2015 Draftees (Part 3): Devil Dollies

With the move to Riverworks this February, The Queen City Roller Girls are becoming a bright light on the Buffalo skyline now more than ever. This year’s draft picks shine just as bright; the up-and-comers in the league bring a new kind of grit and enthusiasm to the experienced veterans, whose dedication made the move downtown possible. The mix is sure to make for an exciting, competitive season like we’ve never seen before.

 
Today we meet the newest Devil Dollies, including our other two new Lake Effect Furies.

Ashes t’ Ashes has a derby dream: to skate in the WFTDA Division 1 Championships. A transplant from Niagara Roller Girls, this skater is a quick learner and burns up the track with her expeditious footwork. Ashes likes to stay active throughout the seasons, hiking through the Niagara Region during the summer, tearing down the slopes during the winter, and has many years’ experience in figure skating and soccer. In her spare time she burns through the library, reading up to two books a week.

After being a QCRG fan for years, Fresh’Slaughter Pearl decided to ditch her kayak paddle and head for land during this summer’s boot camp. Though she had not been on skates since childhood, Pearl made it her goal to excel in the sport, honing her speed, agility and footwork. Her goals now are to become a fierce competitor, be a valuable asset to the team, and sell mad Dollies swag as a merchandising representative. Pearl also loves crafting, reading and baking.

For two years, MURPHY worked hard as Seaway Sirens captain for Niagara Roller Girls, taking the team from consistent losses to league champions. However, she wanted to enter a more competitive scenario, and in 2014 was drafted to both the Dollies and Lake Effect Furies with QCRG. Perhaps the skater’s success can be attributed to her history on skates, with hockey and ringette icing up most of her childhood and teen years. In her alternate life, Murphy is a social worker and rescues and fosters kitties and doggies.

“Humans are okay,” she says, “But animals are usually better.”
 
 

When she isn’t gardening, riding her motorcycle, cooking, or living a generally kickass lifestyle, Penny Dreadful tries her luck on the derby track, deftly maneuvering on her toe stops and bouncing back from every fall. This scrappy player is part of the interleague committee and hopes to someday bank in as star jammer.
 

Poisonous Peaches knows what it means to be a team player—an athletic prowess has always pumped through her blood, from coaching volleyball to playing basketball, track and softball. She joined QCRG in February and by October had earned MVP Blocker at the league’s expo bout. But Peaches doesn’t want to just limit herself to one position—she hopes to become an all-around valuable player, practicing and perfecting her jamming skills in particular. She believes that in any sport, there is always room to improve.

“It’s not just as easy as skating around, people,” she says. “There is so much more to it.”

Every time Sassy McBrat laces up her skates, she takes all her feisty endurance from running and the gym and puts it toward getting the best workout possible. As a rookie, she is still perfecting her backwards skating and transitions, but can do a fantastic crossover. Her daily roster is split between family, work, and schoolwork. She has also been a staple at league fundraisers and will soon be organizing QCRG parades.