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.”

Our featured Dead Girl for the month of August is Striking Dervish!

Name: Striking Dervish
Team: The Deadly Sirens
Number: 93
Position(s): All
Seasons with Dead Girl Derby: 3

How she discovered Dead Girl Derby:
“I had already developed a love of roller derby watching the Kansas City Roller Warriors. When the movie Whip It came out, the web site had a map of derby leagues, and Dead Girl Derby was listed as being just a few miles from me. I attended the very first game and most of the games that year. Between seasons, I went to see a roller derby documentary with Dead Girls in attendance and met Anya Neezenbeg, who encouraged me to come to recruitment.”

Origin of her derby name:
“In the karate system I study, it’s the name of the third self defense move from my ninth belt (hence the number also).”

Past injuries:
“I broke my pinkie finger clean through against the wall at River Roll last year. My favorite bruise was a jaunty goatee from taking a wheel to the chin.”

Favorite skater:
“Pippi Strongblocking has always been the skater who challenges me most on the track. I will also always strive to be as amazing a skater as Kelley Young, who retired from the Kansas City Roller Warriors All Stars.”

Proudest derby moment:
“Nothing makes me prouder than being a part of training and seeing skaters develop and grow. Time and time again, skaters come in, put in time and effort, and do amazing things on wheels. I am especially proud of watching my Siren sisters try something new or push themselves to the next level.”

What sets her apart in Dead Girl Derby:
“My favorite position in roller derby is the one I’m playing right that moment, including on the bench cheering on my teammates.”

Our featured Dead Girl for the month of July is Rebel Yelle!

Name: Rebel Yelle
Team: The Shotgun Sheilas
Number: 666
Position(s): Blocker
Seasons with Dead Girl Derby: 3

How she discovered Dead Girl Derby:
“My cousin Charlotte was a part of the league and skated as Konni Kazi. I had asked her about joining Dead Girl Derby when it was still in its first season, but I was too scared. Then the next year I came home from working a season in Yellowstone and realized I had nothing to do, and I was super depressed and just needed a change in my life. Six days later, I went to the recruitment night at River Roll. I almost left, but my brother (who worked there at the time) wouldn’t let me. The next day I went to practice and was so awful, I couldn’t move away from the wall.”

Origin of her derby name:
“Rebel is already my legal name, and I was tired of people pestering me to use it, so I changed it to something that made sense. So I went from Elle Maldito to Rebel Yelle. Also, I love the song by Billy Idol. ”

Past injuries:
“I have been lucky in that I have never really had anything major happen to me. However, after the championship game, when the Sheilas were still known as the Fearleaders, I collided with another skater and fell and hyperextended my knee. It still pops out of place every now and then.”

Favorite skater:
“I think one of my favorite skaters has to be Wine N. Moen. She showed so much improvement her first season, and still continues to improve. I have never seen her get upset during a game, and she just leaves all the drama on the track.”

Proudest derby moment:
“My proudest derby moment was during the coed bout in May this season, and I broke out as lead jammer over Crimson Cobra. I called it just after I scored one point. But that point took us from a tie to being in the lead! I know for some, scoring points is an everyday thing, but to me, it was everything I had been working towards.”

What sets her apart in Dead Girl Derby:
“What sets me apart in this league is my determination to improve. I have never wanted something so much in my life. And I came from basically having nothing, skill-wise, to being where I am now. I never played sports growing up and I hated skating when I was younger. When I started derby, I weighed over 310 lbs, and I had practically no self-esteem. But now… I have lost almost 100 lbs and I can’t believe the confidence I have gained. I needed a complete lifestyle change, and I knew from the first moment I put on skates that derby was what was going to allow me to make that change.”