Medusa Murphy #13
Captain of the Queens of Chaos

My name was inspired by two things. The first being Medusa, the monster from Greek mythology, she’s described as beautiful but terrifying. The second being Murphy’s Law, the law that states, “if it can happen it will happen.” I have pretty bad luck, and thought it was fitting and funny! (I chose the number 13, for its unlucky connotation too!) I wanted a name that sounded badass, but kind of cute, and still had some sort of meaning, Medusa Murphy!

I started roller derby in September of 2014, at 21 years old

It’s weird, I’ve never really had a reason. I really just joined to prove to my friends I could do it. But After my first practice, I fell in love, with the sport, with the atmosphere, and with the skaters. From that moment on it was about bettering myself, and doing something I loved rather than proving a point.

Oh yeah, definitely! Roller derby has done so many things for me, not only am I stronger physically, I’m stronger mentally. I’m way more aggressive and outspoken in real life than I was before, Ive never loved my body more than I do right now, I’ve never been happier, and I’ve never had such strong positive friendships.

1.) I wish I knew that every skater had been a beginner once, that they had all felt defeated at one point or another. In the beginning, when I didn’t see A lot of growth in my skill level, it was hard to continue. I would spend Monday’s, and Thursdays watching the actual derby girls, and couldn’t fathom any of them ever being as bad as I was.
2.) I wish I knew that better skates really do make a difference. Actually, everyone tells you this, but it’s hard to drop a ton of money on skates, it’s easier to ignore them and buy the cheap ones. Don’t do it, invest in good skates.
3.) I wish I knew about it a lot sooner!