#2113 Delirium Trigger

#2113 Delirium Trigger

When did you join Cajun Rollergirls?
February 22, 2010. First practice and I was hooked ever since.

What is your day job?
Full Time Business Management Student at Nicholls State & Herbalife Independent Distributor.

How did you get involved with roller derby?
Before being recruited for the team I had no clue what roller derby was, nor did it exist. December 13, 2009, the night of my 21st birthday, I went to a local bar. The girl working the door played at the time, and said I looked hardcore and that I could totally kick a** in roller derby. I looked at her half flattered and half confused (not knowing what roller derby was). She gave me her number, and said she would text me about practice. For the next 2 months I received messages about practice, but didn’t think I would be cut out for the sport. Then on Mardi Gras day 2010 I ran into her again. She convinced to me to show up the following week.

Please explain the inspiration and story behind your derby name and number.
This is always a fun question to answer! Anybody know of a band by the name of Coheed & Cambria??? If so then you need no explanation, but for those of you who don’t… They are my favorite band. I’ve liked them since the summer of 2005. My name and number are titles from 2 of their songs. And I frequently use lyrics from many of their songs as “tag lines”…pull the trigger…

What is your favorite (derby) position?
Jammer!

What is your skate gear of choice?
I am turning into a gear freak! I love my Pro-designed custom wrist guards, I use 187 elbow pads, and the amazing 187 Derby Pro knee pads (with custom red shells!). It’s like falling on pillows!!! My current skate setup is a Powerdyne Revenge plate short forward mounted, Riddell 965 Minx Boot with custom color design, and Bones Swiss Ceramic bearings. My current favorite wheel is the low profile grip wheel by the company Faster Skates, owned by Sarah Hipel of the Texas Rollergirls. My juke 2.0’s in varying hardness’s come in 2nd, and Rollerbones Turbo wheels are a close 3rd. I have turned into a wheel junkie!!! I go through several pairs a year, and there are always new ones turning up. I really hope that one day I can be sponsored by a skate company. It would be even cooler to be a wheel tester!

Do you have any pre-bout rituals?
More like pre-bout week! Haha! Aside from a day of hydrating, and nutrient timing, I carefully apply my bout makeup. I start my mental game by playing footage in the background of my favorite teams and skaters, while I get ready at my house. Finding some personal time with my boyfriend, DJ-TJ before the bout and sharing some pre-game kisses gets me ready. I spend as much time as possible skating before the game starts, and mentally focusing on what goals I have set for that particular game.

Do you have an inner theme song?
MANY!!!! First 2 of course are my name & number!

Please share your best derby moment (or moments).
As of now, my best moment would be July 1st, 2013 Feasterville, PA. That’s the day I tried out for Team USA (the team that participates in the roller derby world cup). After the first world cup was held in December of 2011, I decided that I would let roller derby take over my life as much as possible, so I could one day have the honor of being on Team USA. Months before try-outs, TJ and I decided to travel to Philly to watch/participate in the annual East Coast Derby Extravaganza. A derby filled tournament weekend with WFTDA sanctioned bouts, challenge bouts, open scrimmages, pool parties, after parties, and so much more! After we decided to go to ECDX, it was announced that try-outs would take place at the same venue as the tournament, a day after ECDX was over. So I started training. With a month and a half before try-outs I completed Insanity: the Asylum sports conditioning program. I also followed a pretty strict diet. This was the absolute most self control I had ever seen myself have over something I wanted so badly. Leading up to try-outs, I never felt nervous. This was quite unusual for me, but instead I had a sense of doubt that morning. I thought to myself, “What am I doing here? I, in no way, shape or form am at the level of any of these other skaters out here!!! What if I am the lowest level skater and I just make a joke of myself? In front of 100 other amazing, talented women who have far more training than me, and in front of other skaters who are currently on the team!?!?!?” It didn’t stop me though. And after the first 20-30 minutes, I was in it! I knew going in that I did not have expectations to make the team. But, I wanted to make myself known, and I wanted to walk away with such high level experience to work on. I was proud of my performance, and I left everything I had ON THAT TRACK! TJ was there spectating, recording, and taking notes on everything we were doing. He also helped me in so many ways on and off the track preparing for these 4 intense hours of my life. He was there after the cut was made. He hugged me and told me he was so proud of me. What a memory! (p.s. Another try-out will be held in 2014….don’t worry! I’m already training for that one!)

Who are your derby heroes?
First and foremost the Texas Rollergirls. These ladies are the godmothers of our sport. Electra Blu, one of the original founding members of the Texas Rollergirls. Bloody Mary, a long time skater of the Texas Rollergirls and very first president of WFTDA (women’s flat track derby association). I got to meet Electra and Bloody for the first time at ECDX and it was amazing! Bonnie Thunders of the Gotham Girls Roller Derby league in New York. Bonnie’s skill and leadership blows my mind! She is the top skater in our sport, and she is helping it to snowball right into where we want it to be: recognized as a legitimate and professional sport. She was currently compared to be the Lebron James of our sport. Right next to her is her teammate Suzy Hotrod. This woman can be described as the face of roller derby. She is very talented, and a huge roll model of mine!

Do you have a motivational quote?
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” – unknown, saw this framed on a wall in downtown Philly the day after Team USA try-outs.

What goes through your brain as you lace up your skates?
Thinking about the goals that I set for myself for the game. Thinking about where I am at in derby right now, and where I want to go.

Do you have a signature move?
Move? Hmmm. I’ll share something else here, gives you a chance to come to a game in see my signature move in person! I always think my hoppy, spazz-like skating style will be my “signature style”.

How would you describe your derby playing style?
See previous! Haha! Yeah, I don’t like keeping all 8 wheels on the ground. Hoping, jumping, running, and what probably looks like mosh pitting through the pack.

What is your pre-derby sports/skating background?
Ummmm…marching band is a sport…right??? I always thought it was! The biggest wish I have in derby is that I could have grown up with a skating background. I skated maybe 4-5 times as a kid, but really had no clue what I was doing when I joined the team. I was self taught through derby. The trainers at the time told me I was a natural, and I’m told by Psycho Beast that I looked like baby Bambi on ice. Glad I had that on my side! I totally didn’t have any sports/training background either. I kinda looked down on sports growing up. I was the band nerd, the outcast, and did not fit in with the “jock/athletic” types. But, derby has changed that all! If I’m not training on skates, I am training off skates with cardio and weights.

Did you play roller derby prior to joining CRG?
No. CRG broke my derby cherry 😉

Did your background make you a natural fit in assisting with your training?
Well going in with no skating or fitness training background did not help at all. But, my motivation to be the best and to make the team is what pulled me though! Now however, I am educating myself on fitness, nutrition, and exercise to assist with derby training. I am an active Herbalife Distributor and also work with Derbalife.

What are some of your greatest roller derby accomplishments on the track?
Most recent was at a “Left Turn” skating clinic in Houston in June 2013. There was a class on jumping, and at the end of the class they had us do a fun competition. It was an apex jumping contest. (The apex is the turns on the track). Basically a successful apex jump is jumping from the beginning of the turn, across the turn, and landing it on your wheels on the other side of the turn in bounds. The contest ended with me being the last woman standing against about 40 other skaters. My final jump was jumping alongside 2 tall traffic cones with 5 skaters in between them. TJ told me it was about a 6 or 7 foot jump. I also was the first CRG skater to complete 30 skating laps in 5 minutes. January 2013 ago I reached 32! At the end of the 2012 season, I was awarded several of our statistic awards. MVP Jammer, most points scored in a 2 minute jam (25 points), high score award (138 points scored in one bout), and 797 points scored for the season.

Off the track?
Running the Bout Production committee during the 2011 and 2012 season. Being a part of several interviews for CRG, including a great article for FitLife magazine in July 2013.

How has your involvement in roller derby affected the way you live the rest of your life?
After 21 years, I finally found the person who I always wanted to be. 3 years later, I am still in love with who I am.

How do you find a balance between your derby life and your “real” life?
Is this real life?” My derby life has become a part of my real life. It is a part of my life just like work and school. The balance between: derby, work, school, boyfriend time, loving 4 puppies, and still enjoying my non derby interest is a difficult one! I think I am perfecting my time management/schedule, but I still have my struggles. My life off the track would be 100 times harder if TJ wasn’t a part of my life. We live together and there have been some days where he is literally helping me to function. When school and work becomes overwhelming, he will allow me to zone out into my studies, and basically caters to whatever I may need so I don’t have to break my concentration. He helps motivate me to go to the gym on days when I don’t feel like it. He cooks and cleans when I just don’t have enough hours on the clock. But, I consider myself to be the luckiest derby girl because derby is just as important to him as it is to me! He is my NUMBER 1.

Where would you like to see roller derby in another 10 years?
I would hope that there is another vote to have it in the Olympics. It was a consideration in early 2013 for the 2020 Olympics, but it didn’t make the cut. I would also hope that 10 years from now, it gets a chance to step into the world of professional sports. And of course I still want to be a part of derby in 10 years!

Any advice for girls who want to join roller derby?
Only the same thing everyone else will say, “JUST DO IT!” No this isn’t a Nike commercial! Seriously, get in contact with your local league. Show up to practice and get started! And this isn’t a sport just for women! Men’s roller derby leagues and teams are growing everywhere. There is not only spots for skaters, but refs, non skating officials, announcers, volunteers, and the list goes on!

Anyone you’d like to take the opportunity to thank?
DJ-TJ! My boyfriend, lover, best friend, personal coach, motivator, my number 1 and the love of my life! Over 3 years together and it still feels so new! Thank you so much for all your dedication to me on and off the track as well as in and out of derby. We have a very special relationship, and I am so glad you are the person I am sharing my life with. I would not be half the skater I am today without you here with me. I am honored to call you my boyfriend. I couldn’t be more proud of you, for your accomplishments in roller derby as well. We make one hell of a team, and I look forward to everyday with you! I love you baby. <3

Do you have a special message to your fans?
The simplest of words: Thank you. Thank you for supporting me, my teammates, your local roller derby league, the sport, and our passion! Great fans in our sport are sometimes hard to come by, but CRG has fans that are just as passionate as we are. When I am being challenged in my training, I often think about my fans, most of whom are my friends. And I remember that I have to continue pushing through the pain for them, so I can outperform my competition for my fans!

Check out my fan page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delirium-Trigger/100287780063716
And check out my Herbalife Business Page at https://www.goherbalife.com/dtrigger2113/