ROLLER DERBY GRANDMA
What would posses a grandmother to try out for roller derby? In a recent interview with a Fort Wayne Derby Girl, I found out why thousands of women are skating their hearts out and risking injury for the sport they love.
Bonnie Moffett is a mother of five, grandmother of three, and a technical consultant for Lincoln Financial Group. When it’s time for roller derby, she becomes Zippy D. Doodah, a fast-skating, hard-hitting Fort Wayne Derby Girl. She has been skating most of her life, competing in freestyle, classic dance and the U.S. indoor inline speed skating championships.
I asked her how she got involved in derby.
“A derby girl attended a speed practice,” she said. “I was intrigued, because I used to watch it on TV. I never thought about trying it. I was a skater not an actress. She straightened me out. Women’s flat track roller derby isn’t that shiny-satin, act-like-you-got-pushed-over-the-rail fantasy I used to watch. It’s legitimate and one of the fastest growing sports in the country. I decided to tryout and I made it. In the process, I realized that derby required all of the skating skills I had acquired as a kid.”
Zippy continued, “When I went to my first derby bout as a fan, I was hooked. The energy of the fans was intense. Roller derby is fast paced and action packed. I knew I had found my passion.
What I didn’t know was that I was in for the time of my life. My new friends are the most intelligent, caring and tough women around. We have college students, nurses, teachers and even a fire fighter in our league. We have families, careers and big hearts. We have come together for a common goal: to empower women and help our community.”
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