This months featured skater is none other than the fabulous Mallory Powers.

Powers is one of the longer standing members of ARRG and is not only a great skater, but also an experienced line up manager and puts her skills to use when playing for the Cannon Belles travel team.
Mallory Powers will be off to Amsterdam to skate with The Cannon Belles for their first European game – they have an undefeated record in 2013 – can they hold this title and end the year on a high? We will let you know!

Home Team Affiliation: After 2 years on Skatefast Club, I’m now a proud Leithal Weapon!

Joined ARRG in: 2009

Favourite position to play: I love love love blocking! I love the strategy and team play when in the pack and feel I’m strongest there – and there’s always something new to work on. I am trying to work on my skill and confidence with jamming as well and have surprised myself by quite enjoying it!

Best ARRG memory: There are so many! There have been lots of fun road trips with both the Thistles and the Belles, and getting to play Montreal’s New Skids at the Jack Kane Centre was pretty cool/surreal. Also after I broke my leg the Thistles wrote my name on their bellies in Helsinki and then stood the wrong way round so it said !!!SREWOP – that brought a wee tear to my eye (of laughter, obviously).

Favourite after skate drink/snack: Um…I would like to say coconut water and raw tuna but in reality it’s more likely to be a glass of wine and a massive bag of salty snacks

Worst Derby injury: I’ve had some spectacular bruises, but by far the worst injury was breaking my leg! A spiral fracture to my left tibia meant surgery and metal work and a long recovery. My leg will always be a bit gammy now and I dropped quite a bit in skill level but I’m just trying to slowly build up my strength and not be too hard on myself. Much worse things happen.

Best Derby advice: I’ve really struggled with this, but the best advice is to try not to compare yourself to others: everyone has different strengths and styles, everyone takes a different amount of time to develop, and everyone’s life/derby balance is different. Just train as hard as you can at practice, set yourself regular small goals, and celebrate when you achieve them. And make sure you’re enjoying it – otherwise what’s the point?!
Any funny/embarrassing derby stories? Lucy of London Roller Girls fame once took a whip off me and pulled down my shorts, tights and pants during a bout. On the crowd side of the track. But generally I’m the least glamorous or graceful skater ever so I had to get over the embarrassment thing quite early on!

Derby Hero: ARRG is so well run at the moment it’s beautiful, and everyone who contributes to that is a hero. That it’s just a bunch of pals making all this stuff happen is mind-blowing! Sid (VeloSidy) is a total hero to me as well – she’s an amazing hard-working skater, has been in pretty much every Thistles bout ever, she does tonnes for the league, she’s super supportive of other people, and she is endlessly enthusiastic about the sport. She sums up what derby is all about!

What do you do outside of derby: job wise I have a couple of different roles in community food: I work with volunteers at Broomhouse Health Strategy Group to deliver services set up to improve people’s health and well-being, and I coordinate the activities of the Food for Thought Forum in Pilton. I also work freelance as a cookery tutor. Other than that I watch a lot of American crime drama, bake cakes, crochet small round things, read any books available, hang out with my family, and make pathetic attempts at exercise. I’m also just embarking on Project Allotment which may well render all previous items void.

Fun fact about you: I had fun once. It was awful.

This months featured skater is none other than Lilo and Stitches! Stitches is a long standing member of ARRG and a Twisted Thistles stalwart, and has recently been voted in as Vice Captain. She is also one of our dedicated coaches, and you can take advantage of some of her coaching skills at our upcoming Bootcamp on the 23rd November.

Home Team Affiliation: I have been a member of the Skatefast Club for the past two years, but have just been reshuffled into the Cherry Bombers – exciting stuff!

Joined ARRG in: August 2010.

Favourite position to play: I’ve been a blocker most of my time skating, but since January I have been mostly jamming for my travel team, the Twisted Thistles. I love blocking and working as part of a team more than anything, but I am learning to enjoy the challenges of jamming a bit more lately.

Best ARRG memory: Being in America with the team earlier this year was an amazing experience. Everyone worked so hard to get there, from putting in the work at practice to raising money, from filming comedy videos and printing merch to taking the weird Chinatown bus to Philadelphia (it was cheaper!) that dropped us in the middle of nowhere! Throughout the whole weekend everyone just pulled together and was so unbelievably focused that I didn’t realise what a massive success our trip had been until it was all over.

I think rolling on the floor of the ECDX venue after our last game, while Philly Roller Girls and Windy City just looked at us like we were total mentalists, was a pretty excellent moment. Also Windy City used our power animals!

Favourite after skate drink/snack: Chocolate milk. I don’t drink protein shakes, so chocolate milk is like my lazy person’s way to get sort of the same thing.

Worst Derby injury: I’ve had two injuries since I started skating. I tore the cartilage in my knee very early on (before my first game!) which was quite stressful at the time. Looking back, the long term effects of it were what forced to me to start cross training properly and treat my body a bit better so I am sort of glad it happened!

Then, last year at Track Queens, I fell very hard on my left side/butt cheek during our game against London Rollergirls. Continued impact on the same spot and some bad advice at the time have massively weakened my left leg, so I am currently building it back up. The most frustrating thing about it is that it affects small technical skills I used to be good at!

Best Derby advice: Don’t worry about skating like anybody else. Skating like you is good enough. I spend a lot of time working on my weak points, and sometimes, I get to a point where all I think is ‘If I could only have form like so-and-so’, or ‘if I could only jump like that guy’.

I have had great coaches and captains remind me that my skating is still effective, regardless of how my style might differ, and that I have my own strengths that I bring to the table (even if I think I look ridiculous).

Any funny/embarrassing derby stories? When we played Hot Wheels earlier this year, I dropped my mouth guard in the loo at half time. It was a stressful moment. I grabbed it immediately and washed it for ages, but then I went out and asked Caitlin about its cleanliness and she was like ‘Washing takes the dirt off, but it doesn’t kill the bacteria’ while looking totally disgusted. Thankfully I had a spare one!

Derby Hero: I would say that the heroes I have are people who put the work into our league to let us do what we do – there are so many people who make our finances work and our committees happen and they aren’t always the ones who get to travel with the team. As a player, I love any skater who puts thought and time into their skating: whether it be breaking down movements or building on their weaknesses.

What do you do outside of derby: When I am not skating, I am the Reader Development Administrator at Scottish Book Trust, where I work on a nationwide annual festival called Book Week Scotland. Mostly my job involves trying to encourage people to read books. I also spend a lot of time with my cats.

Favourite film of all time: Erm, no idea! I really love Remember the Titans and A League of Their Own now thanks to roller derby. Oh, and Goon!

Home Team Affiliation: Well for the past two years I have played for the Leithal Weapons, and I have taken great pride in wearing blue, but this year I am just as excited to get a brand new team colour and start the fun all over again! The home season is not about winning or losing, it is about watching new skaters grow and develop their skills in a game situation… the pride you feel for every new skater is overwhelming!

Joined ARRG in: Eh… 2011? Is is really bad that I don’t know!? I do know that joining ARRG changed my life; I have never met a more amazing group of women (and refs) and have never felt so accepted.

Favourite position to play: I really like to block and I am never happier than being in a tight wall, holding the jammer back until she wants to give up… I love the feeling of working together on track and using each other’s skills for maximum impact! Plus… I really like hitting people (sorry mom).

Best ARRG memory: There are millions of amazing ARRG moments and listing them would take weeks… The things that means the most to me are the friendships that have come out of this wonderful derby roller coaster ride, so many people that are now part of my life and push me to be a better skater.

Favourite after skate drink/snack: Ok, if I wanted to be all sporty I would say I eat super healthy post skate… BUT after practice I eat Doritos and drink 7-up… and after a game I eat whatever gluten free treats Connie has set aside for me… followed by tequila. ATHLETE!!!

Worst Derby injury: Ugh. I have had a ton of annoying derby injuries… my knees give me the most trouble, but I have had a black eye, cracked rib, torn ligaments in my feet, sprained thumb, and both knees have forced me off skates for months of rehab… BUT I love derby, so nothing will stop me from trying again!

Best Derby advice: Don’t compare yourself to others (yeah right) and remember that every single person has a different derby journey; it may take you two years to play on the travel teams, but only six months for your pal… you may have setbacks, you may have doubts, you may just want to give up… just keep skating! Your journey will be full of amazing highs and devastating lows… it is worth it!

Any funny/embarrassing derby stories? For the first 4 games I was in, nearly every photo was me on the floor… rolling around… looking ridiculous… but they never show how fast I get up! =P

Derby Hero: I am not a derby stalker; I don’t know who half of the skaters are when people talk about their favourites… I feel a ridiculous amount of pride for all the Auld Reekie Girls around me, for all they do for the league, for all they give up for the love of the sport… one hero? Impossible.

What do you do outside of derby: I am a Veterinary Nurse during the day, a job that I find both really wonderful and heartbreaking… every day is different and I have never wished for a different path.

Favourite film of all time: I love like millions of films… and I am very indecisive! My mood swings change my favourites from day to day… but I always return to the same half dozen 😉

Home Team Affiliation: Leithal Weapons!

Joined ARRG in: 2009

Favourite position to play: Pivot

Best ARRG memory: Listening to Crotch Lightening and Crazylegs on the radio with Mo B Quick, Fay Bentos, Coco Carnage and Coco’s baby. Crazylegs tried to explain to the world that roller derby is indeed a *real sport*. We texted into the show as ‘listeners’ to ask about their favorite athletic snacks, so they could get prawns and avocados into the interview. Then when the host was being a sexist fool we texted in to ask whether they were sick of sexist fools. He didn’t get it – but it didn’t matter because they did and we did and it’s all about us anyway. Like most of roller derby. (Also that baby’s gonna grow up pretty awesome.)

Favourite after skate drink/snack: A spinach, banana, flax and protein powder smoothie. I add avocado on special occasions (i.e. when I have one).

Worst Derby injury: Broken ankle/sanity/spirit.

Best Derby advice: Don’t let what you love about derby be how ‘good’ you were at any given practice. Love something more consistent and worthwhile than that.

Any funny/embarrassing derby stories? The part where I prioritize skating around lots over my PhD, partners, job, politics, body… life? Is that embarrassing?

Derby Hero: I’m not into heroes. Or maybe I’m into everyone in ARRG being a hero as well as most people I know. When I started skating I was inspired by Sarah MacMillon from Glasgow, though. She’s good at everything, super athletic, close to home and also a vegan!

What do you do outside of derby: I try to find, learn about, develop, practice and write about radical methods for learning and teaching politics. Sometimes this is with Indigenous people in the Canadian Arctic. Sometimes it is at the University of Edinburgh. (= I’m a PhD student, tutor, lecturer, curriculum developer and research consultant).

 Bruise Leigh is not only a key member of ARRG, she is also the captain of the Cannon Belles for their first outing of 2013, when they will be taking on Austria’s first and only roller derby team: the Vienna Rollergirls at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh.

They’ve bouted in Europe and even on a boat, and now the Vienna Rollergirls they are coming all the way to Edinburgh to play against the Cannon Belles in their travel team’s FIRST EVER UK bout.

You’ll see pitiless hitting, speedy sprinting and awesome strategic play all the while our announcers explain the teams’ tactics and commentate on the action.

Come along at 2pm on Saturday 18th May to witness roller derby in all its fast-paced glory as Auld Reekie’s Cannon Belles take on the opposition, coming all the way from Vienna to play!

We can promise you cakes, thrills, spills, and plenty of awesome merchandise and bargains from Edinburgh’s craftiest ladies and gents so don’t forget your pennies.

And after the bout, come with us to PARTY ARRG at the after party at Fiddler’s Elbow, in York Place from 7PM. Entry is free, but there will be a donations bucket on the door for our ECDX Travel Fund!

 AlbaRoma will be playing! They are an Edinburgh band that combines swing, Balkan and jazz melodies with punk speed and energy, accompanied by left wing ranting, raving and roaring. You can check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/albaroma

Get your bout tickets now and we’ll see you there!