Why I Play Roller Derby -with- ASSphyxiation

South Side GirlsSkater Spotlight, Why I Derby

What is the backstory on your Derby Name?

The back story on my derby name isn’t all that riveting. I was obsessing over finding a name, I mean I had employed just about everyone I knew to try and think of one. I had been OBSESSING and couldn’t come up with anything I liked, and I wasn’t sold on anything anybody else suggested, either. Some ID channel show was playing while I was studying one night just for the noise and the victim died by choking and I thought “hey…. I don’t mind that… I got some booty and I could just go by Phyx” I still don’t LOVE it and no one calls me Phyx, but it works.

What do you do when you are not doing roller derby?

When I’m not doing Derby I’m momming it up with my kiddos, studying for my late-in-life degree, or working as a Sheriff’s Office dispatcher. There really is never a dull moment. I have an eleven year old and a newborn to keep me busy at home and of course at work there’s a 911 line and a bunch of deputies, constables, troopers, PD officers, EMS, and FD to keep safe and on track. Then I decided to pepper in classes to get the last half of my bachelors degree in Criminology for the heck of it. Never. A. Dull, Moment.

Why did you start derby?

I started Derby a few months after I lost my dad. We were really close and I had taken it kind of hard. He was my hero and I was pretty lost. I found the best way I could snap out of it was to set goals for myself and start accomplishing them one by one. Derby was full of goals I could set and personal records I could break. I kind of looked at it as being my own hero now and giving my kid (now kidS) something to look up to. My eleven year old would ask if I beat my time each practice and beam when the answer was yes, so it felt like I was getting that job done.

Has your why changed since you started.

My why is still kind of the same, but it’s compounded. It’s refreshing to be around women who build each other up and support one another after being at work dealing with so much negative. So it’s still about proving to myself I can keep improving, but it’s also about being around positive people who literally GIVE their time to growing the sport they love and helping each other get better and stronger along the way.

Three things you wish you knew when you first started derby that you know now.

  1. Don’t underestimate yourself. I was slow as hell and not graceful to say the least at the beginning. And while I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be as a Derby player, the journey is amazing. It is an incredible feeling when you pull off something you thought was impossible for you.

  2. Just try it! I had been thinking of trying Derby for years and never thought it I’d be able to pull it off. Now I really wish I’d have taken that boot camp class way back when. If I can do it, you can do it for sure.

  3. Stay motivated. You’ll keep getting better. As long as you have the initiative to keep pushing, we have some great league-mates here that will show you how. I have TONS of room to grow and I’m confident that I can because of how awesome these guys are.