Bea T. Age: 16 Derby Name: Track Mamba Position: Jammer How long have you been involved in Junior Derby? Eight or nine years. What encouraged you to start playing? We lived in Minnesota and went to a lot of Minnesota roller derby games. They didn’t have a jun- ior team, so when we moved to Colorado, we found Denver, and I’ve been skating there ever since. Plus, my mom was an official, so we were already pretty into derby. What has been your favorite part? I love the community around our team. We have a very supportive team. What does a typical training session look like? A lot of skill and strategy-type drills. Sometimes the jammers or the blockers break off because we work on different things, and we have four different coaches to help us with everything that we might need. How do you prepare for a game? For me, I like to listen to “She Wolf” by Shakira. I don’t know why, but it just puts me in the derby mood. What has Junior Derby taught you about yourself? It’s prepared me to handle different situations. It’s helped me build my mental game because it is a very mental sport, and it has also allowed me to take feedback better. Those looking to join Junior Derby should know they will find com- munity, learn more about themselves, and be a part of something that is fun. For more information, visit denverrollerderby.org.
Additionally, in the past few years, we’ve seen the juniors go up to high-level play, competing at an adult worldwide ranked level. Jazzy R.L. Age: 15 Derby Name: Jazzmanian Devil Position: Jammer How long have you been involved in Junior Derby? Five years. What encouraged you to start playing in Junior Derby? My best friend played and got me into it. I had started skating a few years before I started, so it sounded cool. What has been your favorite part? I think the playoffs last year were a lot of fun. It was fun to be there as a team. Our team is like a family, so it’s really nice to be able to travel with everybody. How would you describe the team? Our team is like a family to each other, and it’s really nice to have other people to bring you up and help you with the sport you enjoy. What does a typical training session look like? It’s a lot of endurance, strength building, and working on drills and strategy. Our coaches are great, so we learn a lot each practice. How do you prepare mentally for a game? Is there anything you like to do beforehand? Before every game, the whole team will sit in a circle and say why we won today. We’ll all say a certain thing of why we won; for instance, we won today because we stayed out of our heads. Derby is a very mental sport, so that is something that helps us prepare for every game. What has Junior Derby taught you about yourself? It has com- pletely changed our lives in the best way possible.
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