Our featured Dead Girl for March 2014 is Candle Whacks of the Black Plague!

Name: Candle Whacks
Team: The Black Plague
Number: 307
Position(s): Blocker, Pivot
Seasons with Dead Girl Derby: 1

How did you discover Dead Girl Derby?
“Well, that’s a really long story. The short version is that two friends of mine were NSOs during the last season, and in the middle of the year, one of them had to move away. I was offered the open NSO spot by the one who stayed, who knew I liked roller derby, and I went. That night, several skaters, none of whom I had ever met, came to me with flyers for recruitment night. The rest is history.”

Explain the origin of your derby name.
“It actually wasn’t my first choice! Several years ago, when I first started watching derby, I decided “Brazilian Whacks” was the name I’d want to use if I ever got involved, though it was admittedly a pipe dream at that point. Then, after I finally passed my MSTs after the initial draft, I found out that for a long story of reasons, I couldn’t use it. I’d grown attached to the “Whacks” part because a few people had already started referring to me using it, so I just made a different-but-similar pun so I could keep the “Whacks” part. It worked out anyway, because now I have an excuse to incorporate fire and melted stuff into my ensemble if I want to.”

Who inspires you on the track?
“Man, it’s hard to pick just a few people. No matter what, I’m gonna feel like I left someone out! The first person I’d have to note is definitely Striking Dervish — she was the head instructor during last year’s Fresh Meat Boot Camp, and I think that because of that, most of us newly-rostered skaters look up to her. She did a great job, and she’s a phenomenal skater with an awesome attitude. Others would include Abbey Rogue, my wonderful derby mistress, and Do’Er Dye, Mel Breakdown, and Mojo Gogo, all of whom often go out of their way to show me how to do something better. I also definitely have to mention Red Ripper, who constantly blows my mind with how awesome she is, on and off skates. Back when I watched the KCRW games, she was by far my favorite skater, and to now be skating with her years later (or, well, several laps /behind/ her, because she’s really fast) at practices — it boggles the mind. Finally, I want to give special mention to all my fellow Wolfies — you know who you are! I couldn’t have asked to fail my MSTs with a better group of people. You’re all amazing.”

How has roller derby changed your life?
“The first thing that comes to mind is that, more than anything else, it’s eliminated a huge chunk of my free time! Beyond that, there’s a lot of ways I’ve been affected, mostly in relation to my health. Before I got involved with derby, I had literally never exercised before in my entire life. In high school, I passed the required PE class by .03 percentage points. Because of that lifetime of inactivity, the sudden jump into this amount of physical activity has been a huge challenge, and it’s forced me to take steps to take more care of my health and my body, which I am very much not used to doing. I now have to have regular appointments with a pulmonologist, for example, because I have pretty severe exercise-induced asthma. I’m sure you guys will notice me constantly puffing on an inhaler between jams, looking like I’m about to faint and regretting all of my life choices.”

What is it about roller derby that brings out the best in Candle Whacks?
“In my own life, I tend to keep to myself and I rarely try new things, so getting into roller derby as more than a spectator has been a huge shift. I like to think of roller derby as a great equalizer. More than anything else I’ve done in my life, roller derby feels like a huge family, and it’s been really cool to see how awesome everyone is to each other here — if you suck at a drill and fall over a lot, I’ve found that it’s not uncommon for a vet to come over and relate to you that they once sucked just as bad as you’re sucking right now, and then they’ll do their best to help you improve. No one is afraid to admit that we all had to start somewhere, and knowing that even the really awesome skaters aren’t going to make fun of you for being a beginner — at least not to your face! — is definitely helpful in keeping me from being too embarrassed to try something new. Roller derby allows me to be okay with making an ass of myself in public, and that comfort makes me, I’d think, a better person.”

Our featured Dead Girl for February 2014 is Lili St. Slayer of the Deadly Sirens!

Name: Lili St. Slayer
Team: The Deadly Sirens
Number: 1911
Position(s): Pivot, Jammer
Seasons with Dead Girl Derby: 2

How did you discover Dead Girl Derby?
“I go to the Greaserama car show every year, and three years ago the Dead Girls had a booth. The people there really talked it up and I really got excited to join. Unfortunately, work got in the way, so I couldn’t join until the following year. So, I did.”

Explain the origin of your derby name.
“I have a thing for 50s pinups, and Lili St. Cyr was a super saucy dame. I really wanted the name Betty Rage, but someone already had something similar (dang it, Dready!!), and then she retired and my hopes went up a notch until someone else had something similar (dang it, Rager!!). But ah well, I bought way too much Siren swag with ‘Slayer’ on it to change now. And as to that part, I do autopsies for a living, so, you know, Cyr = Slayer…”

Who inspires you on the track?
“Oh man. All the peoples… On my own team I look to Striking Dervish for her drive and tenacity and her ability to make all of us want to be better, and to Miss Mustachio because she has no fear and because of that has become a rock star. Rebel Yelle, because even though I didn’t know her when she started, her updates on her progress are inspiring. And she’s a badass. Lone Rager because she holds nothing back; Lady Killshot because in a short time she’s become an awesome force to watch out for. I don’t think there’s enough space. All the peoples…”

How has roller derby changed your life?
“I’m very quiet and not an open book at all. Because you have to communicate to have an efficient team, and because you have to be loud, I’m working on upping my volume level, because I have discovered telepathy doesn’t work. I’m also working on opening up, which is basically the same thing as pulling teeth to me. When I had to tell my team I was having heart surgery last year, I did it via the interweb, because I didn’t want to have to actually talk to anybody and answer any follow up questions. But now, if I were to have to say something, I might do it face to face. See, ‘might.’ Derby’s working!”

What is it about roller derby that brings out the best in Lili St. Slayer?
“It makes me want to make sure I do everything I can for my team, which is hard sometimes, but that only makes me want to try harder.”

Our featured Dead Girl for the month of September is ChocaZilla!

Name: ChocaZilla
Team: The Lovely Lethals
Number: Beer:30
Position(s): Blocker
Seasons with Dead Girl Derby: 1
Seasons with the Blacksnake Rollergirls: 1

How she discovered Dead Girl Derby:
“I have known about DGD as long as I have known about roller derby in the KC metro. My first season as a skater was with BRG in St. Joseph, and DGD coaches and players trained us. They come up to St. Joseph at least once a week in order to help out. So when I moved to KC, it was the obvious choice of places to play.”

Origin of her derby name:
“I was at a cookout with old friends in St. Joseph having a few drinks and joking around about possible names… this was the only “child appropriate” one we came up with. I’m okay with it…I think it is fitting.”

Past injuries:
“Nothing major so far.”

Favorite skater:
“Ohhh, that’s hard… I would have to say Anya Neezenbeg. I love her so much. I wanted to quit so many times my first season because I didn’t believe I could do it. She believed in me and pushed me to keep going. She has also helped me so many times during this season with DGD.”

Proudest derby moment:
“There are soooo many! But I would say they mostly revolve around times I have helped someone with a skill or drill and seeing them improve their ability because of something I showed them.”

What sets her apart in Dead Girl Derby:
“Nothing. I don’t think I am any better or more passionate about the game than any other person on this league.”