Monday, August 29, 2011

Taking on Atomic Cherry. Brigand Strong and Godjilla Sold Separately

So I originally posted this in August 2011 when my favourite skaters were Atomic Cherry and GodJilla Sold Separately. Since then I've added a third skater to my all time favourite skaters so it was only right to update this interview. Please welcome Brigand Strong from NRDL!

For those that don't know Brigand Strong is one of NRDL's best kept secrets but surely it has come to the stage that she gets the recognition she deserves. I first noticed Brig when I started going to the NRDL intraleague bouts. I'm a Fort Smashleys fan but Brig plays for the Harbour Hellcats. Up until then I only paid attention to blockers because that's all I saw myself doing. After some good advice from Jilla about not pigeon holing myself into only one position Brig's performances on the track were getting my attention. Here you had a tall player who could jam and block equally as well. She was the complete player and it was then that my attitude started changing from wanting to just being a blocker to being an all rounder. Plus she's one of the most modest people you'll ever speak to.

As for Cherry and Jilla their records speak for themselves. From the very first roller derby bout I ever went to I've loved what they bring to the track - their confidence, leadership, AMAZING blocking, organisational skills and just having fun being on the track while being competitive. I'm just waiting for the day that our two leagues bout, hopefully I'll be on the track with all three of my favourite skaters :)

I've seen Cherry jam a few times at training and I've seen Jilla jam during some Fort Smashley bouts which usually gets the biggest cheers for the night because no only really expects her to jam. It's been amazing to see their progress since I first posted this last year and trying to learn from them whether it be at training with Cherry or watching Brig and Jilla work their magic at bouts. We all know the tagline from Whip It 'Be your own hero'. I strive to be the best skater I can be for my league but if I can take different parts of Brig, Cherry and Jilla's games and mould into my own game then even better :)

Here's the updated interview now with all three skaters. Thanks to Brig, Cherry, and Jilla for doing the interviews and to the talented Nav Man for letting me use his pictures. 

ATOMIC CHERRY


Skates with Hawkesbury Area Roller Derby

1. What’s the story behind your roller derby name?

There isn't much of a story.. Had a nickname "Cherry Bomb", it was already taken as a Roller Derby name on the International Roster and I wanted to keep it similar so I could still be called Cherry and kinda figured a hit from a buxom gal like me would be kinda Atomic ;)

2. What’s the story behind your roller derby number?

8 is my lucky number, so I considered 88 to be twice as lucky! Its also a bit of a play on the whole bingo game "88 two fat ladies" cuz my butt was so big on the track it was like there were 2 fat ladies blocking you hehe

I have since found out that apparently the Chinese beleive that 88 is the luckiest number - so I was glad to hear that!

3. What’s your current skate setup?

I bought my skates second hand from Beck Wise, founder of SRDL who now skates with the Texas Rollergirls. They are Reidell 122 boots with old school suregrip Invader plates. While I LOVE my Sure Grip Interceptors, I'm currently rolling on some wheels made by Aussie Scott - a local speed skater.

4. What was it that drew you to the wonderful world of roller derby?

The story to how I got into roller derby can be found on my blog, but what drew me to it - well its such a spunky sport filled with amazing woman, who wouldnt be drawn to it!

5. Were you a beast on wheels before you took up roller derby or did you start from scratch?

Not at all! I had to start from scratch, and start very very slowly lol

6. When you hang up your skates would you like to continue on in the form of coaching?

You will have a hard time convincing me to ever hang up my skates, but I will definently continue to coach if that day ever comes!

7. Who are your favourite skaters?

I think Bonnie D. Strior would sit pretty high on anyones list - alone with Suzy HotRod. But I've watched dozens of bouts online where I have seen some amazing skaters whose names I just don't know.

Locally, my favs would have to be Bitchy'n'Scratchy and Rabid Fire from SRDL - lot of respect for such great players. But I have my favs from each league and I love to watch them play when I can.

8. Who is the toughest skater you’ve come up against in a bout?

That would have to be White Hawk from WIRD. She was one skater I made I stayed well clear of if I could lol. She was tougher than coming up against the boys when I played as part of The Pussywhips in 2010.

9. What’s your favourite position to play in a pack?

I love playing Pivot, and I work hard at being a good one.

10. Have you had any roller derby related injuries? If so, what?

Injured my knee social skating early on, but didnt take any time off. Had some bruises and sore muscles - but not as yet any real injuries *touch wood*..

11. Have you struggled with a particular thing/skill in roller derby and thought to yourself ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ How do you get over the mental hurdles?

Of course I have, all sorts of things - cross overs were a toughy, took me a long time to get them properly.. I guess its just one of those things - when you find something hard you have to decide how badly you want it to give it a go and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

12. Apart from your scheduled training, do you do any training in your own time? If so, what?

I social skate whenever I can, and I use that time to work on endurance and some balance conditioning and if I got some of my girls there we always give a few lil hits ;)

I do a lot of offskates core work - for me, having a good core is so important for derby, to be able to give and take those hits as well as hold your own against positional blocking and to hold you all together when you fall.

13. Could you please teach me how to hit effectively and destructively like you? :)

I sure can.

Hitting isn't about the strength behind it - but being able to read when is the best time and best place to hit. It can be a light hit - but done at the right time in the right spot can make the receiver feel like they have been hit by a Mac truck.

14. What’s your best roller derby memory to date?

Playing as part of the Pussywhips and as part of the City team in 2010 are some pretty spesh memories. As part of the City team I got to play with two of my idols - Bitchy'n'Scratchy and Rabid Fire and I will never forget that!

The Cocktails and Canopeners Awards Nights 2010 was also another great memory - won myself an award and got to marry my Derby Wife, Poz O'Tiff!

15. What roller derby related goals would you like to achieve in the next 2 years?

Well I'm looking forward to taking my new league into a bouting year in 2012 - thats a huge goal of mine! I love coaching H*A*R*D, the members we have are some of the hardest working and dedicated skaters I've ever met.

Surviving the training day H*A*R*D have set up with Bonnie D. Stroir is pretty high on my priorities hehehe

There are a few other goals in there, but I don't wanna let the cat out of the bag until we've sorted the details ;)

16. Have you had any cool/funny/crazy etc fan experiences? If so, what?

One league I went to guest coach had a member who had an issue of Hit & Miss Magazine I was in and she asked me to autograph it lol.. I had a couple of ppl who I do not know call out my Derby name in the middle of my local westfeilds - that was surreal.

I meet other skaters at bootcamps and when I go to guest coach and the like and Ive come up against some who admit they were intimidated to talk to me cause I was "Atomic Cherry" - that I don't understand, I'm just another skater like them and I am super lovely :)

Then there is this skater in my league who is a self confessed 'fangirl' of mine and its cute to see her when she goes all shy around me hehe


17. Any last words?

*NOTE - There is no answer for this question because Cherry snobbed me on this one :)


BRIGAND STRONG


Skates with Newcastle Roller Derby League.

1. What’s the story behind your roller derby name?

There’s no real story – my real name is Brigid and my sisters and friend were tossing around some names. Occasionally they called me ‘Brig’ which became ‘Brigand Strong’ with their help. It was a close call between that and ‘Heinous de Milo’. Nothing too flashy.

2. What’s the story behind your derby number? 

Originally it was 2.2 GPa (to do with the tensile strength of carbon piano wire, as piano was a major part of my pre-derby life). From then on I had officials asking me to alter it for some reason or another, and then another NRDL skater chose a similar number, and I was told it made it harder for officials to distinguish between us. I sadly changed it to 212 to stop the noise. It has no original meaning anymore for me, so I tell people it's the boiling point of water at sea level in Fahrenheit. I do like that it's a palindrome.

3. What’s your current skate setup?

Roller Derby Heaven set me up with Riedell 595 boots (highly recommended for long skinny feet) and Reactor plates. I am currently on Hyper Shaman wheels. Ezeefit booties come wherever my feet go - they are my saviours!

4. What was it that drew you to the wonderful world of roller derby?

A 2009 Google search looking for leagues in Sydney, which provided an instant surprise in the form of a NRDL sign-up day at the end of that same week. The biggest hurdle was stifling my shyness to even turn up.

5. Were you a beast on wheels before you took up roller derby or did you start from scratch?

I skated outdoors as a kid on rollerskates and rollerblades with my sisters sporadically up until I was about 13. Definitely a beast (not)!

6. When you hang up your skates would you like to continue on in the form of coaching?

It depends if my interest gets run into the ground or not. It’s a challenge to do roller derby half-ar$ed. I would certainly try it out, but my lack of an outdoor voice proves challenging.

7. Who are your favourite skaters?

Crush n Kik and Brutal Deluxe from NBR are my recent favourites. They look so cool on the track together!

8. Who is the toughest skater you’ve come up against in a bout?

A lot of people will say King Cam, and I agree. Tough because she just keeps on hitting, yeowch!

9. What’s your favourite position to play in a pack?

I do tend to end up near the front.

10. Have you had any roller derby related injuries? If so, what?

Just bruises (and hangovers) so far!

11. Have you struggled with a particular thing/skill in roller derby and thought to yourself ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ How do you get over the mental hurdles?

I struggle with the pre-game nerves more than anything. That's really the only time I think 'Why do I continue to put myself through this every time?' I have been negative to those around me at this point, and well before it. Nothing cures it apart from the first jam. And nothing feels better than the end of the final jam. That might not be the spirit derby wants, but it’s how I feel.

12. Apart from your scheduled training, do you do any training in your own time? If so, what?

It comes in waves. Nothing official and nothing involving a gym membership. I am not an example to be followed.

13. Could you please teach me how to hit effectively and destructively like you? :)

Are you sure you have the right person for this question?

14. What’s your best roller derby memory to date?

I think in your early days you can feel this kind of rush, and skating out with your team with a crowd watching did get me excited. It starts out making you so happy. I don’t feel that so much anymore as much as nerves, and the hope I won’t embarrass myself too much.

15. What roller derby related goals would you like to achieve in the next 2 years?

I would love to get my little sisters on the track with me. I have a plan involving lots of nagging when one sister in particular is finished with her university degree.

16. Have you had any cool/funny/crazy etc fan experiences? If so, what?

Fan? Oh yes, the Cramp is one of my derby wives (now relocated to Melbourne sadly) along with Nata Lickit. The Cramp and I joined NRDL within about a week of each other. People came up to her all the time saying how awesome she was, and then asking me what I thought of her awesomeness and asked when I was going to join her in playing derby. I’m just not one of those noticeable players.

17. Any last words?

Agile like an armadillo!


GODJILLA SOLD SEPARATELY



1. What’s the story behind your roller derby name?

I really wanted a monster name and stumbled over GodJilla. I then checked two evils it was taken (Boo). But I did notice that others extended their names and it was ok, so that got me thinking. The Sold Separately mostly represents that you will find a different person at derby then you will in other areas of my life. And becasue it is so long, you will see on most jerseys GodJilla*

2. What’s the story behind your roller derby number?

This story is just boring. It is the number I used when I played inline hockey.

3. What’s your current skate setup?

Well, I'm just about to change to Antiks with a Reator plate (thanks Morriset Derby Heaven for putting up with my exact specifications), but currently I'm on Riedel Vandal. These are the 265 boot with the Thrust nylon plate. Wheels I have also just changed. I am trying out a G-Rod/Low Boy combination instead of my D-Rods. Both set ups I really like. I'm also getting the new skates with Jukes - can't wait to try that! And Bones Swiss bearings all the way!!!

4. What was it that drew you to the wonderful world of roller derby?

I have been skating since a weeeeee kiddie (about age 5). In the early 2000s my local skating rink shut down and I didn't want to go over to the ice rink (weird as I also use to ice skate). After years of dreaming about skating, an old skating friend ran into another old skating friend and told me about it. I didn't really know what derby was, but I knew it was on skates and that was all I needed. I now realise what a personal gold mine I ran into! 

5. Were you a beast on wheels before you took up roller derby or did you start from scratch?

I'd been skating for a while, but getting back on the tools (skates) did take a little reminding. In my non-skating period I also played rugby, so it kinda combined really well and has worked out. I certainly can't say I started from scratch, but I am still learning! 

6. When you hang up your skates would you like to continue on in the form of coaching?

I don't ever plan to hang up the tools, but I will have to slow down at some point. But yes, I hope to keep coaching for as long as people will put up with me for.

7. Who are your favourite skaters?

There are sooooo many and each for very different reasons! There really are alot of players I love watching, but to name a few: In NRDL my two fav skaters are Danger Ass and Brigand Strong. Both skaters are amazing all rounders. Within NSW, I loves the Winnie Bruise (MW), such determination; Janis DropEm, a booty that you have to watch to believe; and Short Stop, talk about a small bottle of destruction! Since Rollercon, there are so many more, but if I keep writing I'll name half the universe.

8. Who is the toughest skater you’ve come up against in a bout?

Toughest player, I'll keep it local... That would have to be King Cam from CRDL. Not only is she a mean blocker, she seems to be so fit that she just never slows down during a bout!

9. What’s your favourite position to play in a pack?

I like to play at the back of the pack. Either offensive or defensive. I think I play the role of intimidator pretty well ;) 

10. Have you had any roller derby related injuries? If so, what?

Knees... I had bad knees to start, previously I had destroyed them in other sports. But from what the physio says, the new injury to both knees is destruction of my PCL. I really do need to stop treating my knees so badly. 

11. Have you struggled with a particular thing/skill in roller derby and thought to yourself ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ How do you get over the mental hurdles?

Fitness. I keep having to have that 'conversation' with myself to pull my finger out. That is a bit mental struggle for me. 

12. Apart from your scheduled training, do you do any training in your own time? If so, what?

I keep saying when it is Summer I will get back to things. I do a little street skating (little), and am known to pop into a gym or jump on a bike. But none of this is done all the time. So, officially (and currently) I will hang my head in shame and say no. 

13. Could you please teach me how to hit effectively and destructively like you? :)

Yes. As the amazing Daisy Boo Cannon and I were discussing, it is physics and timing. But anyone can be amazing blockers, it is all about knowing how to use the track, where to hit, and what your strengths are.  

14. What’s your best roller derby memory to date?

I loved being part of The Great Southern Slam. Loved representing NRDL there, loved playing with Massive Attack and the Ref Bangers. Loved meeting people from everywhere in Aus enjoying the same crazy sport.

15. What roller derby related goals would you like to achieve in the next 2 years?

Most of my goals are around fitness, but I don't like to be two specific as my measures change all the time. 

16. Have you had any cool/funny/crazy etc fan experiences? If so, what?

Not too many. I'm really surprised when I'm contacted by people who have seen me play and have inspired them to get into that - its amazing. 

The only other thing that cracks me up regularly is that people completely don't recognise me off skates. At TGSS, I was talking at the store and mentioned my derby name, they stopped in their tracks and looked me up and down, I offered that I don't look as big off skates, and they giggled and said 'yer, you really don't' and started measuring themselves against me. That was a bit weird, but funny.

17. Any last words?

Derby love - its the best! 

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