She is a pistol-whipping jammer that can’t be stopped for anything. She can dominate the track as a blocker like a dog marking its territory. Just when you think you can escape her, she is biting you at your heels - lucky for you she can only go so far before her leash makes her stay in the engagement zone. July is an awesome month for her - not only is she your featured skater of the month, it is also her birthday month! Here’s to Pit bull Pistol as July’s Feature Skater!
Photo by John Blood
Congratulations to being July’s featured skater! Last month’s featured skater, Sunday School Slammer wants to know what your personal goals are for this season since you both had ended last season with a tie of being the most improved skaters and you are now a chartered skater, for those who don’t know that is becoming an Allstar player. So tell me what you have planned for your 2015 season goals?
I do have a few goals for this year. I was placed on charter last year, but haven’t been able to play with the big girls that much, just mainly due to it not being my time yet. I would most certainly like to get good enough to be able to play with them more regularly this year. I know that is going to take some patience of course. My other goal is to be a better jammer for my Brawlers team. I have had jams where I have scored maybe 10 points, but I would really like to reach a higher point scoring jam one day. I know our current Brawlers Captain is so good that she will be moving on up to the Allstars permanently soon. That leaves me being the second jammer behind her, I know I need to step up my game more so I won’t let my team down. That is my ultimate goal this season. I would love to get at least close to the level of our captain and Evergreen Jean, we will see if I can reach it.
I am sure you wouldn’t have any problem reaching those goals this season, but let’s rewind a moment. How did the Ms Pit Bull Pistol come to call herself this?
Well it was actually a combination of two things. The Pit Bull part is actually pretty obvious, I have a very big love for pit bull dogs and always have, that is why Pit Bull had to be part of my name. The Pistol part is actually a nickname that my grandmother gave me when I was little. She always said I was a little pistol, so with the help of my mother, who was more excited about derby than I was, we put the two together.
Photo by Rebecca Sword
I have always found it neat to hear how people come to choose their skating name. Actually, I find it neat to have a skater name along with your real name. How is life for you as having a skater name and a real name? Do you get confused or forget to answer to one of them?
HA, it can be surprisingly easy going by two names every day. It is almost like I live two lives. I am not even known by my real name which is Stormy with the team because when I joined the team there was already a skater that went by the skating nickname of Storm and it just became too confusing for us. Ever since then I have only been known as Pit to my team. Even my two best friends on the team call me by Pit and they tend to get mad if someone calls me anything else, which adds humor to my “double life”. The rest of the world knows me as Stormy though, it seriously is like having a double life and I love it!
So, of course every skater has those moments, the ones that we didn’t laugh at til later, known as embarrassing moments. I know you have to have some of those. What would you say is one of those moments during derby season that sticks out and you can’t do anything but just laugh at it now?
I have had quite a few embarrassing moments in derby that is for sure, between falling when there was nothing there (stupid track monsters…), blocking my own jammer, and blocking the pivot instead of the jammer. However, my most recent embarrassing moment just happened at our first Brawler home opener bout. It was the bout between the Betty’s and the Kelly’s. I was jamming against, well you, and you were trying to mess with my head on the jammer line right before the jam started. You were trying to knock me off my focus, you were successful at it too because I ended up taking my mouth guard out on the track to answer whatever you said without realizing it. They sent me to the box and I had no idea what my penalty was for until they told me when I got to the box, which started that jam on a power jam.
I do remember that! There is nothing better to knock the other jammer off her game right before the whistle. Ok, Pit bull pistol, I have a fun one for you. If you could be any object in this world, what would it be and why?
Well, this is a strange question. I would have to say I would be a working vehicle! The team always has a good laugh when I get to inform them that my car isn’t working again or something went wrong. It’s the joke with me on the track!
I know that you are a complete animal lover, would you like to inform your fans what you do for a real day job and explain to me how in the world you don’t have a million of these to keep as your own?
Yes, I am a huge animal lover! I grew up on a farm, so it has always been a big part of my life. My job is working at Young Williams Animal Center as their animal intake and Euthanasia Tech. They were our featured charity for our last bout. I have been working there for the past two years now, and believe me that I want to take a lot of animals home that come through that door! I have gotten good at putting up a mental wall to keep me from loving them enough to take them all home, plus I would run out of room at my house! I would rather find ways for them to get a great home where they can be spoiled individually! Plus I already have two fur babies of my own and they are enough for me to handle.
Photo by John Blood
For those who came to the last game, you were only on the track for the first half of the game due to getting an injury. That game was a tough one to play. What happened to you?
There was a lot of stuff that happened that game and I did only play the first half, which is the saddest part! It was a brutal game; I never had one where I was taken out of the game for an injury. The reason for me being taken out of the game was from a bloody nose. I was hit in the face 3 times on 3 separate occasions during that game. The first hit cause the initial nose bleed then every hit after just kept reopening the flood gates again. That was not what took me out of the game though! I am not sure which player did it but I was hit pretty hard towards the end of the first half. It was such a tough hit that I was lifted off my skates and thrown through the air and when I landed, I apparently hit my head on the floor; which then caused a concussion. I have taken quite a few big hits, but that one seems to be one of the worse ones I have taken to date.
Let’s spice this up, we have talked derby, now let me shoot you some questions that gets you thinking. If you could carry only 3 things on you personally; what would they be and why?
Hmmm, that is a tough one. To be truthful, I already carry the things I would want every day on me. These items are my phone, my Hard Knox necklace, and my Altoids tin (which poses as my wallet). The only other thing I would possibly want to carry with me every day would be more money, but who doesn’t want that!
Good point! I think we would all love a little more money, so when you win the lottery you can’t forget us. If you did write a song about yourself, what would you call it and why?
I would write a song and name it Fixin’ Yer Critters! I think everyone can guess what it would be about and of course why. There is nothing better than to fix those fur babies and stop the over population, which in hand would make my job easier too!
Tell me what your favorite movie is!
I have two movies that are tied as my favorite. The first one is called I Am Sam. Its about a mentally challenged man who is trying to raise his daughter with only the help of his friends. When social services find out about it, they try to take her away from him and it’s a fight to get her back. This is why it is one of my favorite because it is just so sweet and the whole sound track is Beatles music. Nobody can go wrong with the Beatles. The other movie is called Trick or Treat with Anna Paquin. It is about the spirit of Halloween. Halloween is my favorite holiday, you can see why is it makes my favorite movie list!
Photo by John Blood
I bet you like to scare the day lights out of people too? I can say that I am easy to scare, so you will need to find another team mate to enjoy that holiday with you. I have just two more questions for you. I would love to know how derby has impacted your life since you have been playing for two years now.
Derby has made an incredible impact on my life. I have gained a second family out of it! I also have gained two of the very best friends and have a whole team of people who would do anything for me if I needed it. Plus I am pretty sure I would have already gone crazy if I had not joined derby. My job is a bit stressful at times and I need something where I can effectively release my pent up aggression and derby is perfect for that! It helps me keep my cool when I have a stressful week.
Finally, who would you like to see as next month’s featured skater and why?
I would like to see Mix Tape as next month’s featured skater. I would like to know how she feels to finally be playing her first two games with the Hard Knox Brawlers after being a great jam timer all last season, also how it feels to go home with MVP blocker for both of her first two games?
Thanks Pit! Until next time!
Dirty Kopp