Derby Name: Ivanna Destroya

Number: 47

Team(s): Hellbombers, BRRG All-Stars, Midwest MEGA Team

Position(s): Pivot, Jammer, Blocker

You are a sensational jammer, yet you prefer pivot, why? HA! I don’t think I would use the word sensational to describe my jamming. During our first All-Star season I was used solely as pivot and I became a lot more comfortable at the front of the pack blocking. I’ve been working to get my jamming sparkle back though!

How did you learn of the league? I had heard Columbus started up a league and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. I googled to see if Cleveland had a league but there was nothing. I was considering making the commute to Columbus to play, but before that happened I found a group of women trying to start a league here and joined as soon as I could.

What can you do to further challenge yourself in the league? I always have a list of goals I want to achieve, both long term and short term stuff. I use that to keep myself motivated to push my boundaries and to not quit when I hit the wall.

What are your thoughts/feelings on the state of Roller Derby today? It’s great! I think it’d be great if we could get paid to do this some day.

Fill in the Blanks:
Roller Derby is to Ivanna Destroya as leggings are to Lohan

Your skill set is amazing, do you cross-train in anything? I practice out running lions, tigers and bears….oh my! I also lift cars a couple times a week.

What skates are you currently using? 965s and with reactors. Wheels are usually Zodiacs (lt blue). Big thanks to Rich and Skater’s Edge for hooking me up!

What do you do when you are not skating? hang out with my bffs, eat burritos, ride around with the all-girl bike gang, gchat/fbook/twitter, talk in abrevs, paint my nails, think of spiteful things to do, dramatic re-enacting, wear rompers, jump on beds with Slaughter, CoCo and Booty, think about how I’m not skating.

Which travel team game was your most challenging? I don’t think I could pick just one. I’m bad at the ‘what is your favorite’ questions. Each bout has some aspect that’s challenging for me, whether is skating, my mental game, or captaining. Cincinnati was one of my first bouts as captain so I really felt a lot of pressure. They were controlling the pace of the game early on and we really had to focus and re-group. We came so close to upsetting them, and it was one of the first times I think we all truly played as a team. The Brewcity bout we knew had a lot riding on it with regards to making regionals. We dug ourselves into a hole early on and let them get a big lead. But we made a huge comeback to close the gap to 5 points. I’m 100% confident that if we had one more jam we could have won. Hopefully we’ll get a chance for a rematch soon. Detroit was a big eye opener for me that we had a lot of work to do if we wanted to be competitive at the national level.

What are your thoughts on the differences from ’08 All-Stars to ’09 All-Stars? Well, we have a lot more experience playing interleague now compared to ’08. I think we’ve really upped how we’re training and we’re pushing ourselves a lot harder. We’re also taking the game a lot more serious now. We know if we want to be contenders we need to step it up. We’ve really been focusing on playing as a team this year as well. I think in the past we were relying on individual skaters to get the job done. Eva and myself have been trying really hard to emphasize ‘team’ and that we’re only as strong as our weakest player. We’ve grown so much as a team, and it’s really exciting to see how well we’re starting to play.

How has roller derby changed your life? I have met so many rad people from all over the country because of derby. I don’t do all that sappy shit so that’s all you’re getting outta me!

Is your family supportive of you in the league? Absolutely! They are extremely supportive and really into derby. They come to bouts whenever they can, and sometimes come on the road to see the All-Stars play.

Have you ever thought to go free agent, in attempts to balance the league? Sure, I’ve thought about it. You’ll just have to wait and see….

Have you had to make any sacrifices for derby? Summer time is really tough since we have home bouts and the All-Stars travel a lot. I try to keep a balance between skating and my other derby responsibilities with my ‘real’ life. It doesn’t always work out though.

What do you think is necessary to propel the sport of roller derby further? I think we’re headed down the right path. Continued exposure on a national level, finding new ways to train and push the limits.

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The trip out to Fort Wayne was not an easy one; cars were off the road in ditches, semi’s jack-knifed, and every weather station telling us not to travel. But, in the harshest of environments, members of the BRRG braved the elements and traveled to Fort Wayne Indiana.

First up the Xanadont’s with secret new weapons known as The Killustrator and Chrissie B. Hynde; came out with a strong effort but finished just shy of a win. Punk’d Pixie, Margarita Mayhem, and Vix Smackey showed an intense preview of what the ’09 season is going to look like (look out everyone, Pin-ups are contenders for the Cup). The Xanadont’s played well, but allowed fundamental mistakes to occur, fouls to hurt them, and fatigue to play a factor. It came to the last jam, but with a large crowd pumping the S.W.A.T. Team, the Xanadont’s were unable to come out on top.

I learned a lot sitting between Magic Lee Malicious and Quarter boy (GRRG) about personal styles and where working as a team is needed. I also learned a lot about inexperienced referees, and bad calls. I thank you both for your knowledge and friendship.

Now onto the All-Star Rematch; Burning River steps onto Fort Wayne turf missing a few key elements. One- The Validator: a major factor who scored many points in our first encounter with the Bomb Squad. Two- Slaughterama Mama: an incredible blocker who seems to gain energy when most others begin to feel fatigue. And three- Pain Austen: who yes did not play but has an expertise in observation when play a dirty team like the bomb squad. And yes I said Dirty! I know accidents happen and mistakes get made, refs do not see everything, but something’s you just cannot turn a blind eye to. I also understand that there will always be biased referees, and dirty skaters; and that will never change.

It was a treat to see you girls playing like a team out there! I did not see what I have seen in previous bouts; huge talent with no communication, every girl out there trying to get hers. A saw a major group effort and every girl knowing her role on the track. We had a rough start, with our first three jams, only scoring two points. But we started playing with good strategy and started nickel and dime jams. Then in a reverse of roles we started putting up major points and shutting down there jammer. By the end of the second half it was a one point game.

Unfortunately, it was becoming extremely apparent the referees from Fort Wayne had total disregard for WFTDA rules, especially when it came to fouls committed by their own players. I could go off on an hour tangent, about dozens of instances where I saw blatant fouls (by the bomb squad) with no call, or no foul or legal move being called as fouls (by BRRG). I believe this hurt the team in a way where we lost focus of the game; having to spend time and energy showing referees the fouls, and paying back the one who fouled, this is where there Jammer was able to break through the pack quick and leave our jammer fighting to get through. But in reality this is a situation we knew we were getting into, before we walked in the arena. Even speaking with members of GRRG I heard of dirty players in the bomb squad. We needed to be able to beat this team despite these hindrances. But when I look back at this bout, the team work that I saw out of the All-Stars, the moments where we every player on the track was just playing the game with such skill, technique and grace; for that I account the victory despite the score. This bout was a heck of a learning experience for me and I am sure many times over for the skaters.

Big ups go out to Slambassador for winning best blocker during the first bout; and Halochic during the All-Star bout. I must say special thank you to both Ivanna Destroya and Professor Booty for being concerned with my well being on my trip back (I made it safe!). Mad props to Gonnolea, just cuz she freakin rules! And last but not least Magic Lee Malicious for all her wonderful company and conversation there and back!

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