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Adrienne Michalek had been roller skating all her life, but for the past year it’s been more than recreational.
Michalek, a Glen Ellyn resident who grew up in Brookfield, is also known as Ruff McGruff of the Divas de las Muertas in the Aurora 88s roller derby league. She is just one of a growing number of suburban women participating in derby.
“I’d say we have around 60 girls at practice,” Michalek said. “We usually have a packed house.”
Tired of begging friends to go check out a derby bout (and tired of friends turning down the offer), Michalek decided to join and get a first-hand taste of what derby is all about. It was certainly different than the leisurely laps she took as a kid at the Lombard Roller Rink or at the now-defunct Lyons Roller Rink.
“I remember being afraid,” Michalek said of her first time out. “There were girls a lot bigger than me and I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to take a hit. I was afraid of what it would feel like to take the hit and what it would feel like doing down (to the floor).
“But it was just a couple of hits until it (the fear) was gone. I was pretty sturdy on my skates, and if you’re good and sturdy on your skates it’s hard to get knocked down.”
With the benefit of hindsight, Michalek said there’s really no reason for potential skaters to come in afraid.
“You don’t really need to know how to skate because the team you join will train you,” she said. “To join you just need determination.”
As a small and speedy lifelong skater, Michalek naturally fit in the role of jammer, the player who attempts to lap opposing skaters in order to score points for her team. She admits she doesn’t block very much, but she is one of the top jammers in the league.
“You have to be quick and agile, and I like speed,” she said. “I’m the second fastest skater in the league, but I’m working on being the fastest.”
One area where she has many of her fellow skaters beat is her nickname, Ruff McGruff. In a sport where participants sport creative names like Ivanna MakerCry, Insani-T Plea and Meg A. Hurts, Michalek’s on-track moniker combines fierce imagery that actually ties in nicely with her civilian self.
Adrienne Michalek had been roller skating all her life, but for the past year it’s been more than recreational.
Michalek, a Glen Ellyn resident who grew up in Brookfield, is also known as Ruff McGruff of the Divas de las Muertas in the Aurora 88s roller derby league. She is just one of a growing number of suburban women participating in derby.
“I’d say we have around 60 girls at practice,” Michalek said. “We usually have a packed house.”
Tired of begging friends to go check out a derby bout (and tired of friends turning down the offer), Michalek decided to join and get a first-hand taste of what derby is all about. It was certainly different than the leisurely laps she took as a kid at the Lombard Roller Rink or at the now-defunct Lyons Roller Rink.
“I remember being afraid,” Michalek said of her first time out. “There were girls a lot bigger than me and I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to take a hit. I was afraid of what it would feel like to take the hit and what it would feel like doing down (to the floor).
“But it was just a couple of hits until it (the fear) was gone. I was pretty sturdy on my skates, and if you’re good and sturdy on your skates it’s hard to get knocked down.”
With the benefit of hindsight, Michalek said there’s really no reason for potential skaters to come in afraid.
“You don’t really need to know how to skate because the team you join will train you,” she said. “To join you just need determination.”
As a small and speedy lifelong skater, Michalek naturally fit in the role of jammer, the player who attempts to lap opposing skaters in order to score points for her team. She admits she doesn’t block very much, but she is one of the top jammers in the league.
“You have to be quick and agile, and I like speed,” she said. “I’m the second fastest skater in the league, but I’m working on being the fastest.”
One area where she has many of her fellow skaters beat is her nickname, Ruff McGruff. In a sport where participants sport creative names like Ivanna MakerCry, Insani-T Plea and Meg A. Hurts, Michalek’s on-track moniker combines fierce imagery that actually ties in nicely with her civilian self.
“I wanted something with rough in there because I wanted to feel that way on the track,” she said. “I work in an animal emergency clinic and I wanted to include that somehow. My friend started calling me Ruff McGruff and it just seemed to stick.”
So far this season, Ruff McGruff and her Divas de las Muertas teammates have been taking a bite out of the competition. They won their most recent bout 74-62 to improve to 3-0, and they will attempt to cement their spot in the 88s league championship in April when they take on Hard Core Corruption in a 7 p.m. bout Feb. 12 at Aurora Skate Center.
Adrienne Michalek bio
Residence Glen Ellyn
Hometown Brookfield
Derby name Ruff McGruff
Jersey No. 24x7
Motto “Taking bites outta that pack”
