November Skater of the Month: Bilbo Stabbins

 The Dire Skates blog is typically written by Jessika or “Bilbo Stabbins". She takes care of the blog, takes votes and writes “Skater of the Month” posts, updates the FB page and a plethora of other things for the team. This month, however, Bilbo has been selected as the Skater of the Month and as her Sister, I have stepped in to write it for her. 

As Jessika’s “Big Sister” it is an absolute honor to write this entry about her. In roller derby, when a new skater comes on it is customary for that skater to be assigned a veteran skater to be her (or his) “big”. My job as Jessika’s big was to build a relationship with the new skater and answer any questions she may have, to spend time making sure she felt comfortable as a new addition and encourage her as she transitioned from new recruit, to team member. That relationship has evolved from a derby “assignment” to a real friendship. 

I first met Jessika in high school and became reacquainted with her in a Zumba class where she expressed interest in the upcoming Dire tryouts. Though apprehensive in the beginning, she has proved to be a strong, positive player who is willing to go the extra mile to be the best player and teammate she can be. Besides being a wife and mother of 2 wonderfully behaved and adorable boys, Jessika is a professor, a student pursuing a doctorate, and a blocker for the Dire Skates. She writes this blog and helps in pretty much every working group the team has....Aka: Derby Unicorn.  

Fellow skater Gina “RollHer Zombie” had this to say about Bilbo:

“What can I say, [Bilbo] is amazing. Her intelligence in life certainly comes through in her approach to the game. Although physically she is not where she maybe thinks she should be, I see her improve each time she hits the track. She truly does accept constructive criticism and pointers and she acts on them.”……”Our children are the same age and I truly enjoy our time both on and off the track. I am so glad she is part of my derby family.”

Dire Skates coach, “The Golf Father” has been coaching Bilbo for over a year now. He had this to say about her:

“Bilbo is a wonderful addition the the team both on and off the track. She has shown a lot of drive and is willing to learn and grow in the sport. Off the track she does a lot with the teams Facebook page and game day activities. I am looking forward to seeing where she might take herself in the game."

Fellow skater Emily KickNSum said:

"I love how she uses her talents to highlight the team in the blog. I also love how she is working hard on her PhD and still makes time for derby. She also pushes the team to learn more about derby by inviting people over to watch derby at her house."

Dire Skater, EnTruder says:

 "Bilbo Stabbins is one of the nicest and most giving players on the team. She is always    available to help out, and works hard during practice. One of the things I most admire about Bilbo is that she balances work, family, friends and is still so committed to derby that she finds extra time to skate the trail, workout in the gym etc. Thats dedication. Bilbo has a great sense of humor, and is possibly the person I see most often in my professional life. Usually it's kinda weird to see my derby sisters at work (because you want to hug, hip check, etc) but we laugh about it and move on"

Congrats, Bilbo and thank you for all that you do!

January Skater of the Month: enTRUdir

Editor's note: This is a new feature! We'd like to honor a Dire Skates member each month in order to show all the behind the scenes and on the track effort the players put in. As we have previously written about, derby takes a lot of effort and a lot of DIY and sometimes the unicorns are actually members of the team. Look for a new "Skater of the Month" early each month!

enTRUdir, aka Trudi, blocks for the Dire Skates. Trudi tried out for the Dire Skates in January 31, 2010 (which was only the third meeting/practice for the team in the first round of tryouts for the team ever) after watching Naptown play the night prior in a bout called "Scar Wars." She is now our fearless leader, the glue that holds us together

enTRUdir is the official convener for the team, meaning she coordinates meetings and votes and makes sure we all do our jobs. She is basically a goddess. (Have you tried wrangling 20+ women into doing something? Not easy.) She has also been a fabulous mentor to us new skaters, constantly talking with us on the track and off during practice to help us grow as skaters. Trudi is level-headed, and serves as a great mediator. She records videos to recap our meetings to make sure we all know what is happening (because notes...who reads things? Wait...). And she reminds us that we can't cuss or be vulgar around the junior skaters...as much as we hate that, we know she is right. You know what, Trudi does so much that I don't even know what else she contributes (coordinating, logos, merch decisions...she's involved in all of it). enTRUdir is an invaluable member of the team and for that, we love her.

In addition to this, she works full time and is the mother to junior skater PUKE Skywalker who, I must say, has some big shoes to fill.

Here is what our coach, The Golffather, had to say about enTRUdir:

"Trudi…..what can I say about Trudi….she is one of the most thoughtful hard working people for the team. A lot of what she does in the background and doesn’t get seen directly, but you definitely see it indirectly. She is a quiet leader and is always willing to get out of her of her comfort zone on the track. She is always willing to help others. She doesn’t look to be in the limelight, she doesn’t want it. I am glad that I can say that I coach her, but even more, I call her a friend."

And Emily KickNsuM added this:

"Trudi is one of the older members and on the team and I don’t mean age, I mean the length of time she has spent with the team. Trudi has always pushed the team to hold to higher values and be a positive influence in our community. Her values off the track are very much the same on the track. Though she might not be the fastest skater on the team or have the hardest hit, Trudi is a solid blocker for the Dire Skates. More importantly she uses team work, knowledge, and communication on the track to get even more accomplished than big hits. I have several special memories of Trudi--one of which includes that we both went to the first Dire Skates tryouts and tried out together. To sum up the memory, she has come a long way from a girl in blue jeans with brown clown rental skates on."

Thank you for all you do, enTRudir.

Derby love.