Name: Rink Reaper

Nickname: Reaper

What’s the origin of your name?  My Facebook friends and family helped me choose it.

Number: 1124

What does your number mean?  It is mine, my daughter’s, and my husband’s birth dates.

Team: Natural Disasters

What position do you play? Blocker

When did you join derby? October 2012

How did you get involved in derby?  I went to one of the bouts and knew I wanted to play.

Favorite derby moment so far? When I made the team!

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? It’s lots of hard work. Don’t give up; practice, practice, practice!

Where are you from? Stillwell, OK

How long have you lived here? Over 30 years

What keeps you here? My family

Animals? Siberian Husky named Shadow, he is my baby.

Family?: My husband Mike Jones, daughter Tasha Jones, and now add to the family my new son-in-law Justin Brown

Name: LaBomba

Nickname: Bomba

What’s the origin of your name? The Spanish folk song LaBomba

Number: 23

What does your number mean? It’s my bday

Team: Northwest Arkansas All Stars

What position do you play? Blocker

How long have you been skating? 21 yrs

When did you join derby? Feb. 2008

How did you get involved in derby? I was going to school in Joplin, MO and saw a flyer. I went to a practice with MOKAN and been addicted to the sport ever since. Then transfered to NWARD Feb 2009.

Signature move: I like to block while skating backwards

Movationail quote: “It’s not personal, its ROLLER DERBY”-LaBomba

Derby heroes: Megasaurass and Powder both from Magic City Misfits

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? Being all around amazing person on the track and off the track

What do you do outside of derby? I’m a EPS Scheduler for JB Hunt

Favorite derby moment so far? When I received NWA Blocker of the Year 2011

Favorite derby teams? KC Warriors, Oly, Texecutioners, Magic City Misfits

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be? Ref discretion

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Never give up! Practice makes perfect. Remember to breathe, don’t get angry and most of all HAVE FUN!

Derby awards? 5 MVP Blocker Awards, Blocker of the Year 2011

Where are you from? Parsons, KS

How long have you lived here? 3 1/2 yrs

What keeps you here? The love of my life, Matt

Animals? No

Family? Sharon (mom)  Martin (Dad) Megan (Sister) Kyla (Sister)

Name: Ginny Wheezy

Nickname: Wheezy / Red

What’s the origin of your name? I’ve always been a Harry Potter fan and really like Ginny Weasley (ginger power!). After skating for a while I came to realize I had sport-induced asthma so my derby wife decided a mash-up would be perfect!

Number: 9.75

What does your number mean? Platform 9 3/4 !

Team: NWA Natural Disasters

What position do you play? Blocker

How long have you been skating? A little over a year

When did you join derby? I joined the league in February of 2012

How did you get involved in derby? My roommate and one of my best friends was on league and kept talking about how awesome it was. I decided to tag along one day and went to the next freshmeat practice.

Signature move: Flail while trying not to hit the ground, haha

What role do you play behind the scenes? I work with our PR and Art Directors to get posters, flyers and programs built and printed for bouts

Pre-bout ritual: Drink lots of water, eat a granola bar, pee a thousand times and try not to barf

Motivational quote: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.“

Derby heroes: I know she’s not world-famous (yet) but our own JoAnn of Arc is awesome. She’s got a fantastic attitude, always smiling and ready to take on anything. Watching her skate in a bout is like watching a dancer.

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? When they keep smiling after taking huge hits or doing difficult drills

What do you do outside of derby? I spend a lot of time reading or playing video games

Favorite derby moment so far?

Favorite derby teams? It’s always a treat to watch the big hitters Rose City and Gotham

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be? Thankfully, the new rule set got rid of the ones that irked me the most, but destruction of the pack is one that I always keep in the back of my mind.

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Make sure you do some sort of endurance training outside of derby. Ride a bike or run on the treadmill. Endurance is key in derby.

Derby awards? N/A

Where are you from? Little Rock, AR

How long have you lived here? Since 2006

What keeps you here? My husband is finishing up his Master’s degree at the university. We’ll probably check out another town after he finishes with that.

Animals? Three cats; Bruce, Faye and Barney

Family? Just my husband and I live here in Fayetteville. My mom, dad and stepdad all live in Little Rock. I’m rocking the only-child status.

Name: Wendy Minaj

Nick name: Minaj

What’s the origin of your name? I like the singer nicki minaj, I like how she is not afraid of taking risk.

Number: 323

What does your number mean? The area code for Los Angeles, where I grew up. Eventhough I have been here for a long time I still love and miss Los Angeles.

Team: Natural Disasters

Position: Blocker

How long have you been skating? I skated as a kid, but with the team about a year.

When did you join derby? Feb. 5, 2012How did you get involved with derby? I was working at ERC with 99 problems and she always talked about it, then she invited me to an adult skate night to meat some of the girls on the team.

Signature move: I dont have one yet.

What roll do you play behind the scenes? I am in the recruitment committee.

Per bout ritual: Drink a lot of water and listen to some music to pump me up.

Motivational quote: Pain is mental, it motivates me to keep skating and it will stop hurting.

Derby Heroes: I really haven’t watched enough derby to know a lot of derby skaters, but I do have some I admire in our league. (Is that cheesy?)

What makes you have instant respect for derby skaters? That they try their hardest.

What do you do outside of derby? I am now a stay at home mom.

Favorite derby so far? My first bout, and having my family come out and support me.

Favorite derby teams: NWARD, Gotham, LA Derby Dolls.

If you could remove any penalty from the game, what would it be? Back blocking.

What advice would you give to upcoming derby players? You can do it. It’s a hard sport but you keep trying and put your mind to it, you will do it.

Derby awards? None

Where are you from? El Salvador.

How long have you been here? In NWA almost 14 years.

What keeps you here? Family.

Animals? A boxer dog, Alice.

Family: My husband, daughter, and I live in Fort Smith. The rest of my family like my parents, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins live in NWA.

Nickname: JENDETTA

What’s the origin of your name? My momma came up with it 

Number: 36

What does your number mean? It was my # in my first horse show and I won a blue ribbon, so its been my lucky # since!

Team: Natural Disastors

What position do you play? Anywhere my team needs me!

How long have you been skating? 1+ year

When did you join derby? November 2011

How did you get involved in derby? Saw my best friend play in a Halloween bout in Juneau, AK and I was hooked!

Signature move: None yet

What roll do you play behind the scenes? The hard worker

Per bout ritual: Meditation/Visualising breaking through the pack

Movational quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”
~Aristotle

Derby heroes: Carmen GetSome & Smarty Pants

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? Sportsmanship & never giving up

What do you do outside of derby? Ride Horses, Read, Cuddle with my pit bulls

Favorite derby moment so far? When my derby wifey proposed <3

Favorite derby teams? Rat City & Team USA of course

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be?
20 Foot Rule

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Don’t be intimidated, and practice makes perfect

Derby awards? None

Where are you from? Lexington, Kentucky

How long have you lived here? 1 month

What keeps you here? My family

Animals? 2 pit bulls and a horse

Family? My fiance, brother, mother, granny, aunt, cousin all here in AR

Name: Justice K

Nickname: Justice

What’s the origin of your name? I’m a law student by day.

Number: 009

What does your number mean? It’s sort of a 007 thing but ‘9’ has always been my lucky.

Team: NWA All Stars, NWA Natural Disasters

What position do you play? Blocker

How long have you been skating? Off and on for 8 years

When did you join derby? Originally, in 2006. I came on to NWA in 2011.

How did you get involved in derby? When I lived in MO, there was a rink right down from where I worked, so I
started going to some of their first practices as the Springfield Rollergirls. Later, I moved out of the country,
but I always knew when I came back stateside that it would have to be in a place where there’s derby. Enter
NWA!

Signature move: Maybe less of a move, but I love playing in the back of the pack and being the first line of
defense.

What roll do you play behind the scenes? I’m head of the Grievance Committee.

Pre bout ritual: Double and triple-check all my equipment, stretch, and hydrate. Mean-mug the other team a
bit.

Motivational quote: Embrace failure. Do it with wit, grace, and style. A mediocre failure is just as boring as a
mediocre success.

Derby heroes: Beyonslay, Bonnie D.Stroir, my teammates

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? Getting up quickly after falling or being knocked
down.

What do you do outside of derby? Read, write, listen, study, repeat.

Favorite derby moment so far? There are so many to choose from. I have a feeling that playing my first bout
as an NWA All Star will top the others. Also, all the love and support from derby fans the world over when
our gear was stolen last summer!

Favorite derby teams? NWA, SRG, KCRW

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be? By and large, I don’t think there are any
extraneous penalties. For purely selfish reasons, I would get rid of direction of gameplay so I wouldn’t ever
get called on it again.

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Buy good-quality pads. Wash them
occasionally, please.

Derby awards? A smattering of MVPs.

Where are you from? Berryville, AR

How long have you lived here? Almost 2 years.

What keeps you here? School, derby, family

Animals? 2 dogs/home security experts: Finney and TJ

Family? Me, Mr. Justice, and the pups. Plus a bunch of other people who don’t live in our house, but whom I
can go visit and eat their food for free.

Name: Bruisin’ Tedeschi

Nickname: Bruisin

What’s the origin of your name? I’ve been singing since I can remember. One of my favorite singer/guitarist is Susan Tedeschi, whose husband also happens to be a musician like mine.

Number: 6

What does your number mean? The normal number of strings on a guitar

Team: Natural Disasters

What position do you play? I play wherever I can. I do like to jam though.

How long have you been skating? I had roller blades when I was about 12 but never really skated other than birthday parties growing up. We didn’t have a rink near us. My first fresh meat was my first time on speed skates. I didn’t even know there was a difference.

When did you join derby? August 2012

How did you get involved in derby? My husband helped shoot video for NWARD about 6 years ago. I had just had a baby but I knew it was for me. Six years later life finally opened up enough for me to go to fresh meat. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Signature move: Not yet

Per bout ritual: After only 2 bouts I don’t have much of one yet.

Derby heroes: Way too many to list.

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? Being awesome…that can be because of many different reasons from skill to attitude.

What do you do outside of derby? I’m recently a stay at home mom.

Favorite derby moment so far? First time I got to jam in a bout…all I knew was coach told me that if he ever let me jam I couldn’t stop…when the jam was over everyone was all excited  saying good job and I was like what happened? what did I do? I didn’t even realize I had scored points!

Favorite derby teams? San Diego Derby Dolls, Denali Destroyer Dolls,

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be? Back blocking…I’m bad about it.

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Keep trying to get better

Derby awards? Hahaha…one day maybe

Where are you from? Berryville, AR

How long have you lived here? About 11years

Family? My husband and I will have been married 10 years this September. We have two children. A boy age 6 and a girl age 1. If it wasn’t for my husband’s support and help with the kids on practice nights I wouldn’t be able to do this.

Name: Venus de Monic

Nickname: Venus, V

What’s the origin of your name? My husband was taking art history at the time and we decided to do a mischievous twist in Venus de Milo.

Number: 1820

What does your number mean? It’s the year that Venus de Milo was discovered

Team: Natural Disasters

What position do you play? Jammer, pivot, blocker

How long have you been skating? I skated on and off for fun since I was young. It had been I while since I laced up when I showed up to freshmeat September 2010.

When did you join derby? I officially became a member in December 2010

How did you get involved in derby? I saw an advertisement for derby on the Starlight sign. My husband looked up the league website, sent me the info, and here I am.

What role do you play behind the scenes? I are the 2013 captain of the Natural Disasters and coordinate the clean up effort after our home bouts.

Motivational Quote: If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.

What makes you have instant respect for a player? Someone who has a positive attitude and gives it their all on the track

What do you do outside of derby? I am a Physician Assistant at one of the local hospitals.

What is your favorite derby moment so far? If I had to pick just one, it was when I was jamming during my first All Star game. I was sent flying by this gigantic blocker and hit the floor pretty hard. I looked up in time to see JoAnn, with a glittery fury in her eye, fly across the track and lay out that blocker. I knew it was for me.

What advice would you like to give to up and coming skaters? Derby does not happen over night. It takes a lot of elbow grease and determination. But if you really want it, you will get there.

Where are you from? I have lived in Washington, South Carolina, Indiana, several places in Arkansas, and plan on putting down roots here.

What keeps you here? I got my first job here in NWA after graduating. My husband and I fell in love with this unique area and stuck around.

How long have you lived here? Since 2007

Animals? My pug Liam and my 2 cats Amadeus and Zephyr

Family? My husband Joe, my parents in Mississippi, and my brother and sister-in-law in Tennessee

Name: Alex The Great

Nickname: Alex

What’s the origin of your name? My everyday name is Alex and is a big part of who I am and I try to be great everyday.

Number: 336

What does your number mean? It’s the year Alexander the Great started his reign

Team: Natural Disasters

What position do you play? Currently blocking

How long have you been skating? Started Freshmeat in June, 2012

When did you join derby? Started Freshmeat in June and made the team in December

How did you get involved in derby? Have been interested for many years and finally decided to try it out thanks to D and Miner

Signature move: I fall really well

Per bout ritual: Lots of stretching and laughing a lot

Motivational quote: The only thing I fear more than change is no change.

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? When they’re not afraid to answer questions – no matter how good they are.

What do you do outside of derby? Work, read, or run

Favorite derby moment so far? Watching everyone get better at our drills

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be? Track cutting

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Keep pushing

Derby awards? Not yet

Where are you from? Born in L.A. and moved to the area when I was around 2. Aside from a short sprint at MSU for University, I’ve been here ever since.

What keeps you here? Family, Job, Scenery

Animals? My fur children are 2 crazy mutts named Max and Talyn

Family? My mom lives in the area and I have extended family in Hot Springs

Name: Jasmine Banks

Nickname: Boombox

What’s the origin of your name? Jay and Sin named me. I’d like to think they gave me the name because I am their favorite. That is actually what I tell myself. I also think they gave me that name because my posterior is kind of like a boombox, maybe? Also, I like music and I talk a lot. Basically what I am trying to say is you’d have to ask them- I have no idea why they gave me that name.

Number: 1986.

What does your number mean? My favorite Run DMC song is “Tricky” and 1986 is the year that song came out. I adore Run DMC, which makes my name perfect.

Team: Natural Disasters

What position do you play? Blocker

How long have you been skating? I jam skated on and off in junior high, but when I tried out for fresh meat it was the first time I strapped on skates in over 10 years.

When did you join derby? 6 months ago

How did you get involved in derby? I saw a sticker on the back of a car and Googled it. I was pregnant at the time, but vowed to try out once I was done being a breeder.

Signature move: Does “being wicked awesome” count as a move?

What roll do you play behind the scenes? Uhh… I am the unofficial Ms. Congeniality and Motor Mouth. Officially, I am on the sponsorship committee.

Per bout ritual: Try not to puke. Drink water. Eat protein. Try not to puke

Movationail quote:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some; it’s in all, everyone. And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -Nelson Mandela

Derby heroes: Beyonslay, White Flight

What makes you have instant respect for a derby skater? When they keep trying and are dedicated to their team mates. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be here and hold up your team mates so we can ALL be out best.

What do you do outside of derby? I am finishing up a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and I work as a freelance writer/blogger and in Social Media Marketing, Management, and Strategy.

Favorite derby moment so far? Hitting people.

Favorite derby teams? Rose City and Rat City

If you could remove one penalty from the game what would it be? Yikes. NO! I like rules. I am total rule follower. Unless it is diet rules… those rules suck.

What advice would you like to give up and coming derby players? Learn from others as much as you can and don’t be afraid to trust your body. We are so much more powerful than we think!

Derby awards? None, except for the pretend ones I give myself…

Where are you from? I am originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I moved to Arkansas for college and fell in love and stayed. Lucky for Arkansas, right?!

How long have you lived here? Almost 10 years

What keeps you here? I love the community I have built and the friends that are now my family.

Animals? I have a Boston Terrier/Schnauzer mix named Fiona. She is 8 lbs. of awesome!

Family? I am married with three kids. Isaiah (5), Addison (2), and Tobias (1).