Skater of the Month: Nikki Tesla

Welcome to our monthly feature on the blog where we help you all get to know our players a little better! This month, we're featuring our 2015 team Secretary:

Skater Name: Nikki Tesla

Number: 134

Story Behind the Name: With a hardcore love of all things Steampunk, and a husband who is an electrician, taking the name of a famous Nineteenth Century Inventor just seemed to fit. Plus, now I can aim to be "electrifying" on the track!

Hometown: A small town in Northern CT

Derby Experience: I've just passed my one year anniversary playing Derby! I'm excited to be skating on the Team's Roster this season and I can't wait...

Sports background: I've played softball and soccer. I used to ride bikes or rollerskate for HOURS after school every day. I did Kempo Karate and Ju Jitsu in high school and college. Now, it's all Derby or trying to get in extra cardio at the gym.

Why Derby: At first it was just a way to get more exercise. Now it's a constant way to challenge myself both physically and intellectually.  There's so much to keep track of and to try to master! I love it.

Derby Style: Ummm...sometimes it's a pure case of "fake it 'til you make it!" Basically, I try to bolster my teammates in whatever way works best on the track. I fall down, I get back up, and keep moving on.

Why Pair O' Dice: Originally, I came to POD because two of my coworkers were already affiliated with the team. I stayed because we are a tight-knit group of fabulously strong girls who work to support each other both on and off the track. It's like having a new, extended family.

Derby Goals: To learn to be a great blocker and solid addition to the team.  Then, after that, I'd love to learn to master track awareness so that I can become a solid swing, playing both offense and defense on the track.

Favorite players: Can I name my own teammates?  LOL.  Seriously, I want to learn to skate low and fast like our own Donny Brook. I want to learn some epic shenanijams from our Suga Burn and I want to learn to take advantage of the rules in the smartest ways possible like Astra Knot.  Outside of POD, I'd love to someday be as strong and agile as Western Mass' Rammy Lammy, and be able to maneuver as confidently backwards and forwards as Boston's Shark Week.

Outside of Derby: Librarian by day... I'm a reader, writer, and answer finder. I love to curl up with a great book or in front of my favorite cheesy sci-fi tv shows.

Things I have learned about derby: I've learned it's a sport you need to be passionate to play. I've learned that Derby works best when you have team mates you can depend on and they know they can depend on you. Really though, I've learned that no matter what, there's always more to learn about Derby! 

Skater of the Month: Donny Brook

Sorry all for the "radio silence" this past month. A few personal issues took over during the month, but we're back now! So, here you go...

 
Welcome to our monthly feature on the blog where we help you all get to know our players a little better! This month, we're featuring our 2015 team Vice-Chair: 

Skater Name: Donny Brook 

Number: 86

Story Behind the Name: Donnybrook is sort of a family name; it's what Gramps named his farm. Donnybrook was a fair in Co. Dublin that, over 500 years, devolved into a yearly drunken brawl. I feel it translates well to derby.

Hometown: Kelly's Irish Alps

Derby Experience: I'm starting my 5th year of roller derby! Wow. I hadn't been on skates since I was a kid. I am also a founding member of Pair O' Dice City Roller Derby in 2011.

Sports background: Theater, drinking, dog-walking. Those are sports, right?

Why Derby: I had no idea what I was getting into. I came cause I figured I was fast and could take good hit (that theory has panned out). I stay because its an opportunity to be the best me I can be. My body, mind and patience are constantly challenged and are continually get stronger!

Derby Style: Billy-goat and bean dip.

Why Pair O' Dice: POD City is strong and pretty! We work really hard. We try too hard and fall on our faces. We laugh and get up. We push ourselves till we puke and come back for more. We'll play with a roster of 7 and never stop smiling.

Derby Goals: 1. master a 360 jump. 2. train strong jammers 3.Keep derby as a part of my life forever

Favorite players: Jurasskick Park (He skated on Team USA!). Oh, if only I could skate like him....

Outside of Derby:  Totally obsessed with fiber art. Knitting, weaving, crochet, and learning to spin. I make fabulous hand-dyed yarn too.

Things I have learned about derby: Everything! I came in with zero knowledge of the sport or the dedication it takes to maintain a league. I didn't even know how to skate when I started. That's what is great about this community- we accept and guide everyone to be the best they can be. I would never be where I am now without the help and care of everyone in this sport.

Skater of the Month: Haulin-Sass

Welcome to our monthly feature on the blog where we help you all get to know our players a little better! This month, we're featuring our 2015 team Chair:

Skater Name: Haulin-Sass

Number: 318

Story Behind the Name: My name is pretty sentimental. It's in honor of my late boyfriend who was an over the road truck driver. He had planned on opening up his own trucking company named "Westhaulin". I combined the name of his company with my sassy personality and became Haulin-Sass!

Hometown: Born and raised in Springfield MA aka "the 413."

Derby Experience: I joined POD on 9/22/2013 and have loved every second of it!

Sports background: Aside from doing many endurance challenges and just general "keeping in shape" athletics, I didn't really grow up playing any sports.

Why Derby: I never really took an interest in any of the "typical" sports. But one day while at work my coworker was talking about derby and I found it fascinating. Unfortunately, there wasn't a local team for us to try out for, so we talked about creating our own league. Neither of us had ever played before,

though... I then quit that job and a year went by, when a friend of a friend mentioned she played for a local team and invited me to come watch, after that one night I was immediately hooked and kept coming back! Shortly after I started skating I found out my grandmother was a derby girl, no wonder I was so drawn to it; It's in my blood.

Derby Style: I am still working on that. I don't feel that I have enough experience under by belt just yet to have a specific style... But, I do put everything I have into what ever position I am playing.

Why Pair O' Dice: I like to think fate brought us together. At just the right moment in my life a friend of a friend came into my life and invited me to come see the team practice, and I never left.

Derby Goals: I'd like to become a much stronger Jammer.

Favorite players: Well, Of course there is my Derby Wife, Vicious Aloysuis, (-->) but every player that I have met in the short time I've been playing derby has made a huge impact on me and I truly appreciate each and every one of them.

Outside of Derby:  In real life, I work for World Energy in the energy procurement field AKA energy superhero.

Things I have learned about derby: No matter how long you have been skating, there will always be something new to learn - be it rules, or skills. Most importantly, don't get discouraged!

Skater of the Month: Astra Knot

Welcome to our monthly feature on the blog where we help you all get to know our players a little better! This month, we're featuring our 2014 team Chair:

Skater Name: Astra Knot

Number: 321 (Blast off, get it?! LOL)

Story Behind the Name: After thinking about a bunch of different things, I decided to combine two of my favorite things in life. I like space and knitting, hence Astra Knot.

Hometown: Duluth, MN

Derby Experience: I've been skating for several years now, and though I spend most of my time as a blocker, I'm having fun jamming at scrimamages, too.

*Just a side note for you all, too, Astra may be our outgoing team Chair, but she was just voted in as one of our 2015 Co-Captains and has also coached Freshmeat in the past. 

Sports background: I used to play on a volleyball team and loved it. I grew up in Minnesota so there's also been some skiing in my life, LOL... but now it's all Derby!

Why Derby: I was dragged to watch a game originally and realised as I was watching what a fun way it is to release aggression. The more I watched, the more I wanted to learn about derby and the more I figured out that I wanted to play! Plus, teammates are awesome and you get to knock girls down. What could be better?

Derby Style: Hmmm...aggressive? Hard blocking...knock 'em down! *grins* Also knowing and playing to the rules. That way I know what I'm talking about when I contest a call or try to strategize a big upcoming jam. 

Derby Goals: To play hard, but fair and to have fun whether we win or lose. 

Outside of Derby: I teach high school, which I love, but can ...let's just say drive me to find release in hitting girls at Derby, LOL. I love to curl up and knit, read mystery novels, and take naps whenever I can!

Skater of the Month: Meryl Creep

Welcome to our monthly feature on the blog where we help you all get to know our players a little better! This month, we're featuring the other half of the Pair O' Dice City Rollers' awesome co-captain duo: 

Skater name: Meryl Creep

Number: 9

Story behind the name: Well, my husband found great joy in trying to find me a name. He wanted people to call me Fugly Motha because he figured people would just call me Fugly!!

Hometown: Springfield, MA. 

Derby Experience: I have been skating for a little over four years

Sports background: I did gymnastics for eighteen years.  I was the captain of my high school gymnastics team. I was on a team for a year in college and then coached in my 20's.  My coach died this summer and I reflected a lot on my childhood as an athlete. As a gymnast I competed under what used to be Classes. I was Class 2 - above that was Class 1 and then Elite.  My best event was the balance beam. I was fourth in the state on that event and fourth in Western Mass in that event, as well. After an injury, I had to leave gymnastics.  I was also a diver and a diving coach before I came to Derby. 

Why Derby:  One day, I watched the movie Whip It and then googled roller derby. I found a league in the area and went to their fresh meat night! I love derby because it gave me back something I was missing in my life. I am a mom, a teacher, a wife and I didn't feel I was me. I was always a jock! I was a gymnast for the majority of my youth. I played soccer, softball, and was a diver. I was a diving coach and a gymnastics coach. I missed being physical.

Derby Style: I think my derby style is aggressive, but I am also a team player. I have also become much more vocal in my playing these past two years. 

Derby Goals: To see how far I can get my body to go, what my body can learn, and to really get back into jamming. 

Favorite Players: Besides myself? LOL. I love watching the Gotham Girls. Philly is an awesome team to watch.  I really end up watching a lot of tournament play. 

Outside of Derby: In "real life," I am a Special Education teacher, teaching high school English to students with reading and language disabilities. Aside from Derby, I also love drinking (J/K!!), reading, watching movies, and motorcycle riding with my husband and friends. I want to get back into working out at the gym. Oh yeah, tattoos... but I don't know if that counts as a hobby? *grins* 

Things I Have Learned about Derby: I've learned that I have good days and bad, but that no matter what, I can be strong. 

Skater of the Month: Suga Burn

This month we're going to start a new feature on the blog to help you all get to know our players a little better! To start off, we're featuring one of the Pair O' Dice City Rollers' co-captains: 

Skater name: Suga Burn

Number: 250

Story behind the name: Derby related injury - I got a huge 2nd-degree burn on my arm making mexican chocolate marshmallows for the ref room. The number is the point where sugar reaches the "hard ball" stage in candymaking. I am actually not into derby names that much, but people who use their real names tend to be...more "gooder" than I am.  Also I have a last name that no one can pronounce.

Hometown: Timber Ridge, VA, basically a sheep farm by the side of the highway

Derby experience: Three years on skates, this is my second season playing.  I was briefly a ref which was an unmitigated disaster.

Sports background: My dad was a runner and babysat by bringing us along to his track workouts. Through high school I was pretty active, but avoided organized sports because I sucked at them and in the south that is a Big Deal.  In college I did club rugby, ultimate frisbee, karate, and got kicked off the rowing team for not passing the swim test.  Post-college I got into ultrarunning and long course triathlon.   

Why derby:  I am pretty sure that originally I wandered in because summer ultimate had ended for the year and I was bored and looking for something to do during the winter, and honestly after almost 10 years in the same co-ed sports league the drama had built up.  I have no idea why I stuck with it, to be honest, except that it was the winter - the league was new and had no organized fresh meat process and picking up the skills was wicked hard for me.  Glad I did though - the game is very mental and always challenging, as I put it “no matter how good you are, you will always find a way to hilariously suck.”  Plus, roller skating turns out to be sort of fun (because the last time I skated pre-derby I broke my ankle so bad I needed 3 surgeries which was not fun).

Derby style: Calm, composed, and rules-minded blocker in bouts.  Shenanijammer extraordinaire, who often comes close to fouling out in scrimmage.  If the refs don’t have homework after a scrimmage, I failed miserably.

Photo by Eric Wallis Photography

Why Pair O' Dice: I came to POD after I had gone inactive for a while after my first season.  I really love that the entire league is one team and everyone is treated equally and empowered. I also love that derby is treated as a sport, not a part-time job.  It was time for me to feed other parts of my life and I am really happy with the balance.

Derby goals: Inspire a WFTDA clarification or rules rewrite ala No Big Deal (will become a jammer if necessary to do so).  I also really want to get involved with Fresh Meat and Scrimmage 101 training.  With the right sequence of training I know that skaters have more fun and become more well-rounded and empowered.

Favorite players: Lil Paine and Artoo Detonate from Boston.  I also adore Chantilly Mace from Bay Area because she full on nopetopuses out (legally) when she is just over a jam.  Crawling through the pack?  Getting hit out and just standing there, refusing to go back? Yep. In an alternate universe where I was an elite jammer, that would SO be me.

Photo by Danielle "Daneurysm" Millea

Gear: Suede and croco leather Riedell 965s with custom plates, Zombie 98a wheels (still not hard enough), 187 knee pads, Scabs elbow and gaskets, Triple 8 wrist guards, S-1 helmet, Crazy Bounce toestops, and 2.4 sisu mouthguard.  Smartwool socks, capris, and lots of bandanas.

Outside of derby:  I have degrees in geological and geotechnical engineering from Columbia and MIT.  I recently hit that point in my career where I am expected to manage, not do, and it forced a re-evaluation of my priorities.  Currently launching a brand new career in social entrepreneurship. This spring I applied for and was selected for the Education Pioneers Data Analyst Fellowship; I am currently in the placement process for it which is both exciting and frustrating on a daily basis.  I also make candy, grow things, make objects, and like riding my bike and such outside.  Also always have a freelance gig cause/economy - gotta diversify.

Things I have learned about derby:  There are at least 6 ways to do a transition and one of them will make sense to everyone.  Fishnets don’t work once you start wearing gaskets.  When it stops being fun, take a break. Interskate 91 South is all-request on Wednesday nights and they play video (I request Marky Mark and Salt ‘n Pepa every time). NSOs always have cookies.