August 2025 : Skater of the Month
Photo taken by Koko
The leaves are changing and so are the times! Rolling into this months issue is the incredible Thrillary! Teaching kids in the day and winning trophies by night, who better to get us back to skating? Just in time for the championship games- here’s Thrillary!
How long have you been playing roller derby?
“I joined Underworld in January 2019. I drafted to Wrecking Crew in March 2022.”
Educators work hard enough as it is- why start derby?
“I think the stress-reducing power of being able to go hit my friends after work has helped keep me zen in the classroom ;)”
Has being with DDD changed the way you teach?
“Actually, yes! I teach high school math, but I always enjoyed math and was a pretty good student. Dear reader, I am NOT a naturally athletic or coordinated person. Roller skating did NOT come easily to me. I remember being in underworld, being given a skill to practice, not being able to do the skill at all, then hearing the trainer say something like ‘great it looks like most of you are getting it!’ And moving on. Oof. It’s hard being the ‘kid’ who doesn’t get it. I think deciding to play derby—that is, making the decision to learn something that I am not good at, and to keep coming back and trying again until I am proficient—has given me a fresh perspective for and a whole lot more empathy with students who struggle academically. Oh, and I have definitely scrubbed the phrase ‘most of you are getting it’ from my vocabulary haha”
Does being a teacher change the way you play?
“Not so much how I play, but I do work with training committee/am a trainer for underworld and rolling rebellion, and I think being a teacher helps with that. I have definitely used my school lesson plan template—complete with learning objectives, success criteria, and demonstrations of learning—to write a practice plan before! I think one of my strengths is diagnosing why a skater is having trouble with certain skills, like for example seeing that a skater is having trouble with transitions, laterals, and crossovers, and realizing that all of those things stem from the same issue: that the skater has not mastered one-foot balance yet.”
Do you have a favorite derby memory?
“I am still relatively new to gameplay/tournaments. I really enjoyed playing in my first ever tournament—Governor’s Cup— where BOD won our division. Not gonna lie, Wrecking Crew’s 2022 championship was pretty sweet too!”
Why should everyone come check out DDD this year?
“Come check out DDD this month BECAUSE DERBY IS AWESOME!!! Our games are a ton of fun—not to mention family and dog friendly—and the fans really do make the atmosphere for the players. Derby is a great chance to get excited, get loud, and see some really awesome skating!”
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Our championship game is October 4th, and no matter what team you support- it’s looking to be a fierce competition! Come on out and support your favorite skater- or just see what derby’s all about!