CaliforniKate, the Jerzey Derby Brigade’s newest addition to the roster, will be making her skating debut this Saturday, Sept. 8th at Inline Morristown (located at 38 Dumont Place, morristown, NJ) as she and the team skate against the Pair O’ Dice City Rollers from Western Massachusetts. LEarn more about CaliforniKate below, then cheer her on Sept. 8th!

How did you hear about roller derby? How did you get involved?
My start to roller derby came from boredom. I started to look up roller derby teams in New York to go watch. I had a crazy idea to look in New Jersey and saw that the Jerzey Derby Brigade was looking for “Fresh Meat.” I called my husband at work and told him I was going to play roller derby. He laughed and thought I was crazy. Now six months later I am part of an amazing team and loving every minuet of it.

What does your derby name say about you?
California has been a large part of my life. I am a born and raised California girl living in New Jersey. It makes me still feel part of California and helps me show the love for my hometown.

What is your favorite position and why?
I love all positions! There is not one position in derby that is bad.

Did you ever get any gnarly bruises? How?
Not yet. But I hope so.

Fill in the blanks: “Roller derby makes me feel___”
Roller derby makes me feel a confidence that I never knew I had. It is a love that gives back as much as you put in.

What do you want the people of Morris County to know about the sport?
Roller derby is an exhilarating contact sport. It is fun, exciting and has some awesome moments. If you haven’t experienced it, you should come and watch. You won’t be let down!

The Jerzey Derby Brigade is gearing up for the second half of the season with two games this month: Saturday, Sept. 8th and Saturday, Sept. 22nd. Tickets can be bought at the door on bout night for $12 or $10 in advance at Brownpapertickets.com.

Visit JerzeyDerby.com for the complete schedule. Learn more about CaliforniKate here.