Name: Shreddy Krueger
Number: 666
Travel Team: Brawlers
Home Team: Moonshine Moxies
Years skating: 1
They block, pivot, and jam—and all in their first year, too! Get to know September’s skater of the month: Shreddy Krueger!
You were nominated by Mobile Crisis, who knows that you’ve done other sports, so she wants to know: why derby? Why now?
I used to compete in amateur boxing for about six years, and so I’ve always really liked contact sports. I also did kickboxing and jiu jitsu. I actually wanted to join derby back in 2020, but then a lot of life stuff happened and I just wasn’t able to. And then I was just like, “I’m gonna try it out,” and now I love it.
Do you notice any sort of skills from those previous boxing, kickboxing [that] help you in derby?
Yes, I think some help me and some don’t help me. The biggest transition for me has been from using my arms to not using my arms. In boxing, you have to have your arms up at all times, and you stand very straight up in boxing. And derby is the opposite. So learning to jam: I have to keep my arms in and not get any forearms, and then I should not be standing up straight.
So that’s been challenging, but the things that have crossed over that are good is just the overall strength, and my shoulders, so that really helps, and then my endurance. I think I’m able to have good endurance from my boxing training. But it’s a completely different sport. I’ve had to unlearn everything that I know and relearn. And now I have wheels on!
How would you describe your skating background pre-derby?
I rollerbladed a lot when I was younger. We had a skating rink—I grew up in a really small town, where they didn’t have a lot to do, so you either went to Walmart, or you went skating or bowling. Those were the three things. And so I had always rollerbladed, for years and years, and then when I went to join derby, they were like, “You can’t do rollerblades, you have to have quads.” So then I started skating at skating rinks like two or three months before fresh meat started, just so I made sure I could skate standing up. So more of a rollerblading background than skating. And then with wheels, [I did] skateboarding as well. But yeah, quads have been a change.
So you’ve kind of already touched on your derby playing style, but do you have anything else that you would add to it, or a signature move that you try to do?
I joke sometimes with Bush and say I like to get “angy” and just like power my way through like a bulldozer. Something I really try to do (a technique I got from boxing) is just to stare forward and not let my eyes telegraph where I’m going to go. And then when I’m jamming I really like to do sneaky passes. I like to tell my pivot: just watch me because if I do a pass, it’s most likely going to be sneaky, so that people can’t see it. But I would say my style is working on being more jukey, but I’m definitely a power through kind of person, so just going, just pushing.
You have really dabbled in all three of the different positions, as a blocker, and a pivot, and a jammer. Which one is your favorite to play?
I’m really enjoying jamming. It was funny because when I started, I was like, “I’m never going to be a jammer, I’m going to be a blocker.” Right, because I knew I was strong, I knew I had some of that skill. When I joined derby, getting hit was not a fear of mine because I got punched in the face all the time, so I really was not afraid of being hit. But then I jumped into pivot, and I really like that too, just kind of being the SOS person, like I need help. And I’m really enjoying jamming because I really like to have goals, and I like to push myself to my full potential, and I’m just really enjoying jamming right now, so I’m hoping to keep getting better at that.
How would you describe this rookie year you’ve had?
It’s been kind of a whirlwind. I have had a lot of personal stuff going in my life, so I’ve dedicated 110% to derby. I think since the beginning, I’ve only missed two practices, including fresh meat. It’s really just kept me sane. It’s kind of like my therapy. But when I first started, I was like, “There’s no way that I’m gonna be able to do this.” I was practicing transitions and toe stops in my house, and I was like, “I’m not gonna get this, I’m gonna fail.” But then I just started to put in the work, and I’m a big believer of what you put in is what you get out of it.
It’s definitely been empowering, it’s been cool to learn things and [have] things seeming really hard, and then all of a sudden you’re like, “Woah, I just did that?” I think last game I spun, I was jamming and I did a twirl and I was like, what? So sometimes you don’t even realize you’re doing things and it just happens. I don’t know if I answered the question, sorry.
Not only did you answer my question, you kind of read my mind, because I was literally in the moment thinking—do you have any of those turning moments, like where you realized you could do something that you previously couldn’t? Because that’s definitely a really cool one, I know what you’re talking about when you spun last time, that was cool. So do you remember an early one or the first one that you had?
That was definitely a big one because I remember looking over at Slam and being like [stunned] and she was like, “Go! Go! Go!” Because I was so shocked that I did it! But I think probably when we were in West Virginia [against Chemical Valley Rollergirls], on that fun trip, I had probably my biggest hit that I’ve ever had. I was blocking and I hit somebody really hard. I came back and they were like, “Yeah! That’s awesome!” So that was cool. Like actually, effectively hitting somebody. Because you can touch people, but then when you hit them and they—oh, I hit a jammer out, and I was like, “Did I just do that?” So there’s definitely been those moments. But I would say the last game with the spinning was definitely—I even came back [to the bench] and Bush was like, “I saw you do that spin!” And I was like, “I don’t even know how I did that! It just happened.”
When it comes to bouts, do you prefer our home bouts or traveling for away bouts?
I used to prefer away bouts because I was still (well I’m still a baby, but I was baby baby), and I was like, “Well at least if I mess up, I’m not going to know anybody except for my team.” But now I really enjoy the home games. It kind of pumps me up to have people there that I know and that support me. So I enjoy both, honestly. I don’t think I have a preference, one over the other. Maybe for convenience home games, just because I’ve got a kiddo, but yeah, it’s also fun to travel to new places. Nice to bond and get to know your people, and just have a good time.
Do you have any pre-bout rituals that you like to do?
Oh man, I don’t know if it’s a ritual, but I do not eat because I’m so nervous, like that my stomach’s gonna get upset. I usually just have a coffee and maybe an applesauce or something. But as far as pre-bout goes, I'm an early person. I’m always early everywhere, so I try to be early to things. This year since I’ve been on the bench staff, I think that helps me because I kind of watch what the All-Stars are doing before the Brawlers go on, so I guess that might be my pre-bout, just cheering on the All-Stars and watching you all and getting tips from just watching and seeing what you guys are doing. And it helps distract my brain also from being really nervous because I’m so focused on helping you all that I’m like, “Oh yeah, I have a game!”
What have been some of your favorite achievements on the track?
I guess as far as skills go: when I first was able to do a turn around toe stop, I was ecstatic. And then the 45 [degree angle] to the line, that was a big deal to me, to get those, because I really struggled with turning around when I first started. Now I just do it like, “Oh, cool, I just turned around!”
And then I’m just really excited that I got to jam this season! It’s kind of a big deal for me that I was able to, you know, kind of get into that because I know it is a more skilled position, it is one that takes a little bit longer just to kind of get the feel for it. I guess I’m just proud of trying all the positions and being willing to kind of go wherever.
You’ve organized our league’s volunteer opportunities this season. What have been some of your favorite moments from those outings?
Oh those have been fun! Yeah, I really liked our last one at Horse Haven. It was a lot of manual work, but nobody complained, everybody was really happy to do it. We made lots of jokes, and it was just really nice. I think I would say that for everything—everybody that has showed up has been willing to help, and even when things are chaotic, they’ve been patient with me trying to organize things. Everybody has a good attitude that comes, and so that’s always really nice because I feel like your energy and your attitude really affect other people, especially in those kind of events. I enjoy planning, I enjoy scheduling things, so it’s fun for me to do it. But I think probably out of all of them, I think Horse Haven was probably my favorite.
What is your go-to karaoke song?
Oh gosh, I love karaoke! I would say “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Céline Dion. That’s probably my go-to, which is funny because people would not think that with me. I would say that one, or “Like a Prayer” by Madonna. Probably more Céline Dion though. I like really theatrical karaoke songs because then I don’t have to be serious, so it makes me a little bit less nervous, but I really love singing (you know, you’ve karaoked with me in the car). I think definitely Céline Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me.” It’s a very dramatic song. It goes on forever though!
Oh it does! But it’s well worth it, it’s a lot of fun!
Yeah, I’m like, “Just wait—there’s more!”
How else do you like to spend your free time?
Between me and my boys: [husband] Tony just started playing rugby, and [son] Bentley plays baseball, so we’re all very sportsy. We try to support each other in all three of those. And we have a lot of animals that I enjoy spending time with. Then on the weekends, we try to just go do stuff with Bentley. Just like some bonding, ask him what he wants to do. Sometimes we go to the zoo, sometimes we’ll just go do an activity, and then some weekends we just stay at home, work on the house. Tony and I are kind of homebodies, Bentley not so much, so we have to balance it out. Singing, I love to sing, I love music. I like crafts, like making stuff.
What is the story behind your skater name and number?
I love everything horror, surprise surprise! Halloween is every day for me. I’ve loved spooky stuff since I was little. I actually watched Friday the 13th on repeat with my mamaw when I was like ten, so my mamaw really liked scary movies too. And then my dad always dressed up every Halloween as Jason Voorhees no matter what my costume was, he was always Jason from the time like kindergarten until I didn’t trick or treat any more. So Jason is actually my favorite, but I didn’t want my derby name to be Jason [laughs]. I couldn’t think of anything that went with that, but I have a top five, and Freddy [Krueger]’s in my top five. I really like Northern slang, like “I’m gonna shred,” so I really liked the name “Shreddy.”
And then my number has been a funny journey because we’re in the South. Some people are not a fan of my number, but it’s kind of an inside joke with my brothers and I, and also it just kind of fits the theme, obviously because, you know, Freddy Krueger and it just kind of goes with it. But my brothers and I, all three of our favorite number is six, and so when we were younger, we were always like, “Six-six-six!” You know, because it was like, there’s three of us, and it’s our favorite number, and then it goes with my theme as well. It’s got some history to it. And then we used, in our basement, we used to take a permanent marker [laughs] and write it on our wall to freak our mom out! Because we were like, “It’s just our favorite number!” And we always just thought it was funny that people got so upset over a number.
So my brothers and I, all three of us have a dark sense of humor, but yeah, I love everything spooky. Also really like ghosts. Every night I watch a horror movie, like a new one, it’s how I wind down my night. It just seemed appropriate to have the horror name. And I wear scratches every game because I like that, I really like to get into character because I love Halloween. Like I said, every day is Halloween for me!
What advice do you have for people who might want to play roller derby?
I would say try it and don’t—one of the things that I really like that we say in derby is that, “I can’t do this yet.” We always say, “yet” instead of, “I can’t do it.” That’s really helped me mentally because derby is a really mental game. It’s easy to get imposter syndrome and just be like, “I can’t do this, this is too hard.” Especially as an adult learning a new sport, you’re like, “Woah, what?” So I would say just try it, give yourself a chance, and what you put into it is what you get out of it.
I also say that derby is like a really safe environment, and people are really encouraging. The martial arts world is not really the same. You have to work really hard for things and there, people aren’t as kind. I would say that’s been a big adjustment for me and derby in a good way. You guys are really nice to me, and I’m like, “But I was in the box six times?” And they’re like, “It’s okay!” And I’m like, “What?” It is an accepting community too, so no matter what your ability is, no matter what your anything is—it’s open to everybody, and that’s a really big deal too. So I think it’s good all around.
Who would you like to nominate for next month, and what do you want to ask them?
Lemon DropHer. What is the thing that she’s most proud of since she started fresh meat until now? Because I feel like she’s done amazing. She’s really—from seeing her from day one until now, I’m just so proud of her. I guess what is her thing that she is most proud of herself for achieving? Because I have definitely seen a lot!
Thanks for a phenomenal conversation Shreddy! Readers, you have one more chance to catch her and the rest of the Hard Knox team at home this Saturday, September 7, at World’s Fair Exhibition Hall. You don’t want to miss it! Until then, be like Shreddy, and tackle a new and challenging skill by remind yourself that you just can’t do it “yet.”
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