January - Sweet Tea

An Interview with…SWEET TEA

What about derby caught your attention? When did you first start playing?

I always wanted to play a contact sport and I picked up skating again during the pandemic in 2021 and thought it would be fun. I followed the VCDD page that same year and one day I saw they were recruiting and decided to check it out which was on June 24, 2021!

What was that “one moment” when you knew playing derby was the right thing for you?

When we passed our fresh meat assessment. I remember celebrating with everyone in my group and it felt so amazing be connected to all these people and having this sense of community

What’s something you’ve learned playing derby that has translated into another part of your life?

It's something that I'm still working on but it's teaching me to be more vocal. There's a lot of communication involved like when you're the brace having to tell your teammates where to move and where the jammer is. I've been able to be more communicative at work and in my relationships thanks to derby.

Do you have a favorite & a least favorite position? Can you elaborate?

My favorite position is being the jammer because the only focus is getting through the pack. My least favorite is probably being the brace because I get frazzled trying to direct everyone but it's a position I've been willing to be in more because I want to be better at it.

What do you do to get ready for a bout?

I like doing my makeup for the bouts and Fatal has braided my hair every time. I eat something light when we have our team lunch and I just try stop the nerves from getting to me

What advice would you give to someone thinking about playing derby?

To just go for it! Buy beginner skates and gear and join and if it's with VCDD we have recruitments for fresh meat and we'll teach you!

Finish this sentence: When I’m not playing derby, I am _____.

Hanging out with my cats or taking my dogs on a walk

Do you have a derby mentor?

I would say Stellar because she taught our freshmeat and gave me so many skate tips to practice. Also Sugar because she's given me a lot of advice on taking care of my ankle after I broke it cuz she's broken both of hers!

What keeps you motivated to keep playing when things get tough?

The sense of accomplishment after every practice. Also just wanting to get better I remember when I was stuck at home with my broken ankle and just thinking I didn't wanna quit because I wanted to keep improving

What’s your favorite part of skating with VCDD?

Just thinking about being able to skate with my friends, it's so much fun. Whenever we're at practice I find myself thinking I love this so much I'm so glad I found it. I'm so grateful to be a part of this team.

How did you pick your derby name?

I got really into sweet tea because of Lizzo's song called Water Me and one lyric says "Gimme that sweet tea, you think I'm playin" so I just went with that lol 

How did you pick your derby number? 

624 is Angel's number from Lilo and Stitch!

Any last bit of advice you'd like to give people??

Please watch Everything Everywhere All At Once