Category Archives: BAD Volunteer of the Month

Big League Chew is known to many derby friends by her lifelong nickname ‘Chewie.’ She has put in plenty of time officiating games in prior seasons, but this year she has been helping with event logistics! Chewie makes a Big League contribution both here at BAD and with another worthy program, Prison University Project, where she teaches math and science at San Quentin Prison. She draws inspiration for her volunteerism from her 100-year-old grandma, the matriarch of her family in Taiwan. For March, we'd like to recognize and thank Big League Chew for all she does!

Photo Credit: Mark Nockleby

If you have a derby name, what is it? What’s the story behind it? : I’ve been called “Chewie” since I was a child because it’s a play on my legal name. “Big League Chew” was suggested by a former housemate as a “formal” derby name.

How long have you been with BAD? What brought you to BAD? : I’ve been with BAD since 2010. I went to a game, thought it was awesome and sent some emails. The rest is history.

When you’re not supporting our league – what else do you enjoy doing?: I teach chemistry at local colleges and universities as a paying job. It’s very time consuming, but I enjoy it.

Aside from derby, my other significant hobby is teaching math and science at San Quentin Prison as an instructor for the Prison University Project. This semester, I’m a co-instructor for biology and I am teaching either algebra or geology over the summer.

Outside of those activities, I take yoga classes and I have a subscription to SF Ballet. I’m psyched for Frankenstein (choreographed by Liam Scarlett) next season.

What do you love about roller derby?: The community. It’s why I still help out with BAD, even after retiring from officiating.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment of 2016 (so far).: That feeling of success and achievement after we close a bout.

Your heroines in World history.
My 100-year old grandma. She studied English in college, lived through a number of wars and relocated to Taiwan after our family had to leave Shanghai during the Communist Revolution. To this day, she’ll randomly bring up Jane Austen or Shakespeare in conversation and sasses everybody in my family.

Your favorite food and drink.
I really miss my family’s cooking! It’s one of the downsides of living in California while they’re in Taiwan. My egg rolls will never compare to the my mom’s.

Your favorite heroes/heroines in fiction.
Lizzie Bennet from Pride and Prejudice

If you weren’t doing your current occupation, what would you want to do?
I would probably do something related to dancing or flexibility.

The NSOs, or Non Skating Officials, are the unsung heroes of roller derby. These diligent folks are the ones tracking points, keeping track of penalties and baby sitting the penalty box. Things can get chaotic with the constantly changing pace of the game and referees and NSOs communicating with each other across the track.

Micro Machine has been Head NSO for a little under a year, which makes her the mama bear for all the other NSOs. She has done an awesome job making sure her team is on point and in position from whistle to whistle. Machine has spent so many hours at scrimmages prepping her team for success. And it shows! Our bouts run so smoothly, with all the points and penalties accounted for. And somehow Machine is always smiling, no matter how stressful a scrimmage or bout might be. She is always there for her team to rely on and to ask for feedback.

Thank you Micro Machine for your hard work and dedication to our B.A.D. NSOs. If it’s not Micro Machine its not the real thing!

What is your name outside of derby?
Birth name: Christine de Mateo
For nearly 18 years (to date), my friends have called me “machine”
Co-workers call me “c.d.”

What do you do for non-derby work?
Monday-Friday I work for a home warranty company in the East Bay (official title: Business Process Analyst). I’ve worked with the company for nearly thirteen years. I’ve only had one other job in my lifetime. When I can snag the time and not be lazy, I work on creating: graphic art/illustrations, charcoal portraits, figurine sculpting… or I might snuggle with my corgi, Devo (if he’s not harassing me about playing frisbee).

How did you become involved with our league?
I started volunteering for BAD in February 2012… doing whatever volunteer work was needed at the games. A couple months later I joined the Officiating crew. I wanted to be more involved with the league, and I knew skating wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be.

How long have you been with us?
Volunteering since 2012. This will be my third season as a Non-Skating Official (NSO); less than a year as HNSO for the league.

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
Everything I do for the league: officiate, educate others in officiating, volunteer as a Bad Hand and a Track Star. Every bit of it is incredibly rewarding. I also love being able to see the skaters in action… watch them develop and mold into some of the finest athletes I’ve ever witnessed.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
Being able to carry the Head Non-Skating Official torch previously held by the amazing Dream Queen. I am the HNSO I am today because of her.

How did you come up with your derby name?
For about a year I was using my non-derby-life nickname “machine,” and decided to change it after knowing a referee also went by that derby name. The fact that I’m tiny made sense… I HAD to be “micro machine”!

If you had a superpower what would it be and would you use it for good or evil?
Healing powers. Imagine how useful that’d be! I’d just need to use it in an impartial way if it were on game day. I would hope, when used, this power would be seen as good versus evil.

Picture by Donalee

Rewind to April's BAD Volunteer of the Month!

The lifeblood of any sports league, the fuel that really keeps things pumping behind the scenes and helps our teams glitter with Gold, are the relationships we make and the sponsorship we receive through like-minded companies and individuals. Diana Caballero (Mama Hammer, to some) has been instrumental this season in helping BAD make some serious connections in the community.

Among her heroines are Rosa Parks, for her willingness to take a stand, and Roald Dahl’s sly genius Matilda, both role models that BAD can get behind! Thank you for giving us Jane Hammer and for all of your support, Diana.

Name one of your heroines from world history.  Ms. Rosa Parks because she stood up for her rights

What is your favorite food and drink? Ice Cream and Champagne

Name one of your favorite heroines from fiction. [Roald Dahl’s] Matilda is one of my favorite heroines because she embodies all of us with her passion for books; something I love about my daughter and her passion for reading.

If you weren’t doing your current occupation, what would you want to do? Interior Decorator

London Derriere has been with BAD for a little over a year and has quickly become an integral part of our referee family. London joined BAD with a lot of experience under her belt; she has refereed roller derby bouts and tournaments all over the world and is dedicated to furthering her knowledge of the game. One of the things we appreciate most about London is her ability to openly communicate with skaters and refs. She seems to be constantly smiling while still staying focused on the game or scrimmage at hand.

Thank you London! Your dedication to your ref crew and Bay Area derby is awesome!!
Love,
BAD

What do you do as a volunteer with BAD?
I am most often a skating official but hope to incorporate more NSOing as well.

Do you have a derby name?
London Derriere.

What do you do for non-derby work?
I am an adjunct professor of English at Brandman University in Walnut Creek, teaching writing, rhetoric, and literature. I also just joined Lanesplitter Pizza as a server, so feel free to come hang out on Friday nights.

How did you become involved with our league? How long have you been with us?
Prior to June 2013, I was an official with Roller Girls of the Apocalypse (RGA) in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and spent three years traveling Europe to officiate bouts and scrimmages. I moved to California and transferred to BAD last year.

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
I enjoy the challenge of officiating some of the best skaters in derby every week. The past year has been an amazing year of growth for me, and I love that every week I learn more about the game and how my role as a skating official facilitates the skaters’ ability to play the game. I am incredibly honored to represent BAD both on and off the track and take that role very seriously. The BAD officials, skaters, and volunteers have made me better, and I look forward to the continued growth of the sport and this league and my place in both.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
Just prior to relocating to California, I was selected as a jam referee for the first sanctioned tournament in Europe:  2013: A Skate Odyssey. Honestly, I didn’t think I would get selected and I was already looking to book flights to return to the states. I actually cried when I saw the email, and then I promptly succumbed to nausea when I realized that my first major tournament and final game in Europe would be sanctioned and streamed online. That weekend, with the support of some amazing officials and mentors, not only helped me overcome my self-doubt about my abilities, but also recognize that our greatest moments of growth come from facing our greatest fears and challenges.

For February, we'd like to recognize a volunteer who is our silent guardian and watchful protector (of stats). BAD's very own Kate Crüsader. She is a precious gem of a volunteer who dedicates time throughout the week and during bouts as one of a like-minded team of hero-officials who refer to themselves as the ‘N-S-Os’. We suspect this may stand for ‘Network of Supreme Omniscients’ but the rest of the world interprets them as “Non-Skating Officials.” Her weapons of choice during a roller derby scrimmage or game are a pencil and clipboard’; she thrives as a pro interlocutor between what happens on the track and the stats that keep BAD on the map. Off the track she can be commonly found pumping iron and hanging out with her kitten. You know, standard superhero stuff.

Photo credit: Donalee Eiri of Photography by D.E.sign

Name: Kate Crüsader

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

My derby name is Kate Crüsader. My name was given to me by a friend one night while watching the Dark Knight. I have always wanted to be a superhero and my nephews think my name is pretty cool.

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

This is my 4th season with BAD. My friend Edith Shred (retired ShEvil skater) convinced me to check out Reckless Rollers. She went to my first practice with me. I found my derby tribe when Dream Queen (the Head Non-Skating Official at the time and a fellow Reckless skater) convinced me to give NSOing a try.

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

I love to sew, collect creepy art and skulls, skate outdoors, watch horror movies, lift weights (who knew?) and hang out with my family, friends and kitten.

What do you love about roller derby?:

I love the amazing people that have come into my life because of derby. There are people who I would have probably never met if it hadn’t been for derby, including my beautiful partner and one of my very best friends.

The game itself continues to inspire me. I may not be a skater but I am inspired every time I see what my league mates accomplish on the track, off the track, behind the scenes.
You have never met a more dedicated group of people than derby lovers.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment of 2016 (so far).:

Walking into Craneway Pavilion on Feb 27th to kick off the 2016 BAD Season for a full day of officiating derby. The calm before the storm, the beauty of the location and the anticipation of the games in front of you. There is nothing quite like it.

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.:

Fate whispers to the warrior
You cannot withstand this storm
And the warrior whispers back
I am the storm
– Author Unknown

As a non-profit, the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls rely heavily on sponsorship to create the awesome experience that is a B.A.D. roller derby game. Betty Clock Her is our current Sponsorship Manager which means she is responsible for spearheading our current sponsorship projects and managing the sponsorship team. She is also part of our amazing NSO (Non-Skating Official) crew which diligently tracks the points and penalties for our skaters at bouts and scrimmages. In only her second season with B.A.D., Betty has become such an important part of our league and we thank her so much.

What do you do as a volunteer with B.A.D.?
I’m a part of our officiating crew and the Sponsorship Manager for the league.

Do you have a derby name?
Betty Clock Her.

What do you do for non-derby work?
I work in marketing in the video games industry. I’m kinda a nerd, like, a really big gaming nerd.

How did you become involved with our league? How long have you been with us?
I was a bit of stalker on the Reckless Rollers Google Group for about a year. Then I learned to skate in thePre-Rec class in 2013. I became an official because I’m apparently really good at fracturing my bones and I really wanted to get a better understanding of the game (and, you know, more broken bones).

Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
Everyone involved in B.A.D. is extremely supportive, confident, and friendly. It’s awesome that someone like me who hadn’t been skating since they were 8 could suddenly be taken in to such a great group of gals (and guys!)–that’s what I love about it most.

Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
I would say I’m most proud of taking our league and the Sponsorship Committee to larger sponsors (to be named later!) as well as helping launch our IndieGoGo campaign to find a new home (which, P.S., if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should).

If you had one super power what would it be? Would you use it for good or evil?
I’d love the ability to stop time. I’m not really a good or evil kinda person, but let’s go with chaotic neutral.

Yeah, we're still catching up on giving recognition to these rad folks. From August 2015 . . .

Easy Mode was bestowed with his derby name after perfecting his track setup technique while volunteering at BAD games — something he has done consistently since 2013. You’ll find him in the stands at just about every game flashing his enthusiastic smile and chatting up his neighbors about the idiosyncrasies of roller derby strategy. When asked for an inspirational quote, he replied “Carthago delenda est!” We’re not sure why he wants Carthage destroyed, but we are sure that we’re totally inspired to have such rad volunteers. Et tu, Easy Mode?

Photo credit: Shannon Woods

Name: Matthew “Easy Mode” Pecot

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

Easy Mode. It took a while for one to stick, about two years I think. I was Amazing Alfredo at Great America for two summers (“Guess your age, weight, or the month you were born!”), but it wasn’t until this season that someone came up with Easy Mode. I’d been helping set up the apex, I think I’d printed out my Excel map at that point, and someone mentioned that it was going really smoothly. Almost like playing on Easy Mode.

Like In-N-Out, the potential for innuendo is just a plus.

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

Just over two years. A friend of mine had come over from [Silicon Valley Roller Girls], and I’d gotten the derby bug watching her play there, finding ways to help with teardown when I could. I followed her to B.A.D, just in time for the second-to-last bout of 2013, at the Oakland Convention Center, I think it was.

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

I’m a gamer, which makes sense because that’s my industry, and I’m also a big reader and a wannabe writer. My housemate and I are starting a comics podcast soon, so I live smack in the center of the Geeklands.

If scene tourism is a thing, I definitely do that. Every time I go out to drink with devs, or go to see The Birthday Massacre and Combichrist, I spend the next fifteen hours convinced those are the people and activities I’ll spend the rest of my life with. Warning: Contains dangerous amounts of enthusiasm.

What do you love about roller derby?

Three key things:

– The accessibility of the culture. When I wanted to get involved in roller derby, I volunteered; when I wanted to talk strategy, the other spectators were just as enthusiastic and ready to talk; when I thought the derby girls themselves were awesome, they invited us all to the afterparty.

– I love the rules set, and how much it’s willing to change. Baseball and football, even basketball, are calcified in some ways. I hate the last minute on the clock of an NBA game, and they’re never going to change it drastically, they might just make minor changes. When minor penalties made the game worse, derby threw them out.

– Derby ain’t perfect, but it’s a much safer space than most for women, LGBTQIA, and PoC folks. That’s a culture that I want to support, be a part of, and try to replicate pieces of in the other spaces I live in.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment from 2015.

This might be cheating, but I loved talking about the 2014 Championships and that final play. There’s something about shared memories and giant moments in sports that give everything that comes after it so much emotional weight. Whatever your opinion on that play, it was definitely worthy of talking about over and over again.

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.

“Carthago delenda est.”

Hey, I said I was a geek.

Our notable BAD Volunteer of the Month from September 2015? Dedicated former skater and volunteer, Julie Noted. No stranger to derby, Julie joined BAD from the Denver Roller Dolls participating in BAD as a Reckless Roller, Pool skater, and volunteer. From helping with the Skater Tots program (an initiative designed to teach kids in Richmond schools roller skating basics) to assisting with BAD’s Merchandise division, Julie provides the league with quality help and stuns us with enviable turquoise-cerulean locks.

Name: Julie Noted

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

My derby name is Julie Noted, like “duly noted.” I like the phrase and my real first name happens to sound a lot like “duly.”

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

I used to be a skater with Denver Roller Derby, but moved to the Bay Area in 2013 to be with my then-boyfriend. I skated with the rec league, the Reckless Rollers, before trying out in December of that year. I had seen BAD skate against Denver before, so I knew that they were a really strong, competitive league.

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

I’m taking prerequisites for nursing school, and I’m loving my anatomy class. My other interests include, but are not limited to: reading, cats, dabbling in amateur makeup artistry, pencils, fountain pens, stationery, unicorns, bowling, video games, board games, and Jeopardy!

What do you love about roller derby?

It’s such a diverse community and such a dynamic sport that many people find something in it that resonates with them. It changes their lives. My favorite thing is introducing people to the sport and making them into new fans. Last year, I helped Taxi Scab run roller derby classes for her elementary school students. They got physical education and got to learn all about a whole new sport! Another way I spread the derby love is at work–I’m a bookseller at Pegasus Books in Oakland, and “Roller Girl” by Victoria Jamieson is one of the things I often recommend.  

Share your favorite derby memory/moment from 2015.

I went to the Big O Tournament to sell merchandise for the league in May. It was a lot of work, but I got to watch the travel team and see skaters from all over the world in one building. I also got to spend quality time with Bella Bomber!

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.

Oh but I have two favorites!

“Get action. Do things. Be sane. Don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody.” – Theodore Roosevelt (one of my favorite historical figures)

“You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyoncé.” – Unknown

For July, we had two volunteers of the month voted in by our league members! First up . . .

You may have noticed many of our pictures credited to IGP Photo. Stunning images, taken by none other than Adina Butler, have graced the BAD website, posters, programs, and social media numerous times. She has an eye to capture priceless derby moments on and off the track and has been supporting BAD as a photographer, fan, and friend for years.

Photo credit: Unknown (from Adina’s phone)

Name: Adina Butler

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

I just wrapped up my 6th season with B.A.D. at the WFTDA Championship Tournament in St. Paul, MN.

Many years ago, a friend on a photography forum showed off some pics he’d taken at a Windy City bout. I thought they were so cool! About a year after that, I saw a flyer for a BAD bout at the Craneway Pavilion. I decided to go check it out; with my camera in hand, course. I think I got like 3-4 usable shots but I was so stoked I shared them with the league. A month later and i’m on the road to Paso Robles for the 2010 Big One tournament and Jane Hammer asks me if I want to shoot the rest of the season. And now, here we are.

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

I’m a trained chef, so when I’m not focusing my energy on photography i’m whipping up something crazy/dangerous in the kitchen.  In addition to being a chef, I’m an amateur track cyclist at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose. Track cycling is a bit like roller derby; I go fast, turn left and have to deal with blockers and large packs.

What do you love about roller derby?

What’s not to love about roller derby? I love how inclusive and progressive roller derby is. Whatever your skill set, there’s a way you can contribute and be involved.

Share your favorite derby memory/moment from 2015.

Ugh, so many memories and moments! Watching the growth of the new additions to the All-Stars roster was definitely one of my favorite things this year. Especially seeing Frightmare, Fluezy and Skrappie absolutely kill it at Champs.

Share one of your favorite motivational quotes with us.

It doesn’t matter if you get it wrong, as long as you care enough to get it right.