Skater of the Month - Crown Jewels

NAME: Crown Jewels

NUMBER: 67

This month we are delighted to welcome back Crown Jewels, who was our Skater of the Month back in April 2011 - click here to see her previous profile.

Tell us about your derby name and number.

I was looking for something that incorporated my name in some form as I always get called Jules, so thought Crown Jewels would suit. My husband Mark is a huge Celtic fan so the 67 refers to the year that Celtic won the European Cup in 1967.

What is your skate gear of choice?

Pretty much the same as it was last time round! Same skates (different wheels), same wristguards, elbow pads, new kneepads and mouthguard. Oh, I did buy a new S1 helmet at the start of the year. I’m not really one for spending lots on kit, I’m not sure it would make much difference to my skating ability!

What is your day job? How has your involvement in roller derby affected the way you live the rest of your life?

My day job is Course Leader for Science at Dundee and Angus College. I sometimes feel like derby is a full-time job as I spend a lot of time dealing with admin type things and thinking about the league. I luckily have Mark, who is very understanding and lets me travel lots of places whilst he is left at home holding the baby!

Do you have a pre/post-bout ritual?

Bacon roll in the morning!

How would you describe your derby playing style - do you have a signature move, a favourite position?

I think being a blocker is my one and only position, I pretty much have a jammer allergy. Over the years I have become a bit more agile but that really is something to be worked on. Despite that I feel that I am a good communicator on track and I know the game well so can help bring others along. I’ve been working on my offence, which seems to be fairly effective: it’s all in the face!

Tell us about your favourite/most memorable experience from your time with DRG.

For me, being able to come back and find a place in the team after having a baby has been my biggest achievement. I really struggled being off skates whilst pregnant and it took me a long time to be able to get back to being able to compete for team places. I got a lot of support from the league as a whole, they always made me feel part of things even though I wasn’t skating. I feel now I am in a better position than I was before being pregnant.

What do you think has changed the most – within DRG, and roller derby in general – since your previous Skater of the Month profile?

A massive amount has changed. Back then we still had face paints, themed bouts etc, now things are much more professional. I do still miss those days sometimes. A whole new ruleset has come in since then, people have left, people have joined, we’ve launched our Home Teams, B Team and we play way more games than we did! I am very proud to have been involved with the league for so long and been able to see it grow and develop.

Who do you choose as next month’s Skater of the Month?

I have chosen someone who has only just recently left the league. She put a huge amount of effort into the league both running and developing new skaters as well as working on her own skills. I always enjoyed working one-to-one with her as she was very good at giving constructive feedback. She has just left to return to the Netherlands and is already in her new league’s top 20, she is the one and only Crazily InSanne.