About
B.A.D Girl of the Month
Psycho Serapissed
When Psycho Serapissed left the world of hockey to block for the roller derby, seraphim sang "Oooo that looked like it hurt!" and the dream began. Serapissed rolls through training, practice and her committee work focused on playing and winning the game.
She broke a bone before her first rostered game and was unable to play
but maintained her positive focus. "My first bout was filled with great excitement and amazing roller derby. I could see the special camaraderie amongst all the women as well as the confidence and wanted to be a part of it! Plus, I wanted to do that amazing block that made me say “Ooooooooo..." she built herself back up to get on the track with her team, as she says, "I came back and remember feeling so nervous, excited, empowered, confident, and loved every second of it!"
Though Serapissed loves "all the fashion attire and sparkles," no doubt relaying that love of fashion into her work as the co-head of Merch, her favorite part of it all is that "so much goes into making this league run behind the scenes and there are so many quiet heroes amongst these talented women. I love that even the smallest tasks and effort does not go unrecognized for too long. It's a great place to see all sorts of professionals come together and help promote something
they love and actually do. I also just love to skate!"
Her don't stop attitude has not only empowered herself, but served to empower other league members as well. She says, " I feel inspired by many women when I learn how hard they work in their personal lives, and how hard they work to make this league successful," her efforts on
and off the track serve to make the B.A.D. Girls successful as well. As a trainer for the pre-tryouts class, Serapissed would welcome the skaters into, as she called it, "circles of love," which are intense crossover drills, with the intention of both breaking and building her new charges. She relays this attitude into her everyday life, telling the folks around her to "never quit trying to achieve something and have integrity" in what they do.
B.A.D. Volunteer of the Month
Mindianapolis 500
If you have ever taken a B.A.D. newbie class, been pushed farther in endurance than you thought humanly possible or subject to the wrath of a Mindi class...chances are the name Mindianapolis 500 will be burned in your mind forever.
Mindi is our B.A.D. volunteer of the month for July. She has spent countless hours teaching 100's of women the basics of the derbs. Currently, she is our Head of Coaching and Training. In addition to the humongous task of heading up our training program she has been a skater, referee, All-star Coach, Head of Merchandising and all around amazing part of the B.A.D. girls success. Where would we be without you?
We had some very special questions for Mindi.
First of all we had to know what brought her to derby. "I owned a pair of roller skates and saw a flyer at my neighborhood bar, figured why not?" Her initial reaction to her first practice, "I was really intimidated to show up to the first practice. Once I was there however, I was put at ease and really enjoyed myself." We wondered about this since many have suffered the nervous stomach en route to a Mindi class. She will work you and push you to the limits. She says her favorite part about derby is watching members go from being just average skaters, to really sharp, talented, smart derby players.
Her first official game as a skater was October 2005. "I played on the Oakland Outlaws. Shit, was it that long ago? We wore grey, we played The San Francisco ShEvil Dead. We lost as I remember, but the game was awesome. The crowd was rowdy and B.A.D. made it's mark in the Bay Area scene." Her favorite part of derby is how it combines raw athleticism, with the beauty of skating. "It's really amazing to watch." How has derby transfered into her everyday life? "I don't think a single day has gone by in almost 6 years that I have not spent a good portion of it doing something derby related."
We did want to know one more pressing question--Does she secretly hate us? "I make no secret of hating anyone. I love derby, but I fall prey to feeling the hate every now and again."
A big huge thank you Mindi for all your support for the past 6 years and many years to come!
Thank you for kicking our asses!
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