Category Archives: BAD Volunteer of the Month

Chewie has been officiating roller derby and supporting BAD in various other volunteer roles since 2010. Her teaching experience in her professional life has brought her a generous helping of both patience and poise to the derby track, along with a studious understanding of the rules. While she is hanging up her stripes for the time being and will be sorely missed at game time, BAD is thankful for Chewie's continued contributions to the league with the Events and PR committees and super proud of her work with the Prison University Project.

Photo credit: Michael Dunn

Name: Big League Chew

If you have a derby name, what is it & what’s the story behind it?

I’ve been called “Chewie” since I was in middle school due to my last name and first initial (Chu, E.) When I joined roller derby, I wanted a more “formal” derby name since I figured Chewie was a common nickname. My housemate at the time liked making new puns on my name and “Big League Chew” stuck.

How long have you been with Bay Area Derby? What brought you to BAD?

I officiated with BAD for five years as both a skating referee and non-skating official (NSO). I just retired, but I am staying around to help out with tasks and projects to keep the league running.

I came to BAD after I went to a bout in 2010, decided to give this roller derby thing a shot, sent a few emails to BAD and showed up.

When you’re not supporting our league – what else do you enjoy doing?

My paying occupation is teaching general chemistry at local universities and colleges as an adjunct instructor. Despite how tiring it is, I really enjoy it and I hope to one day be a full-time instructor.

The main reason I retired from officiating recently was to devote more time to teaching math and biology at San Quentin Prison as a volunteer instructor for the Prison University Project. It’s one of the few programs in the US in which incarcerated individuals have opportunities to take in-person college credit classes. Many go on to earn their Associate Degrees, even while still in incarcerated.

Outside of teaching, I take yoga classes, I’ve started running and I have a subscription to the San Francisco Ballet. I’m really excited for Swan Lake and Coppelia this season.

What do you love about roller derby?

The community! That’s why I’m staying around to help out, even with my crazy schedule.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment from 2015.

I decided to step up and take on new and challenging tasks for the league. I’ve learned to be more effective at communication and organization.

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.

I’m not really into motivational quotes. Currently, “Live in the Present” is in my head, but I blame yoga for that.

Mindiannapolis500 has been an integral part of the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls almost since its inception. She was a skater from 2004-2007 and has coached ever since. Since her retirement as a skater, Mindi has also served in several leader ship roles and is constantly going above and beyond to help make BAD better. One of her more recent projects was the creation of our Reckless Rollers program. Now skaters who have never skated, or haven’t skated sine their rink rat days, can learn basic – intermediate skills and ready themselves for BAD tryouts. The break down of skills and techniques makes roller derby easy to understand and her practices are always so much fun. We are so lucky to have you Mindi!!

What is your name outside of derby?
Mindi Ann

What do you do for non-derby work?
I count different things then staple things to other things after I add up what I counted. Some times I just sort things and put rubber bands around them.

How did you become involved with our league? How long have you been with us?
I started as a skater with BAD in December of 2004. I saw a copied hand written note that skaters were needed for derby at my local bar. I showed up at my first practice, back when it was a 10PM start time at the Bladium, where we used to practice. If you had skates and could roll, you were in! I have been retired from skating since 2007 and have been coaching full time since.

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
I love to watch the progress of our skaters, not only as athletes, but as people in general. A lot of our skaters start derby when things in their personal life are amok. The confidence and strength that builds from inside and out is amazing to watch. Derby really does save some souls. The game has evolved into such a beautiful sport to watch and i’m proud to be a member of a league that is so cohesive, cooperative, smart and directed.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
I have run a lot of beginner boot camps over the years and I love to watch skaters go from barely being able to stop, to being a Travel Team All-Star. I feel good knowing that I got a chance to be a part of their beginnings. Every new “Bambi” that comes to one of my classes could be our next All Star. I always try to remember that! Not everyone starts off amazing and the work and perseverance of some of our skaters is awesome.

How did you come up with your derby name?
I used to use the ID “Indiann” when I first started playing with online social networking. One of my online buddies, suggested mindiannapolis500 and it just seemed perfect. When I was skating, I sometimes used Panic Attack, but that was more or less due to my unfortunate anxiety over traveling! No, I don’t like NASCAR.

If you had a superpower what would it be and would you use it for good or evil?
I think superpowers are overrated. I’d rather be super smart, or super funny. I’d find that more useful than leaping tall buildings.

Danny, or Cisco, immediately acclimated to the culture of roller derby and has been an amazing help to our league since day one. Need a truck? He has one. Want an extra pair of hands? No problem. An amazing attitude and warm smile? He's got that in spades. Continue reading →

It is only her first year volunteering, but Danny Martines has quickly learned the ins and outs of what it means to be a B.A.D. Volunteer. Sometimes it takes a while for volunteers to learn the ropes, but for Martine roller derby was love at first sight. We are so grateful that she has jumped in with both feet and gives her all to NSOing, helping load and unload our truck and is amazing in times of need. Thank you Danny for loving derby as much as we do!

What is your name outside of derby?
Danny Martines

What do you do for non-derby work?
I am an Elevator Mechanic. I work for ThyssenKrupp Elevator.

How did you become involved with our league?
I was introduced to the wonderful world of Roller Derby by a friend, and fell in love with the sport immediately.

How long have you been with us?
This is my first season with B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls

What do you do when you volunteer with us?
I do whatever is needed, ie. load/unload the truck in preparation for bouts, being a part of our awesome Track Stars, and NSOing with the best crew around!!

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
I like it all… Volunteering, NSO’ing, the camaraderie, and learning how to skate.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
Being able to help this awesome league makes me very proud. My favorite moment was Penalty Box Timing for the June 15th double header. It was my first bout officiating.

How did you come up with your derby name?
I am currently using my last name but I am open for suggestions.

If you had a superpower what would it be and would you use it for good or evil?
Batman, because even though he has no superpowers, he can do incredible things.

Ranger stepped into a critical role his first season with BAD, joining the coaching staff of the Golden Girls All-Star team.  As a student of the sport, Ranger relishes the depth of strategy that roller derby provides, and brings that attitude to practice where his intensity is infectious. And when it comes to the big game, Ranger’s rock solid support on the bench helped laid the groundwork for his players to execute on the track. We recognize Ranger as Volunteer of the Month for November 2015.

Photo credit: IGP Photo

Name: Pink Ranger

If you have a derby name, what is it & what’s the story behind it?

My full derby name is Pink Ranger, which has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I served four tours overseas as an Army Ranger, which explains the Ranger part. The pink comes from the flamboyant outfits I would wear to Silicon Valley Roller Girls practices. And the coach at the time, Pandamonium, named me Pink Ranger

How long have you been with B.A.D.? What brought you to B.A.D.?

I just finished my first humbling, educational and amazing season with Bay Area Derby. I was introduced to derby about four years ago and began stalking B.A.D. immediately, I gained a lot of respect for B.A.D. as a league and once I was done with Silicon Valley Roller Girls it only made sense to inquire about coaching with all of these amazing people.

When you’re not supporting our league – what else do you enjoy doing?

I LOVE playing with my cats and hanging with my wonderful girlfriend Apryl-Joy Pascua. Complaining about technology and its effect on society, especially our youth, grabbing hold of every conspiracy there is and being a general curmudgeon.

What do you love about roller derby?

The game itself is incredibly organic, the situation on the track near fluid and the challenge the environment provides a coach is quite motivating. I know as a male amateur contact athlete my opportunities to compete after high school became seriously limited; contact sports for women are much more scarce. I respect the opportunity derby provides for the female warriors of our current society.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment from 2015.

My most memorable experience was beating Denver at Champs, quite gratifying beating a team who we had lost to previously. My favorite moments have been the feeling following a good practice, and experiencing the depths to which skaters are willing to push themselves. Practice is where the magic happens.

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we (tirelessly) chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

Shellcat is one of our very dedicated NSOs who recently became an official league member! She is totally dedicated to BAD and her NSO crew, showing up at scrimmages and games all over the Bay Area to hone her amazing NSO skills. For folks new to derby, NSO means Non Skating Officials. They are our awesome ladies and dudes you see sitting around the track and behind the penalty box. They do crucial things like track penalties and keep score. We love them and are so, so grateful for all their hard work. Thank you Shellcat!!

What is your name outside of derby?
Shelley

What do you do for non-derby work?
Data Analyst/Fraud Specialist

How did you become involved with our league? How long have you been with us?
I started out as a BAD fan, became a BAD volunteer on a very small scale (pouring beers at a few bouts) in 2010, took 2012 off to be a fan again and came back as a volunteer and NSO for the 2013 season.

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
I think the best part of being involved with BAD and with derby in general is the amazing people I have met over the last year. Derby truly is a family and our league boasts some of the best skaters, officials and volunteers in all of derby (IMHO), I am so very proud to be a part of it all and I am so grateful for the opportunity that being a BAD official has given me to travel and work with people from other leagues as well as forging friendships with people in our league.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
I recently passed the officials rules test to become a BAD league member, I was pretty darn proud of that! I am a new(er) official and leaping that hurdle actually meant a lot to me.

How did you come up with your derby name?
I came up with a short list and asked my friends on FB to vote. =)

If you had a superpower what would it be and would you use it for good or evil?
Telekinesis – I would use it for good (like laying down and picking up the track at our venues!)

Roller derby blood runs deep in the Coyote family. January’s Bad Volunteers of the Month are none other than Sandie and Emo Schuitema, aka, Mama and Papa Coyote. Starting off as awesome fans, this duo climbed the ranks to esteemed BAD volunteers. They helped our events committee with all aspects of bout set-up and tear-down for the past two years. Yea, that’s right, the floor doesn’t put itself down; it takes the time and effort of our amazing volunteer community to help us build our track and stock our venue for our fans. Read on to learn more about this awesome volunteer parental unit!

Photo Credit: Unknown – Picture Papa Coyote (Mama Coyote was too fast to be captured by mere mortal photography.)

Name(s): Sandie and Emo Schuitema

If you have a derby name, what is it & what’s the story behind it?

Vile E. Coyote is our daughter

How long have you been with BAD? What brought you to BAD?

Two years with our daughter

When you’re not supporting our league – what else do you enjoy doing?

Rebuilding antique clocks and classic muscle cars and riding my Harley.

What do you love about roller derby?

The camaraderie between all the girls and all the action.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment from 2015.

Berkeley Resistance winning the championship in 2015.

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.

“Just get in there and do it!”

These two (now three!) are always there at our bouts to put us back together again when we fall on the track, and we are so thankful to have them in our derby family!  We thank Nurse Gory and Dread Alert for being there for us and congratulate them on their baby!

What are your names outside of derby?
Melissa Gory and Julian Romero

What do you do for non-derby work?
We’re both psychiatric nurses and both teach in the field.

How did you become involved with our league? How long have you been with us?
We started working as NSO’s and medics years ago with Resurrection Roller Girls in Rohnert Park and heard that BAD needed medics last year for the Bay of Reckoning, so we sent off an email to volunteer – we were so excited to help out! We’ve been working (and getting the best seats in the house) all the bouts that we can since then!

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
As spectators, we are in absolute awe of the athleticism of the skaters. As nurses, it’s wonderful to be available to help, but such a welcome relief how infrequently we’re truly needed at the bouts and scrimmages! As parents (we recently had a little girl), we feel so honored to be a part of something that will empower our daughter to grow up strong, happy, and loved (this kid’s derby family is HUGE) and to create her own path.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
It may sound silly, but we’re both just so happy to be part of this amazing league – that’s what we’re proud of. The feeling of family, of community, is intense and we’ve felt so welcomed… When we were hospitalized with complications regarding our daughter’s birth, the outpouring of love and care we received from this league completely floored us – we are still glowing from it.
Outside of derby, of course, we’re most proud of our little derby girl! We can’t wait to get her on her first pair of skates! Cute kid, awesome family, athletic feats, strong and empowering people, having fun… how could that get better? Oh, Donna’s Tamales – duh!

How did you come up with your derby name?
Melissa’s (Nurse Gory) was a bit of a no-brainer… she’s a nurse, and her last name is Gory (she even considered specializing in wound care at one point!). Julian has had a couple of derby names, but Dread Alert has stuck. Naturally, their daughter has been called both “Minor Dread,” (we’re waiting to see if her hair comes back in in dreads), and “A Little Gory.”

If you had a superpower what would it be and would you use it for good or evil?
Dread says he’d like the power to fly, but only three feet off the ground – he just thinks that’d be really funny. Gory fantasizes about the powers of functioning well on no sleep, and the power of peripheral vision. As for using the superpowers for good or evil, well that’s a matter of perspective… What, you wanted a SERIOUS answer?

May’s BAD Volunteer of the Month is someone who has repeatedly brought joy to many thousands of roller derby fans over the seasons and who has also helped out this league in so many ways, it was only a matter of time until he became our most honored volunteer!

I’m speaking of course of DJ Old Derby Bastard, our intrepid and multi-talented DJ who is able to plunder the collective playlists of our souls and provide incomparable sets for each of our events. DJ ODB (or simply ODB as he is known to his inner circle) has spent many a weekend spinning the tunes for BAD Events: all of our home team doubleheaders, this year’s Treasure Island Exhibition and even Black and White Scrimmages.

Neil, also a Derby Widower, is the Chosen Life Partner of Oakland Outlaws blocker Bella Bomber. As such, he’s enjoyed the long road trips, arduous set ups, and contributing many volunteer hours all in the name of BAD and the success of roller derby. DJ ODB spins the records but mostly he makes the magic happen. And he’s always in the right place at the right tune!

Name: Old Derby Bastard

If you have a derby name, what is it? What’s the story behind it? Old Derby Bastard. Truer words hath never been spoken.

How long have you been with BAD? What brought you to BAD? I’ve been spectating bouts since 2007, when co-worker Lisa Lawless (originally from Rat City) was captain of the Oakland Outlaws. Then volunteering since 2009, mainly DJ-ing bouts, scrimmages and prom, but also sometimes NSO-ing.

What’s been your favorite team roll-out song thus far?  ShEvil completely cracked me up with “Activewear”. Richmond challenged me to make a medley remix of Boyz2Men’s “End of the Road” and “I’ll Make Love to You”, which I really enjoyed.  Berkeley seems to have a thing for Drake (actually Started From The Bottom last year, then won BAD champs). Oakland consistently picks rocking/thumping tracks that make you know that you are on Their Track.

When not volunteering with BAD what else do you enjoy doing? Hiking Mt Tam with an audiobook and a medicine ball, swimming, playing tennis, playing and designing analog games, making wine.

Your favorite true life hero or heroine? Bill Hicks and Richard Pryor.

Which musical artists inspire you? Too many to list, but hanging around the top are Swervedriver, Queens of the Stone Age, Bowie, Prince, TV on the Radio.

Best BAD DJ moment? Hitting play on “In Your Eyes” for London’s engagement proposal to Kate. 🙂

Your favorite poets or prose authors?

H. Auden (As I Walked Out One Evening), Andrew Marvell (To His Coy Mistress), e e cummings (i carry your heart with me, she being brand new), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Kubla Khan, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner), Dylan Thomas (Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night), David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas),
Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient).

Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin? Oatmeal Raisin.

Favorite film? Dazed and Confused, Ed Wood, Flash Gordon, English Patient, So I Married an Ax Murderer.

Historical event that really moved you? Rosa Parks’ Montgomery Bus Boycott

Favorite food, and Cocktail of choice? Seared Scallops. Rye Manhattan, Vodka Martini, or Copa Margarita.