Mindiannapolis500 has been an integral part of the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls almost since its inception. She was a skater from 2004-2007 and has coached ever since. Since her retirement as a skater, Mindi has also served in several leader ship roles and is constantly going above and beyond to help make BAD better. One of her more recent projects was the creation of our Reckless Rollers program. Now skaters who have never skated, or haven’t skated sine their rink rat days, can learn basic – intermediate skills and ready themselves for BAD tryouts. The break down of skills and techniques makes roller derby easy to understand and her practices are always so much fun. We are so lucky to have you Mindi!!
What is your name outside of derby?
Mindi Ann
What do you do for non-derby work?
I count different things then staple things to other things after I add up what I counted. Some times I just sort things and put rubber bands around them.
How did you become involved with our league? How long have you been with us?
I started as a skater with BAD in December of 2004. I saw a copied hand written note that skaters were needed for derby at my local bar. I showed up at my first practice, back when it was a 10PM start time at the Bladium, where we used to practice. If you had skates and could roll, you were in! I have been retired from skating since 2007 and have been coaching full time since.
Do you have a favorite part of being involved with BAD or derby in general?
I love to watch the progress of our skaters, not only as athletes, but as people in general. A lot of our skaters start derby when things in their personal life are amok. The confidence and strength that builds from inside and out is amazing to watch. Derby really does save some souls. The game has evolved into such a beautiful sport to watch and i’m proud to be a member of a league that is so cohesive, cooperative, smart and directed.
Do you have a favorite derby moment or one thing you are most proud of?
I have run a lot of beginner boot camps over the years and I love to watch skaters go from barely being able to stop, to being a Travel Team All-Star. I feel good knowing that I got a chance to be a part of their beginnings. Every new “Bambi” that comes to one of my classes could be our next All Star. I always try to remember that! Not everyone starts off amazing and the work and perseverance of some of our skaters is awesome.
How did you come up with your derby name?
I used to use the ID “Indiann” when I first started playing with online social networking. One of my online buddies, suggested mindiannapolis500 and it just seemed perfect. When I was skating, I sometimes used Panic Attack, but that was more or less due to my unfortunate anxiety over traveling! No, I don’t like NASCAR.
If you had a superpower what would it be and would you use it for good or evil?
I think superpowers are overrated. I’d rather be super smart, or super funny. I’d find that more useful than leaping tall buildings.