per week, ocassionally yoga, and cardio a couple times a week
	Diet	I try to eat clean the majority of the time
	Most recent 25 in 5	31 laps in 5 mins
	Previous Experience	None

 

	Name	Red Emma
	Age	35
	Children	1
	Height	5'6"
	Weight	180
	Weight before derby	215
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	5 to 7 Hrs
	Other Workout	resistance/weight training 2-3hrs per week. yoga periodically
	Diet	Paleo is the guideline. I try to limit my diet to protein, vegetables and fruit
	Most recent 25 in 5	4 minutes
	Previous Experience	soccer up until middle school, nothing after that until derby

 

	Name	Neva Shakeababy
	Age	41
	Children	None
	Height	5’1”
	Weight	113
	Weight before derby	133
	Key Position	Jammer
	Practice time per week	5 hrs
	Other Workout	I run once or twice a week and play soccer in the spring and fall. My line of work very active.
	Diet	I just try to eat healthy by watching my carbs and not eating late. yogurt instead of ice cream and protein shakes instead of snacks.
	Most recent 25 in 5	4 Min
	Previous Experience	Volleyball. soccer, basketball, softball, track and field in high school.  In my junior year of high school, I went to Europe for 3 weeks for soccer. Won state tournament in track and field. Played fast pitch softball and flag football in college. Won softball state tournament 4-5 years in state of Kentucky.

 

	Name	Beka Rekanize
	Age	31
	Children	None
	Height	5’8”
	Weight	138
	Weight before derby	150
	Key Position	Jammer
	Practice time per week	7 Hrs
	Other Workout	Weight training, jogging and hiking
	Diet	I try to eat clean. Minimal to no processed foods. Lots of fruits, veggies and proteins.
	Most recent 25 in 5	4 Min
	Previous Experience	Soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country, track and field, skiing

 

	Name	Jessie Maims
	Age	28
	Children	None
	Height	5’8”
	Weight	162
	Weight before derby	175
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	5+ Hrs
	Other Workout	Workouts twice a week with the team's official trainer.
	Diet	Paleo, but not too strictly. I eat with the aim of getting the most nutrition in my body with the least amount of processed foods.
	Most recent 25 in 5	4 Min
	Previous Experience	I did intramural sports occasionally in college; before that, I was in marching band throughout middle school and high school (some consider that a sport). I hadn't played a regular team sport since I played soccer for a few summers as a kid, in addition to a couple years on swim team.

 

	Name	Rosie the Riv-hit-her
	Age	27
	Children	None
	Height	5’6”
	Weight	145
	Weight before derby	155
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	5 to 7 1/2 depending on the week
	Other Workout	Off skate work outs before practice, weight lifting and running
	Diet	I use portion control with a lot of fruits and veggies, but I'll never deny myself any food because of a "diet". It's all about moderation.
	Most recent 25 in 5	30 laps in 5 minutes
	Previous Experience	Fast pitch softball, basketball and track and field.

Breckin on Being Broken

This entry in The Rollergirl Project is a small glimpse into the life of a derby girl. This entry is by Breckin U. Down who skates with the Cornfed Derby Dames of Muncie, IN. More pictures of her can be found at Cory's website

The Cornfed Derby Dames were founded in the Spring of 2010. The leagues first charity event was on June 5th. We volunteered at a concert to raise money for a little guy named Jack’s family to help with his medical bills. We were new and had not figured out safety gear should always be required. Well, leave it to me to change all that. I fell at the end of the night and tried to catch myself. Sadly, I hate to admit I was sober. The end result was a plate & 6 screws in my right wrist. The team had just gotten access to practice space and was to start the very next week.
I spent the next 8 weeks watching everyone learn to stop and fall while I happily, and sometimes against my chauffeur/husbands wishes, came to as many practices as possible. I held a stop watch, whistle or just their papers with planned drills and generally helped the practice committee in any way I could. We even brought in silly exercise videos like Sweating to the Oldies for the girls that didn’t have full gear yet to do off skates training in a different area. I did what I could in silly Richard Simmons style. When I am finally able to skate, I am way behind on all the basics and immediately intimidated by the cement floor. With lots of hard work and tons of help from the other Dames, I managed to eek my way on every roster for our first season. I was even voted most improved blocker by my team.
In season 2, we get a coach. It is just what we needed. Somehow our hardest practice the first year is a breeze compared to what he had in store for us. We bust our asses for 3 months in preparation for our first home bout. I am so happy to have made the roster and get to skate against Naptown's Third Alarm again. The bout was Sunday April 15th and I broke my right fibula at practice on Monday the 9th.
As I was looking at another 6-8 weeks off skates and at probably 10 before I would be able to do any contact, I was horrified. All that hard work down the drain! I had nightmares about my leg not healing correctly or it hurting to even skate. Ridiculous ones where my leg was so skinny my knee pad wouldn’t stay up and Coach was yelling because I wasn’t on the floor for practice in time. Obviously, this time, my head was going to play tricks on me and not make this easy. I had to remind myself to stay active with the league and not just my board duties but actually come to practice more than I was required as an injured skater. While there I tried to focus on encouraging the new girls that had only been with us a few months.
This injury was way harder for me to be positive through. Watching all the girls get so much better and the new girls thrive, I started to worry about even being able to make a roster when I was healed. At 14 weeks post break I played in my first bout back. It was a handful of vets and all of our first year skaters against a newer team. It was 3 of the girls first bout and a couple had only played a few jams in one other. We were down by 30 and came back within one point with 3 mins left on the clock. In the end we lost by 9 points but had an experience to remember with our rookies. Unfortunately one of our own was taken to the ER for a broken tibia/fibula. Obviously the loss is nothing compared to JenAroll getting injured.

• All of this made me think of tips for my broken Dame and any fellow derbs out there having a rough go at it.
  Having an amazingly supportive family/derby wife/team helps tremendously.
• Netflix is a life saver when you are couch bound for long period of time. I strongly suggest Mad Men. Mr Draper and Mr Sterling are easy on the eyes and you can focus on what’s going to happen next rather than on your current situation.
• Stay as active as you are physically possible (and allowed per doctors orders). If you are able to walk, do a lap around the yard. Sitting still just helps breed the depression of not being able to do what you love.
• Go to practice once you are that mobile. See your ladies. They miss you too. They are just busy with practice and life. (we all know how much spare time derby girls have) If you haven’t heard from many don’t assume you aren’t missed.
• Ask to help. Jam time/penalty time on scrimmage nights. Blow the whistle for drills. Whatever they need.
• If you have fresh meat- set up a chair near them and give tips. You don’t have to be the best skater to be encouraging or maybe explain something that they aren’t quite getting. Even if its little things like giving them one thing to focus on during scrimmage so they feel a bit less lost. I remember the chaos and having no idea what I should be doing. Remember that one person who blew your mind with a simple tip that made it all make a bit more sense. Now is your time to be that person. Remind them that all of us were there once.
• Listen to the coaches. All that strategy they are going over and working on, you can learn and memorize so you aren’t behind in that aspect when you are able to return.
• Try not to be jaded or rude to any of your teammates. I know you want to skate and can’t but it’s not their fault. And if they are talking to you about their issues they don’t mean to rub in that they can. They are just chatting with their friend and derby sister about what they are dealing with.

To my lovely Dames: I know I bit off heads and made snarky comments at times. I suck and I am sorry.

• Go to the bouts, make signs and be their biggest fan/cheerleader, NSO, sit with fans and help explain the game. Show your team you love to support them as much as you love skating with them.
• And overall follow your doctor’s orders, do your physical therapy, and be patient with yourself. Injuries take time. You can recover and be back out there. Rushing it may lead to reinjury and longer time as a cheerleader.

Body By Derby: Cornfed Derby Dames

Body By Derby is a figure study of active derby athletes to show the different body types of active skaters and the physical effects derby has on the players.  This entry features skaters from Cornfed Derby Dames. More pictures can be found at Cory's website.

from Left:  Alotta Pushie, Elizabeth Tailher, DG Ozsome, Breckin U. Down

	Name	Alotta Pushie
	Age	27
	Children	None
	Height	5’ 3”
	Weight	150
	Weight before derby	138
	Started	November 2010
	Key Position	Jammer
	Practice time per week	6 Hours
	Other Workout	Weights, Cardio, & Swimming
	Diet	Dairy Free
	Laps in 5 minutes	32 Laps
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Power lifting my own weight

	Name	Elizabeth Tailher
	Age	26
	Children	None
	Height	5’ 7”
	Weight	170
	Weight before derby	170
	Started	May 2010
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	6 Hours
	Other Workout	Cardio
	Diet	None
	Laps in 5 minutes	28 Laps
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Roller Derby

	Name	DG Ozsome
	Age	25
	Children	1
	Height	5’ 5”
	Weight	115
	Weight before derby	105
	Started	June 2010
	Key Position	Blocker/Jammer
	Practice time per week	6 hours
	Other Workout	Yoga
	Diet	Eat healthy (This Includes Chocolate!)
	Laps in 5 minutes	32 Laps
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Derby!

	Name	Breckin U. Down
	Age	30
	Children	None
	Height	5’ 8”
	Weight	158
	Weight before derby	140
	Started	April 2010
	Key Position	Blocker
	Practice time per week	6 hours
	Other Workout	None
	Diet	None
	Laps in 5 minutes	28 Laps
	Greatest Athletic Accomplishment	Roller Derby