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?