Skater Spotlight: Absolut Jayhem

Skater Spotlight Absolut Jayhem, co-captain of the Varsity Brawlers!

LADD:  Last time we chatted, Oblivienne Westwood and you were coaching the Baby Doll Brawl team the Telltale Tarts.  Now, the two of you are the 2015 captain and co-captain of the Varsity Brawlers respectively. Did your coaching stint with the Tarts influence your decision to run for team co-captain?

AJ:  Yeah, definitely. Viv and I have always gotten along, but coaching the BDB together confirmed that we also work well together. We compliment each other nicely, both in our personalities and in what we bring to the table. Viv has a few years of skating on me, so she brings the experience and training background, I'm better at the managerial/bookkeeping side of things.

LADD:  What roles/responsibilities does a team captain (or co-captain) have?

AJ:  As co-captain, my main responsibility is to work with and balance out the captain. We are in charge of planning practice, working with our coach, Seth, to make decisions about rosters and lineups, and just in general make sure everyone is having a good time because in the end, that's the main reason we are all doing this, right?

LADD:  When did you start skating with LADD and did you have any skating experience previously?  Did you start in DPV?

AJ:  I started DPV in February 2012 and made it into Fresh Meat that August. No prior skating experience, unless you count pretending to be one of the Mighty Ducks roller blading around my neighborhood as a kid...but you probably shouldn't count that. My roller blades were too big, my pads were too big, and the only way I could stop was to fall into my neighbor's yard...

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

AJ:  I am! I am the head of housekeeping and also a member of the EC board.

LADD:  How do you feel about banked track roller derby being a part of Rollercon for the first time this year?

AJ:  It's great! I wish I was able to go this year! I think that it will be great promotion for the league and banked track in general. Get on board everyone! Banked track is awesome!

LADD:  Share with us a secret/odd bit of trivia that few people know about you.

AJ:  Oooo, let's see... I don't think I really have many secrets. I love magic! Not many people know that. I can't do a single magic trick, but I LOVE watching it. I went to the Magic Castle for the first time on my birthday last year and now I want to go approximately one thousand more times.

LADD:  What do you think of the Dollosseum, our new facility in El Sereno?  Does it have any advantages that the Doll Factory (our previous facility) did not have?

AJ:  I love it! Having the doll mall and track all in one room on bout day gives the place a difference energy and makes everything feel more connected. It's a more intimate setting in my opinion. Big fan!

LADD:  Is there any message you want to relay to the long-time Varsity Brawlers fans?

AJ:  We love you!

LADD:  Since we anticipate having new fans come to the Dollosseum to experience roller derby for the first time, what do you want to tell people who are curious about seeing the Varsity Brawlers live?  What should they expect?

AJ:  They should expect hard hitting, awesome derby! Wear your purple and gold!! VB is definitely the team you want to be a fan of! Way more fun than all those other silly teams.

LADD:  It’s the last jam of the game.  Your team is down by 14.  Power jam in your favor.  Coach hands you the jammer panty.  What do you say?

AJ:  I think you've made a mistake, this is the jammer panty.