GANAS
You wanna know what the derby equivalent of 0-60 in 3.6 second looks likes? Well good luck! One of the newest additions to the Schoolyard Scrappers is Vanessa Velocity. She’ll be that blur of blue plaid you’ll see circling the track.
Vanessa Velocity
She’s been in the league for a while and won a Championship with the Runaway Brides in Season 3. She was one of the few skaters that impressed me and whose name I remembered after the first derby bout I ever walked out of back when they were played at the Castle. After watching her skate at the March 6th Demo bout, she is definitely going to shine even more than she did before under this new format. She has explosive power in the thick of the pack and unmatched speed and aggressive handling when she’s circling the track. Her legs are like Ferrari pistons. They give her that quick burst when she’s trying to get around defenders and once she’s in the open they start moving faster, Faster, and FASTER. When I watch her skate, one word comes to my mind: GANAS. Ganas is Spanish for DESIRE and my Abuelita (grandmother) would always tell me to do everything I do “con ganas.” It appears VV has the same mentality when she’s on the track. I was surprised to see Mizz Nashty, who’s got mad skills herself, get out in front of her in a jam by almost half the track, but once VV made it out of the pack she caught up so quickly. Mizz Nashty had the awareness to call off the jam before either of them reached the pack the second time only a few feet apart. She’s a blaze. No doubt the Schoolyard Scrappers are gonna be a force with the likes of her, Goody Goody Blooddrop, Mizz Nashty, and Jenna Talls starting behind the jammer line. These ladies are gonna have great support from Cruella DeMille who was doing an awesome job blocking at the demo bout. She has a wide stance that proves difficult to get around and when she lays her body on you, you’re gettin’ moved. So, don’t fight it.
Much love to Rowdy Roulette, the Scrappers Captain. In my mind, no one in this league embodies the word “leader” more than she. She is a leader on her team and and within the league overall. She’s a hell of a competitor and it shows through the team she has and the manner in which her skaters look up to her. I look up to her. She played an enormous part in making the banked track dream a reality and she deserves recognition. She’s alway been kind to me and Lady Lawless and has played a big part in “raising” us in this derby family, whether she knows it or not. As a coach, I will NEVER admit this, but as a derby fan (which I am above all) I have to say that the way the Scrappers are stacked right now, they have the personnel to make a serious run at the trophy. As a coach, there will be at least one game where I can make that as difficult for them as I possibly can. Hehehehehehe….. I love competition!
Tags: Cruella DeMille, Goody Goody Blooddrop, Mizz Nashty, Rowdy Roulette, Schoolyard Scrappers, Vanessa Velocity