Referred to as 'the gazelle' by some of her team mates for her fluid skating and her elegant gait, Bang Bang has worked her way from freshmeat to being captain of Tweed Valley Rollers travel team the Valley Vixens in a mere two years. A force on the track, her passion for Derby is evident not only in her desire to push herself to improve but also to push those up and coming skaters who benifit from her coaching skills (proof: a group of her Pink Star students recently had custom shirts made up with the slogan - "we roll with Bang Bang").
Bang Bang kindly took time out to tell us about her Derby journey thus far - I hope you all find it as inspiring as I did!
Thanks so much for sharing RRBB!
xo Zo D'Praved #302
Z: Did you skate as a kid? If so, what are your first memories of skating?
R: In Darwin where I grew up there was a skate rink called Skateworld, I remember going there occasionally as a kid, it had a ramp at the end of the rink and I loved trying to go up it wanting to be as good as the older kids. The rink used to hold roller disco's on a friday where we would skate and then take our skates of later in the night and dance. I was never a great skater then but always enjoyed it.
Above: Ricky Ricky Bang Bang caught in action, jamming for the Valley Vixens, 2012
Z: When did you start in Derby and what inspired you to get into the sport?
R: I joined Gold Coast Roller Derby as freshmeat in October 2010 after one of my clients asked me to go and watch her bout. I went to Carara stadium and loved the atmosphere and adrenalin of the sport, after a few drinks I signed up!
Z: Can you tell us a bit about when you were first learning Derby and what the learning process was like for you?
R: A week before my first day of freshmeat I went and bought a freshmeat pack, strapped on my skates and went for a roll around the driveway, I found it very natural and when I started classes I was already ahead of the group. I found it easy to go fast, transition and turn but my 3 months of fresh meat taught me the most important thing..... how to fall! We did our falls over and over, now when I take a big hit or stack in a game I feel I come out of it well and credit that to these lessons. I used to watch the senior skaters and mimic some of the showy tricks they did, like skating on my front wheels, spins and jump transitions, sometimes I was mistaken for a show off, but to me it was not about what people thought, it was about learning. I went street skating regularly.... something I feel I should do more of now! After 3 months at Gold Coast I moved to Tweed Valley Rollers where I entered White stars (level 2), I put my head down and trained hard to reach my goal of bouting - Within 3 or 4 months I was skating in my first bout.
Above: Bang Bang - Jamming for home team 'Sugar Skulls' - avoids the outside line after taking a hit
Z: Tell us what your first bout was like.
R: It was hard, looking back I was probably a little under prepared having only trained at contact level for a few weeks. I remember not being nervous or scared at all but jamming against some really good players was full on. I had only been skating for 7 months and I got smashed..... I really felt like fresh meat! I guess I was just proud that every time I went down I fought back to my feet and kept trying..... I even ended up scoring points.
Z: Have you had any major physical or emotional challenges you have had to overcome either as a beginner or as a competition skater?
R: No, I don't really get caught up in the emotional side of the game, my love for derby wins every time. The physical - I have my aches and pains as we all do but its nothing I can't overcome. I think my biggest challenge is taking time out of derby to rest my body and to get those life things done.
"I used to watch the senior skaters and mimic some of the showy tricks they did, like skating on my front wheels, spins and jump transitions, sometimes I was mistaken for a show off, but to me it was not about what people thought, it was about learning."
Z: You are now captain of Tweed Valley Rollers’ travel team the Valley Vixens; what are some of the responsibilities and challenges of a captain?
R: Becoming captain was one of my derby goals I set for myself when I started getting better at bouting; I just didn't think it would happen so soon!! I have found being captain very rewarding but also tricky, I have learnt so much about myself, derby and others by taking on the role. The good side is helping girls staying level headed and being someone your players can turn to when they are having trouble. I enjoy trying to be a good role model as well as helping motivate and keep the team focused. Another interesting part of the role is helping with the line-ups.
The bad; I have been attacked about getting voted into the position, sometimes don't get much warm up time as I often get caught up in ref meetings, needing to know the rules - this is good but I feel the pressure to try and know every single one! Sometimes I get taken away from my game when players are having problems; which is fine with me but I have to make sure it doesn't affect my game. Also as a captain you can incur other players penalties if the ref does not know who the penalty was by, so you have to keep your own penalties down. All that aside I thrive on the challenge and feel that it gets easier and easier and the rewards are not worth trading just to avoid the down side. I am only captain for the Vixens so if I play a Sugar Skull game or a North Coast Derby Coalition (NCDC) game, that is my time to just be a player with no other responsibilities, so really I get the best of both worlds.
Above: Ricky with fellow Vixen Monie Bones in 2012 showing us all the meaning of team work as they successfully block the opposing team's jammer.
Z: You have also taken on the challenge of coaching the upcoming players in the Pink Stars level. What do you personally get out of coaching and what kind of future players are you hoping to create?
R: Coaching is a fairly selfish role for me. Put simply my aim is to create players that I would enjoy playing beside; tough, sporting players that will challenge our current bouting members for our spots in the travel team (I love team selections, it brings out the best in players!). I want to ingrain some of the lessons I have learnt from my previous sporting experience to create players who focus, push themselves, respect and listen to their coach and who will help push TVR to a national level.
Z: A lot of kids come to bouts and get into the spirit of the sport, cheering on their favourite players. Would you consider Derby players as good role models for young girls, if so, how?
R: I think it really depends on the player. I like that derby is a sport for women of all different sizes, shapes, looks, ages, sexuality, backgrounds etc. I think in this way it makes it healthy for young girls not having any pre conceived images of what the ideal player is, because we are all so diverse. However I do worry that derby is a sport that attracts some personalities that I would not consider healthy role models, for instance I often see bad sportsmanship in derby. That said, there are so many players that I love, respect and that inspire me, so yeah, it depends on the player.
Above: Bang Bang and Bones go head to head jamming for opposing home team Sugar Skulls and Voodoo Dolls
Z: What do you feel has been your most memorable ‘derby moment’ so far in your career?
R: Oooo thats a hard one, I don't think I have a most memorable derby moment yet, that must be still to come! I do remember the time derby really clicked for me and I felt like all my hard training was paying off. It was December 2011 the Sugar Skulls vs Voodoo Dolls intra-league game. I had been working on my endurance, agility and game play and I was feeling strong. I remember thinking before the game 'I don't care if we win or lose I just want to play well'
I play for Sugar Skulls and we went into the game with only one reserve, Voodoo Dolls had two reserves. I did a lot of back to back jamming and it was just one of those games where everything went right. We took the win and felt like I had played the game I had been training to play.... its a good feeling when it all pays off.
Z: You mostly play the Jammer position - what advice do you have for any aspiring Jammers out there in terms of skill development – what should they be concentrating on?
R: I LOVE jamming! If I didn't have to share I would take that star panty every chance I got! There are so many things that improve your jamming and I feel you have to keep going over them so as not to get predictable. If you want to improve your jamming watch a jammer you aspire to be like and imitate or get on the net and get searching for training sheets, there is a lot of information out there you just have to be hungry for it. I think the main things that have helped my jamming have been agility, core strength and stamina. I also think you need to work on your blocking, as it is actually a big part of being an aggressive jammer as well as falling and recovering fast for when you are not the strongest one in the block.
Above: Bang Bang playing pivot in 2012 against Brisbane City Rollers, believes being a good blocker is a big part of being a successful jammer.
Z: Finally, what key advice do you have for those who are considering entering the sport of Derby but may be hesitant?
R: You may not think you could ever bout but as time goes by and you train and learn it all becomes easier; next thing you are aching to bout! But really.... if you are hesitant, maybe its just not for you? If you are joining for the make-up, fishnets, the scene or just to be percieved as tough.... don't bother joining. However if you want to play a sport where you are constantly growing and learning, that pushes you physically and mentally, improves your confidence and where you meet amazing strong women, go buy some skates and start practicing!
"I like that derby is a sport for women of all different sizes, shapes, looks, ages, sexuality, backgrounds etc. I think in this way it makes it healthy for young girls not having any pre conceived images of what the ideal player is, because we are all so diverse."
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