Skater of the Month - Jill Antonic

NAME: Jill Antonic NUMBER: 76 Before you discovered roller derby, were you involved in any other sports/exercise? If yes, how has derby impacted on this?

Yes, Ice hockey! I started when I was 18 and played for too many years than I'd like to admit to! I was really bad, like seriously so. I had about 9 months of overlap between ice hockey and roller derby and falling so hard for roller derby just reminded me how much I didn't love hockey anymore. It was a hard decision to give up ice hockey, but it's difficult loving something that doesn't love you back. Hockey helped with derby by developing my edge work, although I only truly understood what that is after starting derby.

How did you get involved with roller derby?

I was looking for a new challenge and was falling out of love with ice hockey so it came at just at the perfect time!

What is your position of choice?

Blocker, Although I do enjoy a cheeky wee jam every now and again, we do have Home teams coming up!

Which teams have you skated with? I started with the Fear Maidens at The Fair City rollers in Perth and now skate with the Silvery Tayzers in Dundee.

Do you have a pre/post-bout ritual? Cous cous! It's easy to prepare, easy to digest and easy to take on away trips!

What is your day job? How has your involvement in roller derby affected the way you live the rest of your life? I'm a specialist Biomedical Scientist and work in the microbiology department of the local hospital. Roller derby has helped me deal with the bad smells I have to face every day at work!

Favourite motivational quote? "Roller derby is a made up sport on roller skates" This doesn't sound like a positive thing but it really is! What I mean by that is that having a healthy derby/life balance is so important in maintaining a lasting passion for roller derby. Derby is an important aspect of my life, but it's not the be all and end all.

Who do you choose as next month’s Skater of the month? I would like to choose someone that has been part of the league for many years, but has recently come back from a break! Kinkhey has worked so hard to get back on her skates and I cannot wait to see her skating games again!