August Featured Skater: Mobile Crisis

Name: Mobile Crisis

Number: 16

Travel Team: Brawlers

Home Team: Moonshine Moxies

Years skating: 1

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She’s a fierce blocker who has officially made her debut with HKRD this season! Get to know August’s Skater of the Month: Mobile Crisis!

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You were nominated by Tough Muffin, who wants to know: how confident are you on the track versus off the track?

[laughs] I think that’s a great question! I am not a very confident person in all areas of life, and I think with being so new to derby and still trying to hone skills and figure out the game: definitely, I do not have a lot of confidence in my skills. That is something that I am hoping to continue to work on.

You’ve been involved with or adjacent to the roller derby community for quite a while. When did you first learn about the sport?

I think I went to my first bout in 2006. Like a lot of other people, I had seen derby on TV in childhood and kind of had some vague ideas of what was going on. And I can’t remember exactly how I found out about that first bout (probably flyers posted around) but me and some girlfriends went, and it seemed like that was super awesome! Couldn’t wait to get involved, but life happened, and actually did not reach out to try a fresh meat or meet any people until later (2014).

Had you skated before, or done any of that sort of stuff as a kid?

I skated as a kid. I think I might have been eleven or twelve, somewhere around there, and I told my parents that I wanted to play hockey. And so they signed me up for figure skating lessons. And that was good! I was informed it was less dangerous (and I supposed it is).

But I took ice skating lessons; I think I had a pair of roller blades. I’d go to roller skating and birthday parties, those sorts of things. Took mostly ice skating lessons, and then middle of high school actually got a job working at the ice rink, and so spent time on skates for that. But when 2014 rolled around and I did my first fresh meat, it had been years since I had consistently been on any sort of skate.

So you tried first in ‘14; this past year, you did fresh meat again. Any reason you can think of why this is the year that it stuck for you?

Uh, life! In 2014 I did a fresh meat round, and the league had some different standards at the time, so it took a little bit, and I passed the WFTDA [Women’s Flat Track Derby Association] test, where we had to do a certain number of laps in a certain amount of time, that was excellent. It was just a couple of practices in, after I had passed my sort of test, and I got pregnant with my son. And so that kind of derailed things for a little bit, and then I went to graduate school, and then life kept happening.

I came back at the beginning of 2022, and did not do a fresh meat, and two practices in, I sprained my ankle, and had to do physical therapy, and it took a few months to get back on track. I think it was April of that year, I decided that I really did need to do a fresh meat to kind of get my skills back up to speed. Did that fresh meat, and I think two practices in, sprained the other ankle. So I did yet another fresh meat in October of ‘22, and then all of 2023 I spent that year doing rec league and just sort of slowly coming to practices, trying to build confidence, and just spending more time on skates. So 2024 is the first year that I have actually dedicated to doing derby.

Whenever we tell people that we play roller derby, they tend to have questions for us. What is your favorite question or the most common question that people ask you?

Oh gosh. I don’t know that I get a lot of questions right off the bat. It’s more surprised faces, like, “Wait, what? Do you guys hit each other?” I guess that’s the biggest sort of area of questions or, “How violent is it? Do you guys still punch each other?” And then if someone remains interested, then they’ll start getting into questions about how the sport actually works and how you score points.

What is your favorite position to play and why?

Well, it’s not jamming. [laughs] I don’t know if that is because of a lack of endurance; I think it is more still not feeling super confident on skates. I think when you’re jamming, there is a lot more agility that is involved, and I still have in the back of my mind: you’re older and you can get injured, and so take it easy.

I do prefer blocking. I have a goal of eventually trying to do some pivoting, but still tend to shy away from that, simply because of the possibility of having to switch over to being a jammer. But definitely blocking, and I prefer the outside lane, and I also do like to brace. I like being able to see the action coming at me, and I like trying to figure out where to help my teammates sort of get into the best position to stop the jammer.

How would you describe your blocking style?

Hmmm, I wouldn’t! [laughs] At this moment, my style is trying to learn, figuring out what works best, what doesn’t, and doing everything that I can to adapt, to hone my skills into being a more effective blocker. Even though I’ve been around derby for so long, I feel like I really have not actually played for very long, and there’s still a lot of things that I’m figuring out about the game.

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

Well, my husband would say my common penalty is the fact that I don’t get very many penalties! And I think that is because I’m much more reserved in my playing—instead of sort of being more aggressive and going for it, I’m still kind of waiting to see what’s happening and what’s coming. So I really have not gotten very many penalties, but I think that the most common one I have gotten is either a multiplayer or a directional. On the times when I do get really into what’s happening and I’m going to try to hit somebody out, I usually stop thinking about the rest of the rules and just get them.

What is the story behind your skater name and number?

Skater name is because of my profession. “Mobile Crisis” is the unit that you call when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, and so if somebody is in the community and they are in need of some psychiatric care, you call Mobile Crisis. I have never actually worked for Mobile Crisis, but I do work for the organization that runs Knoxville’s mobile crisis unit, and a lot of the positions that I have had over the years are very Mobile Crisis adjacent. I’ve spent most of my career working with individuals that are experiencing mental health crises or significant mental health symptoms.

And 16 is just because that’s the only number I’ve ever had. I did not play team sports growing up, and I joined an adult co-ed soccer team with my husband 10+ years ago, and that is the number that was just randomly assigned on the jersey. So 16 seemed like a pretty good one.

What have been some of your favorite derby moments? These could be either on or off the track.

I think on the track: my favorite moments are times when I feel like I was effective, and sometimes I understand what I did that was great, sometimes I don’t understand what I did (what was great) but those moments where it’s like, “Ohhh! You were in the right place at the right time, and you did something good! You stopped somebody! You did great!” I think those moments are good.

Off the track, I don’t know. It’s a great community, so spending time with each other and getting to know each other is pretty fun.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Try not to think about it! [laughs] That is pretty much the biggest thing that I do, because if I think about it all day, I get pretty nervous. I don’t know that I have developed any rituals, because I think at this point I really only played in—what have we had, four or five games? Something along those lines? I think my routine is just: try to keep Saturday as normal as possible. It’s just another day, it just happens to be a day that we’re going to play a game, and if I think too much about it, then it makes me nervous, and then I think it probably negatively affects how I’m going to do. Too much in my head, I can’t think about it.

So we only have had a few, but so far, have you preferred our home bouts or traveling for away bouts?

I actually prefer the away bouts. I think part of that is because I don’t know the people that are there, you know? I don’t really know all of the people that are at our home bouts either, but just being in a different place: I’m going to walk in, I’m gonna do the game. These people don’t know me, it just feels like the pressure is a lot less when we’re away.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Yesh, what free time? [laughs] I like to read. I like to craft, make things. Before I made the decision to go into the mental health field, I thought that I was going to be an architect. I do enjoy drawing and painting and designing and those kinds of things. I like spending time with my family. My kids are very athletic, and so there’s always some sort of game or practice or something to watch, so I do enjoy that.

What does your family think about you playing roller derby? Have they been to any of the bouts yet?

My parents are season ticket holders! So I think that’s good. My family is very supportive. I think my dad is pretty excited. I did not play organized sports growing up, but my brother did, and so I think it’s kind of—my dad went to every single one of my brother’s games, and now I’ve got some games, so I think he is enjoying showing up. Definitely my mother’s goal for every bout is just to not get injured. As long as I come home without an injury, it has been a successful game, regardless of the score!

Well that’s a perfect segue, because my next question was: what is your goal for the rest of the season, since we are halfway through it?

I think my goal for the rest of the season is to just finish. Which may be a small goal, but I think it’s a huge goal. This has been a dream of mine for eighteen years. To be able to be on the team and to play, and having all these bumps in the road, and finally getting to the point where I am right now—I think my goal is just to finish, and then my goal for the next season is to come back. You know, every practice that we have, every game that we have, my skill set improves, and my understanding of what I need to be doing on the track increases, and I am really looking forward to seeing where I am three, four years down the road.

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

Shreddy Krueger. I guess my question is just: why derby? I know that she has been involved in other sports, different athletics. Why derby? Why now?

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Thank you for a super fun and thoughtful conversation Crisis! Readers, you don’t have much longer to catch her and the other Hard Knox skaters at home this season, so make sure you clear up your schedule! Until next time, be like Crisis, and make it a goal to just finish something important to you!

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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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