Madame Scurrie of Skate Free or Die All-Stars gets out ahead of the pack as M-Eighty-HD, Emma Donnelly, and Pammy Decker hold River City’s jammer at ECDX 2012. Photo by Quick Draw Sports Photography.

Nickname:  Scurrie
Number: 1911
Position: Jammer, Blocker
Rookie Year: 2010
Teams:
Skate Free or Die All-Stars – 2011-2013
Seabrook Meltdowns – 2010-2011, 2013
Queen City Cherry Bombs – 2010

You came from an artistic skating background.  Can you talk a little bit about that and how you made the transition to derby skates (and skating?)      Artistic skating is as different from derby as can be. For those people out there that don’t know what it is, it’s basically ballroom dancing on skates [well the dance style of it – that’s what I did. There is also freestyle (jumps & spins) and figures (those big circles that are drawn in black on the floors of many skating rinks- you trace those)], and yes that comes with all the glitter and glamour and spray tan thrown in. I started skating at 5 years of age at a rink in Merrimack NH that was only 5 minutes from my parents’ house. I was introduced to the sport by two of my aunts who had artistic skated for years. I started in the tiny tot beginner classes on Saturday mornings with a bunch of other kids. I soon graduated to a different rink in Tyngsboro MA and private lessons. This continued for many more years when I finally ended my Artistic career skating at a rink in Milford MA and at that time I was 18 years old. By this age I had accomplished everything I had hoped I would in Artistic and so it was time for me to move on with my life and try a new path like Cosmetology school.

The Derby skates felt so strange in the beginning. With no ankle support and with out a tall heel I thought I would never be able to skate in them. When I first picked them up I attended a session on a Friday night at Roller Kingdom all by myself and just keep doing simple skating skills to get the feel of them. The biggest obstacle was actually the lower heel, I ended up loosing my balance and falling backwards several times. Then a few months later at a practice I thought it would be fun to bring in my Art skates and give those a try but when I put my feet in them they were the most uncomfortable things I’d worn in a long time. I didn’t even bother to lace them up. I grabbed my derby skates real quick and it felt like I was putting my favorite slippers on because they were so much more comfy, who knew.

The transition from Artistic skating to Derby Skating is anything but easy. I think it would have been a much smoother change if I had been a speed skater because of their posture and position they have to skate in or a roller hockey player that is used to being hit or checked. The only advantage to being an artistic skater is that I was comfortable on my skates, I had to learn to get low, I had to learn how to hit and be hit, I had to learn the game and all the rules. There were moments that I thought I would never be able to play this sport but I’ve put in the work and gotten better and my plan is to keep pushing myself to see what I can achieve.

I love being in the middle with the NSO’s and hearing people comment about your prowess on the track.  Wasn’t there something about skating on one foot backwards?  Do tell!!     HaHa, Ok here’s the story… It was the last bout of the year for SFOD in 2012. We were in Maine playing a closed-door bout against their A team the Port Authorities. We as a team were really looking forward to this rematch because the last time we played them at home they beat us by only 17 Points and if we beat them this time it would possibly help us to move up in our WFTDA ranking for the quarter.

The moment you are talking about happened coming out of turn 2. I was jamming and one of their blockers (their last blocker I had to pass to get out of the pack) was coming from the inside to lay a big hit on me to try and make me go out of bounds. I ended up counter blocking but the momentum I had going took me a bit off balance and all I could do to stay up was spin on one foot and then I ended up skating backwards out of the pack. There are times that I will pull out anything I can from my past just so I don’t end up on the floor. I hate to fall and I’m no help to my team if I’m on the floor!!

You are a hair stylist by day and a derby queen by night….  Do you think dealing with the public on such a personal level has given you insights in dealing with so many women on a league?    I don’t know if I’d call it insight but it has definitely helped me with picking my battles and communicating to get to the point of the problems or issues and to be able to come to a middle ground decision. When dealing with people, you have to remember that everyone has feelings, problems, and their own ideas about certain things and in life weather they are big or small, if you strive to treat each and every person you have to work with no matter if you agree on things or disagree, you should still always try to remember to show them kindness and respect because it makes for a happier easy working/life experience. There is something to be said about the “Golden Rule” It’s TRUE!!

Coaching the Meltdowns and being a prominent jammer for SFOD…the league has a lot of respect for you and it seems the feeling is mutual.  Someone (Trina!) described you as a “positive force”.  I love that!  Thoughts?   (Wow, what a way to make me blush;) It is true that I love this league very very much and I love the teams I’m involved with, I couldn’t imagine skating for anyone else. As for the “positive force”, all I can really say is that I do try to have a smile on my face when I show up for practice, leave my life problems at the door, try to attend as many league functions as possible despite my wonky work schedule and to always mind my manners at all Bouts weather they are at home or away. Please, don’t get me wrong I do have my moments of darkness and frustration but they are not often and thankfully over quick.

What would you like to accomplish (derby-wise or life wise!) in 2013?  What are your goals?  Derby-wise goals for 2013 are:

1. To be drafted to SFOD again
2. Become a more strategic jammer
3. Get good enough to block in bouts on occasion
4. Play in a regional tournament (this is a BIGGIE!!!)
5. Play a clean game (NO trips to the box)
6. Jam coach and help train the 2013 Seabrook Meltdowns
7. Help the Meltdowns win the Kennedy cup!!

Life-wise I’m pretty content. I have a house to call home and my bills are paid mostly on time. I recently made a career move to a new salon that is exactly the type of salon I have always wanted to work at and I couldn’t ask for more supportive co-workers (They are planning to be at all our home games and are ready to be the loudest people in JFK).

However, I do have one main life goal that seems to never change, it’s something that lots of people struggle with so it’s nice to know I’m not alone. It is to find a way to eat healthier on a more consistent basis. I’m not talking about a diet I can stick to but more of an eating regiment that can work with a busy life style. I really like my fast food, sweets and coffee but if I can find a way to eat less amounts of these and incorporate more fruits and veggies, protein and water into my daily life (and not just for 2 weeks at a time) it will not only benefit me in derby but help me to continue to live a long and happy life with my husband and son.

Do you plan on continuing to coach the home team(s)?  If so, what is the biggest skill/issue you would like develop?    Why yes I do. I have been asked to come back as one of the trainers for the Seabrook Meltdowns and do plan on returning as their Jam coach. I am planning to and will happily be a part of this team as long as they will have me. The Meltdowns have a special place in my heart because it was the first team I was drafted to when I was a freshie with NHRD.

I am not totally sure of the skills we’ll need to work on quite yet. I’ll know more when we see the final roster and how the new team flows together but I can tell you that it’ll start with some team bonding and trust exercises. I can’t tell you any more or I’d have to kill ya- J/K.

And finally, who is your favorite Charmed One?    That would be the oldest sister (in seasons 4-8) PIPER!!  She is quite a role model for any woman. She’s strong, witty, powerful and most of all, loves her family and will do anything she can to make sure they are protected and safe. Plus, she can kick a** by freezing and blowing stuff up!! What’s not to love there?J

Scurrie was recently voted one of New England’s MVPs of Derby!  Congrats Scurrie!  Trina Trioxin was right…you are a POSITIVE FORCE that we are all better for knowing! 

I have to start with the obvious… Ethel Lynn Oxide – how did you come up with the name and number?  (For the non-science geeks, Ethylene Oxide is a colorless flammable gas with a faintly sweet odor – or at least that’s what Wikipedia says!)
I’m actually not a science geek at all; unless it has to do with galaxies and Stephen Hawking, but I kind of sucked at chemistry… I can’t even bake!  I came up with the name because I wanted something that was lethal but in a subtle sense, and a poison seemed suitable. 800ppm (parts per million) is the point at which the gas becomes “Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health”. I also have a weird fascination with old lady names, so being called Ethel is pretty awesome.

You play on both a travel team (Skate Free or Die All-Stars) and a home team (Seabrook Meltdowns.)  That’s very time consuming with all of the practice time you have to put in between the two teams. Talk about your experiences on both teams; if the dynamics of a home team differ from a travel team; etc.
“Time consuming” is an understatement, haha!  But at some point I came to accept that derby is my life and I absolutely love it. I’m surrounded by a ton of really supportive and talented individuals both on and off the track.

There is definitely a different dynamic on the Meltdowns versus SFOD, but only based on what I feel my role is on both teams. While practicing with SFOD I’m honestly just trying to keep up, not let my teammates down and absorb anything and everything I can out of our practices. This isn’t to say that Meltdown practices are easy by any means, but on the Meltdowns there’s more of a balance between sharing the skills and experience I receive from SFOD with newer skaters, while also continuing to work on skills that I need to strengthen.

You play all positions: pivot; jammer; blocker.  Do you have a favorite?  Being a very tiny person, do you think this helps you in any position more than the others?
I really enjoy the variety of all of these positions. It’s like a derby-buffet! Blocking is awesome, particularly when people underestimate my size as a blocker and I know they’re coming for me.  BRING IT! Haha. No, really though, there is so much strategy in blocking and the teamwork and mind-reading associated with it can be tremendously rewarding.

Being a pivot is usually really fun, but making the wrong call can make you feel like you’re wearing a dunce cap instead of a stripe on your head.

I have a love/hate relationship with jamming and it will probably always make me want to pee myself, but the adrenaline junky in me loves it. I definitely want to improve my jamming skills and hopefully jam for SFOD at some point in my derby life.

My size has its benefits and disadvantages. I use to think that because I’m small I’d have to be a jammer, but this really isn’t the case. I’ve worked really hard at cross-training in order to build up some muscle and endurance, which has helped a lot with skating in general, but in all honesty I forget my size 99% of the time and just focus on what needs to be done.

When you skate it looks effortless.  Did you come from a skating background?
Hahaha, wow that’s news to me, but flattering… thank you! The last time I had put skates on prior to trying out for derby was sometime in middle school. The most I could ever do was skate forward and run into something bigger than me to stop, so no, no skating background.

Once I started training for derby I had a lot of help along the way, particularly from Dee-Stortion who introduced me to the sport and worked with me at open skates. Trina Trioxin and Slam I Am did a lot to help me out as well, as did so many other vets. It’s also amazing how much you can learn from watching and attempting to simulate others.

We have so many amazing women on the league with very different day lives from their derby life. Talk a little bit about what you do when you’re no on skates? What do you bring from your day job that benefits your derby “job”?
I’m a graphic designer during the day. I’ve done a few things here and there for derby (posters and such), most recently being the new logo for SFOD, which I was really honored and proud to be a part of. Other than my day job, I’m really into music. Not so much top 40s, unless Bam is around (she’s a bad influence). Lately I’ve been listening to a ton of post-punk/80s, some of it is so wonderfully ridiculous and it’s a blast to dance to.

You’ve been with NHRD since 2009 and have seen a lot of changes. Where do you see the league going in the future and what do you think your role will be?
I think this season is only the beginning of a major progression for NHRD. There was an immense amount of work that went into prepping for this season and many to thank for taking on these responsibilities. Additionally we have new coaches that have a tremendous amount of experience and skill to share with us. I’m not really sure what my role will be in the future, I think the best thing I can do is to remain open and flexible throughout it all and see what opportunities arise from it.

Your hair color is always a surprise. I think of it as your trademark. Have you always done the crazy colors? 
Haha, yeah I guess I have! I go back to black every now and then, but I get bored fairly easily and my hair is the first thing that suffers from my constant need for change. I never really realized how often I changed it up until I recently looked through photos a friend of mine took of me throughout the past decade – it seems I have a new hairstyle or color every six months or so.

And you said you were a boring person! NO WAY! Thank you for bringing your many talents (and hair colors) to NHRD. We <3 you!