Merritt McLaughlin

Tweety serving up sass for Season 10! Photo by Matt Ruddick

As more businesses shut their doors for the next few weeks and bouts everywhere are being rescheduled- I think it is safe to say we could all use some positivity. While events are being cancelled left and right, there’s one thing that can’t be cancelled: Officials Appreciation Month! This week’s featured official is an actual ray of sunshine and someone who can always make a gloomy day (or global pandemic) brighter.

Tweety Bird has been a non-skating official for about 4 years. In that time she has become somewhat of a fixture on the track, and in our hearts. Tweety is bubbly, kind, friendly and her lipgloss is always poppin’.

From our roaring 20s Dancing with a Dame event to every parade, Tweety shows up to support local roller derby! If she isn’t NSOing, you can find her in the crowd or at an event to cheer everyone on.

Whether she is manning the stopwatch, calling five seconds, blowing a whistle or helping tape down the track, Tweety gives 100%. She is a dedicated and knowledgeable official and Cornfed is so very grateful to have her around!

Tweety Bird blows the whistle on Tazmanian Ethel. Ah, what are best friends for? Photo by Matt Ruddick

Tweety got involved with derby through a new skater clinic with her best friend, and our very own Tazmanian Ethel. Wanna be besties with Tweety too? Get to know her better with this fun Q&A:

What got you started officiating? 

My best friend Ethel plays derby! So I tried the skater clinic, but was so sore afterwards and we didn’t even hit each other! So I decided officiating was for me! 🙂

Do you prefer to officiate on or off skates? Why? 

Off skates at this time. Because while I own skates and can skate, I do not own the pads, and like with the skater clinic, my body was so sore because of all the pads, cause I’m a weakling apparently lol off skates is just as fun! Plus, my derby wife is an NSO at this time, and I like officiating with her!

What is the hardest part of officiating?

When skaters get hurt, especially the ones I’m closest to. It is also hard to handle when skaters become disrespectful to officials. Thankfully this does not happen often. Many things in officiating are time based, and when multiple time based things are happening at once, that can be hard to manage as well.

What is the best part? 

The people I get to work with! Also, I love watching all the strong athletes out on the track!

What would you tell someone who is considering becoming an official?

Do it! It’s a wonderful experience and you will get to meet so many amazing people!

What do you do when you’re not officiating?

I work as a speech therapist at a long term care facility. I love to hang out with my two rabbits, Basket and Casey. My boyfriend Brandon is pretty great, and he officiates with me sometimes! We love to spend some time with both our families, and friends. I love to skate, craft, sleep, workout, and travel!

Tweety Bird and Dames show off their St. Patrick’s Day Spirit! Photo courtesy Debra Roberts

There you have it, folks! Tweety is an instrumental part of Midwestern roller derby and a huge asset to CFDD. We hope you all had a fun and safe St. Patty’s yesterday and continue to find joy in the little things until COVID-19 blows over.

Stay safe and healthy and in the meantime, make sure you show a little love to the people who keep our sport safe 24/7.

Ground Control to Major Tom, this week’s feature skater is the sassy, spooky and skilled Ziggyzig Ahh! Skating originally as Ziggy Starthrust, she swapped the name for a nod to her go-to karaoke song, “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.

The spirit behind the David Bowie-themed moniker has not faded, however. You can easily spot Ziggy on the track by her signature and intricate makeup. Ziggy has sported a Bowie-esque lightning bolt, a full galaxy and other designs to accentuate her self-proclaimed “crazy eyes.”

This comes as no surprise, as Ziggy is a special effects make-up artist when she’s not on eight wheels and works at a company that makes Halloween masks and horror props. Ziggy says the act of putting together a bout day look is something that comes naturally to her and gets her in a good mindset to play.

“I love bout make up. I know some people think it takes away from making derby feel like a “real sport” but I like that I can add my weird personality into my game. The theatrics of derby are part of what drew me to it. And the act of putting it on is a nice grounding ritual for me.”

Ziggy also preps for game day with a face mask and her favorite Spotify playlist, Witchy Woman. It’s no secret game day can be a whopper on your mental state, so Ziggy makes sure she’s prepared. Oh yeah, and she eats a Whopper at halftime to help with that.

“Before I get to the venue I HAVE to stop at Burger King and get a whopper. I save the whopper for half time of the second game and I eat it as my way to rally and finish the game strong.”

Ziggy is our Interleague Coordinator and part of CFDD’s Practice Committee and trains the team to work together and keep improving. She does this with drills, footwork exercises, hexes, spells and potions. Probably the most magical part is the attitude Ziggy instills in her teammates and in herself.

“Derby has taught me that I am stronger, physically and mentally, than I ever thought I could be. It has taught me to be more confident and encouraged me to step up and become a leader. Derby has helped me curb a lot of my anxiety.”

Spice up your life and come see Ziggy take the track this Saturday, May 18 at the Muncie Fairgrounds.

Bring a Whopper to chow down on at halftime and see Ziggy’s witchy wonders in person. Find out more about the event by clicking here.

“Black, 603, Forearm!”

“Black, 603, Direction!”

Team Zebra deep in a zebra conversation. Photo by Matt Ruddick

“Black, 603, Multiplayer!”

By now, I know most of the ref’s voices better than I know my own mother’s. But that’s ok! I know I can always count on Team Zebra to help my teammates and I play the safest game we can. Even though it’s sad when I have to skate off the track and spend some quality time with some of my favorite non-skating officials in the penalty box, I look forward to being able to ask questions and clean up my act for the next bout. Without our refs and NSOs, no one on Cornfed would be the skaters they are today.

Our Team Zebra regulars include Shotgun Mike, 5ft Assasin, Wes Slamderson, Carpe Jugulum, Nellie FlyBy, Bilbo Stabbins, Melody Mayhem and Richie Cranium. CFDD is also lucky enough to have other local refs make the trip to Muncie to call our bouts, which we always appreciate.

From left to right: Melody Mayhem, Wes Slamderson, Shotgun Mike and Carpe Jugulum Photo by Matt Ruddick

Roller derby can be a complicated, rough and challenging sport. Our rules are extensive and sometimes open to interpretation. The skaters in stripes help us play the sport we love by helping us to understand the rules and improve our game. Their time, money and dedication to roller derby is invaluable and something CFDD is so grateful for!

However, you don’t have to be on skates to part of the derby community. CFDD has several non-skating officials, or NSOs, that make sure bouts run smoothly. These folks are the backbone of derby, they do everything from timing penalties, timing jams, logging statistics, checking rosters and making sure everything is good to go for a successful bout or scrimmage. Our NSOs travel from all over to help out, and CFDD is lucky enough to have Bethly Hallows as our Head NSO as well as Tweety Bird, Fish n’ Whips, and Jean Koons’ smiling faces at every bout. A big shout out to Silken Tofu for years of amazing NSOing as well! NSOs are an integral part of roller derby and we value and appreciate every single one of them!

Our quality officials having quality time at Elm Street Brewing Co. From left to right: Tweety Bird, Shotgun Mike, Bethly Hallows, Melody Mayhem, Carpe Jugulum and Wes Slamderson. 

So, for Official’s month this March, make sure to hug your favorite ref or NSO – in a completely non biased way, of course!

Although it’s her first season playing roller derby at the adult level, Boggs is no stranger to the best sport on eight wheels. After playing for 8 seasons with Indianapolis Junior Roller Derby, Boggs is ready to hit the track this season as a Cornfed All-Star.

When she’s not skating, Boggs is literally all of us- her hobbies include taking naps and eating pasta. Carb loading is totally a thing in derby, and it definitely pays off for Boggs. Solid hits, flawless makeup (she owns over 28 eyeshadow palettes), and fiery red hair flowing out from under her helmet are signatures of this strong AF pivot.

For Boggs, nothing is im-pasta-ble. In her first semester of college studying Zoology at Ball State University, she manages to balance school and derby. On the track, that multitasking serves her well. From offense to defense, pack definition and communication, Boggs has an advanced grasp on the game, and a real passion for it. But, she doesn’t play for the glory. When asked why she plays derby, she gives a goofy smile and responds “I gotta work off all that pasta!”

Boggs using fancy footwork and strength to shut down a star pass. Photo by Matt Ruddick

Boggs laughs, adding that she loves skating with her group of sisters at CFDD and keeps coming back because of the people. She’s most excited to travel to Milwaukee in June, where the All-Stars will take on teams from all over the country at Midwest BrewHaha.

Do yourself a favor and come ask Boggs to show you her vast collection of sloth and baby monkey photos at our home opener on February 25th at Gibson’s Skating Arena (2610 S. Mock Ave.)

While you’re there, see the Cornfed All Stars take on the Naptown Roller Derby Warning Belles at CFDD’s Season 8 home opener! Doors open for the double header at 1 p.m. with a 2 p.m. start time for the All-Stars game, afterward, the Missfits will take on Naptown’s Third Alarm. Tickets at the door are $12 per person (cash or card) or $10 in advance through Brown Paper Tickets or from any Cornfed Derby Dame. Military, college students, EMT, firefighters, and police are just $8 with a valid ID and children ages 10 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket (limit two children).

Boggs as a happy lil jammer! Photo by Greg Dunn

Who knows what kind of awesome derby action will happen? A big hit out, an apex jump, the pasta-bilities are endless. See you there!