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By: Bryan Mcwilliam aka Killman
During the weekend of Aug 4-5 the North American Qualifier of the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) will take place in Fitchburg, MA to help determine the competitors in the organization’s championship playoff finals in Portland, OR from Oct 12-14.
The event, which is set to take place at the Wallace Civic Center on the grounds of Fitchburg State University, will be hosted by MRDA member and playoff contender, the Mass Maelstrom.
Eight teams will vie for a championship bid.
Leading into the event the MRDA will take an inside look at some of the attending teams to learn more about members from its squad.
Today, we speak with skaters CARR BOMB and Skateman Spiff of Race City Rebels, the No. 6 seed at the NAQ qualifier.
CARR BOMB, a blocker and pivot with Race City skates under No. 52. He’s been playing derby for 9 years, all with the Rebels.
Spiff, a blocker and occasional pivot, who wears No. 79, has been with Race City for 4.5 years and has also spent his entire derby skating career with them.
Killman: Are you excited about playoffs? Tell me what being at playoffs means to you?
CARR BOMB: I’m excited to see where we stand among the rest of the teams there. We have some newer skaters on the roster this season and it will be a great experience for them. Playoff/tournament derby always brings out the best in Race City.
Skateman Spiff: Honestly, I’m salivating at the chance to play Denver again. We matched up against them in Vancouver last year and Race City came out on top in what was a really fun game. There was a lot of drama about the most recent rankings that I don’t really care about. I just want to play another fun game against a tough opponent and see where how we match up this year.
K: What would it mean for you to come out of this event as a qualifying team for champs?
CB: That would be a huge and unexpected accomplishment. We didn’t expect to qualify for champs last season, but we did. So I guess it would mean something magical happened at playoffs again.
SS: In 2017, the Rebels qualified for champs in Wales, but we weren’t able to commit to the travel expense. Our team lost a lot of skaters compared to the roster we had in Vancouver last year. Despite our roster changes, we’ve remained competitive. To qualify again would be a huge team accomplishment that we would celebrate.
K: Is there anyone you look up to on your team or in the sport of roller derby?
SS: Too many to name. Sir Nixalot, now with the Gatekeepers, was a huge influence on me when he was still skating in Indy and taught me a lot. Punky Bruiser is another teammate I really admire. She aged out of JRDA, joined Race City (even though there are two women’s leagues in Indianapolis as well). She is one of our co-captains in 2018. Her drive is awe inspiring.
K: If you could be one Marvel superhero, who would it be and why?
SS: Hulk. Without being too much of a bummer, certain aspects of my family situation were difficult to deal with as a kid which left me with a fair amount of anger. “That’s my secret, I’m always angry.” I’ve just learned how to use that anger to fuel my desires.
K: If you were asked to travel back in time and play in Rollerjam, would you? If yes, what would be the attraction?
CB: Nope. I’ve never been a fan of WWE wrestling and I have zero interest in being in a skating version of it.
SS: Not even a little interested in that cheese.
K: Do you have a favorite dad joke?
CB: The cemetery is a popular place. Everyone is dying to get in. My own dad has told this joke way too many times.
SS: What’s brown and sticky? A stick.
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