Denver Roller Dolls

April 2010: Andrea "Kendra Blood" Hill

This month's featured skater is Andrea "Kendra Blood" Hill, Co-captain of the Green Barrettes and one of the newest members of the Denver Roller Dolls all-star travel team, the Mile High Club. Kendra tried out for the Denver Roller Dolls in January 2009 and since then has accomplished numerous feats both for herself as a skater and for the league as a whole. In 2009, Kendra helped launch and run our new website, and she earned the coveted Rookie of the Year award at our annual Doll Ball awards ceremony. In 2010, she became Co-captain of her home team and the face and voice of the Denver Roller Dolls, representing our league in the public eye. Here we interview Kendra about her marathon-running, being a league leader, trying out for the league, and much more.

Tell us about your background in competitive sports.//

I was always reasonably athletic, but never got deeply involved in anything growing up. When I was 17, I was hit by a car walking across the street and broke my femur and my knee, but didn't worry too much about the long term implications, as I wasn't really into sports. Who would have expected that *ahem* 15 years later, I'd be a distance runner and skater! I took up running in 2001, completed my first marathon in 2004 and haven't looked back since. I've completed 28 marathons to date, but I wouldn't really consider that a 'competitive' sport because for me, it's more about personal achievement than competing against others.

What is playing roller derby like compared to running a marathon?//

They're complementary in some ways, but completely different in others. A marathon is about the long haul: holding back and pacing yourself. Roller derby is about those short sprints where you give your all for a limited period of time. But dodging and weaving other runners at the start of a race definitely reminds me of jamming (albeit less physical!)

What initially interested you about roller derby?//

I was living in Columbus Ohio when the Ohio Roller Girls were just getting started. I adored roller skating as a kid, and was really interested in this empowering, physical sport. I was worried it would be too dangerous for me, but I went to a bout and realized it didn't actually seem as rough as I'd been expecting. I considered trying out, but they required a mouthguard just to try out, and that simple fact scared me away! When I moved to Colorado in late 2008, though, I decided that roller derby would be a great way to meet some new people and expand my horizons.

You have held some top leadership roles in the league (Public Relations Head, Marketing Head, President). What are some of the challenges and excitements that you have faced?//

I'm one of those people who likes to give 110% to anything I get involved in. I love to know what's going on, and be able to help out where I can. Working on the Marketing and Public Relations side of the league, it's been extremely exciting to see how partnering with AEG and Kroenke Sports Enterprises has helped us. The increase in inquiries and interest about our league has been so super exciting and rewarding. I love being on the 'front lines', aware of what's going on and knowing that I can help make things happen!

What was it like to try out for the Denver Roller Dolls, and what were your first few months playing roller derby like?//

I actually tried out for another league in town first, and was accepted. However, I couldn't make their practice schedule so I decided to try out for the Denver Roller Dolls. Because I had already been accepted elsewhere, I was a bit less nervous at DRD tryouts. At my first tryouts, I didn't even know what cross-overs were, so they showed me, and then I'd gone to the rink a few times to practice. Then when I tried out for DRD, they said they don't even accept people who don't know how to do cross-overs, so I was relieved I'd had that previous experience to prepare. I loved roller derby right away. Practices were challenging but they were really well-structured to help the skaters improve on several different fronts. After a few months I underwent a skills assessment that lead me to be eligible to attend scrimmages and be drafted to a team. I was really happy to be drafted to the Green Barrettes for a few reasons. I'd seen our Mile High Club dominate at the Four Corner Feud tournament in February, and was totally in awe of the amazing talent of Julie "Angela Death" Adams, Tracy "Disco" Akers, Natalie "Vinyl Trax" Meagher, Vicky "Slick Vick" Cruz, and Deirdre "Boo Boo Radley" Sage (all Green Barrettes and Mile High Clubbers!). And, the Green Barrettes have the cutest uniforms. A month later, I did another skills assessment and was deemed eligible to bout. My first bout was in June, 2009.

You recently got onto the Mile High Club, our league's nationally-ranked all-star team. What has that experience been like?//

I'm really happy to have joined the Mile High Club because I respect and admire the skaters on the team. Beyond skill, the dedication and passion of the athletes really shows. I love the team-oriented approach. As one of the newest skaters, I'm definitely struggling with feeling like the weakest link but I know working with the team will really help me continue to develop and improve.

You won the Denver Roller Dolls Rookie of the Year award in 2009. What do you think helped make you the top rookie (athletic background, determination, attendance, etc.)?//

I think it was a lot of things: beyond the athletics, I was also in charge of our website and therefore had a keen sense of everything the league was involved in. I got integrated into the league reasonably quickly, despite being new. I think it was just all those things together.

Do you have any advice for new skaters?//

Make the most of it! When you come to practice, work hard. Ask questions so you can get better. Be respectful. Don't give up. Roller derby is more than just a sport. Being involved in all facets of it: bout production, marketing, finance, promotions means you can really feel ownership in something amazing. Yes, it's a lot of work, but what's rewarding that's not worth working for?

Read the rest of Andrea "Kendra Blood" Hill's bio here: http://www.denverrollerdolls.org/skaters/bio/kendra-blood