When our Kill Billy gets that glint in her eye you just know something exciting’s about to happen on track and it’s no wonder she won the coveted title of Player of the Year last year. Come and see our featured special number 8 skater, Head of Coaching and this week’s Captain on track this weekend at Latham Street’s, Rodney Green Centennial hall. Yes…it’s this Saturday November 1st that Bay City Rollers, Iron Maidens take on the big city gals, Broadside Brawlers from Pirates in Auckland. Fun for all the family and always action packed come on down and see what roller derby is all about. Bring a banner for your favourite derby girl. We’ve got rollerskaters, thrills and spills just for you, our fabulous supporters. Doors open at 5.30pm, $5.00 entry for the adults and a gold coin for kids under 12. Perhaps your banner will be for our Billy…read all about her here.
What’s your derby name – how did you come up with it?
I really struggled to find one I liked and suited me, so many were already taken. I then though of ‘hill billy’ type names and after watching the two Kill Bill movies, came up with Kill Billy…but league calls me Billy.
And your number?
The number was easier than the name for me as Mum, my brother and me were all born on the 8th, although in different months. It’s become our family number and we all pick it.
What’s your derby name – how did you come up with it?
I really struggled to find one I liked and suited me, so many were already taken. I then though of ‘hill billy’ type names and after watching the two Kill Bill movies, came up with Kill Billy…but league calls me Billy.
And your number?
The number was easier than the name for me as Mum, my brother and me were all born on the 8th, although in different months. It’s become our family number and we all pick it.
What advice would you give to new players?
Train hard with no excuses. If you want to achieve something, set a goal and only you can make it happen. You must put in the hard yards to earn success. In derby you must be fit, mentally and physically aware and know the game to ‘survive’ some of the teams you come up against. So train hard with no excuses.
Tell us what derby means to you…
It’s hard for me to explain what Roller Derby means to me. It goes beyond what happens on the track and what you train for. It’s a huge part of my life now – it’s my culture. I cannot imagine my life without Roller Derby.
When did you hit the track?
I was hooked at 19 and the last three and a half years have been a blast. My first bout was awesome. It was against Whenua Fatales in Levin against a lot of skaters who were bouting for the first time as well. Twisted Sisters (The Development Team) had just been created and this was the debut bout for Twisted Sisters so it was quite an honour to be a part of it and we won! I’m now playing for our Iron Maidens.
How did you hear about roller derby?
Long story – I watched ‘Whip It’ when I was young, but never thought it was a real sport. Mum works with a teacher whose wife is associated with derby and one day the topic of derby came up between them…Mum mentioned this conversation to me and curiosity drove me to find out the details, luckily the next Fresh Meat course was starting a week later. I had never worn roller skates in my life before. The first time on eight wheels I felt terrified, I couldn’t stop, but we were told it’s okay to fall, in fact it would be awesome if we did fall. I’d begun with a friend and we were both so ‘un-co’ we couldn’t stop giggling, as we tried to stay upright. Each week I grew more confident on my skates, began learning technique and I gained speed. I couldn’t wait until next training. I have loved it ever since.
Train hard with no excuses. If you want to achieve something, set a goal and only you can make it happen. You must put in the hard yards to earn success. In derby you must be fit, mentally and physically aware and know the game to ‘survive’ some of the teams you come up against. So train hard with no excuses.
Tell us what derby means to you…
It’s hard for me to explain what Roller Derby means to me. It goes beyond what happens on the track and what you train for. It’s a huge part of my life now – it’s my culture. I cannot imagine my life without Roller Derby.
When did you hit the track?
I was hooked at 19 and the last three and a half years have been a blast. My first bout was awesome. It was against Whenua Fatales in Levin against a lot of skaters who were bouting for the first time as well. Twisted Sisters (The Development Team) had just been created and this was the debut bout for Twisted Sisters so it was quite an honour to be a part of it and we won! I’m now playing for our Iron Maidens.
How did you hear about roller derby?
Long story – I watched ‘Whip It’ when I was young, but never thought it was a real sport. Mum works with a teacher whose wife is associated with derby and one day the topic of derby came up between them…Mum mentioned this conversation to me and curiosity drove me to find out the details, luckily the next Fresh Meat course was starting a week later. I had never worn roller skates in my life before. The first time on eight wheels I felt terrified, I couldn’t stop, but we were told it’s okay to fall, in fact it would be awesome if we did fall. I’d begun with a friend and we were both so ‘un-co’ we couldn’t stop giggling, as we tried to stay upright. Each week I grew more confident on my skates, began learning technique and I gained speed. I couldn’t wait until next training. I have loved it ever since.
What are your favourite positions on track?
I play both jammer and blocker positions in every bout. When I’m blocking I like to be talking and touching the skaters around me, letting them know I am there with them and ready to go into whatever formation we need to. When I am jamming I have no idea what happens, it just turns into a blur. One minute I’m the target and then the next I have to quickly race back around to do it all over again. When I’m feeling really agile and fit, I like jamming and other times I like being where the party is and want to hit people instead of being the moving target. I like that I get to have the best of both worlds.
And what do you skate on out there?
I wish I knew about gear, but the truth is I’m a novice; although I upgraded my wheels after a couple of years and I felt like I was literally flying around the track. New wheels made me fall in love with derby all over again.
Do you have a pre-bout ritual? Any last minute thoughts as you skate out?
Not as such but I usually get really excited and talkative or when I’m not excited and feeling amped, somebody will wake me up with a pinch or a slap and it’s always just what I need. I need new laces is what I think, because my laces snapped once before a bout and I freaked out as I didn’t have any spares, luckily E Venger did and ‘lent’ them to me. I still have them on my skates now.
I play both jammer and blocker positions in every bout. When I’m blocking I like to be talking and touching the skaters around me, letting them know I am there with them and ready to go into whatever formation we need to. When I am jamming I have no idea what happens, it just turns into a blur. One minute I’m the target and then the next I have to quickly race back around to do it all over again. When I’m feeling really agile and fit, I like jamming and other times I like being where the party is and want to hit people instead of being the moving target. I like that I get to have the best of both worlds.
And what do you skate on out there?
I wish I knew about gear, but the truth is I’m a novice; although I upgraded my wheels after a couple of years and I felt like I was literally flying around the track. New wheels made me fall in love with derby all over again.
Do you have a pre-bout ritual? Any last minute thoughts as you skate out?
Not as such but I usually get really excited and talkative or when I’m not excited and feeling amped, somebody will wake me up with a pinch or a slap and it’s always just what I need. I need new laces is what I think, because my laces snapped once before a bout and I freaked out as I didn’t have any spares, luckily E Venger did and ‘lent’ them to me. I still have them on my skates now.
Tell us about your on track favourite moments.
It’s always an awesome derby moment when you jump the apex as a jammer, even better when even the refs compliment you on how impressive it was after the bout, which happened for me in Palmerston North. My first ever sternum block to a skater was also a highlight. I was jamming and coming up the apex when a skater tried to block me while she was going backwards, we had just gone over sternum blocks at training the week before so I was all pumped and ready to try out my new move, all I need was a skater to face me and waalaa it happened. I got down low and headed for her chest with my shoulder, I connected with her and then pushed up with all my leg force. Without realising how much force I had put into it, the skater came off the ground and flew backwards off the track. I was kinda shocked but quite impressed with myself at the same time.
What advice would you give to somebody contemplating derby as their sport?
Come and watch us play! The best thing you can do is find out what the end result looks like. I used to coach fresh meat and I was mind blown when I began to teach the skaters how to hit and someone asked, ‘is this a contact sport?’ I think you need to know what you are going to be in for before you invest: gear, your time and the coach and league supporter’s time. Although in saying that there are many ways you can be involved in derby without actually playing like referring, NSOing, admin and support...even photography.
It’s always an awesome derby moment when you jump the apex as a jammer, even better when even the refs compliment you on how impressive it was after the bout, which happened for me in Palmerston North. My first ever sternum block to a skater was also a highlight. I was jamming and coming up the apex when a skater tried to block me while she was going backwards, we had just gone over sternum blocks at training the week before so I was all pumped and ready to try out my new move, all I need was a skater to face me and waalaa it happened. I got down low and headed for her chest with my shoulder, I connected with her and then pushed up with all my leg force. Without realising how much force I had put into it, the skater came off the ground and flew backwards off the track. I was kinda shocked but quite impressed with myself at the same time.
What advice would you give to somebody contemplating derby as their sport?
Come and watch us play! The best thing you can do is find out what the end result looks like. I used to coach fresh meat and I was mind blown when I began to teach the skaters how to hit and someone asked, ‘is this a contact sport?’ I think you need to know what you are going to be in for before you invest: gear, your time and the coach and league supporter’s time. Although in saying that there are many ways you can be involved in derby without actually playing like referring, NSOing, admin and support...even photography.
And as a coach…what advice would you give?
Work on your agility and lateral movement for both blocking and jamming. There are lots of agility drills you can practice. As a jammer you need to be able to juke and quickly take little gaps and be light on your feet, so the bouncier you are on the your skates the quicker you’ll be. As a blocker you need to be able to read jammers and mirror their movements and be quick enough to chase them so being an agile blocker is vey useful too. I wasn’t one to watch derby on the internet, which I probably should have…but that will help too. Roller derby is a completed game so I am an on-going learner, be willing to keep learning.
Is there a player that inspires you?
Suzy Hotrod never fails to impress. Her moves are flawless and effortless. Simply amazing.
Everybody struggles with derby/life balance, how do you manage it?
The biggest challenge for me is being hooked on derby and so involved in the league, as this year I’m Head of Coaching, a role I enjoy. As Head, I’ve had the opportunity to work with different people, in ways I haven’t previously worked before such as working through conflicting views and opinions, creating proposals, organising training content, coaching rosters, team selections, event organising and coaching etc… acquiring new skills that I’ve applied in my day job. It’s been great to have had the opportunity to help BCR grow while gaining those benefits for my ‘normal life’. It is tricky balancing training, traveling for bouts, coaching, derby meetings, work and then everyday life on top of that. It’s well known in the league that I like a lot of sleep so when we have away games I usually need all of the next day to be lazy around the house. I work a 40 hour week which is tiring for me too, so when we don’t have a weekend bout I usually want to stay home with my fur babies and fiancé and watch movies. I love derby and I couldn’t imagine life without it, but it is time consuming, which unfortunately means other things get put second.
Work on your agility and lateral movement for both blocking and jamming. There are lots of agility drills you can practice. As a jammer you need to be able to juke and quickly take little gaps and be light on your feet, so the bouncier you are on the your skates the quicker you’ll be. As a blocker you need to be able to read jammers and mirror their movements and be quick enough to chase them so being an agile blocker is vey useful too. I wasn’t one to watch derby on the internet, which I probably should have…but that will help too. Roller derby is a completed game so I am an on-going learner, be willing to keep learning.
Is there a player that inspires you?
Suzy Hotrod never fails to impress. Her moves are flawless and effortless. Simply amazing.
Everybody struggles with derby/life balance, how do you manage it?
The biggest challenge for me is being hooked on derby and so involved in the league, as this year I’m Head of Coaching, a role I enjoy. As Head, I’ve had the opportunity to work with different people, in ways I haven’t previously worked before such as working through conflicting views and opinions, creating proposals, organising training content, coaching rosters, team selections, event organising and coaching etc… acquiring new skills that I’ve applied in my day job. It’s been great to have had the opportunity to help BCR grow while gaining those benefits for my ‘normal life’. It is tricky balancing training, traveling for bouts, coaching, derby meetings, work and then everyday life on top of that. It’s well known in the league that I like a lot of sleep so when we have away games I usually need all of the next day to be lazy around the house. I work a 40 hour week which is tiring for me too, so when we don’t have a weekend bout I usually want to stay home with my fur babies and fiancé and watch movies. I love derby and I couldn’t imagine life without it, but it is time consuming, which unfortunately means other things get put second.
What is your day job? Does it affect your derby life?
I am an Early Childhood Teacher. While studying for my degree I learnt about learning styles, theories and models as well as human development and brain development so I am aware that the skaters I coach learn differently to the skater next to them. Some skaters will learn visually through a drawing or an actual demonstration and others will learn simply through a conversation. Our coaching committee is quite diverse which means the skaters are able to learn from a variety of ‘teachers’ or coaches. My job is quite a contrast to roller derby and skaters are often quite shocked when I say what I do and likewise when I tell teachers what sport I play. I guess after being patient, caring and gentle all day with young children it’s sometimes fun to be rough and hit someone around a bit – legally of course.
Is there an upcoming event you’re excited about?
November 1st 2014 we’re up against Pirates B team. BCR have never played them before so I’m really excited to play them. I know it’s going to be a challenging bout and I know they’re going to make us work hard for our points. I can’t wait.
Finally…is there a thank you you’d like to send out?
Yes, to my fiancé, Tip, for supporting me through derby and always being there for me when I have needed him.
I am an Early Childhood Teacher. While studying for my degree I learnt about learning styles, theories and models as well as human development and brain development so I am aware that the skaters I coach learn differently to the skater next to them. Some skaters will learn visually through a drawing or an actual demonstration and others will learn simply through a conversation. Our coaching committee is quite diverse which means the skaters are able to learn from a variety of ‘teachers’ or coaches. My job is quite a contrast to roller derby and skaters are often quite shocked when I say what I do and likewise when I tell teachers what sport I play. I guess after being patient, caring and gentle all day with young children it’s sometimes fun to be rough and hit someone around a bit – legally of course.
Is there an upcoming event you’re excited about?
November 1st 2014 we’re up against Pirates B team. BCR have never played them before so I’m really excited to play them. I know it’s going to be a challenging bout and I know they’re going to make us work hard for our points. I can’t wait.
Finally…is there a thank you you’d like to send out?
Yes, to my fiancé, Tip, for supporting me through derby and always being there for me when I have needed him.
