My passion for derby began when I saw a flier for a bout in Denver, Colorado, with the Denver Roller Dolls (now known as Denver Roller Derby). It was flashy, colorful, and was about a sport I knew nearly nothing about. I immediately knew I had to go. I rallied up a group of girlfriends and we went to see it. The game was at the Fillmore Auditorium, which is typically a music venue, though it was originally built as a roller skate rink in the 1930s. This means that it has the perfect wooden floor for skating. There are chandeliers above the track, the audience packed on the floor and on bleachers around the outside. The venue holds about 2000 spectators and it was nearly a packed house. I fell in love with everything about the game immediately and knew that I had to be part of this amazing sport. It was exciting, new, raw, and so different from any sport I had ever seen. There were announcers in crazy costumes, the skaters wore fishnets and booty shorts and many were covered in tattoos on their bodies of all shapes and sizes. The women were strong. They would fall and get back up. Though the teams hit their opponents hard on the track, they had comradery amongst each other. The music in the background was intensifying, and the audience from young to old.
When I got home I immediately looked up information on tryouts. I learned that there are two leagues in Denver- the Denver Roller Dolls, and the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. I asked around a bit to see if anyone knew anything about the difference in the leagues. The only tip I got was from a friend who had seen both leagues skate and she thought it seemed like the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls had more fun and the Denver Roller Dolls took it more seriously. Without knowing where I fit in this, I signed up for both tryouts- they were only a week apart, with Rocky’s first.
In April of 2009, I attended tryouts and I began skating with the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, of Denver, Colorado in USA. I never attended the Denver Roller Dolls’ tryouts after all.
I began with a group of 55 newbies. It was the hardest thing I ever did. I remember my very first practice I walked in and saw large women in little booty shorts. When I saw this, I knew I belonged. This was a place that was welcoming of all types of bodies and would hold no judgment. At the time I had image issues of my own and it was just what I needed to pull me out of that. I was frightened of some of the trainers, in particular Tia Juana Pistola and Frida Beater, who pushed us beyond what we thought capable. Some days I was so nervous I would sit in my car outside of our warehouse practice space and have to give myself a pep-talk before going in. I was also scared of some of the top skaters. They were so tough on the track and would send girls flying; my biggest fears on the track at that time were Whippity Pow and Pinky 500.
With time, I improved in my skill, advanced to higher-level practices, and was ready to be skills-tested. This is a big deal for a skater. Once a skater passes her skills-test, she gets to pick her derby name and then gets drafted to a home-team. I was a week away from my skills-test, and I had a terrible derby accident. During scrimmage I fell poorly and shattered my ankle. My foot was sideways- it was one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen. I got transported in an ambulance to the emergency room where they reset the break and took x-rays. I had shattered the tibia and fibula at the ankle, and had a butterfly fracture up the fibula. It required a 5-hour surgery. Two titanium plates and 12 screws later, surgery was complete. The surgeon urged me to never skate again. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at this time.
After weeks on the couch, months in physical therapy, many visits from my derby sisters, and watching my league the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls win the Hydra trophy at the Championships game of 2010, I got back on the track. I knew that I needed to ‘get back on that horse’ so to speak to overcome my fears I was having of the sport. My goal was to get to my previous level of skill and then I could decide once I had reached that point if I would continue or not…
I immediately fell in love with the sport all over again. Who was I kidding!? It took a long while to get my skills back. I had to relearn how to skate. The biggest challenge though was the mental challenge that comes after an injury. That took years to overcome. The league invited me to become a league member even though I hadn’t passed my skills test yet, and this meant that I could select my derby name. After lots of thought, I became Titan I Am (titanium). I felt that this was a name that I had earned and suited me well because of my injury- my name would tell its own story.
I eventually was skills-tested and drafted to the Red Ridin’ Hoods home team. As the league grew, we opened up a fourth home team, the United States Pummeling Service. I was transferred to this team and elected to be co-captain along with Triple Shot Misto, who later became my derby wife. Together we created the whole team- we selected team uniforms, colors, and logos, and drafted new skaters to the team. It was so much fun to create it from scratch! With both of these teams I got to skate under the chandeliers at the Fillmore Auditorium. I have skated for sold-out crowds of 2000 or so! I have gotten to travel and skate in other states with RMRG’s travel team Project Mayhem. All of this has been a dream come true- a dream that I didn’t know I had.
It’s not hard to fall in love with derby. On the outside it may seem overwhelming and like an impenetrable group of women, but these are some of the kindest, most-welcoming women I have ever met. The skaters come from all different walks of life. Some are teachers (that’s me!), lawyers, nurses, stay-at-home-moms, librarians, construction workers, students, etc. The list goes on. Also the age varies. At different points our league had the youngest age of 18 and I think the oldest skater was 54. We also all have different skating backgrounds. Some grew up speed-skating, playing hockey, figure-skating, and others tied their skate laces for the first time at tryouts. I would not have met most of these women if it hadn’t been for roller derby. Though we may not all be best friends, I know that if I ever need help, there are immediately about 100 women who will have my back and help me out of any sticky situation. They have hearts of gold, and hold dear the same passion as me. This passion of roller derby can easily take over one’s life. Typically, each skater is on a committee, does street-team efforts, and volunteers for at least one event per month. So basically, roller derby is a second job, or a second spouse depending how you look at it! These women become your sisters and your comrades, and sometimes your enemies as you compete for spots on the top-level travel teams. But together we make each other stronger people and smarter skaters. We all grow as a team and soon become bonded. Some of my best friends have been made through roller derby. We have a bond like no other. These are the ladies I love.
In August of 2015 I was headed to live in Cairo, Egypt for a teaching opportunity at an international school. Even before the interview, I was researching Egypt’s roller derby scene online. I have a good derby friend on RMRG who is half-Egyptian and already was telling me lots about the team because she admired them since they began. I learned there is only one team in Egypt- the CaiRollers. They were started by a few dedicated expats in 2012 and the league continues, now with mostly Egyptian women.
In September of 2015 I attended my first CaiRollers practice. They were so welcoming and seemed excited to have me there. They are an amazing group of women. They are strong and tough, like derby women all over the world, yet there’s something extra special about them. In a culture that’s often perceived to be less-liberated, these women see no barriers. Race and religion have no bearing on the derby track. Some CaiRollers skate in their hijab underneath their helmet with long sleeves and pants, while others skate in a tank top. There is no judgment and no expectation except that you show up and give it your all.
We practice twice per week- once at a stadium, and once at a school on the basketball court- both are outdoor practice spaces. You learn that there is no way to keep your skates and especially your bearings clean. There is so much dust/sand/whatever you want to call it. You have to learn to plow stop with a layer of sand under your wheels! Sometimes practice gets cancelled due to an unusual rain, sand storm, or extreme pollution. With the heavy Cairo traffic, busy Metro lines, and people traveling across the huge city, people show up late to practice- often 30 minutes or more late, but you get to learn that it is Egyptian to be late, and there is no problem in it. This took a while for me to get used to, coming from a league that would often yell at you for getting on the track 5 minutes late or penalize your attendance count. I embrace it now for what it is, and yes, it is sometimes me who comes late too. The traffic doesn’t clear the way for me either.
After a few months of practice with the CaiRollers I was asked to lead a practice. Then it became that I was coaching them once per week. I was nervous at first, but embraced the opportunity to share my derby knowledge with these women. It is fun to push them harder than they think they can go and to watch them grow as skaters on the track. Now I train them regularly and absolutely love it. It has been amazing to watch them improve over the past year. The other trainer, the only other American on the league at the time, Battle Star Valkyrie, and I worked together to plan and prepare the team for a game. In May we had finally had this bout- they hadn’t had a game in over a year and a half- they were long overdue! Because there were not many active skaters, we split our league in about half and had a game of 7 vs. 6. It was hard, tough, and real roller derby. Right here in Cairo, Egypt! We had about 50 people or so in the audience. It was so much fun to have a real game with refs and everything. Speaking of refs, my half-Egyptian friend I had mentioned earlier, Pain D’ Piper, happened to be visiting Egypt and was a ref for us for the game. It was amazing and lucky for us to have her be part of the experience.
Since then we have taken on about 30 new skaters. Our league is growing and it is so exciting! My hope too is that roller derby will soon be in other major cities in Egypt.
The CaiRollers skaters have become an inspiration to me, both on and off the track. I have learned so much about Egypt- about its culture, religions, politics, traditions, customs, and goals. Like the American derby girls I know, they are from all different backgrounds- most are young professionals kicking ass in their fields of work and some are students. Some are mothers, though all are motherly, which is a cultural thing you get to know about them. They care for me and have become some of my best friends; they are my Egyptian sisters. I am lucky to have the privilege to skate with them and learn from them- about the world around me and in so doing, learn more about myself.
I’m thankful that it’s not in fashion anymore to wear fishnet stockings during the roller derby games, but I’m fond of the times when it was. I’m happy that Denver is booming, but I’m sad that this means there are no rugged warehouses for the Denver leagues to practice and bout in anymore. I’m thankful that this is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world, which has led me to skate with the CaiRollers, though sad that it’s hard to fill in the seats at a game. I am thankful that my path has led me to skate with the CaiRollers. I’m thankful that there are people in the world who know me first as Titan and have to think hard about what my ‘real’ name is. I crave to be on my skates- it is one of my safe-places.
I have often said that roller derby saved my life. I think this is true on multiple levels. Roller derby helped me get through a divorce and the loss of my Dad. My teamships have bonded together with the loss of two derby sisters to cancer, Machika Mayhem and Nikki Brixx. But more importantly it helped me find myself when I thought I already knew who I was. It has empowered me, given me confidence, strength, and compassion, and has been an unceasing outlet for any emotions I may be feeling. Where else can you go knock people down after a tough day at work?! I love this sport. I love the skaters, the refs, the officials, and all other volunteers who give their time for this crazy and wild game. Roller derby has changed me, and I hope to change others through being involved in it. Though people come and go from the derby track, we will always be bonded for life by this unusual commonality that we share. Once a derby sister- always a friend for life.
SLUGS, NOT HUGS———-Sealed with DERBY KISSES (these are bruises!)
-TITAN I AM
Stacey Stories from Around the World 