Category: Blog Posts

Name: Amelia HitsHart

Number: 724

Team/League History: KRD → DC → KRD

Year you became involved in roller derby: 2017

How did you get involved with roller derby? I learned about roller derby while I was living in Traverse City, but the season conflicted with my work so I never joined. When I moved to Houghton, I learned about the league and joined 5 months later!

Where are you from originally? I grew up in Central Indiana

Name a fun little known fact about you: I collect used postage stamps, but I have some irresistible new ones, too.

How did you pick your name? I loved Amelia Earhart as a kid. She, along with Bessie Coleman, was a barrier-breaking lady and I just thought she was the coolest.

What is your pre-derby sports/skating background? I rollerbladed for most of my childhood. Never trick skating, but in 6th grade we got a dog and I would have him pull me around the neighborhood every day. We usually got going pretty fast and I’m certain that going 15 mph on rollerblades helped me build balance and confidence on wheels. I also played soccer and softball and was on the swim team. 

Please tell us about your rookie year and how you learned to play or officiate roller derby? Lucky for me KRD did rolling recruitment for 2 seasons and I joined without having to officially go through freshie training. (I think it helped that I had lots of skating experience.) I didn’t have a car at the time so Black Ice would pick me up and bring me to every practice!! Some of the veterans would patiently explain the rules to me in between drills and scrimmage jams. On the track, whenever I was feeling unstable I would latch on to Skatin’, a retired skater whose stability helped me immensely. Whenever I provide stability to freshies I feel like I’m paying it forward.

Do you have a pre-game ritual? Stew silently with some serious RBF; I’m focused on the bout and nervous about doing my best. All that nervousness melts away after my first jam, so I’m grateful when I’m in the first one.

Do you have a favorite motivational quote? Let’s fuck shit up which is often accompanied by some weird faces and wild hip thrusts.

What is your position of choice? Blocker but I’m learning to enjoy jamming. 

How would you describe your derby playing style? I am going through a bit of a transition – while skating in DC I had a different role on the team and therefore played differently. Now I am bringing that skating style home to KRD and figuring out how to blend the two together. Sometimes I’ll flounder, but I’m still able to provide stability and clear communication to my teammates while I’m on the track. That’s what is important to me!

Have you held any leadership positions in leagues? How have those positively impacted your personal roller derby career?  I served on the board for a few years as both the treasurer and derby operations. I enjoyed both and came to appreciate how much behind the scenes work goes into running a successful team. Now I’m no longer on the board but I LOVE being the practice lead and believe it is an important way to contribute to my league.

What is your job outside of roller derby? And how, if at all, has it contributed to your experience of roller derby? I am the Great Lakes Resource Specialist for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Natural Resources Department. I monitor proposed and on-going resource extraction and consider the implications to Tribal treaty rights. I’m not sure that it’s contributed to my roller derby experience, but I’m awfully excited to be able to live and work in such a wonderful place! 

What advice do you have for people who want to get involved roller derby? Do it! 

And lastly, favorite places in the Keweenaw? The shores of Lake Superior, preferably with a book and lots of snacks. 

Name: DuraBelle

Number: 1020

Team/League History: KRD member 2 years going to be 3!

Year you became involved in roller derby: 2022

How did you get involved with roller derby? FreshMeat

Where are you from originally? Maine

Name a fun little known fact about you: Currently the oldest Skating skater on KRD!

How did you pick your name? I am durable.

What is your pre-derby sports/skating background? Soccer and softball 

Please tell us about your rookie year and how you learned to play or officiate roller derby? I learned from KRD training team.  They are the best:)

Do you have a pre-game ritual? Feeling nauseous!

Do you have a favorite motivational quote?  Live to the fullest and do your best!

What is your position of choice? Blocker

What is your favorite drill at practice and why? Catching a goat.

How would you describe your derby playing style? I have no style just getting better and stronger each practice!

Have you held any leadership positions in leagues? How have those positively impacted your personal roller derby career?  Yes, taught me to be understanding and respectful of others.

What is your job outside of roller derby? And how, if at all, has it contributed to your experience of roller derby?  I work for a non profit, Community Alliance for Progressive Education and  I am a real estate agent at Century 21 Affiliated. 

What advice do you have for people who want to get involved in roller derby? Do it!

Keeping with our 2024 season theme (A Decade of Derby), what is your personal favorite decade or era? Why?  90’s because I was in my teens!

And lastly, favorite places in the Keweenaw?  And lastly, favorite places in the Keweenaw?  Covered Drive, Rocket Launch, Porcupine Mountain and sandy beaches.

Name: Katrina or Random NPC

Number: 4

Team/League History: I started skating as a junior skater back in 2008 with the Emerald City Junior Gems. It was a really different game back then skating on a youth team and seeing the game develop out of the resurgence of roller derby.

I aged up into the adult league with the Emerald City Roller Girls and even skated in Scotland with Granite City Rollers for a short time when I studied abroad. I decided to retire after 6 years of playing to let my body rest and recover from a knee injury.

But….now I’m back with a new name and a new team! I loved building up my skills last year during newbie training and relearning the game as a Keweenaw Roller Derby skater.

Year you became involved in roller derby: 2008

How did you get involved with roller derby? See above.

Where are you from originally? My hometown is Eugene, Oregon. I moved up to the Keweenaw 2 years ago from Madison, Wisconsin.

Name a fun little known fact about you: I once had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama on my birthday. My university just happened to be hosting a visit and got a chance to hear him speak and shake his hand.

How did you pick your name? As this is my third roller derby name, I struggled with finding one that fit me as a person now and wasn’t in active use by another skater. I knew I wanted to have a nerdy one and picked out a few D&D themed ones. Random NPC just came to me after stewing on the idea for about a week. I like that it can connect to various nerd tops from TTRPG to video games.

Do you have a pre-game ritual? I like to make a playlist especially for warmups and waiting before hitting the track.

What is your favorite drill at practice and why? I love footwork and agility drills. I’ve always felt pretty confident in my skating skills and like the artistry of it. Kind of like dancing.

How would you describe your derby playing style? Twinkle toes. I love juking other players and getting them to slip up so I can slip past. Sometimes I like to call it my drunken style because I’m always bouncing around and catching myself at the last moment. It’s all to keep momentum and movements fluid and helps with injury prevention. I like being flexible to be what my team needs.

What is your job outside of roller derby? And how, if at all, has it contributed to your experience of roller derby?  I am a library director. There are a lot of librarians who play roller derby (even in the Keweenaw). I think it’s having an alter ego, like Wonder Woman and Batgirl. Maybe with all the quiet and stationary work during the day, we feel the need to shake things up in our spare times.

What advice do you have for people who want to get involved in roller derby? Roller derby is such a fun community to be a part of. There’s a reason I keep getting drawn back into it. Volunteering at bouts is a great place to learn more, be involved, and give back. 

It’s not always as intense as you see at bouts, too. You don’t get to see how we check in with each other after a hard hit/fall or an injury. We may hit hard but we have big hearts that care too. That support, connection, and encouragement is priceless.

And lastly, favorite places in the Keweenaw?  I love driving up to Copper Harbor and hiking around Hunter’s Point Park especially in the fall as the leaves begin to change. Then finish off the trip with a pint at Brickside Brewing before heading back along 26.

The Keweenaw Roller Derby League is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sportsmanship and inclusivity! We invite you to be a part of our league this summer through volunteering!

HISTORIC CALUMET COLOSSEUM

DATES:
• MAY 25th, 4:30 PM
• JUNE 22nd, 4:30 PM
• JULY 13th, 4:30 PM
• AUGUST 31st, 4:30 PM

BENEFITS:
• Free Admission to Bout
• Free Meal and Drink Token
• EPIC Saturday Night

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS:
• Security
• Ticket Sales
• Merch and Drink Sales
• Skater Check-in

Earn 3-4 Service Hours per Bout!

Name: Pippi StrongWhomping

Number: 10

Team/League History: I have been with KRD for the entirety of my derby career!

Year you became involved in roller derby: 2017

How did you get involved with roller derby? I was invited to watch my first ever bout (shout out to Skatin) KRD vs Kingsford Krush and the very next day was a fresh meat recruitment day. I showed back up the following day, put on some skates, and have been skating ever since!

Where are you from originally? Born in Escanaba, but was raised in troll country. Moved back to the UP for good in 2006.

Name a fun little known fact about you: I have my degree in Interior Design, but haven’t practiced design in about 15 years and I used to fly gliders.

How did you pick your name? I have always been a fan of Pippi Longstocking books and since I’m a ginger, I had to have a derby name that went along with that. I always wear my hair in braids with tall colorful socks with extra freckles for bout days!

What is your pre-derby sports/skating background? I had a pair of quad skates that you buckled over your sneakers when I was like 4 and then, of course, I rollerbladed through the 90’s!

Please tell us about your rookie year and how you learned to play or officiate roller derby? Oh my rookie year was so fun! I tried on skates at a fresh meat recruitment and then took KRD’s fresh meat course in the fall of 2017. I started skating with the vets the following February and then was lucky enough to pass my minimum skills test and bout in my first bout with the team in either April or May of the 2018 season. I was pretty much terrified the entire time, it was fantastic!

Do you have a pre-game ritual? Drink tons of water and pee a lot, lol! Does that count?

Do you have a favorite motivational quote?  Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy! (kidding, I’m just a big Karate Kid fan)

What is your position of choice? Blocker, but I will fill in wherever needed. I’ll pivot, I’ll jam, I’ll cheer from the bench, just tell me where I am most useful!

What is your favorite drill at practice and why? Oh I have a love/hate relationship with footwork/lateral movement drills. I love them because I always need to work on them and I hate them because I ALWAYS need to work on them. I have the most fun with any type of scrimmage work though!

How would you describe your derby playing style? Solid/stable. I like to be difficult to move and I like to hit hard when I can!

Have you held any leadership positions in leagues? How have those positively impacted your personal roller derby career?  I am currently KRD’s skater rep and have been for a couple of seasons now. I am also on the training committee which allows me to stay involved and engaged in practices and help our team to improve, evolve, and grow.

What is your job outside of roller derby? And how, if at all, has it contributed to your experience of roller derby?  My husband/partner and I own a chiropractic office. He’s the chiropractor and I do everything else. Owning a business has contributed to my roller derby experience because it enables us to sponsor the team and also it indirectly led me to roller derby (we have a lot of roller derby patients, lol!)

What advice do you have for people who want to get involved in roller derby? Just give it a try! If you find that skating isn’t for you, just remember that roller derby wouldn’t be possible without all of our on and off skate volunteers and officials. There is always a place for you! 

Keeping with our 2024 season theme (A Decade of Derby), what is your personal favorite decade or era? Why?  I’m a 90’s girl at heart! Give me some 90’s alternative music, a concert tee, torn jeans, and a flannel shirt and I am a happy girl.

And lastly, favorite places in the Keweenaw?  There are too many to pick, pretty much anywhere I can camp with my family and get away from life for a few days!