Friday, July 26, 2013

Allegheny College profs find new connections with roller derby.

By Lisa Byers

Stephanie Martin has lived in a few different places during her life — from Iowa to Minnesota to Colorado to Pennsylvania. But the Allegheny College associate professor of economics admits when moving to Meadville in 2005, she had difficulty adjusting.

Martin has taken the initiative herself to get involved in the community and is now involved with one of Meadville’s more unique nonprofit organizations: Roller derby.

Martin is one of two Allegheny College professors on the Rink Assassins Dolls of Doom derby team, which practices at Canadohta Lake and in Meadville at the Meadville Area Recreation Complex and is in its first year of competition.

More from the Meadville Tribune.

4 comments:

  1. I'd completely forgotten roller derby! It was a staple of afternoon TV watching when I was a kid.

    And, Terry, or Cal, that's a GREAT blurry image!

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  2. Roller derby is awesome. Seriously. All the stress and frustrations of adjuncting have an actual outlet, and I can leave my professor self behind for a few hours. I never realized how much physical activity and a team contact sport could give me a new focus and confidence. Also it is nice to knock people down.

    It also helps with my interactions with students. My league ranges in age from 18 to 52 (I'm one of the older members of the team, but not the oldest), and some of my close friends on the team are college-aged. It gives a very different perspective when you are working closely (and sometimes going for an after-practice drink) with hard working, smart, dedicated people who also happen to be the same age as your students. Especially when some of them are much better skaters than you are and can teach you a lot.

    And did I mention you get to knock people down?

    Support your local roller derby leagues!!!

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  3. Love it! I shamelessly stole my pseudonym from the national register of roller derby names.

    ReplyDelete

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