I'm Frida Kill-o. By day I'm Katie. I  run a home based toy making business & corral my crazy kids. By night I am a wheeled vigilante, smashing unhappiness & injustice under my toe stops as a member of the Dire Skates!

Me & the inimitable RollHer Zombie.

Photo credit Jim Johnson, Richmond. 

I've only been on the team a short time, but was interested in roller derby for a while before RollHer Zombie talked me into coming to try outs. I mean, for me derby was The Thing. You know what I mean...everybody has one(...right?). Roller derby was The Thing I always thought seemed so amazing but found myself coming up with a hundred different excuses as to why I could never actually do it. I told myself I was an artist, not an athlete. I told myself I didn't have any free time, I was too shy, that I was a loner Dottie, a rebel. So for years roller derby stayed filed under "The Thing."

 
Like I said,  I've never been athletic, I've always gravitated more towards the artist/maker end of the spectrum (my derby name is actually in honor of my favorite painter, Frida Kahlo),  & although I loved to cruise around on my Care Bears roller skates as a kid I literally hadn't been on wheels in 20 years. To say I was nervous about getting out there in front of a group of strangers and trying something I only knew about in theory is a huge understatement. 

I used to roll around on these exact skates, guys! 

But to my surprise, the team invited me to continue coming to practice with them as Fresh Meat (aka a new recruit/team hopeful). Before long I couldn't wait for our practices. I love my family, I love my business, but for the first time in years I was doing something purely for myself. And guys, I was doing The Thing! Actually doing it!
And in facing my anxieties and actually doing The Thing not only did I prove that annoying little "I could never" voice inside my head wrong, I also gave myself an opportunity to start getting involved in our community and to meet an amazing group of people I probably would've spent my whole life missing out on otherwise!

Me and a few of my awesome derby sisters at our 2016 season opener 

against the Bone City Rollers. Photo credit: Jim Johnson, Richmond. 

Yeah, I still fall down a lot. Like, nearly every practice. But every time I get up  little faster. I think the 2016 season is going to be a good one for Dire & I can't wait to take you along on it!!

~Frida Kill-O~