Shirley Sore

Q. What brought you to the Tilted Thunder Rail Birds?
After discovering roller derby on my birthday and picking up skates the next day, I followed the sage advice of Le Petite Mort to join PFM. I was followed into the parking lot by a new Rail Bird--my future derby wife, Killz 4 Thrillz--and persuaded to do Flight School. I immediately fell in love with the track and the league and the rest, as they say, is history.

Q. How did you come up with your name?
My formerly sedentary life didn't prepare me so well for derby. When I started, I iced my sore muscles daily and, when asked if an upcoming practice would make me sore, I had to reply, "Surely." Since then, I like to think it's evolved to me making others surely sore.

Q. What inspires you to kick butt like you do?
The amazing women on this league keep me accountable, my love for the sport keeps me driven, and my sense of confidence and identity keeps me in love with banked track roller derby.

Q. What is the best part about doing derby?
Banked track roller derby gives everyday people a superhero-style personality and experience, from the women who dare to play it to the fans that watch it.

Q. What advice would you give the new chicks?
Everyone always says don't compare yourself to others. I think that's nearly impossible (and examining how others do incredible things can be a valuable learning tool). What I think most women mean by that is don't get caught up in rushing to the next level. You need to be both mentally and physically prepared to take your derby game to the next step--each one requiring more dedication and commitment than the last. Love where you're at, love learning, and make small goals to become the derby star you want to be.

Q. What is your most embarrassing moment?
I live on the cusp of constant humiliation, but I'd say being dropped 15 feet on-stage while flying as Peter Pan in high school takes the cake.

Q. What do you do when you’re not skating?
I work for Xbox as an interaction designer, hang out my ref husband HAL 9000 and our animals (Gus, Cal, and Lulu), love on beer and food, vinyl heat-press anything and everything I can, and watch lots and lots of derby.

Q. What is your beverage of choice?
Beer, Vanilla Lattes, French 75s, and Arnold Palmers, please.

Q. If you could be an animal, what would you be?
Koala. They're cute, eat eucaplytus so they never have sinus infections, hang out in Australia, and basically enjoy the outdoors all day.

Q. And lastly, if you were caught in an elevator with the leading man or woman of your dreams, right now, what color underwear would they catch you in?
Black with pink and white (jammer) stars.