What’s your derby name and number?  What’s the significance and how did you select it?

How long have you been with CMD and how did you get started with roller derby?
I’ve been with CMD since it’s inception in May 2012.I have always had an interest in roller derby, and it’s something that I always thought would be fun, and challenging.

What’s your favorite thing about derby?  
The camaraderie, and sense of family. We are a very close knit league, and spend lots of time together outside of practice. I also like the challenge of pushing myself and doing things that I never thought that I would be doing.

What’s your greatest derby achievement?
I’d have to say getting back on skates after breaking my fibula and talus last summer.  I was off-skates 4 months, and missed it so much. I’ve been back on skates since the first of December, and haven’t looked back since.

What lesson have you learned from roller derby?
Patience and dedication pays off.

What’s your life like outside of derby?
I have a M-F desk job in a medical office, which I really enjoy.I work with a great group of people day in and day out. When I’m not doing derby or working, I’m a huge movie buff, and love music, especially live music.   I enjoy getting together with friends and grilling, and entertaining during the summer months.I also have a huge love of animals, and have 5 fur-babies.

Who inspires you?
Anyone that triumphs over an injury or illness through derby.It’s really amazing what derby does for you!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The ability to read minds.How fun would that be?

What would you tell a potential derby girl who was afraid to get involved?
We’re a really welcoming bunch; if you’ve ever thought about roller derby want wanting to try it – even for a minute – do it! You’ll be surprised at what you can do with the proper teaching and training.

I was an athlete. For a long time, I described myself as an athlete. Athletics, for me, was never about the exercise. It was never about brute strength, or pushing myself to a higher level just because. I’m not that girl you see running alone just to run. (The truth is, I hate running.) I have always loved being an athlete and playing sports because I loved being on a team. The exercise that came with being an athlete was just a nice fringe benefit. But then I grew up and life took over: I became a graduate, an employee, a wife, a lawyer, a mother, an active community member, and everything else. And somewhere within all those roles in my wonderful, full, often overwhelming life, I lost the athlete in me.

So, as life filled up, there was just no time left for exercise. My life, like that of every other working mom I knew, left no time for just me. In fact, I was lucky to even walk the dog, and it usually included pushing a stroller, taking a phone call, or both. While pregnant with my third child, I discovered the world of roller derby and knew instantly that I had to do THAT.  As soon as that darling baby girl was born, I strapped on my first pair of skates in at least twenty years. But a couple weeks later, I found out that the soreness in my joints and the aching in my bones, which I had attributed to my newfound enthusiasm for skating -and the couple of ensuing falls- was actually rheumatoid arthritis. I was shell-shocked. My body had turned against me overnight. And it was probably the best timing of my life.

At the second meeting with my rheumatologist, my husband asked point-blank: “So, it’s ok if she engages in contact sports on wheels, right?” With eyebrow raised, my doctor replied that, yes, actually, exercise is the best thing I could do. And there it was: my license to put me first. I was allowed to find that hidden athlete buried inside me and help her fight her way back to the top. It was a necessity now, doctor’s orders. And if I was going to put the kids and the work and the home and the husband and even the dog aside to exercise, I was going to have fun doing it.

So now I play roller derby. And when I skate, I don’t think about the family, or the obligations, or the rheumatoid arthritis. I think about how to be a better teammate, how to skate faster, hit harder, play better. Because now I belong to a team and they need me as much as I need them.

Ask a dozen derby girls what derby does for them and you’ll get a hundred answers. I get it now, that derby can save a woman’s soul and give her a reason to live; it can inspire a confidence and pride she’s never experienced; it can provide a built-in support network, a new social circle, a new respect for strength, a reason to stay sober, a reason to stay healthy; or it can be therapy encased in a hardcore, contact sport shell. Or it can be all of the above.

Derby is a reason for me to be active, to embrace and cherish my body and physical ability in a way I never did before. I may have rheumatoid arthritis for the rest of my life. And there may come a day when my medication no longer staves off the crippling pain, and I can no longer roller skate, much less play derby. On the other hand, playing derby may also be the best way to keep my biological demons at bay and keep my R.A. in check. Regardless, every time I put on my skates, I am struck with gratitude and appreciation that I am physically capable of playing roller derby. I relish every moment in my skates. I am me again. I am an athlete, again. And that becomes its own part of everything else in my life.

Written by Central Maine Derby’s Miss Anthrope

What’s your derby name and number?  What’s the significance and how did you select it?

How long have you been with CMD and how did you get started with roller derby?
I joined CMD in August of last year. I saw a flier for a newbie class and went from thinking ‘I could never do something like that’, to ‘maybe’, to ‘why not?’ I fell a lot that first time on skates, but once I tried it, I was hooked!

What’s your favorite thing about derby?  
Roller derby has benefited me in so many ways that it’s hard to pick just one. I love my new friends and the way that we support each other. I also love that I’m getting a chance to do something athletic for the first time in my life.

What’s your greatest derby achievement?
I had never skated before starting roller derby, so I’m pretty proud of learning to skate at all. But my greatest achievement has probably been learning to do turnaround toe stops. They were so hard for me!

What lesson have you learned from roller derby?
I’ve learned that I can push myself physically and mentally further than I thought I could. Derby is obviously a physically taxing sport, but we all deal with mental hurdles, too. I think every derby girl has had her moments of self doubt, feeling like there was a skill that she’d never master or that she’d never get faster or stronger. I’ve learned to push through those feelings, and I’m a better player and a more confident person for it.

What’s your life like outside of derby?
I really enjoy taking day trips with my family. We love going to the coast for little hikes or just walking along the ocean. I also love sewing, reading, gardening, and cooking.

Who inspires you?
My amazing and incredibly supportive husband, Kirk, and 15 year old son, Brawley. They not only put up with, but actively support, my hours of practice and community service. I’m a better person because of them.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Light speed travel.

What would you tell a potential derby girl who was afraid to get involved?
Do it! I was not athletic and couldn’t skate at all, but I’ve found that I love challenging myself and discovering that I can do things I never imagined I’d do.

Gear up. Play safe.
Wearing protective gear is a really important part of roller derby. Everyone who plays this sport understands that it comes with some risks. It is a full contact, competitive sport- and it’s played on roller skates. If you play, you are to some degree, a risk taker. But our safety is important, too. Referees check the gear of every skater before a bout, and we play safe at every practice. We learn how to fall, to fall small, and to keep our fingers in a fist so they don’t get run over when we hit the floor. We wear helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, and mouth guards. But we still risk injury. Truthfully, the only way to prevent a roller derby injury is by not playing at all. But roller derby is super fun so we risk it anyway, knowing that our protective gear will keep us safer.

Play safe. Wear protection.
Just like with roller derby, being sexually active comes with some risks. Those risks are a bit different, and can include contracting an infection and possibly creating a pregnancy. And while the only way to be completely safe is to not engage in sexual activity with another person, most people at some point in their lives will decide they want to participate. Similar to the safety precautions we take to play roller derby, there are ways to keep yourself safer during sex; one of the best ways to protect yourself is to use barriers. Condoms, dental dams, latex or nitrile gloves are all great tools. Using these barriers correctly, every time, will significantly reduce the risk involved with being sexually active.

Let the good times (un)roll.
This Valentine’s Day, as we gear up and play safe at practice, we encourage folks celebrating this romantic holiday to play safe and wear protection. Just like us.

The images in this article were part of a campaign created for this year’s Condom Awareness Week by the skaters of Central Maine Derby and Steven J Gray Photography.  To see all the photos, check out the album on our Facebook page.

What’s your derby name and number? What’s the significance and how did you select it?

Marilyn Monrobot or M-bot for short. I am girly but with an edge, plus I love robots! I think Marilyn represents my girly side and robots represent my “rough around the edges” side. My number is v2.8 the “v” stand for version.  I wish I had some awesome story as to why I chose 28, but truthfully it’s my birthdate and lucky number.

How long have you been with CMD and how did you get started with roller derby?
I have been with CMD since before we where even CMD!

What’s your favorite thing about derby?
Just ONE favorite thing? Not possible. 1 – friendship.  I have made friends that I know I will still be hip checking long after I am gray and wrinkled.  2 – It is an amazing way to get fit! 3 – I can be my (wacky) self. Our league is comprised of some of the most accepting women I’ve ever met.

What’s your greatest derby achievement?
When I first signed up for roller derby nearly a year and a half ago, I had never roller skated before and I practically had to hold the wall my first few practices.  My greatest achievement is growth.  Let’s just say the wall and I broke up a long time ago!

What lesson have you learned from roller derby?
This is going to sound cheesy but to love and be proud of myself. To know that it is OK to fall (figuratively and literally), because that is the only way to advance, get better and to grow both outside and inside derby. You’ve gotta be your number 1 fan.

What’s your life like outside of derby?
When I am not on the track, I am a Behavioral Health Professional. I have been working for the same company for almost six years and enjoy my job.  I love thrifting! Seriously, I have found some of the most righteous items at thrift stores.  Oh, and I am a proud vegetarian!

Who inspires you?
My boyfriend, Korey. He is truly the most selfless, genuine and caring person.  I strive to be like him.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?
The ability to teleport, hands down.

What would you tell a potential derby girl who was afraid to get involved?
Sometimes it can be hard to put yourself out there and perhaps step out of your comfort zone – but DO it. Roller Derby has changed my life in so many positive ways.  I know it can do the same for you!

About a year and a half ago, I found out that Bangor was starting a Roller Derby League.  I had never seen Derby, and had no idea what the game meant, but I had loved skating outdoors when I lived in Florida, and I thought it might be fun. The coach was super nice, and told me that although I was too late to join the newbie class, I could learn to be a referee . I just wanted to be a part of the exciting new league, so I agreed to learn . At first, I absolutely loved everything.  I was allowed to work out with the team, and I learned how to skate faster, how to fall, how to stop, how to do a plank, etc. I really felt like I had stumbled upon the best sport in the world. I loved it so much, I bought a pair of skates.

Soon, several of the women progressed to more of the advanced techniques… how to block, and some of them began to scrimmage. At that point I was supposed to be learning the rules of the game, and how to referee the scrimmages. This part of the experience was extremely challenging for me. The league was just forming, and there wasn’t really any guidance at first for how we referees should proceed. I had never even seen a bout….and looking back, I realize that if I had been really serious in my promise to become a referee, I should have been watching bouts on the internet, or perhaps even going to actual bouts in other cities. I should have been figuring out what that enormous folder of WFTDA rules actually meant in a real game. The rules seemed unbelievably complicated to me…and the hand signals were dramatic and strange. So I tried to learn the hand signals, and I tried to figure out what the rules meant, and I tried to skate around the outside of the rink and call some of the major and minor penalties as the teams began to scrimmage. Mostly, I got whiplash. Once in a blue moon, I saw someone cut the track…. and actually seeing it and then calling it was a major accomplishment for me. We did have a reprieve….just after we began to wear our striped shirts, an experienced player, who had played in another city, started coming to practices. She wasn’t allowed to scrimmage for her first few weeks, so she kindly helped us begin to learn to be referees…she pointed out what we were supposed to be looking for, and really began to explain our roles. For a while, reffing started to make sense to me … at the time, I thought the wonderful woman’s name was “ Scar.”

The culmination of my first Derby experience was the day that all the new skaters took their WFTDA minimum skills test. It was exciting and fulfilling for each woman to demonstrate the skills she had mastered, and to try to skate her 25 laps. I was allowed to watch from the sidelines, and I had a poster, and cheered my teammates on….but I had this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. Though I was happy for the women on the team, I didn’t feel like I had really challenged myself. My personality is somewhat shy, and as a result, I hadn’t gotten to know the women as well as I might have…. I honestly didn’t look forward to calling penalties on them until I had been through the same trials and hardships that they were experiencing. I guess I truly felt isolated, that day….and I think it was a combination of my own shyness and my supposed role as a referee, which I was felt I was terrible at. So that was the end of my Derby experience. The next day, before the Christmas break, I gave the team my letter, and I put my skates in the closet. I actually considered taking them to Goodwill, but couldn’t bring myself to part with them.

Eight or nine months went by, and I never even thought about skating. I had grown up skating outdoors on sidewalks and streets in sunny Florida, and revisiting an indoor rink depressed me. It wasn’t something I was going to do unless my daughter had a birthday party invitation or something….but a skater who had known me at my first Derby attempt saw me at the grocery, and mentioned that a new team was being formed. Practice was on Friday nights at the Old Town YMCA. It was a chance for me to try again …. Luckily, I hadn’t given my skates away. The coach was someone I knew from my attempt at refereeing….it was the same wonderful woman who had helped us first figure things out, and her name wasn’t “ Scar” but “ Star” or “ Stargazer.” I had been calling her the wrong name all along …..

We started out learning what I had already learned…to skate faster, cross overs,stops, falls, pushing and pulling. But I knew that this time, I would be attempting to progress in my skating until I was possibly able to scrimmage , and that felt really different. As the months have passed, I have gotten to know my teammates more personally than I did as a referee. I’m not sure why or how this has occurred….maybe because I’m out on the floor with them more … this means I’m doing the same things they are, I’m hanging on to them and they’re hanging on to me, I’m feeling my legs ache just like they do, and when we all collapse ( some of us more dramatically than others) at the end of a work out, I feel exhausted too. Somehow, it’s important. It’s different for each person, but I think for me, actually being a skater has helped me come out of my shell.

The physical requirements for scrimmaging are pretty hard, at least for me. Flex keeps reminding us that we need to exercise much more off skates, and honestly, I think that unless you are already an athlete, you have to really bring yourself up to a whole new level of fitness to participate safely in this sport. You need strength and endurance. I’ve tried running ( a very little so far ) and doing core-strengthening exercises, but I’m not ready to be an advanced skater yet, and I might never get there. Amazingly, that no longer matters to me. Derby is something that is bigger and better than anything I could do alone….it makes me feel like I am part of something greater than myself. I think that I could have eventually arrived at this “ feeling” or this realization as a referee….I think it just became apparent more quickly to me as I started to become a skater.

I have met all different kinds of women, each unique and wonderful, each with special talents and insights, and each with their own skating goals. I don’t think we all have to bout to be a part of the magic….and it honestly is somehow magic. I hope everyone can be lucky enough to be a part of something like Derby, even for a little while….it’s a place where you can be yourself, no matter how quirky; where you can try and fail and try again ; where you are encouraged and rewarded with unconditional regard. Derby can be a starting place, or a finishing place. I’m not your typical idea of a Derby girl….my hair is going white, I have wrinkles, and I don’t look so hot in my shorts and fishnet stockings….but when I skate around the track, there are definitely times when it feels like I am actually flying….alongside friends.

Meet Vile Lynn

What’s your derby name and number?
Hey there- I’m Vile Lynn #11. My name came to me one afternoon when I was musing about music. Several musicians who play the violin/fiddle were in heavy rotation on my various music playing devices and in my head and it occurred to me that Vile Lynn would make quite a nice derby name. I have also become increasingly interested in the healing, restorative, and inspirational power of music. I myself have little to no musical ability, though I dabble in the musical saw and revel in its mournful, ghostly sound. If I were to try to play the violin, the resulting noise would surely be vile, thus the name suits me just fine.

The 11? Well, it’s a Spinal Tap thing……

How long have you been with CMD and how did you get started with roller derby?
I enrolled in the first Central Maine Derby Newbie Class this past fall- I had heard that there was a roller derby league in the area and had been thinking about trying to find out more about it. Then one day, as luck would have it, my father had borrowed my car and had left my car radio on The Voice of Maine and suddenly these Derby Girls were on the radio calling for anyone interested to come to their meet and greet, so I went.

What’s your favorite thing about derby?
I love the challenge of it. I feel like every week there is something new, some new psychological or physical hurdle to take on, and all of the league members are amazingly supportive of one another- it’s a great feeling to be a part of that.

What’s your greatest derby achievement?
Being up for the challenge.

What lesson have you learned from roller derby?
I’ve learned that it’s really, really fun, but it’s not easy- and that that’s OK. I have tended to shy away from things that are too hard, to go with the flow, not rock the boat- but derby makes me want to power through that, to get better, stronger, faster.

What’s your life like outside of derby?
I am a case manager working with adults with developmental disabilities. My work takes me to three counties and provides me with the opportunity to work for, with and along side some truly exceptional people- I love my job. I am also the mother of two wonderful children and have been married to a fine, fine man for almost 10 years. I love to cook and bake. I often butcher clothing in my spare time, sometimes with favorable results but more often not. I enjoy camping and exploring our beautiful state, biking and hiking. I try very hard to enjoy the winter, too.

Who inspires you?
The people that I support through my work inspire me on a daily basis- they have enormous courage and strength.

If you could have any super power what would it be?
I’d love to be a genie and grant people’s wishes.

What would you tell a potential derby girl who was afraid to get involved?
I would tell them to go for it. Anything new can be scary- that specter of the unknown- but don’t let that stop you from finding out more. I’m so glad I did!

Three decades later, I had a body mass index in the high 30’s and an alarming lack of endurance. I wanted to get fit, but every approach seemed beyond my ability to start. Zumba looked like great fun, but I couldn’t find anything to wear that didn’t look likely to get me into some embarrassing YouTube video. Yoga had some appeal, but local classes were scheduled at a time more suitable to milkmen. Then, my stepdaughter’s friend posted a photo on her Facebook page of a line of women on roller skates in a crosswalk in downtown Bangor. She bragged about fitting back into her favorite old skirt for the first time in ages thanks to roller derby. I offered some encouraging comment to that “young lady”, wistfully recalling my competitive skating days but never dreaming that it would turn into an invitation.

Less than a week later, perhaps because I had not had time to talk myself out of such folly, I was renting a pair of figure skates, donning borrowed knee and elbow pads, and stepping out with Central Maine Derby’s Fitness Skate at Great Skates in Bangor. My husband was standing by with a camera in hand to record that momentous occasion when I returned to my youth. Like many car-racing spectators, he was secretly hoping to watch me wreck and maybe catch it on camera. I took a few trial laps around the rink as some of the more experienced derby girls offered encouragement and support. Despite my heavy weight, I was gliding along and feeling the air on my cheeks and in my hair. That old sensation of freedom and exhilaration returned like a familiar friend, and I was smiling.

During that first night, we did individual and paired exercises to build skills like stopping, turning, stepping, and crossovers. We did stretches to start and finish and squeezed in some work on the floor to strengthen core muscles. This was derby without the contact, and every level of ability was truly welcomed and encouraged. I found a new friend who was just a little bit older than me. We practiced backwards skating, using one another for balance, and we egged one another on. At the end of the evening, I had pushed myself well beyond any place I had been in years, but I’d had so much fun doing it that I didn’t realize I was sore until I sat down to unlace my skates.

Friends, colleagues and family couldn’t help but hear the groaning over the next few days, but they also couldn’t miss the grin on my face. When I whispered loudly to them, “I’m skating with the derby girls,” they were just as flabbergasted as I felt. “But you’re a grandmother, a harp player, a woman in her FORTIES, aren’t you afraid you’ll get hurt?” I told them, “Well, yes, every sport has its risks, but we don’t do any contact, this is just fitness.”

I should have seen where this was going when I bought my own swanky speed skates just two weeks later on a road trip to Portland for my birthday. I picked out a hot pink helmet with matching skull-and-crossbones socks. I swore up and down that I was only ever going to do it for fitness. Perhaps I would learn to be a referee and volunteer for the league when they started to compete, but that was the extent of it. My “harp parts” were too precious to risk in the tumult of blocking, hitting, and bouting.

As the weeks went by, I started to grow stronger, faster, and more flexible. The other women and men skating for fitness were getting to be my friends, and there was a delightful sense of belonging and acceptance that drew me into this community. Emphasis was placed on safety, well-being, and pacing yourself, and while there was a playful sense of competition, it wasn’t pitting us against one another, it was pushing us against our own limitations. After six weeks of fitness skate, I had lost almost an inch as measured by the Velcro on my wrist guards.

One day in November, three months into the fitness experience, I went to an advanced practice to begin learning how to referee. I filled out several pages of forms to be a volunteer for Central Maine Derby, and along with my husband, I started helping with the officiating of a scrimmage. It took me five minutes to figure out that I couldn’t be a bystander, or a ref, or a photographer. There was no way I could just watch. I handed my whistle back to the volunteer coordinator and approached the coach. “Stargazer, I can’t be a volunteer. I just can’t do it.” She gave me a hug and said, “So you’re going to join us, then?”

After testing through my basic skills, ensuring that I could fall safely, jump over obstacles, and maintain a satisfactory speed for five minutes without stopping, I was permitted to move up to contact level. Last week, I started learning how to hit my new friends with my hips and shoulders. It’s the most fun I’ve had getting healthy, and the best time I’ve ever had getting bruises. My “elder” friend is in the league, too, and she’s hot on my wheels as we encourage one another. I’m two sizes smaller than when I started last August, and my circle of friends is ten times bigger. I am HarpPoon, and I am on a roll.