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Downers Grove, IL —
Having very little knowledge of roller derby, Jenn Kuzmicki’s interest was sparked after reading a local newspaper article and taking a trip to see the Windy City Rollers at the UIC Pavilion.
Now the Downers Grove resident is getting a first-hand look at the growing phenomenon as a member of the DuPage Derby Dames.
A Montini High School alum, Kuzmicki graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in May with a double major in psychology and English. In between taking her finals and graduating last spring, she tried out and made the Derby Dames squad despite not having been on roller skates since she was 7. Now she’s known as JK Rowl Ya on the flat track.
“I roller-bladed a lot but never really was a roller skater,” said Kuzmicki, who played lacrosse at Montini for two years. “I don’t really care what people tell you but rental skates are awful; when I got my own pair, it was better. The first couple of weeks with rental skates was hard, I wasn’t a wall-holder necessarily but at the same time, I would see people zipping around and going backwards.
“Some of the girls had their skates for 20 years and I’m like, I’ve had mine for two days.”
Ample time on the rink has helped Kuzmicki get up to speed, with the team practicing twice a week.
“It is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time,” she said. “I’ve never really pushed myself this much — physically it is really rewarding. Monday we do drills and then Wednesday, that is the practice you want to go to where we play each other. We mix teams up and try out different things and strategies.”
In addition to the physical benefits, roller derby has introduced Kuzmicki, one of the youngest on the team, to a group of women she might never have met if she hadn’t decided to try out.
“I probably never would have crossed paths with most of these women,” said Kuzmicki, who is working as a baker as she contemplates going to graduate school. “I’m trying to pay off loans now and get back into the grad thing so this is one of the fun things I get to do. We all are coming from different backgrounds but they have my back and I have theirs.
Having very little knowledge of roller derby, Jenn Kuzmicki’s interest was sparked after reading a local newspaper article and taking a trip to see the Windy City Rollers at the UIC Pavilion.
Now the Downers Grove resident is getting a first-hand look at the growing phenomenon as a member of the DuPage Derby Dames.
A Montini High School alum, Kuzmicki graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in May with a double major in psychology and English. In between taking her finals and graduating last spring, she tried out and made the Derby Dames squad despite not having been on roller skates since she was 7. Now she’s known as JK Rowl Ya on the flat track.
“I roller-bladed a lot but never really was a roller skater,” said Kuzmicki, who played lacrosse at Montini for two years. “I don’t really care what people tell you but rental skates are awful; when I got my own pair, it was better. The first couple of weeks with rental skates was hard, I wasn’t a wall-holder necessarily but at the same time, I would see people zipping around and going backwards.
“Some of the girls had their skates for 20 years and I’m like, I’ve had mine for two days.”
Ample time on the rink has helped Kuzmicki get up to speed, with the team practicing twice a week.
“It is definitely one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time,” she said. “I’ve never really pushed myself this much — physically it is really rewarding. Monday we do drills and then Wednesday, that is the practice you want to go to where we play each other. We mix teams up and try out different things and strategies.”
In addition to the physical benefits, roller derby has introduced Kuzmicki, one of the youngest on the team, to a group of women she might never have met if she hadn’t decided to try out.
“I probably never would have crossed paths with most of these women,” said Kuzmicki, who is working as a baker as she contemplates going to graduate school. “I’m trying to pay off loans now and get back into the grad thing so this is one of the fun things I get to do. We all are coming from different backgrounds but they have my back and I have theirs.
“We can knock each other down and afterwards, we are all friends. It is pretty cool.”
Kuzmicki has competed in two bouts against opposing teams, the first in Carbondale against the Southern Illinois Roller Girls.
“I was very nervous,” she said. “They were really good and were letting us play them as more of a favor. They were really nice and welcoming and set an example of how I want to treat people when they come out and play us.
“It was definitely different from when we practice, there was a lot more pressure. But it really brought our team together and cemented my love for the sport.”
