The Skully Award, February 2017

SFV Roller Derby would be nothing without our hardworking officials, both our onskates Referees and our dedicated Non-Skating Officials. Throughout the year, the Training Team would like to honor an official in recognition of their contribution to the league. 

Honoring TRIPLE D-STRUCTOR

How did you decide on your derby name? 
It’s no secret that my “personalities” [gestures to my chest] are large. For a while, I was embarrassed by my twins, Olga and Holga. But as I got older I felt empowered to embrace all of me, even if they create a few back issues.

How did you get started as a roller derby official?
I knew I wanted to join the derby community, but I didn’t really know about officiating. A light bulb went off as I began to learn the rules. There’s a lot to learn and analyze, but I am very much up to the challenge. 

Who is your derby inspiration?
I’m going to have to say my lovely cousin, HardLee Ann Angel. She has taken on a lot of responsibilities recently, within the league and in her personal life, and she basically just grabs life by the horns and takes it for a ride.

What's your spirit animal? Why?
It’s obviously a zebra! 

What's something you wish all skaters knew?
Reffing is difficult. As officials, we need to see everybody’s movements and then determine the legality of it all, which comes from understanding the rule set. Now, I’m not saying that I want everyone to ref, but it would definitely be nice if all skaters took some time to read the rules. 

What’s the best part of being an official?
I make it a point to be at scrimmages with freshly-cleared skaters. You get to see the gears turn as they start putting together what they learned in training and begin to apply it to gameplay. Yes, there are a lot of penalties, but a few weeks down the road you see an almost unrecognizable skater. They give all of themselves on the track. That makes me want be a better official.

When you're not on the track, where can we find you?
You can find me singing as a part of the West Coast Singers, hanging out with family, or just snuggling up at home with my boxer, Ginger.   

February 2017 Skater of the Month

Tell us about your name.
The dragon is my spirit animal, a reminder that I am stronger than I think I am. I love anything that has to do with flight and I can definitely spit fire if I want! Naming myself after a Night Fury, a very unique and powerful dragon, also speaks to my love for movies and children (I’m a teacher and a mom). 

What position do you play? 
Blocker. I am strong in a wall and I love how we have to depend on each other to kill the dreams of the jammer! I still feel I have a lot to learn about the amazing sport, but each practice helps me feel a little stronger. I’m challenged to be a better skater and a better teammate because of the people in this league. 

What are your derby goals?
A huge goal of mine is to be seen as a force to be reckoned with. I want to be good enough that others are nervous when I'm in the pack.

Who inspires you on the track?
Killo may have high expectations, but she pushes you and makes you feel like you can do anything if you work hard enough. And Moose has given me the path toward extreme blocking skills and helps get me out of my head to just enjoy the game of derby. 

What is your favorite derby memory?
The home team tournament a couple of months ago! It was my first home team game with the amazing Topanga Maulrats. At one point, I found myself in front of Kat Von Reap and actually containing her. It was great because I could feel myself improving with each passing game. It was terrifying and exhilarating to play with the OMGs and everyone else in the league — and the best part was the Maulrats won!

I AM stronger than I thought I was. I CAN be a member of a team. I CAN lift others up too and make a difference. I am still growing, but I will never regret trying out this crazy sport. I will never quit.

NIGHT FURY #76

January 2017 Skater of the Month

KIM NOVAKAINE
#3632

Tell us about your name
I’m a sucker for Alfred Hitchcock movies. When I joined SFV, I was six weeks postpartum, so I wanted a name to involve an amazing leading lady and evoke the thought of pain.  I was hoping my hits would leave my opponents begging for some pain relievers!

What position do you play?
Blocker all day! Blocking has truly allowed me to embrace my strength (and my thunder thighs). I've never, even at my thinnest, loved my body as much as I do now. Derby has helped me so much to be in a better place mentally. I’m a work in progress, but I'm starting to see myself as an athlete! 

PHOTO BY TRISTAN KING

Who do you look to for inspiration?
I’ve worked with so many of the SFV trainers and found that all of them have such great inspiration to offer. Derp taught me how to find the rhythm in my laps and how to get out of my head. Twiggy preached the importance of mantras. Atomic’s constant push of #GYLT actually inspired me get my life together. And Dovah … oh man, she’s who I want to be when I grow up.

What are your derby goals for 2017?
Agility, strength, focus … but overall, HAVING THE BEST 2017 POSSIBLE!!! 

January 2017 marks my second derbyversary with this amazing league. I’ve come so far in my journey and I want so much more. I want to sweat and cry and cuss up a storm and laugh at myself. I want to cross-train and have fun with my teams. But most of all, I want to push myself harder than ever while still supporting all of my badass derby sisters. 2017, here we come!

The Skully Award, December 2016

SFV Roller Derby would be nothing without our hardworking officials, both our onskates Referees and our dedicated Non-Skating Officials. Throughout the year, the Training Team would like to honor an official in recognition of their contribution to the league. 

Honoring FRANK EINSTEIN

Photo by ConJobb

How did you get started as a roller derby referee?
I got started in Roller Derby because my girlfriend (PrisKilla Presley) started playing and convinced me to help out NSO for a bit, then I started reffing. It's been about 2.5 years since I started helping out with the league and I haven’t looked back since. 

How did you decide on your derby name? 
I have always enjoyed movie monsters and monsters in general. Something about being a misunderstood monster is incredibly appealing to me. My current spirit animal is Guillermo Del Toro. He is so unapologetic about his love for creatures, horror, and the art of story telling that I can't help but hope to be like that when I get older.

“Frank Einstein is progressing into a great ref. I’m privileged to have him as a Co-Head and friend.”
— Refael, SFV Roller Derby Head Ref

What's your favorite roller derby memory?
My favorite Roller Derby memory has to be Roller Con 2015. It was my first year going to Roller Con and honestly it was the most overwhelming experience. I had never seen such intense high level Roller Derby played before and it was amazing. Not to mention it was really awesome to be with a community of like-minded people watching derby, playing derby, and learning together.

What's your advice to Freshies?
You are going to fall, no matter what. So just get it over with and get back up. It's something I really struggled with when I started skating, the idea that falling is not necessarily a bad thing. It's no easy task getting knocked down and then getting back up again, but just do it. Stay motivated.

December 2016 Skater of the Month

HARDLEE ANN ANGEL
#9452

Who are you?
I'm a blocker!  I love the challenge of not allowing anyone to get by me. But now, I’m also a trainer, helping teach the Fresh Meat to skate and scrimmage, both the adults and juniors. 

Tell us about your name.
Appearances are deceiving. I'm always teased about looking quiet and sweet, but in reality my halo is held up by devil horns! 😈😈😈 My number represents my dad's birthdate who died of cancer but I know he's always with me when I'm skating. 

Who is your derby inspiration?
Moose always inspires me to be better. From the very beginning, her voice is a voice I could hear above all the others. She has been such a rock whenever I've needed support and encouragement. Moose knows exactly how much to push a person to reach their limits and she never lets you give up.

What’s your favorite derby memory?
My very first advanced scrimmage, I got teamed up with Saturday and Legs and —WOW! — the communication between those two!  They told me exactly where to go, what to do, when they were going to throw me into the jammer … all the while, I somehow managed to stay on my skates and keep up. It was such a great feeling of accomplishment and teamwork.  

November 2016 Skater of the Month

Photo by Vegas Shooter Photography

TARASCAN TERROR #7

Tell us about your name
The Tarascan empire is a lesser-known civilization in Western Mexico that existed during the same time as the Aztecs. The Aztecs tried to conquer the Tarascan empire many times but failed due to Tarascans being masters of metallurgy.

I studied Anthropology/ Archaeology in college and thought that the Tarascan empire was the most underrated and badass civilization, so I decided to incorporate them into my derby name.

What position do you play?
I’m primarily a jammer, but I want to be a versatile player that my team can use at any position so I’m always working on my blocking skills. 

Who inspires you on the track?
My dad. He was always into sports and he would have really enjoyed watching me play a contact sport.

What is your favorite derby memory?
My favorite derby memory is playing Sin City with The Wipeouts this year. Nothing’s better than feeling in sync with your team!

The Skully Award, October 2016

SFV Roller Derby would be nothing without our hardworking officials, both our onskates Referees and our dedicated Non-Skating Officials. Throughout the year, the Training Team would like to honor an official in recognition of their contribution to the league. 

Honoring REFAEL

“Ref is an awesome person. He has stepped up as a leader in our little land of misfits and he is amazing and does so much for our league.”
— Killo Kitty, SFV Roller Derby Founder

How did you decide on your derby name? 
I'm kind of obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles if you haven't guessed (although Michaelangelo is my favorite).

How did you get started as a roller derby referee?
I started about six months after my girlfriend, Stockholm Syndi, started at SFV Roller Derby. I frequently came to practices and after seeing how much she really enjoyed it, I finally decided to get involved. Three years later and I'm in love with this game, my leagues, and the community!

What's your favorite roller derby memory?
My favorite derby memory happened at the Big O 2015. I was in the back row near turn 3 and noticed Victorian Roller Derby League gathered behind us. I attempted to sneak a selfie with them, but they noticed and immediately started posing. 

“Refael is one the most instrumental parts of my learning and skating in SFV. He has helped me beyond what is needed to achieve my goals as a skating official. I can’t thank him enough for the work he does for me and the league.”
— Frank Einstein, SFV Roller Derby Co-Head Referee

Who inspires you, both on and off the track?
I've met so many people in this community that I look up to that I have the opportunity to call friends -- great players and officials that have great qualities that I hope I can translate into my own experiences. Off the track, my best friends inspire me. As much as we all party and goof off together, we're all bettering ourselves and continuing our educations on our way to being healthcare professionals, engineers, musicians, and more. 

What's something you wish all skaters knew?
I wish skaters knew how far out-of-play they skate to chase jammers! And that being an official is hard. Skating refs may not see everything, but we try our best. 

When you're not on the track, where can we find you?
If I’m not at SFV, you can find me practicing with the Drive-By City Rollers, or else driving an ambulance, in class finishing my prerequisites for nursing, or spending the rest of my days with Stockholm Syndi. 

October 2016 Skater of the Month

AMERICANHURL DOLL
#83

Tell us about your name.
I chose my name because it was a play on those super expensive American Girl dolls that my daughter was obsessed with at the time I joined the league. She had three of them, collected all the accessories she could afford and even had a birthday party at the store (which was pretty awesome, actually). I usually go by Hurlie. :-)

What’s your favorite derby position?
I'm a jammer and  I find it equal parts exhausting and terrifying. The adrenaline rush I get when I'm doing good things out there definitely outweighs the fear. I'm pretty fast and agile on my feet so it's natural for me to try to get through the pack and get those points, but in the beginning I couldn't go 10 feet without getting a forearm penalty or back block. 

Who inspires you on the track?
I'm in awe of many derby rockstars like Scald Eagle, Suzy Hotrod, Demanda Riot, and Quadzilla because of their amazing skills, talent, and longevity in this sport but I am mostly inspired by my fellow OMG teammates. I learned everything about playing roller derby from them. I still look to them for guidance and advice, and every one gives tough love (like REALLY tough love). They keep me inspired and eager to keep learning, playing, and improving.

What is your favorite derby memory?
In less than three years of skating I still have way too many to name just one! Some of my fondest memories are playing in two Freshie bouts, attending Rollercon in Vegas (where I got derby married to my wives, Agony Christie and Reapa Slayworth), traveling to tournaments with the Wipe Outs and LikeOMGs with all the team-bonding mischief. Most recently, our league trip to Catalina and getting to be featured in a magazine with my teammates were the standouts for sure! 

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