Skater of the Month - Beyonce Knuckles

NAME: Beyoncé Knuckles

NUMBER: 212

How did you get involved with roller derby?

I wanted to get involved ages before I actually did but life kept being silly and getting in the way. One day my friend mentioned to me out of the blue that she would like to try roller derby and I squealed with glee at having a buddy to go along with. We basically just went to the Newbies Taster Session and I’ve been hooked ever since!

Tell us about your derby name and number?

My name and number are ridiculous for ridiculous reasons. I feel like they are almost as shameful as my MSN e-mail address from 2006. My name is Beyoncé Knuckles… I thought about it in the shower whilst belting/wailing out the song “Halo” and thinking the first verse made me think of derby (“Remember those walls I built? Well baby they’re tumbling dooooown”). I also like to swing my bum around like a maniac. My number comes from the song 212 by Azealia Banks because it is my drunken jam and is the song I want played at every milestone and formal ceremony in my life due to its sheer absurdity.

What is your skate gear of choice?

Preferably skates that fit me! As everyone who has been near me in the last few months knows, my first pair of skates were a big ol’ size 6 when I am a lil’ size 4... Trying to function when your skates are falling off is not enjoyable, especially as a newbie when you already feel like your ankles might deploy from their sockets at any second from newbie-ness. A few months ago I treated myself to some new skates that are Sure Grip S-75’s with Avenger Magnesium plates, and zombie wheels. I have no idea what any of that means but they fit, they are cute and they make me happy! I have a mixture of brands for my padding but my Killer 187 knee pads are my favourite because they’re super chunky. I broke my tailbone when I was younger and it’s never healed properly so I do like to wear my Triple 8 booty pads when I don’t mind having a booty as square shaped as Spongebob.

Before you discovered roller derby were you involved in any other sports/exercise, and if yes how has derby impacted on this?

I used to be a figure (ice) skater back when I was a young chap, and a ballet dancer. I quit a long time ago because of a chronic illness so I have gotten chubby, heavy, stiff and old! I think skating and doing ballet for so long as a child and a teen helped me pick up the basics faster than I think I would have otherwise. However, it was difficult at first getting used to quads because on figure skates you can put your weight back a lot more whereas on skates if you put your weight back… you will be flat on the floor in no time. This being said, I am determined to master jumps and spins on wheels at least by the year 2050.

What is your position of choice?

Being a coward in the audience preferably! I’m not sure yet due to my lack of gameplay. Jamming is fun when there’s no points being kept and it’s just for fun, but I think I will prefer being a blocker when there are eyeballs on me, less pressure.

Which teams have you skated with?

None yet! I am a Press Gangster at heart though.

Do you have a pre/post-bout ritual?

So far I just turn up, scream at people and devour way too much of Twiggy’s chocolate fudge from the cake stand. YUM!

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

Butt swinging. Butt swinging everywhere!

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

I work in the Fracture Clinic/Trauma & Orthopaedics Department as an Audio Typist/Secretary/Clerical guy in the hospital. It is actually more the other way round in that my work seems to affect my roller derby since my job is to type up letters for every patient who has fractured a bone in the last 24 hours. I’m a little more cautious because of that at derby than I’d like to be. I see how easily (and bizarrely) people break themselves and I’m worried I’m developing a complex! That being said though, I broke a wee rib a few months ago from swinging my butt around TOO much (and have moaned about it to everyone who will listen ever since) and that wasn’t so bad and I couldn’t wait to be back on skates again. Derby has affected my life in a way where I can’t walk behind slow people on the street without wanting to knock them over and I have a new soppy and mushy sense of what it means to be part of a team.

Favourite motivational quote?

Every sassy Beyoncé lyric ever written.

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

Every single skater I’ve had the pleasure of practicing with are such incredible people. DRG are a bunch of such talented human beings whether it is at skating, teaching, refereeing, NSO’ing or simply motivating others. I am so thankful I started this sport and it’s all down to the awesome girls at DRG being super supportive when life gets a bit crappy and being there to give me a good kick up the bum when I need it.

Last month I was nominated by an awesome skater, my fellow Press Gangster and friend, Hullabalou and so I feel like carrying on the nominations with our little Not-So-Newbie-Anymore group. I wouldn’t even be able to physically get to training without her driving me there, it is Jax! She is a tough little (mudder) lady with an incredible attitude who always helps me see things differently when I feel like a total wimp/dweeb. Huge “thank you” to Jax and all my other wheeled friends for being awesome EVERY month.