Photo courtesy of Pix by Papi
Meaning behind your Name and #:
I’m a HUGE fan of the Scottish band “The Fratellis”, who play the song “Chelsea Dagger”, so it was only fitting that I took on the namesake. I never really played sports or had a lucky number, so I just chose 91, which is the year I was born. Coincidentally, last year I found out that there is ALSO a graphic novel named Chelsea Dagger, which I think makes it even more cool.
How long have you been playing roller derby?
I started training in January of 2018. Then I played in my 1st game that May, and I had only taken my minimum skills test the week before.. So it’s been almost a year & a half now.
What position do you take?
I take whatever position is needed. I primarily like to jam, but I can also pivot & block. I may be little, but I do enjoy blocking! (I scored an MVP Blocker my 1st game!)
What do you do for a living?
I’m an Administrative Assistant for “NYC Subway Line”, we sell clothing & accessories based on the NYC subway map and other cool designs. I take care of the day-to-day operations: processing orders, running the company website & Amazon Account, and occasionally the Facebook & Instagram.
Do you have kids or fur babies?
I’m in my late 20’s, so no kids for me (right now). I do have a fur baby, a very handsome American Bully named “Deogie”. He’s very friendly and always LOVES to meet new people!
Why Roller Derby?
I always just loved to skate ever since I was young. I would skate around in my neighborhood, or at rinks for my friends’ birthday parties.
My first job wound up being at the local Sonic Drive-In. I was a Skating Carhop, which I never thought in a million years I would be able to do. (Skating? Sure!, Skating with food? Not so sure). My rollerblades broke during job training, so the company had me use 1 of their Quad Loaner Pairs that they had in the back. Three long days of training later, I finally had my balance on quads. As time went on, I became Head Carhop. I was speedy & wore pigtails with my uniform, so naturally my nickname became “Tails”. I carhopped from 2009-2013, I left because I couldn’t afford to go broke during the slow NY winters anymore. But it was fun while it lasted.
So from 2013-2017 I bounced around different jobs & school, trying to find a good fit in this crazy world. Eventually I found an awesome job that I liked, but I still felt like something was missing in my life. Then in November of 2017, I kept hearing this radio ad for a Roller Derby team in Orange County that was looking for skaters. I convinced myself it was a sign, and that I owed it to myself to at least go & just give it a try… and the rest is history.
What’s your favorite Junk food:
I’ll almost never turndown fresh popcorn, or a bag of gummibears.
What do you like to do outside of derby?
Anything involving art or music. I like drawing, calligraphy, printmaking, graphic design, photography, the list goes on & on. I’m a bit of a closet Art History Nerd. I also enjoy going to concerts & I have a slightly crippling merch addiction.
Something we can expect to hear you say on bout day:
If some teammates are nervous, I’m usually the relaxed one saying “We’ll be fine”. Or if I’m trying to get people pumped up, I’ll say, “Are you ready to get ROWDY?!”
What advice you would give to new skaters?
Never take hits personally, or at least do your best not to. I’m thankful I was lucky enough to have that instilled in me early on. The bottom line is, this a contact sport. If you’re on the smaller side like me, you tend to get lit up a little more often, but I’m not afraid. You hit me, I hit you, we both get back up, and the game goes on. Be here to skate & have a good time on the track with your friends, and maybe make some new ones along the way!
We asked a teammate about Chelsea Dagger, and this is what they said:
She’s a fantastic skater and and even more fantastic friend, plus her burps are out of this world.