Started Playing Derby: June 2012

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Team:  South Jersey Roller Derby Travel Team, Bruised Beauties

 

How did you choose your derby name & number?

I spent a lot of time making lists - characters, inspiring people, adjectives and words. I had actually signed up for my rookie game with a different name, but about a week before I realized there was no one I wanted to emulate more than Catwoman. Most people don't realize that my name is a play on Selina Kyle, which is Catwoman's real name.

 

What led you to roller derby?
Whip It.
I saw the movie when I was a senior in high school and fell in love with the idea of being a derby girl. When I left the theater I saw that there were some skaters from SJRD tabling in the lobby and immediately approached them. Unfortunately, I was too young to skate. Fortunately, their next round of try outs was on my 18th birthday. It felt meant to be, but my mom didn't like the idea of me starting such a potentially dangerous sport while I was in high school, and I couldn't afford to do it myself, so I put the idea on the back burner.
It wasn't until the summer after my sophomore year in college that I decided to actually start skating. I was having a hard time adjusting to summers home from school and I was looking for a place to fit in. Luckily, I found an amazing group of people and friends.

 

What was your biggest hurdle when you first started derby?

There were two things I had trouble with when I started, but they were both related to feeling like I was a part of the team. Even though I've been a member of SJRD for nearly three years, I spent a lot of that time at school in New York, so I wasn't exactly skating. I spent more time away from the league than as a part of it. It didn't help that I have a lot of trouble talking to new people and making friends. I'm lucky that Training Wheels is a great way to bond with other new skaters. I made some great friends when I first started (shout out to Meghan, Sofia, Andrea and Dani) and that made it a lot easier to feel like I was at home when I was skating.

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What does being a South Jersey Roller Derby member mean to you?

South Jersey Derby is a family. We don't all always get along, we don't all know each other very well, but we've always got each other's backs. We encourage each other to do our best, to skate through frustration, to get better and to have fun on the track. This is a sports team and we work hard to get better and win, but that's not the heart of our league. Derby is catharsis. Derby is hard work and dedication. But most importantly derby is fun. I always have fun with my teammates, whether they're newbies or vets. It goes to show that having fun can still lead you to a National Championship.

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What would you recommend for a new rookie joining the league?

Don't give up. Don't give up on staying on your feet when you start, don't give up on crossovers, don't give up on a new maneuver, on getting through the pack, on taking down someone bigger than you. And never say "I can't". You'll often find that when you try, you can. Since I started skating full time after graduation, I have been pushing myself harder and trying to break down these boundaries, and I've been finding that I'm a much better skater than I ever imagined I could be. So never doubt yourself. Just try.

 

What is your derby goal?

My goal is to get better every day. To never stop improving. Some days are harder than others, but I'm challenging myself as much as possible, and so far I'm very happy with the results.
 

Any notes you'd like to share?

I wanna say thank you to WreckLiz and Mary Kill for teaching me to skate. And my team, the Bruised Beauties, for helping me overcome a lot of personal obstacles and pushing me to skate my hardest.

 

​What is a fun fact about yourself?

I write horror movies. Eventually I hope to have them produced, or even produce them myself. So remember my name, you'll be seeing it in lights soon.