Not so delicate, and certainly deadly… it’s Ethel Lynn Oxide!

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!