Ever since the premiere of Whip It, the roller derby fan base has increased.
And why not?
It’s a group of women with sassy pseudonyms, wearing fun clothes and aggressively skating around a track.
And guess what? There are Baltimore and D.C teams.
Plus, you may be interested that this intense sport won’t cost you a lot of money like baseball, hockey, football and soccer games. An adult ticket is only $12.
If you don’t know much about roller derby, the rules are simple.
And now, meet Stephanie Kavanaugh. She is a skater for the DC Rollergirls All-Star team.
Courtesy of dcrollergirls.com
How long have you been skating?
About 4 1/2 years. I spent my first 2 1/2 years skating for the Charm City Rollergirls (CCRG) of Baltimore, Md, before transferring to DC Rollergirls.
How did you get involved in roller derby? How did you find out about Roller Girls? and When did you realize you wanted to compete?
I first heard about roller derby via an article in BUST Magazine about the Gotham Girls (NYC’s league). I have always been a runner and had been getting into triathlons but I was looking for a more group-orientated sport to get involved with. I figure skated (ice) as a kid and spent a lot of time being a nerd at the local roller rink where I grew up ….so I already knew how to skate. So I just want to a CCRG tryout and got drafted to the Night Terrors home team.
What is your position on the team?
I jam and block equally. When I block it is usually in the back of the pack – I almost never play pivot.
What are your practices like? How often do you practice?
I normally practice 3 times a week – which usually includes a scrimmage practice, a skills/endurance practice with just the all-stars team, and either another general skills or endurance practice with the entire league. Practices last from 2-2.5 hours and are usually fairly intense! I also do cardio, plyometrics and lift weights on my own outside of DCRG practices.
Where did your nick name come from?
Well, my real name is Stephanie Kavanaugh, so SKabs just came from my initials. And I am the kind of person who loves to watch surgeries on TV, and is generally fascinated by gross stuff – so I thought a adding “dr.” to SKabs would give kind of a mad scientist kind of feel to it.
What is your favorite part about being a Rollergirl? Do you have any memorable matches or moments with your team that stand out?
My favorite thing is definitely getting to know a bunch of awesome, talented and smart women of all ages and from all walks of life! I also enjoy giving myself goals for training and challenging myself through the competition. And I really like skating fast and being involved in collisions.
As for memorable moments – any close and well-fought bout is memorable for me, no matter if we win or lose. I hate being on either side of a blowout – but close games are SO FUN!
Anything else you want readers to know?
Roller Derby should be an olympic sport!
If you are interested in trying out for a local team, or want to see a game:
Charm City Roller Girls schedule
Charm City Roller Girls tryouts
