Shirley Sore

How did you come up with your derby name and number?
When someone runs you ragged on the track, your muscles ache and body hurts the next day. I aim to be a skater that will make you Shirley Sore tomorrow. As for the number, I’m a former server (at a bar) and have had the pleasure of kicking out (86-ing) a customer or two…something I like reliving on the track.

Why did you join TTRB?
Joining Tilted Thunder (and banked track roller derby) was an opportunity for me to confront what I find most terrifying—embarrassment, failure, pain, imperfection, rejection, and wearing revealing clothes in public—while having fun and being a part of an amazing, empowered community of women that inspires me every day.

How long have you been skating?
I saw my first derby bout in late February 2011, bought my first pair of roller skates the next day, skated around my house for a month, and kicked it into high gear in April. Prior to that, I figure skated for a year or so in elementary school.

What derby related injuries, if any, have you had?
I landed on a kick rail during a scrimmage, bruising my chin and thigh, spraining my thumb, and bruising my sternum (causing mild heart attack-style pain for a few weeks).

How has derby improved your life?
Before roller derby, I was a workaholic trying to find my purpose in life through productivity. When I discovered derby, I rediscovered a huge part of me—creative, outrageous, funny, free-spirited, athletic, younger-at-heart—that I’d neglected to be successful at work for so long. Along with this sense of self, I became part of a community of like-minded women who inspire and support me to continue growing. Plus, I watch a lot less TV.

If you could give any advice to a new or interested skater, what would it be?
Don’t intimidate yourself into thinking you’re not strong/athletic/hardcore/insane enough to join derby. This is a game for anyone committed enough to play and improve.

What are your likes?
Octopii, bantering, my bed, peglegs, ambient music with intricate melodic phrasing, cartoon skulls, regretsy.com and thehairpin.com.

What are your dislikes?
Watching people get embarrassed on TV (or in a karaoke bar), Disney humor, the taste of liquid medicine.

What is your favorite movie?
It’s an epic battle between Amelie, Super Troopers, The Royal Tenenbaums, and A Muppet Christmas Carol.

If you could be anything other than human, what would you be?
An octopus. I could live in water all day and still be smart enough to open a jar.