Name: Trace of Death
Number: 131
Travel Team: All Stars & Marble City Mayhem
Home Team: Bombshell Bettys
Years skating: 15
She’s seen the league throughout its many different versions and names, but one thing that hasn’t changed is her intensity on the track! Get to know this month’s skater: Trace of Death.
You were nominated by Deaf Rattle, who wants to know how you feel about being involved in roller derby for so long? And also what makes you want to be involved in roller derby?
I guess it’s just my passion, it’s hard to walk away from. Where I’ve played derby for so long, it’s kind of hard to not to play derby, you know? It’s kind of hard to watch from the sidelines. So I’m glad to be back.
What was Hard Knox like when you first joined?
It was a lot different back then. There wasn’t as much structure; it was not as much strategy. It was just basically trial and error from everyone that I’ve skated with over the years.
So how did you find the league? Had you been skating before then?
I worked at Sonic back then, with a friend of mine, and she had gone to a black and white scrimmage at the skating rink in Maryville, her and her husband. She was going to join, and we skated together at Sonic, and she just kept coming to work and telling me about it and kind of talked me into it. I didn’t really have any idea what I was getting myself into, but I had worked that day and I worked earlier shifts than her, and she kept on bugging me, so when I got off, I went and bought pads and went to practice. That was in April of ‘07.
Do you know if that friend still skates?
She doesn’t. She retired from our league (it’s KnoxVillain, #865).
And you’re still here!
Still here!
What positions do you enjoy skating?
I would rather block, but I like to jam.
What do you like most about blocking?
I think I like being able to get my jammer through because I know for a long time, I always struggled to get through, so I think from a jammer standpoint, after you’ve jammed for so long, it’s fun to be a blocker and get your jammer through, you know? So they don’t have to struggle.
What have been some of your favorite moments as a roller derby player?
When we went to Regionals in 2010. It was really exciting, but I had actually had foot surgery right before we went, so I went in a wheelchair. But I was there for the team. And that was the best Hard Knox had ever done. So it sucked, but I had extra wheels with my wheelchair, you know? [laughs]
You had all of the wheels!
Right!
How would you describe your derby-playing style when you’re out on the track?
I would say now we have a lot more strategy, and I have a lot more tools in my toolbox. I just try to stay focused and be a team player.
Did you have any particular goals at the start of this season, like something you wanted to add to that toolbox or refine in there?
Just to listen to my coaches and try to stay with my teammates because they haven’t always done that with derby, per se, so I’ve kind of always, like when I blocked, I was usually always [on] offense, so I didn’t really have to stay with my teammates. I could just pretty well do what I wanted to. But now since it’s a lot different than that, clearly two people can do a lot better than one, so basically I just want to stay with my person at all costs, if I’m blocking.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Just hanging out with my son and my nephew. I help my sister out with him. He’s just three. She works at night, so he usually stays with me for five nights a week and I take him to school the next day.
Do they ever come to any of your bouts? What do they think of you when they see you out there?
Well, my sister and my mom and like most of my family have always seen me skate over the years, not usually missed a game or anything, so they really like it. My nephew, however, he’s so little he doesn’t really pay too much attention, I would say, because he’s so little he doesn’t really know what’s going on, but he loves skates and he loves anything with wheels, so that kind of keeps his focus a little.
It’s just normal for him to see you out there, like it’s no big deal.
Yeah!
What is the story behind your skater name?
So when I first joined Hard Knox, it was really hard to get any kind of name because—I don’t know if you know a little bit about that, but there was some kind of database—so I actually went through like fifty names or something before I got my name now, but like everything that I wanted was taken or someone had something similar to it. For instance, my initials are T & T, so I wanted “TNT,” but back then there was a “TNTiara” so I couldn’t have “TNT.” Or I wanted “Dynamite” since that’s kind of like TNT, and of course that was taken, but there was probably about fifty names that led up, and everything was taken or I couldn’t have it, so actually my friend that I started playing derby with, Knoxvillian, her husband had just come across it, and you know, it was kind of like the movies. So really once he said that, it stuck. It had my name in it, nobody could say that I couldn’t have it, so I just accepted it.
And what about your number?
That is my son’s birthday. His birthday is January 31, so it just kind of stuck, so I kept his birth month and birthday.
What has roller derby taught you about yourself?
I guess that I’m a lot stronger than I had originally thought, maybe!
You are definitely very strong, any time I have to block against you: I’m just going to the floor!
[laughs] Well thank you!
What advice would you give to someone who wants to play roller derby?
It’s a good outlet, and stick with it. I think anyone can do it if they put the time and effort into it. Because I’ve skated with a lot of people that couldn’t even skate when they first came to practice, you know? So just keep pushing.
Who would you like to nominate for next month, and what do you want to ask them?
Mad Dawg, because she came in right after I left, and she used to play junior derby, so I’m interested in seeing how far she’s come from junior derby to now being on the All Stars: what’s that been like?
Thank you for a great conversation, Trace! Hard Knox fans, keep an eye out for more information about our latest fresh meat boot camp that will begin on Wednesday, November 2. Maybe you will be one of those who tries it out, and if you do, I hope you take Trace’s advice to stick with it!
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