Roll With It, Baby

For the past roughly four years, I’ve had the kind of hobby that made my mother worry that I would break either my own teeth or, as she would say, “God forbid someone else’s.” What started out as a quirky interest morphed into a powerful sport, and my involvement in it also transformed from naïve participant to serious competitor. The sport was Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby, and my league was the Rat City Rollergirls.

Over the course of my roller derby career, I had the opportunity to participate in some of the most spectacular events, meet the most interesting and engaging people, and do the kinds of things I never would have believed possible prior to my involvement. Opening up the December 2005 edition of ESPN magazine and seeing a full page photograph of myself still to this day makes me rub my eyes with disbelief. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.



But roller derby, a fast paced, hard hitting, full impact sport is harder on the body than one might expect. And after four years of smashing, blocking, hip checking and crashing, I’ve decided to take a breather. While I don’t imagine that I’ll ever hang up my skates, I have decided to stop formally competing.

So what’s a girl to do with her spare time suddenly free from training requirements and her mind wide open and curious to the goings-on of the world? Jump right in, of course.

Derby Links:
Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association
Rat City Rollergirls

A Few Derby Photographers
Alistair James, Seattle, WA
Geoff Carter, Seattle, WA
Jules Doyle, Seattle, WA
Joe Schwartz, Seattle, WA
Michael Coyote, Seattle, WA
Phil Peterson, Kansas City, MO
Scott Engelhardt, Seattle, WA
Ziv Kruger, Austin, TX