June Featured Skater: Tough Muffin

Name: Tough Muffin

Number: 350º

Travel Team: Brawlers

Home Team: Bombshell Bettys

Years skating: 2

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She is small and mighty out on the track. Get to know June’s skater of the month: Tough Muffin!

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You were nominated by Override, who wants to know: what do you want to be when you grow up?

That’s a good question from Override. Career-wise, I don’t know, but I know that I want to be a mom, and happy!

What brought you to roller derby?

I went to my first bout in 2022. It was the Halloween one, and I went because I knew Cat [#505] from the dog park (our dogs are actually best friends), and she said it would be a good time. Then fresh meat was right after, and I just decided to go for it.

Did you have any idea what roller derby was before you went?

I had seen Whip It, but otherwise, I didn’t know before I saw it in person. And I knew how to roller skate because I taught myself during COVID. You might not think that I knew how to skate, my first day of fresh meat, but I did!

Did you have any other COVID related things that you learned how to do, or ways that you kept yourself busy?

No, I pretty much just ate TikTok pasta and binged TV shows.

And that works too! So how would you describe your rookie year (fresh meat, first season, anything)?

Fresh meat went by really fast. It’s pretty much a blur, but I loved my first year of roller derby and the friendships that I’ve made, and I was sort of falling in love at the same time. Not to be cheesy, but it’s kind of hard to unlink the two, since I am dating one of my teammates.

We are always pro-cheese here! Well, how did you decide on your skater name and number?

My camp name was Muffin, for no particular reason, but that’s what I went by, so I knew I would respond to it. And then it was just about making it a two name deal.

Another idea I had was MG Hammer, but I don’t really like MC Hammer enough for that, but it used my initials.

My number used to be 273, which was my childhood home address, just an homage to my family, but I changed it this year to 350°, which is its own funny pun.

What is your favorite position to play?

Jammer. I like to go fast, and I guess I like being the center of attention.

Jammers do get the best photographs!

Yeah, although I’m always making the worst faces in those photos.

You had an excellent face in this last bout, when you were passing the panty that one time.

Oh yeah, I saw that. I think Kanary sent it to me and made a joke about it.

How would you describe your jamming style?

In progress. A lot of bending, and not a lot of successful pushing. I think I mix it up. Still definitely learning, but sometimes I get points!

Do you have a signature move as a jammer?

I wouldn’t say so, but I have been doing a lot of bean dipping, or doing the bean dip. And my favorite type of O [offense] is a shirt grab.

It’s always fun to watch you get really low with that [bean dip], and then just get around people.

Thanks!

If Tough Muffin had a theme song that we all hear whenever you do something awesome on the track, what would it be?

Ooh, that’s a fun one! I don’t know what speaks to me or my jamming, but something fun from the 80s, like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” or “Karma Chameleon.”

On bout day, do you have any pre-game rituals?

My first year, I had to put my muffin on my face immediately before we went to the venue. But this year, I pretty much just try to relax so I don’t get anxious, and I walk my dog. Nothing exciting.

What are some of your favorite achievements on the track?

I guess MVP Jammer. I got that twice last year: once for our 15 minute game (as you recall, when we got rained out), but the other game was a full game, and I felt better about that one. I got Rookie of the Year, but that was at the end of the year party, so not really on the track. One time I hit somebody and everybody was like, “Woah!” That was fun. But just the once, I think.

Do you have any derby heroes?

Derby heroes…I don’t know enough about historical derby players, but within our own league—I love watching Kitty jam, and I admire my wife, Psych Wazowski, because she made All Star this year. 

There was a jammer on the Nashville team, Brannan. She played at Honky Tonk Stomp, she was amazing to watch. A total water element. She just went through every pack like a butter knife goes through butter.

Have you set any goals for yourself for this season? And if so, how are they going?

Yes: my goal is to get MVP Jammer again this year, at least once, and I would like to have a penalty-free bout. And now that we’re getting prizes for passing the panty, definitely want a prize.

Yes, I forget how many times did you pass it that first bout? I think you had three?

Yeah, I think two or three.

Let me see…[searching through my notes] yeah it was three that you had. Well speaking of penalties, what is your most common penalty, and what does that say about you as a skater?

Definitely cutting the track! And it’s because I continuously get hit out of bounds, and they run me back. This last game, I was a little reckless because I was getting frustrated, and I should have been more careful reentering behind everyone than I was, and that’s why I got a cut track, so I really only have myself to blame. I thought I could get away with it.

What is something on your bucket list?

I want to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef.

What is people’s reaction to learning that you play roller derby?

If it’s a man, honestly, they’re usually rude. He’ll be like, “Really? You play roller derby?” 

Everyone says, “Wow!” And if they want to know more, they’ll ask; otherwise, they’ll pretty quickly drop it. And I really don’t go on and on about it, unless I think somebody’s interested. But I could probably talk about roller derby all day.

What are some other things that you could talk about all day? Like how do you tend to spend your free time?

I hang out with my dog, and my girlfriend, and our friends. I love my family. I watch a lot of TV and movies, and I’ve always loved talking about those and pop culture. I’ve been doing logic puzzles to keep my mind sharp, but that’s not really worth talking about, that’s just something I do by myself.

If you could describe your derby experience in 3-5 words, or maybe a short sentence, what would you say?

How about: that escalated quickly.

Who would you like to nominate for next month, and what do you want to ask them?

Mobile Crisis. How confident are you on the track versus off the track?

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Thank you for a fun conversation, Muffin! Readers, you have two chances to catch Hard Knox at home this month: June 1 and 22. Don’t miss out on this amazing skating! And until next time, be like Tough Muffin, and just go for something new.

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May Featured Skater: override

Name: override

Number: 11

Teams: Marble City Mayhem & Team Zebra

Home Team: Bombshell Bettys

Years skating: 30

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They’re known for their quick calls and even quicker movement on the track—get to know May’s skater of the month: override!

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You were nominated by Endorphin Annie, who wants to know: have you always been as fast as you are now on the track?

[laughs] I probably used to be faster, actually. I started out as a kid, first just going to the roller rink, you know, when I was ten, but then I got into speed skating after that. I did inline speed skating for a couple years. So that’s where I got some of my form, but I’ve always been pretty fast.

Did that translate to any other—did you play any other sports or anything like that?

Yeah, I played baseball from like five years old to junior in high school, until I got cut my senior year because I wasn’t big enough, but it happens.

So you skated as a kid. How did you discover roller derby?

I didn’t discover that until much later. So I was actually getting ready to finish graduate school, and there was a girl in my—actually, what I used to do is: I would bring my skates up to our studio whenever we had to do all nighters for school, and when I would get tired, I would skate a loop, you know, around the building. I’d be inside the building, but one of the other girls actually joined Red Stick Roller Derby, and told me about it. She was like, “You would probably like it.” And I was like, “You’re kidding!” I skated all growing up, but I didn’t know about roller derby until I was 25.

So you joined roller derby. What position did you like to play then?

Well, I wasn’t able to actually play for a while because back then, they just had referees, and we weren’t allowed to play or touch any of the skaters, so there was no contact. Mostly because it was, you know, fear of guys hurting girls and stuff like that. So it wasn’t until I moved to LA when I got to play on the men’s team for the first time, and I pretty much started out doing jamming mostly. But back then (I guess it’s always been the same) endurance has always been the biggest hurdle with jamming.

What do you like about jamming?

I think whenever I jam, it’s sort of my focus. It’s sort of like when a horse puts the blinders on their eyes, it’s essentially kind of what I do to where my mind goes into like a rapid tornado, and I’m just focused straight ahead, to where I just go go until I can’t go any more.

Do you have a signature move that you try to do if you can?

I guess I always like the one-foot turnaround, to where it’s like you slide along the outside or inside edge on one foot backwards. So I tend to do that one a lot.

What are some of your favorite achievements on the track?

There’s been a small handful of times where I’ve made like a 25 or 28 point jam. Let’s see, there was one time where we ended up winning by a couple of points. I wouldn’t say it was the last, final point, but it was a very close game, and so I was able to get out, score, and call it off. Basically got to make sure that we won. So that was a good feeling.

How did you decide on your skater name and number?

The skater name came about from Crash Override, from the movie Hackers. Big Hackers movie fan and computer hacking kind of fan. The number came about from: originally my number was 11d2, until they stopped allowing letters. That one came from SNL, I think, or Celebrity Jeopardy, where it was 3 or eleventy-two (it’s a made up number, it’s a number that sounds like a number but is made up).

You did start as a referee for roller derby. Had you ever reffed before for another sport?

No, so that was kind of the only way I could do anything with derby, was just refereeing, at the time. But you know, I’ve really enjoyed it just because skating is very difficult, as far as being a skater, for its own reasons, and then being a referee is difficult for very different reasons, but both are very challenging to where you never really perfect it. You’re always just trying to be the best you can at it.

When you’re getting ready for a bout, do you have a different mindset that you have to put yourself into if it’s reffing versus skating?

Well for reffing, not so much. If I’m a Head Ref, then I do have to do a lot of mental prep on different things, so as far as coordination and knowing, trying to think about all the different parts of the game, like EMTs [Emergency Medical Technicians] and doing the Head Ref/Coach meeting and then the referee meetings, trying to go over any new rule changes, and so there’s just a lot of mental preparation.

But with skating, I definitely have a way that I get into a zone to where I typically don’t talk to people. I usually just have to be quiet, and then I have to do at least several sprints beforehand. I usually like to get my heart up really high beforehand, and then I kind of find a corner someplace, and just zone out to get mentally prepared for what I want to do.

What is your favorite position to ref?

I think probably front pack ref, but I do, I don’t know, I like all of them because they’re all different, but I tend to like the rapidness of front pack. You sort of have to be aware of a lot.

Do you notice any similarities in the penalties you call versus the ones that you yourself might commit? I mean, obviously you’re going to call whatever you see, but you know, we might be aware of certain things.

No, I don’t usually get a whole lot of penalties called on me. I mean I do, but not like an exorbitant amount. But they’re always different, so I don’t have like a tendency to do one thing or another. I do know that if I’m trying to overdo it, like I’m trying to overcompensate (for if we’re losing and trying to do the job of two or three people) I’ll get more penalties, just from trying to be overly aggressive I guess. But it’s always different, you know? Sometimes I’ll get back blocks or forearms or cutting [the track], it’s just kind of a gambit, so I don’t really have a tendency for anything.

Do you feel like you are a ref who skates or a skater who refs?

Skater who refs.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Usually I do a lot with computer graphics and software, so I’ve always been big on learning different softwares and code and website design and things like that. More often than not, I actually am either researching or exploring new softwares. So a lot of computer stuff really.

What’s a piece of advice that someone gave you that has stuck with you?

I guess for as a referee: the first big piece of advice I got was my first game that I was jam refereeing, and it was one of the coaches from the opposite team that came up to me. He was a former level 5 ref that came up and was very stern and asking me questions and things like that, trying to get me shook up because he could see that I was new. But he basically was critiquing my hand signals and how you need to do them, do them big, do them right. And so ever since then, I’ve always done very big, slow hand signals, very properly.

For skating, one of the first pieces of advice that I got was as a jammer, and I was just trying to push through a pack and that wasn’t working. One: because you use all your energy, and two: I don’t really have the size to do that. So they’d say, “You know you don’t have to push straight through. You can move side to side, and you should do that.” It was just a simple comment, but it was one that I always keep in my mind. I’m not going to try to push until I know I can actually make it through.

And sometimes it takes someone else pointing out what is actually obvious for it to click in our brain!

Oh yeah.

Do you have any goals for yourself for this season?

I don’t know if I have goals that I’m still striving towards, but one that I did that I was fairly proud of myself for doing was—we did the survival sort of mini tournament thing in Kentucky. It was just five people on the track, nonstop, and just being able to make it through five 20 minute length games and doing well, I felt was a pretty good achievement. I wasn’t sure whether I would have to bow out and go vomit into a bucket somewhere or not.

If you could describe your derby experience in 3-5 words, or maybe a short sentence, what would you say?

My derby experience in a short sentence…I would say adventurous. I’ve been able to go, see, do, and meet more places and people in my derby experience than I ever thought that I would. I’ve traveled most of the United States and met thousands of people from all over the world, just doing derby. So it’s been a whole series of memories that were so much more than I could’ve imagined I ever would have been able to get.

What advice do you have for people who want to either play or ref roller derby?

It is what you make of it, I guess. If you really want to get into it, you can go and do with all different kinds of leagues. I think a lot of people get stuck trying to stay just with their one league, but to go and visit other leagues, and to try to do scrimmages or extra events—you can make so much out of it that you want to.

Who would you like to nominate for next month, and what do you want to ask them?

Tough Muffin. I don’t know why, but the only thing I have is: what do you want to be when you grow up?

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Thank you for a great conversation, override! Readers, you will have a chance to see them and the rest of Team Zebra at our regular season opener on May 18. We’re down at World’s Fair Exhibition Hall, and you can catch bouts at 5 and 7. Until then, be like Override, and make the most out of the opportunities that life sends your way.

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April Featured Skater: Endorphin Annie

Name: Endorphin Annie

Number: 987

Travel Teams: All Stars & Brawlers

Home Team: Bombshell Bettys

Years skating: 6

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It’s a hard knock life for anyone who has to compete against this Hard Knox skater! Get to know April’s skater of the month: Endorphin Annie!

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You were nominated by Psych Wazowski, who wants to know how you feel like you’ve grown as a skater, especially coming back from an injury mid-season?

Yeah, that was a real bummer! It was the first game of the season, our home opener, and I got my rib cracked. I think though I was able—well I had to take time off and recover—and I was able to watch all the practices and a lot of the games, and learn reffing. So I think that helped me a lot too, just getting to be more aware of penalties, and then good strategies as well, [ones] that work and don’t work.

I would say just being able to observe helped me learn a lot and grow. Also just being anxious and wanting to get back on the track, and hating that I couldn’t, that helped me out I think a lot too.

How did you discover roller derby in the first place?

When I was in my early 20s, I heard about it on the radio. It was a local station. She (one of the girls there) did roller derby, and I thought it sounded amazing, but I was definitely more reserved and shy in my younger years, so I was too afraid to go and try something like that. And then fast forward probably a good 12 years, I found a Groupon for it, and I was like, that sounds amazing! But again, I was a little nervous and apprehensive about doing it myself, so I tried to round up some of my friends, and they all had excuses, you know? I understand, I was like, fine, you know what, I’m not going to let that stop me. So I decided to try it and I instantly fell in love with it. I didn’t really know much about it before I went to my first practice, but yeah, it was great. I couldn’t wait to get better. I remember watching from the far end with the baby skaters and just like, daydreaming about One day I’m gonna be over there with the big kids!

You said you heard about it on a local station. Is local Knoxville for you?

No, I came from California, the Sacramento area.

What brought you out here?

To get out of California! [laughs]

So was it [more] getting out of California, or wanting to come to Tennessee, or a little of both?

It was getting out of California, and then my husband and I—we traveled around to a few different states, did a lot of research, and we had never been to Tennessee, but everything sounded really great, what we were looking for (minus the ocean, but gotta give and take a little bit there). So yeah, we just came here and love it.

Wonderful! So you hadn’t done derby before. Had you ever skated before?

Just as a kid on the streets, rollerblading and skating.

So you just totally jumped into it.

Yeah, it was like I had to learn all over again, because I hadn’t gone for so long. I think I was 35 when I started derby. It was my midlife crisis, I call it that.

And we’re glad you had that midlife crisis!

Me too!

What is your favorite position to play?

I like to be a brace. I do like to pivot, but I’m still learning to be better at jamming. It makes me—I get an adrenaline rush, so I’m still trying to get over that.

What are some of your favorite moments on the track?

Having a line that really works, just having the good chemistry. Another one is when you’re actually able to knock somebody down or out, or run up and catch them, those are some of the favorite moments.

I feel like that also gets the adrenaline going too, when you actually do what you wanted to do there.

Right, but that’s not too much adrenaline, like with the jamming!

Jamming is very intense! Well, what is something that you’ve gained from roller derby that you maybe didn’t expect?

I’ve always been a really clumsy person, and roller derby and just skating in general has helped me so much more. There’s lot of times where I’ll just be clumsy and almost fall, and I’m like—woah, I would’ve fallen before, but now my balance is so much better.

What else…great friends, roller derby family, it’s just a great community altogether, I love it. Also, roller derby is the only exercise I’ve ever been able to keep up with. I’ve tried about every exercise there is out there, and I could never stick with it, but roller derby is just so fun that I don’t even realize that I’m working out and getting exercise.

Everyone on the team knows that you’re a big animal lover. Has that always been the way for you?

Yes, I’ve loved animals ever since I was a kid. My parents will tell you that I’d rather be with animals than people. [laughs] I was asking for a horse since I could walk. I used to take my poor dogs and pretend they were horses until my parents actually got me a horse.

What was your first horse’s name?

Lita. She was a pain!

Can you tell us about the sort of animals you have right now in your house?

Yes, we have a couple of French bulldogs, a cat, and we have chickens and rabbits.

How do you balance derby and real life?

Do I? [laughs] It’s hard. There’s lot of times that my husband will actually push me to go to derby because he knows that I’m so busy a lot of times. I’m just like, “Ah man, I should be doing this instead.” He’s like, “No, you should really go, you’ll be glad you did.” So it’s just having to make time because I know I’ll be glad I went once I do. Even when you’re tired, it’s still nice. Or if you’re not having a good day, it really helps. That’s another one too: derby is cheap therapy.

It is! When you’re getting ready for a bout, do you have any rituals, anything that you do to help get yourself ready physically or mentally?

Not really. If I catch myself getting nervous, something I just remind myself is: this is what we practice for. So I do say that in my head a lot, just trying to calm myself down.

What is your most common penalty, and does that say anything about your derby playing style?

I would say multiplayers at first. I think I’ve gotten a lot better with that. I guess the second one would be failure to reform, but I’ve learned a lot this offseason, and I have high hopes going into this season that I will not be one to get that.

It’s very easy to see, off the track, how obvious a failure to reform is, but it doesn’t feel that way when you’re on the track.

Right, it just—with all of our practice lately, I’ve been able to be more aware of where I need to be or don’t [need to] be.

How did you decide on your skater name and number?

I was actually doing roller derby for a few months and I couldn't come up with anything. I always love the punny names, but I couldn’t find anything that I thought was right for me. Some of my teammates threw some names out there, and so one of them (Rainbow Fright was her name) she gave me the name Endorphin Annie.

And at the time my number was 707 because that was the area code of one of my favorite places to visit along the coast of Northern California, right on the beach there. But when I moved out here, I decided to change it to 987 because that was Warbucks’s address in New York, so that’s the street address.

So for Orphan Annie.

Yeah, wanted to tie it in a little bit more.

That’s perfect. What is something that most people wouldn’t guess about you?

I had based my moving from California around where I could get to roller derby, like what states had roller derby and wasn’t too far to get to practice.

And Tennessee has a lot of places close to a lot of different derby stuff! That makes me wonder—had you, like was Knoxville the first place in Tennessee that you looked at?

We just drove across the country and just drove to this area, to the Knoxville area.

Just because Knoxville’s not usually the first place that people think of when they think of Tennessee.

Eastern Tennessee kind of drew us in; what it’s known for is what we were looking for.

What are some of your goals for this season?

To make it through a whole season, to actually get to play. I haven’t played a whole season yet—I started derby in 2018.

What advice do you have for people who want to play roller derby?

Don’t be afraid to do it because you’re gonna love it.

Who would you like to nominate for next month, and what do you want to ask?

Override. Have you always been as fast as you are now on the track?

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Thank you for a fun conversation, Annie! Readers, if you missed the excitement of the Honky Tonk Stomp last month, then you’ll have to wait another few weeks to catch Annie and the rest of the team at home. We’ll be on the road this month, so follow our social media pages to stay up to date on our progress! Until next time, be like Annie and make a major life choice centered around roller derby.

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March Featured Skater: Psych Wazowski

Name: Psych Wazowski

Number: 2319

Travel Teams: All Stars, Brawlers, & Marble City Mayhem

Home Team: Bombshell Bettys

Years skating: 2

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She’d been a part of Hard Knox long before joining as a skater, and she made a big impression last year in her rookie season! Get to know March’s Skater of the Month: Psych Wazowski!

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You were nominated by Pistol Whips, who wants to know what made you decide to do roller derby, and how do you feel like your first official season went?

I wanted to do derby because Sunday School Slammer brought a group of skaters to our church to do a presentation. We saw it, and my mother wanted to go see some of the games, and we never left. I just had to wait to turn eighteen to join the team.

And as far as my first official season went—not as scary as I thought it was going to be? I was just glad to finally have the experience.

Was there anything in particular that you were scared or nervous about?

Falling on my face in front of a group of people. Checked that off the list, done it.

And survived!

And survived.

Had you skated as a kid or done any other sort of sports?

I mean, the occasional field trips to Skatetown, but we didn’t do anything else after that. But no I guess “technical” sports. I did color guard, so that was about it.

Get you out of PE class, at least.

Nope! Still had to take PE credits.

Oh I thought that’s why people would do that! That and band.

Well yeah, I thought so too, but I still had three other gym classes throughout my high school career, which was very annoying.

Well in roller derby, what is your favorite position to play?

Blocker on the outside. I just feel very stable there, and I can do different things like, obviously being a blocker, but I feel like I can go up and catch skaters and be O [offense] if I need to.

How would you describe your derby playing style?

[laughs] Chaotic! I don’t know, I just try to be there for everybody. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

What are some of your favorite moments on the track?

I have a video recording that Nate got of me at the first game that I’d ever played. The jammer came up, and was trying to jump the apex, and I literally just stuck my ass out and knocked them out, so that was fun. I don’t know, just (this is going to sound super aggressive) but just effectively hitting somebody and feeling good about it. Taking ‘em down. That’s fun, but also winning MVP Blocker, that was also fun.

How do you like to spend your time off the track? What do you do in your free time?

I’m gonna sound like I’m 65 years old, but I like bowling, shuffleboard, and putting together puzzles. I like to go hiking. I also wanna make it to a BINGO night. I’ve never been, I wanna go to a BINGO night!

My church always does BINGO for Thanksgiving, and I tell you what, the old people? They win. It’s a game of chance, and yet, they do well!

I’ve seen so many videos where they’re like, oh they don’t play about their BINGO, and I’m like, it’s scary to see when elder people are very intense about something. But I’m like, I still want to go. I think it’d be fun!

How did you decide on your skater name and number?

I’m a Disney adult (not in the obsessive way, but I am a Disney adult). So it was between Psych Wazowski and obviously with that one, the number [2319] is just, you know, it’s a given. But it was either that or Violent Neauregarde.

It was a winner either way! How much crossover is there between Jade and Psych? Are they two separate people, are they the same person?

I’d say that they were the same person. Aggressive, but also super apologetic. So yeah, no I’d say they’re the same person.

What’s a piece of advice that someone has given you that has stuck with you?

You can do more than you think you can. I get in my head so much, and I don’t think I deserve to be where I’m at, but there’s a lot of people on the team who remind me that I do work hard, and I am deserving of what I’m able to do.

Do you have any goals for yourself for this season?

Less penalties? And to be more conscious of what I’m doing instead of just throwing myself around. To go out with a plan and it doesn’t always have to be, you know, necessarily hitting somebody out, but knowing what I need to do and being able to do it.

That goes along perfectly with my next question—what is your most common penalty, and what do you think that says about you as a player?

I don’t feel like I’ve gotten one specific penalty, but I guess it would probably be a combination of forearms and multiplayers. I’m just a very flaily person, so my arms are just always there. It’s kind of hard, when you’re trying to hit somebody, to not have your arms fly out.

Physics takes over.

Yeah…so I guess those two. I’ve gotten a couple directionals, but I think those are the two that I get the majority of.

What is something that roller derby has taught you about yourself?

You can do a lot more than you think you can! Pushing yourself somewhere that you never thought you’d be able to push yourself—you can push yourself. That and your feet are always gonna hurt. Doesn’t matter what insoles you put in your shoes!

Who would you like to nominate for next month, and what do you want to ask?

I think I want to go with [Endorphin] Anie. How do you feel you’ve grown as a skater, especially coming back from an injury mid-season?

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Thanks for a great conversation Psych! Readers, you will be able to see her in a whole lotta derby this month with our Honky Tonk Stomp, happening March 23 & 24! See teams from all over Tennessee compete in this revived tournament that is guaranteed fun for all. Until next time, be like Psych, and believe that you can do more than you think you can.

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