Rookie year is often hectic for fresh meat entering the derby world. It involves becoming part of team committees, getting accustomed to a heavy practice schedule and getting to know their teammates – all while being expected to continue improving their game.
Now that the 2013 CRG home-season is all but upon us, we reached out to the 2012 fresh meat to suss out how their rookie year went with CRG.
Annie Tomical
Annie Tomical (Lauren Strecker) had ice skated for three years as a kid and spent her time fixated on the Winter Olympics, but her biggest challenge upon joining derby was one that many skaters face: “I had to get out of my head. I’d wanted to be great immediately,” she said.
After overcoming her inner-voice (and learning how the league functioned), Annie found a new family with CRG. “We see each other at our best and worst. That’s when you really begin to get to know someone,” she reflected. “Derby has become a huge part of my life; it’s integral. I love the girls that I skate with. I spent Valentine’s Day with them!”
Unlike the majority of skaters, Annie’s name had to be solidified on a whim. “I was doing a demo for Scout Night, and the name had been floating around in my head. I just threw it out when I was introduced, and it stuck,” she said. At the time she was a nursing major, and drew her inspiration from that.
Her biggest accomplishment in her fresh meat year was playing in Chicago with CRG, where she gained lead jammer status. Despite loving the thrill of calling off the jam, Annie says “I want to be as versatile as possible. I like giving good and solid hits; they have a nice ‘smack.’ I also enjoy skating fast – being a ninja, but I don’t care. I just want to skate.”
When she’s not on skates and laying hits, Annie is a student at Miami University, majoring in microbiology. As one of the youngest skaters on the team, Annie says that it “makes me feel silly sometimes because we’re at different points in our lives. But they are an inspiration in how to balance derby and life.”
Due to the support of skaters such as Buckhead Betty, Nuk’em, Bombtrack and Roller Mortis during her rookie year, Annie said, “I want to be the person to help [new people]. I want to meet people at conventions and skate – to immerse myself in the culture [of roller derby].”
Number: 91
Short Term Goals: Roster with the Violent Lambs and play at the Cincinnati Gardens.
Long Term Goals: Roster with the Black Sheep and be a top contributor/volunteer in the league.
Big Ugly
Originally from East Texas, Big Ugly (Sydney Greathouse) adopted her derby name from defensive linebackers, and the fact that they’re called “big uglies.” When she’s on the track, Bigly (as her teammates call her) enjoys “knocking people around,” and stands about 6’4” on skates.
While she’s glad to no longer be considered a rookie, Bigly used her first year to challenge herself. “I pushed myself hard to make the team. You have to take what it takes to make team, and double it [to succeed].”
Going into bootcamps and tryouts last year, Bigly had the least amount of experience – she’d started skating in September, and hadn’t skated since she was a child. She was having difficulty mastering turnaround toe stops, but thanks to skaters like Juwana Hurt, Buckhead Betty and Hot Slice, she was able to learn quickly. However, she admits to “hopping” in order to complete those stops.
“If I were to say anything to the newbies, I’d tell them that they have to work hard. You work your tail off; it’s not just about being cute,” she said.
Despite the challenges that derby can present, Bigly uses it as an escape and an outlet. “For that 2.5 hours [at practice], you are forced to focus on derby, and no one can take that time from you. I will play derby anytime, anywhere. I don’t care if it’s 6 a.m.”
When faced with her future as a CRG member, she says: “I’ve got a Wonder Woman thing going on. I want to be best teammate and player possible.”
Number: 72
Short Term Goal: Roster with the Violent Lambs for all home games this season.
Long Term Goal: Roster with the Black Sheep.
Ruthless Chris
Ruthless Chris (Christina Kuhnhein) doesn’t see roller derby as a “hobby.” “I’m in it to win it,” she said. “I take it seriously.”
Before derby, Chris skated occasionally, but didn’t label herself as a “rink rat.” She was at a skating party three years ago and realized that she still enjoyed skating, and her interest in derby took off from there.
“I was learning the sport and becoming comfortable my rookie year. I realized I knew nothing, and I was laying the foundation to excel now,” Chris said. She spent her rookie year becoming accustomed to her skates, and focusing on her balance and agility.
Now, with her rookie year out of the way, Chris says that the feeling of being overwhelmed has subsided, but now, “the pressure is on.”
Having built her jamming skills during her fresh meat year, Chris says, “I like jamming. There’s a singular goal. But I also enjoy blocking – it involves multitasking. You have to think, ‘Am I playing defense? Offense? Where are the jammers!?’”
As a mother to two girls, Chris says she couldn’t do derby without the endless support of her family. Her husband even surprised her by driving to see her play in Raleigh and helps her train as an athlete.
Despite being a mom, Chris’s name was chosen with the goal of instilling fear, which goes hand-in-hand with her competitive nature. “I knew I didn’t want something cutesy. It was just a bonus that I was able to incorporate my name.”
As for the future of roller derby, Chris says, “I don’t want the grassroots feeling to go, and I would hate for it to be corporate, but I’d like to see it get bigger and every league be able to feel what we [CRG] do.”
Number: 5
Short Term Goal: Roster with the Violent Lambs for all home games this season.
Long Term Goal: Roster with the Black Sheep.
Eerie Sistable
For Eerie Sistable, (Christiane Sears) her year as “fresh meat” provided interesting challenges and growth opportunities. While she had skated since the age of three, Eerie hadn’t known much about roller derby. Eerie had chosen her name before making the team, which she says, pushed her to take the next step by going to tryouts.
In fact, she bought her gear the day before tryouts and didn’t know what the minimum skill requirements were going to be. Despite being new to derby and its rules, Eerie made the team on her first try.
Once she was a member of CRG, the physical challenges presented by injuries from a previous car accident, as well as not being accustomed to the rigorous practices, caused Eerie to be hard on herself.
“I’m glad I’m not a rookie anymore; it can be hard on your ego.” When asked about how her attitude has changed since her rookie year, she replied, “I give myself grace now, and I’ve changed the way I treat myself. If I could give one bit of advice to rookies, it would be to give yourself grace, enjoy the process and celebrate your small successes.”
Eerie says that after a year with CRG, she realizes that she has responsibility as a member of the team to be her best, and that her team is counting on her. With the support of teammates like Cincy Psych-O and Railroad, Eerie was able to push herself and rise to the occasion.
Regarding the changes that WFTDA recently made to the rules, Eerie says, “I still have trouble with penalties, but I’m glad there are no minors anymore. It makes the game a whole lot more exciting.”
“I still don’t want to mess up or hurt anyone, but I’ve realized that I have to have a positive attitude. I have to know I’m strong and persevere, and be humble and work hard,” she said.
Due to injury, Eerie has hung up her skates, but she’s still involved with the team behind the scenes, heading up CRG’s street team and helping to secure sponsorships.
-Karli Wood