Before she was Buffy the Bitch Slayer, she was just.........Michelle.

It had been a rough couple of years: the birth of her first child, husband's back injury and subsequent loss of his job, giving up nursing her baby to go back to a job that she loathed, standing in line at the welfare office....She came out of it on the other side bruised and scarred but came out of it just the same.

While looking for a way to regain her individuality and confidence and connect with the world again, she ran across an ad in the Entertainer that said "Debut of Tri-Cities Roller Derby!" Really? Bad-ass bitches on skates? It was love at first sight. But she was nervous. Could she really knock other women down? She hadn't skated in years. But she had just been through a shit storm and survived, so with the encouragement of her husband she attended a BBQ where she met Miss Appropriate and ViolaTor. "We need a way to meet other women in the area! We need an outlet for the daily stresses of work and family!" "We need something FUN to do!" they we saying. It was like they were reading her mind! Could it really be that there were other women out there who felt as disconnected as her? Who didn't know where to meet people? Who were also so wrapped up in their families and their jobs that they had lost who they were?

And so the Atomic City Rollergirls were born. Buffy the Bitch Slayer was born. She met girls who were so different and yet so similar to her. She worked hard and she fell alot....both on the track and in her daily life. And even though she wasn't the best skater on the team, and she wasn't the best at making decisions for the league, her teammates were there supporting her and helping her when she needed it. They fought and laughed and cussed and cried together. But through it all, they tried to remember that they needed each other.

In a year and a half, she went from being Michelle: the depressed, over-weight, bitchy wife and mom; to being Buffy the Bitch Slayer: the confident, 20lbs lighter, still bitchy (but in a good feisty way not a mean and nasty way) wife, mom, and roller derby girl. She made friends she never would have otherwise. The skills that derby taught her made her better.


The moral of the story is: ACRG was created to be a bright spot during a dim day. It was created so that we, as women, could feel a unique pride in ourselves for doing something that many people don't have the "balls" to do. It is an open door to every woman of every size, shape, athletic ability, and personality. Remember when you are stressing out over drama, bout logistics, skating ability, or stinky pads: we get to skate, knock each other down, and be a part of something completely and utterly bad-ass.