Skater Spotlight: Napollyanna Dynomight

Mighty is a skater with the Varsity Brawlers, and she helps with training and coaching the LA Junior Derby Dolls.  The Junior Derby Dolls have a game this Saturday!

LADD: How long have you been coaching the juniors?

ND: I started assisting Sunday morning classes back in 2012. I’ve been working with them in various capacities ever since - whether teaching those classes when the instructor retired, jam reffing (non VB) games, coaching junior VB (for two straight years of Champs trophies!) or coaching the pink and black teams this season. 

LADD: Roller derby is a time-consuming sport as just a team skater.  What drives you to coach and work with the juniors as well?

ND: The juniors themselves! They are great girls!

LADD: What is the most rewarding aspect of coaching junior roller derby?

ND: I love when coaching a game and the girls take the goal that we’ve set and execute it better and better throughout the game. As the coach, it’s on me to figure out what is the most appropriate goal for where the girls are at skill and strategy-wise. To do that and then have the girls come through is a pretty exhilarating experience. 

LADD: In your day job, you're a teacher.  Do you find that background helpful when coaching juniors? 

ND: My day job totally helps me when coaching! I use the same strategies and methods for instructing my students as I do when I work with the junior skaters. I’ve even had the privilege to teach some of my 7th grade English students in roller derby- I think I might be more excited by that than they are; hard to tell. ;)

LADD: What challenges does a coach face that are unique when working with junior skaters as opposed to adults?

ND: In juniors games, there are two level sets of skaters. So we’ll have one pack be advanced girls and the next pack be beginning/intermediates. Adult skaters on teams are all at the same basic level of proficiency. So when coaching the juniors, I need to alter my strategies and goals depending on which group is skating. Roller derby is a fast enough game already, and having to switch gears every other jam is demanding. But I love the challenge!

LADD: Do the juniors also skate flat track roller derby?  Do they like it, or do they prefer to stick to banked track roller derby?

ND: Oh banked track all the way! It’s almost like an amusement park ride- who wouldn’t want to skate that?! 

LADD: What is it like working with parents of junior skaters?

ND: I love when the parents and I can both share in the delight of seeing their daughter grow and develop. I’ve had numerous conversations with different parents all with the same experience of having their daughter blossom in all sorts of ways once she started skating- confidence grows, friendships develop, and even though she will fall a million times, she will get back up each and every time- a great life lesson for anyone!

LADD: What would you say to a parent who is considering enrolling their daughter in the junior roller derby program?  What if a parent has a son, aged 7-17 who wants to play roller derby as well?

ND: Sign her up! And sons can find their place in the derby community as a referee! 

LADD: If a parent is looking for more information on the junior league, where should they go?

ND: The website: juniors.derbydolls.com

LADD: Share with us a secret that few people know about you.

ND: Benjamin Moore is one of my best friends. I love painting my apartment! If I wasn’t a teacher, I might just have been an interior designer. It brings me great joy to have an idea for a space and then make it a reality. 

LADD: The Varsity Brawlers just won a close game against the Fight Crew to move into a tie for first place with the defending champion Sirens.  What is the mood in the Varsity Brawlers locker room right now?  Is this the year the team will win their first championship?

ND: VB has worked incredibly hard to get where we’re at. We are proud that the hard work has paid off so far, but it no way means that we rest easy. With each team playing each other twice this season, we have to keep busting our tails each and every practice. And, yes we are going to win Champs! 

LADD: Are you a part of any groups or committees within the league, aside from the juniors program?

ND: I am part of Training Team. I just can’t help that teacher in me! 

Skater Spotlight: KitCat Go BOOM

Skater Spotlight KitCat Go BOOM, coach of the Troy Soldiers.  Photo courtesy of Grant Palmer Photography

LADD: What is the name of your Baby Doll Brawl eam?

KGB: We are the Troy Soldiers in pink for this BDB.

LADD: Do you have many veterans on the team to mentor the younger skaters?

KGB: We have a few of what I like to call “seasoned meat” & a couple Subpool skaters. It can take a while for a team to gel but I’m happy to see them stepping up into the mentor role.

LADD: Has the team had many opportunities to bond together as a team both on the track and off?

KGB: We have a Facebook group and we talk daily. The girls have really gotten to know each other and are still building that trust as a team, which can take time. But the camaraderie between them is great.

LADD: What made you decide to take the leap into coaching?

KGB: I actually LOVE helping people and just seeing the ‘lightbulb’ go on when something you’ve taught someone really sinks in, and you see the switch happen in their performance & play.  I’ve never coached a sport or trained others in any athletic activity, but so far I think it’s something I really love and want to continue. I recently made the Training Team so I’m eager to continue growing as a trainer in this sport.

LADD: How many Baby Doll Brawls have you been a part of?

KGB: I have played in 3 BDB’s since joining LADD. Always on the pink team ;)

LADD: Have you spoken to former BDB coaches for guidance?

KGB: I have.  Mainly just to share some experiences and hear that they’ve also experienced some of the same things as coaches for my previous team.

LADD: Could you see yourself becoming a full-time coach later on?

KGB: Ooh that’s a tough one. I hope to skate for as long as possible - like literally until I’m physically unable to LOL. My mother asks all the time when I think I'll stop beating myself up haha, she’s what I call an “indoor girl” or the “Pink Lady”...über girly girl. I think I would coach full-time actually down the road. I can’t see myself leaving this sport or the community around it. So I'll likely coach when I retire as a skater.

LADD: What do you like most about this experience (the BDB)?

KGB: I like the massive step up that skaters take in their understanding of the game and as skaters themselves. The learning curve is so steep when you train so intensely and toward a real goal. And I like that it’s a chance for newer skaters to experience being a badass on the track like the vet skaters they admire.

LADD: Tell us a secret about yourself that few people know.

KGB: I sing. As a kid it was something I was always pushed to promote about myself and I really hated that. I love to sing but it’s definitely something I keep more to myself. My boyfriend forgets sometimes and he’ll come home to me singing and gets all pie-eyed & gushes all over me about it. My secret gift I guess.

LADD: Share with us a story of this BDB team, something that speaks to the unique chemistry between everyone.

KGB: Everyone is really supportive of each other. We try to foster confidence in each other and always chastise each other for apologizing for everything. So there’s constant razzing for saying “sorry”. It’s not allowed on our team haha.

LADD: What advice would you give to someone considering trying out for Fresh Meat?

KGB: Be ready to WORK and show us what you got. You’ll need to push yourself and it’s gonna be tough sometimes. But the pain is worth the gain. I promise you. And you can’t beat the friends you’ll make here or the instant support system that is the derby community.

LADD: There are many new faces on the Tough Cookies now.  What is the team chemistry like?

KGB: It didn’t take long to get used to each other as people and luckily we seem to have had instant camaraderie I think. We knew this would be a year to rebuild, and we came in ready to work hard. I think that builds a kind of trust that we all want the same thing and has really jump-started the bonding process. Lots of spontaneous sing-a-longs and dancing on the infield, inside jokes that sort of thing. It was easy to slip into the groove of this team. I’m stoked to be a Cookie for sure!

LADD: Are you a part of any other groups or committees within the league?

KGB:  I’m currently on RaD and recently joined Training Team. Lovin’ it!

LADD: What is the story behind your derby name and number?

KGB: KitCat Go Boom was actually a spin on my friend’s Instagram name, Robotgoboom. But I kind of liked having KitCat in the front, and in the context of playing derby it was about explosiveness. I never came from a sports background but really admire powerful and agile athletes from all sports who have that explosiveness that can just make your jaw drop. I’m working on it. It’s definitely somewhere I hope to get in my derby career. The number is a nod to growing up and kind of living my teens in the ‘90s with pagers. Pager code for “cat” was 627, also it happens to be my mother’s birthday. Nothing too incredibly exciting or sexy but a bit fun/sentimental for me.