By Roswell Crash
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare wrote that line implying that names mean nothing. While that may be true for Romeo and Juliet, the name is everything for a derby girl. Derby names are earned after time has been spent at practice and dedication is shown. I can admit having a cool nickname eventually is what got me through some brutal practices.
With the home game coming up on August 18th, I decided to get to know some of the A-squad of San Fernando Valley Roller Derby, the girls of “Like, OMG!” What is the story behind that fierce derby name?
Lethalicious #2 – “Lethal has just been a nickname for me for years. So I wanted to incorporate it into my derby name, but I wanted it to be a little bit jazzier, so I added icious to the end. Lethal came about because some random guy told me I had lethal eyes.”
Doogie Pounder M.D. #Code 021 – “I'm a big Neil Patrick Harris fan and wanted to show love to the first roll I remember seeing him play. As for my number, it is the University of Minnesota Medical Centers' code for a combative person or an assault in the hospital. BOOM!”
FishBlockHer #18 – “FishBlockHer is a play off of my birth last name of Fishbaugher. Eighteen is the number I had in high school and college, sorry nothing more creative than that.”
I.M. McShovin #34G - My name comes from that smart aleck lil’ cutie, Chris Mintz-Plasse, "Fogle", from Superbad. When he gets his fake ID, and he says so smartly, "I Am McLovin," hence "I.M. McShovin.” My number #34g is my bra size.”
Belle Mastiff #K9 - “I don’t know what to say besides I love dogs. They are my life. I own a doggie daycare and four of my own dogs. And mastiffs are really big and scary looking, but actually really sweet.”
Buckingham Malice #+44 - “I grew up just outside London and wanted to honor my British roots. After playing around with some cockney slang names, which no one would understand... Radio rental... Mental, a friend suggested Buckingham Malice. The girls just call me Malice for short because Buckingham doesn't sound so tough!”
Dethblock #3 – “So, my name is a play off of my favorite cartoon metal band OF ALL TIME!! DETHKLOK! I wanted something brutal & scary so Dethblock seemed perfect. My number just happens to be my favorite number, that simple.”
Tiggz #97 – “My original name when I began skating in 2010 was Tiggie Smalls, which was a take on a nickname I had growing up. I found that another girl had a similar name, but people had already gotten used to calling me Tiggie. Thus, a shortened version of Tiggie was born, and the most underrated letter, Z, was added. 97 is the year that Biggie Smalls went to heaven.”
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