Name: Bumble Beast
Number: 916
Travel Team: Brawlers
Home Team: Bettys
Years skating: 8
She’s a new addition to our league this year, and we are so lucky to have her fierce blocking with the Brawlers. Get to know September’s skater of the month: Bumble Beast!
You were nominated by Trauma Queen; she knows that you moved here from Arizona and took a big leap to move away from everything you had known. So her question is: have you found the home with Hard Knox that you were looking for?
I did! Life’s gotten a lot better since coming and joining you guys. When we first moved here, we obviously didn’t know anyone. Justin had the benefit of going into work, so he got to meet people there. I work from home, so for about six months (because I moved in July of 2022) I only saw my husband and my child’s face for the most part. I got a little isolated, and so that’s when I was like—I need to get out, I need to meet people, and a lot of my circle back home is from derby, a lot of my close friends, which is funny because I hadn’t played for years since before we moved, and those people stuck around. So yeah, we decided to do that, and it has been exactly what I needed. It’s been really nice. It’s exhausting at times, which is expected, but it was exactly what I needed.
How did you first discover derby?
I had an old coworker that was starting. I don’t remember how she found it, but so with my old league, we did cycles of fresh meat. There were three cycles you had to go through. I want to say like six weeks long for each one, and you would have to pass to move on. This was back in qualifications days with WFTDA. So she started a cycle before me, and then I started in May of 2015 (it might have been the start of June). Either way, I had my orientation in May in 2015, which was a really pivotal time in my life for a lot of reasons. So yeah, I joined with her, and I found my community, way more than I thought I—when I signed up for derby, I did not know what was coming in life, and then that’s what saved me. It was a big part of what saved me, not completely.
Had you done athletic things as a kid?
Not really? I was on the soccer team, and outside of that, no. I had never found an activity I really enjoyed doing, in the sense of dedicating time to it. I dabbled in a lot of things. I dabbled in tennis. I learned as an adult that I really like to run when I’m stressed; I don’t like to run any other time. Yeah, so not really any, I did cheerleading when I was five and I promptly quit that.
So what was people’s reaction when you told them then that you were doing derby, and is it the same as when you tell people now?
Then, it was concern to make sure I was okay. I was going through a lot of life changes at the time, so I think it was more—it was a lot of support, but also, you see the bruises and the marks and all of that, and you get worried. Most people were really impressed by it. If you met someone who’s like, “Oh, I play roller derby!” People are like, “Oh, that’s so cool!” I would say most people are impressed.
How do they react now…I think it’s the same thing. They’re always really excited by it, and they want to ask you questions. They ask if it’s like what they’ve seen on TV or in Whip It, and you have to explain the differences to them, but I’ve never met anybody who’s like, “Ew, roller derby.” It’s always a good icebreaker.
How did you decide on your skater name and number?
Oh gosh. So my name comes from my maiden name, which is McBee. And so my brothers growing up were really into sports, and they called themselves “The Killer Bees.” It was actually my gamertag before it was my roller derby name. So when I joined, I joined as Bumble Beest (and I spelled it with two Es back then) because I was just like, I’ll be the bumble bee, but we’ll make it tough. And now I spell it as “Beast” because I like that spelling a little better, but I was not gonna order new jerseys back in Arizona.
My number is actually—so it is actually the anniversary of my late boyfriend and me. It’s September 16, so 916. I did it as an homage to him because he died two weeks before I started derby. We were in a car accident, we were actually going to get derby things and got hit, so I did it as a, I dedicated it to him. I’d signed up beforehand, and I started about two weeks after that. I dedicated derby to him for that, so that’s why I kept the number. I thought about changing it when I moved, because I’m in a very different time of my life now, but it didn’t feel right.
I mean, it’s a part of you.
It is! When I say derby saved me, I’m not exaggerating.
What are some of your favorite achievements on the track?
Oh gosh. One, I’m just really proud of myself for getting back to it, and it’s about celebrating the small moments. So in the last practice when we were doing the four corners [drill], I got hit, dropped on the knee, and I immediately popped back up. I thought back to, I think it was the first month we were in practice this year, when we did the Get Knocked Down [drill with a lot of knee taps] — that kicked my ass. I had not been active in awhile, I had a child in COVID, I worked a desk job, I was a little lazy. And so when we did that, it kicked my ass. So when I just barely knee tapped, and got up and kept skating, it was like a little light bulb over my head, like, “Oh sh*t! I am remembering how to do this! My body is changing!”
So it’s about those little things. Like the last game, I was telling my husband (and I think a couple other friends too) that I wasn’t even gonna last, since right around break, it’s like a switch flipped, and it’s feeling more natural now. So thinking about recycling the jammer and you know, the moves that you need to do and that muscle memory, it’s finally all clicking, and it’s all falling into place, and that in general, I felt different in that last game we played. And I had way too much energy, I have no idea why.
I mean, it’s a good thing to have energy!
I was hurting so bad the next day! [laughs] I think I told Annie [bench coach] you can put me out in every line, I had so much energy, please just send me out there. And Justin was so salty he missed that game. He was like, “You got the game ball and I wasn’t even there to see the game, this is BS.”
It was a great game. It was so fun to watch. I was so glad that I got to actually cheer for y’all the whole time.
Oh my gosh, we loved having you on the bench.
Well, what is your favorite position to play?
You know, I played jammer before, a lot. I really enjoy playing blocker. And it’s not saying that I won’t go back to jamming one day, just that right now I’m really really enjoying blocking, and I don’t have much interest to jam. But I know that anything I put here, if I decide to go back to jamming one day, it’s only going to make me stronger. I’m a firm believer: you should practice both, which is why I don’t mind being a pivot because you know what I mean? It’s great to have both of those skills.
What do you love about blocking?
It feels more like a team sport, in blocking, than it did as a jammer, you know? As a jammer, you are kind of playing your own game with occasional help, and your goal is to get through that wall and it’s, you know, four against one (if the whole wall is there). But as a blocker, it’s four against one in the other way, you know what I mean? So you get to kind of create those relationships and learn how your teammates move and how they react and what they’re good at, and what you know they’ll need help with and what you need help with, and I really like that. I didn’t get to experience much of that before, and I think it’s what I needed, this time around anyways.
And what do you love about jamming?
Honestly, it’s exhausting! Right now, not a lot. It’s, I think as my endurance gets up, I’ll enjoy it more, but I feel like you get really proud of yourself. I think getting through a wall as a jammer—again, it’s four against one, like that is really badass to do, and to laugh and do it again. Those blockers are not running full laps at full speed! No! They’re getting to take a breath when you get out and figure it out, and that’s not saying blocking isn’t hard, clearly it is, but you just gotta keep going. That sh*t’s exhausting. So any jammer who is going out there and giving it their all should be very proud of themselves, because holy sh*t. We are very glad you’re doing it, because we don’t want to!
I think the successes feel so much higher when you’re a jammer, you know, because you share in the victory as a blocker—
—It’s the lack of oxygen! [laughs]
[laughs] The difficulty and the lack of oxygen make that an unhealthy combination!
It’s kind of like being the quarterback. You get to be the star, you’re the face. And that’s what the crowd learns if they don’t have anyone else there. They’re paying attention to that jammer, and that’s not saying there’s not something to be impressive about blockers. Most of my fangirl crushes are all blockers, like holy sh*t look at her go, but that might just be because that’s where my head’s at right now too.
This could be derby related, but it doesn’t have to be: is there anything on your bucket list that might surprise people?
I’d really like to go swimming with sharks.
Yeah? Where would you do that?
I have no idea. My husband won’t do it with me.
I cannot blame him!
He’s terrified of the ocean in general. Not saying that he won’t go to a beach and enjoy himself, but open water movies, he’s terrified through [them], and I’m so mean, I think it’s hilarious, I make him watch them with me. I think he would do it if I really truly asked, but I know he would prefer not to. So it’s hard to plan that around a vacation because you usually go out with your spouse, right? But I don’t know, I think it’d be really cool, terrifying as hell, but that’s one I feel like I could face, versus jumping out of a plane, which could not pay me enough money to do. Which he would probably do! But I think I feel like that changes too, right? Depending on the season of life you’re in.
What is your most common penalty, and what does it say about you and your playing style?
That’s changed! It was directionals at the start of the season, I got them all the time, but I don’t feel like I’ve gotten a directional in a while. I don’t know that I’m seeing a lot of trend lately. I mean, I definitely get called on penalties, but they change. It’s not enough that I’m like, zooming in on it like I did the directionals, because that was almost every time, and I was like, “I know, I’m sorry.” I would say maybe probably cut tracks, right, because I like to play in [lane] 4, so I’m right there.
How do you find a balance between derby and real life?
It exists?
Supposedly!
Yeah, no, clearly not well. Honestly, I lean on Justin a lot. He supports me in derby because that’s a lot, especially on bout days. You know I’m on track crew, so I’m getting there at what, 1:30? So he’s taking on child care for the whole afternoon, and then you know everything there, and he takes on child care for practices and everything, and we are a very 50/50 partnership with all things, and that’s definitely somewhere where he’s pulling a lot more of that weight. I couldn’t do it if he didn’t, which is, you know, and it’s about balance and you have to. But I feel like it’s a little easier for me right now because derby is really my outside of real life thing; I don’t have much else outside of my family and derby, because y’all are really all I know out here.
And we’re glad to be the ones you know out here!
I’m very glad too!
What is your favorite part of bout day?
Of bout day? Playing the game. It’s an adrenaline that takes over, and it is so much fun. Like you can have all of the nerves, you can be exhausted, you can be sore, but it feels like the moment you go out—the first jam, it’s always, it’s like the first pancake, just get it out of the way and be done with it, but once you’ve done that, I feel like it just clicks into place. You’re like, “Oh sh*t, I do know how to do this, I have been practicing this extensively.” It’s actually playing the game. It’s a lot of fun.
So we are near the end of the season (doesn’t feel like it but we are). Do you have any goals for yourself for next year?
I would love to, and I don’t know that I can do it next year, we have a really strong, but I would love to get a chance to play on the A team. I’m not there yet and I know that, but I would love to be able to get there before the end of the season for a game or two. I try to push myself to do a lot more drills with the A team when we’re at practice for that reason because I know it’s going to push me to be better because I hold myself to a different standard.
What is the feeling that roller derby leaves you with?
Changes day by day. But in general, I feel fulfilled in life right now and all things. I feel, what is the word I’m looking for…I feel validated in our choice to move because we have found everything that we were looking for, especially for moving someplace neither of us had ever been. We didn’t visit Knoxville, we didn’t visit Tennessee. We just threw a dart on a map, bought a house and moved. So Justin has found a great job and he’s been able to really get into hobbies that he’s really enjoyed. Like he loves to fish (he’s taking a break from fishing, I think they’re going through something) and garden, and I get to play derby and be outside more and you know I’ve always loved like nature and all of that, and it’s just, obviously there’s nature in Phoenix, but it’s a very different beast.
Yeah, derby helps validate that. I was definitely questioning our move right before joining because I was like, “What did I do? You moved 1800 miles away from all your friends and family, what were you doing?”
Who would you like to nominate next month, and what do you want to ask?
Killer Kanary. I want to know: why did she join derby, and is that the reason she’s still in it. She surprises me all the time, and she’s always the one that gets me in trouble for laughing in practices, so I have the feeling that an interview with her is going to be the same.
Thank you for a great conversation Beast! Readers, September is our final month of home bouts, so come on out and cheer on your hometown heroes! Until next time, be like Bumble Beast, and find the people in your life who you can lean on as we all try to find balance in our lives.
-smalls-