Trisha Shireman admits to sending other girls flying into metal chairs and walls. She’s gotten some sizeable bruises and bloody scrapes in the line of duty. She’s watched her friends break bones and get their bones get broken. Her roller derby alias, “Shrewd Bury-more,” is definitely not shy on the track.
“I’ve been known to hit some ladies pretty hard on purpose,” Shireman said. “It’s a full contact sport.”
The junior accounting major has been a member of Muncie’s own Cornfed Derby Dames since February 2011. The Cornfed Derby Dames is a 23-member female roller derby team that practices out of Gibson Skating Arena on the southside of Muncie. This Sunday, the Dames will compete in their first home bout of the season against St. Louis’ Confluence Crush.
NAME OF THE GAME
Shireman’s dad helped her come up with her roller derby name. She said Drew Barrymore is one of her favorite actresses and that people have commented that she and Barrymore look alike, which led to the play on words. The star also directed and acted in the 2009 roller derby film “Whip It.”
“Derby names are pretty important, some people base their whole roller derby career on them,” Shireman said. “There’s a girl on the team named Juke Skyblocker because she loves Star Wars and another called Bobbi Pin because she’s a hairdresser. It tells a little bit about who you are.”
Coming from Martinsville, Ind., Shireman didn’t know anyone on campus her first year at Ball State. However, things changed when her English professor came into class lamenting a backache from derby practice the day before during her freshman year. Shireman, out of curiosity, accepted her invitation to a clinic, which is an open call-out meeting that consists of basic roller skate drills.
“I didn’t have any experience before that. I was only on roller skates once before when I was like seven,” she said. “It felt strange yet natural, and I’ve loved doing it ever since.”
Cornfed Derby Dames teammate Rachel Monroe, or “Annie Anthrax,” sees the transformation Shireman made from being “fresh meat.”
“I remember Trisha came in with a group of fresh meat a year or so ago,” Monroe said. “She was super quiet but after a while she came out of her shell and now she is one of my favorite people to skate and hang out with.”
Shireman said there are a lot of stereotypes about women involved with roller derby that include tattoos, crazy hair and piercings. However, she points out that the team consists of a lot of normal people like stay-at-home moms, retailers, hairdressers and students.
“When they hear I’m in roller derby people are like, ‘Wow, that’s badass.’” Shireman said. “Yeah, it is, but they think I’m going to beat people up. I guess I’m tough, but that’s just weird. I’m a nice person.”
THE DANGERS OF DERBY
Shireman plays jammer and blocker for the Cornfed Derby Dames. Shireman said the jammer is the one player on the team who can score game points. She scores points each time she passes the “pack,” which is made of four blockers from each team that skate around the track together. It is the blocker’s job to stop the other team’s jammer from lapping them and to help their jammer to through to score more points. Monroe said Shireman has the ability to do both positions well and also is known for her solid hits.
“It’s a quick-paced game where you have to switch from offense to defense in a manner of seconds while girls are trying to hit you,” Shireman said.
Shireman said before bouts she lays down and takes deep breaths to dispel pre-game nervousness. While winning is on her mind during games, she also tries to avoid getting injured. Because of the nature of the sport, damage is routine. Shireman said there were three broken bones last season, which she said isn’t too bad. This would include two broken ankles and a broken tibia and fibula, among other surface-level injuries.
“The idea of a broken bone freaks me out,” Shireman said.
Shireman said one person on Cornfed Derby Dames has to quit if she gets one more concussion after her previous six last season. Shireman’s “derby wife,” a term used between teammates who specially pair together for support, broke her ankle in a June bout and is still on crutches.
FAMILY MATTERS
Shireman, an only child, will be the first in her family to graduate college. She said that while her family is proud of her, they show constant concern for her on the derby track.
“My mom will always say things like, ‘Be careful,’ and, ‘You aren’t hitting people, are you?’” Shireman said. “I’ll post a picture of a game and my mom and grandma will see them and they’ll be like, ‘Why is that girl hitting you?’ I’ve had to explain how the game works three times to them.”
In a practice, Shireman is easy to spot through her wardrobe and use of force.
“On the team, Trisha is known for the fact that no matter what we do she always wears yoga pants. I’m not even sure if she owns regular pants,” Monroe said. “And I can tell you that you never want her to hit you. It hurts. A lot.”
Shireman will don her yoga pants and No. 55 jersey Sunday along with all of the Cornfed Derby Dames. The team will kick off the 2013 season at 4 p.m. in Gibson Skating Arena. Tickets are $5 for Ball State students or $8 pre-sale and $10 at the door for non-students.
