Roller derby has been a prominent part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom, who still plays today, had me on roller skates by the time I was four years old. By the time I was six years old, I was practicing roller derby with other kids in town just for fun. My love for the sport really took off about a year ago when I joined the Queen City Junior Roller Girls, a roller derby team based out of Buffalo, New York. Two times a week we are driving to Buffalo for practices and bouts. That might seem weird to some people, but it’s worth it to me.  

I am a Jammer on the team, which means I am one of the few people in charge of scoring points. Blockers are responsible for preventing the other team’s Jammer from scoring points. Points are scored when the Jammers pass the Blockers on the track who try to hit you out of bounds. This sport is very aggressive and full contact.  I have never left a scrimmage without bruises. Another fun thing about the sport I love is that you get to pick cheesy nicknames.  When the season returns soon, I will be playing under the name “The Rock Bottom”.  

I started this season being a member of the house team. After a couple practices I was on the traveling team. This traveling team consists of high school girls from Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. Thanks to the team, I’ve made lots of friends from other states and countries. The bouts are played in a number of different states and Canada.  We were all disappointed when Covid-19 shut down our season.