Getting To Know Rocktown ~ Rosie the Retaliator

Rocktown skaters are awesome people, from the ladies who put on the green and orange to the refs that rock it zebra style.  It's time to put a spotlight on these awesome people and show you the person behind that sparkly butt or tweeting whistle, today is Rosie's time to shine!

Skater Name: Rosie the Retaliator

Skater Number: 1920


Why did you choose the name and number you chose:

I really wanted to be a Rosie - my grandma worked on airplanes just outside of Detroit during World War II and she was such a tough lady.  She was kicked out of high school in 10th grade for punching a boy who grabbed her sister's butt!  She went to work on airplanes first and then for a company that made calculators - she worked on some of the first microships for personal use.

1920 is both the year women gained the right to vote in the US and the year my grandma was born.

When did you start doing derby: 
July 2010, 3 weeks after moving to the 'Burg


Favorite derby memory:
I have a lot! My first favorite is giving a waitress whip to Bassett Case at the 540 bout last year.  My second favorite is the first I was elected captain - I am so honored that my teammates chose me.  And my third favorite happens every time we play and give it our all on the track.

So awesome she can jam while holding the opposing blocker on her back and keeping the opposing jammer at bay!
 

  Favorite quote(s):
"Those who can most truly be accounted brave, are those who best know the meaning of what is sweet in life and what is terrible, and go out, undeterred, to meet what is to come."
-- Pericles Funeral Oration by Thucydides

 "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."

-- Mike Tyson

 ʺI'm going to tell you what's stupid, and you're going to learn itʺ

-- me, to my history students

How has derby positively affected you:
I thought I was busy before but now I've reached new levels of time management. My physical health is better than it ever has been. Before starting derby, if I could go back in time and talk to my 18 year old self, she would NOT have been proud of me. But since starting derby, I think my 18 year old self wishes she could be me!  

Any other tidbit(s) we should know:

 

If I could wear sparkly pants every day I totally would.

 

*photos courtesy of MBS Photography and Robert Lipscomb Photography