Crash! Bang! BOOM!! It’s M-Eighty HD!!

Nickname: Boom
Number: B00M
Position: Blocker, Jammer
Rookie Year: 2011
Teams:
Skate Free or Die All-Stars – 2012
Nightmares on Elm Street – 2011-2012 (Trainer, 2012)
Queen City Cherry Bombs – 2011

You are all over NHRD!  A trainer for the Nightmares.  Skating for multiple teams (SFOD All-Stars and the Nightmares).  You were a Cherry Bomb in 2011.  Is it different playing for a Home vs. Travel Team? 
It’s definitely different.  Skating for SFOD is a new challenge for me.  I am constantly trying to process a ton of new information.  This is only my second year skating, and truly, my first year understanding team strategy.  Year one, I just wanted to knock people down.  Year two, I still wanna knock people down, but that’s not my only job.  The great thing about skating on a travel team is the opportunity to bout against skaters outside of my league.  That’s huge in terms of learning.  I used to be scared at the thought of playing on a travel team, now I can’t get enough of it.  In case you did not know, SFOD just came back from ECDX 2012.  We killed it!  Went up against 2 teams ranked much higher than us and brought home both wins!!!

How did you get involved in training?  What kind of stuff do you do?  
I have no idea how I became a trainer for the Nightmares on Elm Street!  Well, I do, I just never imagined myself as a team trainer.  I barely had one derby year under my belt when one of my teammates encouraged me to run in our team election.  Skating for SFOD made creating practice plans easy for The Nightmares.  SFOD has some amazing coaches, new to NHRD this year, who provide us with challenging skills and strategies.  Re-teaching these skills and strategies helps me retain this information even more and at the same time brings a higher level of competition to my home team.  This trickle-down-effect is actually having a huge impact on all of the teams with NHRD.

You primarily play Blocker.  Is that the position you’re most comfortable with?
Oh yeah.  Absolutely.  When someone tells you that you have an amazing ass during a bout (Thank you, Tank) you kind of have to believe it.  I really like to hold back the jammer and watch her struggle.  That sounds mean, but that’s what a blocker does!!!

How did you find Roller Derby?  Besides getting to skate fast and push people around, what attracted you about the sport?  Do you come from a sports background? 
I found roller derby in a parade.  Honk Festival, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. 2007? 2008, maybe? Grabbed a flyer, went to a bout and knew right away that this full contact sport was for me.  I played hockey and softball in my teens and 20′s, but never felt like I was really good at either one of them.  I can’t say I was great at roller derby when I started either, but I put so much time into it, that there is no other option but to improve.

You work in the veterinary field.  That takes a lot of patience, love, and nurturing.  Qualities that aren’t so different from derby – do you agree?
Haha!  Oddly enough, I do agree!  I’m not into mushy emotional stuff, but I do care about people.  I want everyone to get along and be friends.  There are a lot of personalities in derby.  Sometimes it’s hard to understand all of them, but I do care unconditionally for everyone involved with the league.  I like to think that people are generally good and that most misunderstandings are due to poor communication.  I’m not going to write you off because you pissed me off.  I will let you know you pissed me off and then I’m over it.

M-Eighty HD.  Very explosive name.  Does that refer to your skating style?  Personality?  What?
I really wanted my derby name to reflect me personally, the type of derby player I wanted to be, and it absolutely had to come together nicely with my number (B00M).  M-Eighty HD has a dual meaning.  If you take away the HD, you have M-Eighty.  Explosive!  Blowing up! Big hits! Boom! Right?  Well, if you take away the M, all that is left is the Eighty HD.  If you sound that out, you get… Oh look!  A shiny object!

Anything you want to share about yourself that you think we should know? 
In no particular order: I want to be on America’s Best Dance Crew.  Animals are my friends.  I don’t eat my friends.  I have a crush on Pitbull.  Mr. Worldwide.  I have the best German Shepherd Dog ever!  We came home 2-0 from ECDX!!!!!  The LadyBros are cool. I love my mom and am grateful for all she has ever done for me.

A million thank yous for letting me feature you on the blog.  I know I’m supposed to be impartial, but you are easily one of my most favorite people. Your beautiful spirit always does my heart good!! (I’m sure the rest of the league will agree!  And you are one heck of a snazzy dancer!)