Skater of the Month - Lola Rocknrolla
NAME: Lola Rocknrolla
NUMBER: 2358
What are your other passions in life?
I’m a HUGE fan of heavy metal. My name and number also reflect this (2358 – 2 minutes to midnight – Iron Maiden). As often as possible I go to gigs and festivals, and am forever bangin on about my love for Dio, Anthrax, Iron Maiden and Rainbow. I’ve made a lot of good friends over the years through my passion for the music, and the metal community are just like a huge family. I also love to eat.
What do you think is the most important thing for a new skater to learn?
That things will happen in time. Don’t stress so much when things don’t go right on first attempt. Or second… and don’t compare yourself and your speed of learning to the others in your group. You might take forever to perfect that blimmin t-stop, but you’ll ace the 27/5 on first attempt. Take your time and take as much advice from absolutely everyone, because while we’re all taught the same things, there’s variations of methods of learning each move, and one person may just have the best technique for you.
What is your favourite thing about roller derby?
Thing? As in singular? I dunno. But thingSSSS, well, I love the fact that I’m actually doing something sporty, which is also great fun and when I get it right, walloping the hell out of people is pretty damned cool. It’s got a great social aspect too – the derby community can be a decent bunch: meeting fellow derby folk from all over, following what’s going on in their teams, invites to play, train and hang out, great stress relief, the adrenalin rush, being on track with like-minded people… Yeah. YOLO and all that.
What position(s) do you play?
I don’t have one position I’m better at than others. I like to give everything a go and I’ll find that some weeks I’ll jam like a boss, then the next I’ll be struggling behind the pack. With blocking, you have so much to learn and it’s wonderful when you can put it into practice successfully. It’s tough when you’re up against hard hitting brutes too, but it’s part and parcel and we live and learn. Derby bruises are cool.
Who do you choose as next month’s Skater of the Month?
A total no-brainer. Skater of the Month goes to the fabulatasticle Jill Jill super Jill Antonic. I started skating with Fair City Rollers where Jill already was and she taught me a lot there, and then when we both moved to DRG, she has continued to be a skater I admire and look up to. Full of advice in and out of derby, she is a real asset to our team. I instantly forgave her for hitting me so hard I went sprawling against the wall and splatted like a bug, sliding down with arms and legs splayed. Funny times.
