Crum works at the National Cancer Institute as a work force developer and skates under the name Crum N’Punishment with the Black-Eyed Suzies, a Rockville-based roller derby team in the Free State Roller Derby league. After three years of scrimmages, the team will take to the rink in November for their first bouts, the term for a derby match. What sets your team apart?
Our team was created more on the club team level. We accept skaters of all levels. We have people with years of derby experience and people who have never skated before. We try and keep roller derby accessible to people who might not be able to afford it, whether they don’t have the time or the financial resources.
What’s the process for getting a derby name?
Names are pretty unique in roller derby across the nation, no matter what team you’re playing on. My favorite name in roller derby is Peaches and Cruelty. She plays in D.C. There are a lot of great names. Some tend to be raunchy, some tend to be violent and some tend to be puns. D.C. roller derby girls tend to have names related to political figures, things like that.
How does someone start skating roller derby?
There are several skating rinks around the area and a lot of them hold open skate times in the evening. People who play derby and who want to play derby go to these times and meet. That’s one way to practice your skate skills. Coming to watch roller derby and as a spectator is another. The things that are important are having strength — building up strength early on in your quads and your core, and you have to be willing to take some hits and bruises.
What is the D.C. roller derby scene like?
It’s been growing over the last five or six years and there’s a wider variety of opportunities to play the sport for men and women.
— Amy Myers
