Meet K. Lethal

Within roller derby there are preferred techniques a skater should use for efficiency, but each skater still maintains an individual style. For K. Lethal, a Cincinnati Rollergirls Black Sheep jammer, calm and collected is her trademark.

K. has scored a total of 286 points in the three home games that the Sheep have played this season, or an average of 95.33 points per game. She’s made it appear almost effortless.
“I realize my team has my back and that makes it easy. On the other hand, I look for my opponent whose composure is cracking and work to break their spirits…hey, it’s all in good fun,” K. said.
K. Lethal, Kayle Findlay, started skating at an early age. Her family owned a few roller rinks in Michigan, and when she would visit, she’d spend her time there. She was even pictured at the age of 9 months in a pair of skates.
Despite all of her time as a “rink rat,” K. didn’t have any knowledge of roller derby until she was around 17. A friend was getting tattooed by Brian Brenner in Dayton, and Brenner mentioned that she might like derby. She met his sister, who was the president of the Gem City Rollergirls at the time. It was a fast rise to the top from there.
“When I started with Dayton I had the speed and they needed jammers, so I have been doing that since day one,” she said. “Since then, I have been able to expand my experience with blocking and I really enjoy that as well – I am looking forward to doing it more often. But, wearing the star will always be ‘my jam.’ Besides, blocking hurts my brain!”
K. said that the passion she has for derby is unmatched in any other area of her life. Derby is where her competitive side gets to shine.
“Once I get in the groove, I feel unstoppable. It only motivates me to do bigger better things,” she said.
Outside of derby, K. is a preschool teacher and often jokes that all of her friends are 3-year-olds. She said that just as with roller derby, her job as a teacher presents new situations every day, and the students teach her as much as she teaches them.
After working with children and skating for four seasons with CRG, K. values more than just the experiences she has had while skating.
“Being a role model for other girls and being empowering to my female fans is something I find rewarding,” she said. “You can do anything if you work hard at it.”
-Karli Wood