“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. 
“All gave some, some gave all.”
Veterans Day is not just a day vets expect to get free meals at local restaurants or a “hi” from someone who has been or still is active service. Veterans Day is about honoring and acknowledging all who have lost their lives so we can live ours on a daily basis freely. Now a days there is a lot of hate in the world and we all need to just accept the fact that there are always differences among groups but respecting and caring for one another is what it’s all about. 
For me, Veterans Day means taking a moment to step back and appreciate everything one sacrifices when they join the military. The level of strength, dedication, and bravery it takes to serve this country isn’t something that should ever be overlooked. Watching my best friend bust her way through basic training and earn her spot in the Air Force really drove home just how hard these people work every single day to serve this country. 
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, wait, it’s a Rogue Miss-ile! Rogue came to Cornfed in January of 2016, and has worked hard to hone in on her skills as a dynamic player. Comfortable with the star, the stripe and the captain’s C, Rogue is an incredible asset to the All-Stars and the Muncie Missfits. “The Missfits’ first bout this season against Derby City is by far my favorite moment, of the season, albeit a long moment. I was Captain which was a great experience. I got to play with a lot of Dames, many who had just started this season, in this first bout. We all did so well and even though we lost, we played a very hard team and didn’t let them run away with it. We held our own, it was like we were saying ‘we are here, we are strong, don’t underestimate us!’”
Rogue knew she was going to be in derby for the long haul when she finally bought her very first pair of roller skates. “Buying my own skates is probably my favorite memory. It was that moment that I knew I committing to doing derby, skates aren’t cheap! They were mine, and I will never forget how excited I was. A little over year later, after a few upgrades,
But what is her favorite part of a bout? “The crowd! It is so fun to get to have fans that care about us.” See Rogue Miss-ile in action on Sunday, April 2nd at Gibson Skating Arena – 2610 S. Mock Ave. The CFDD All-Stars will take on 
Happy holiday weekend, derbygoers! I’m sure a lot of you will be watching some great fireworks on the fourth, but this week’s featured skater is packing some much more impressive explosions! The passionately patriotic U.S.Amee is captain of Cornfed’s A team and acts as a mentor to many of our skaters. This star spangled skater may look sweet, but her signature move has sent many a skater clear across the arena. As many of us know, sending skaters sprawling from sea to shining sea isn’t a trick that just happens overnight. Amee is a self proclaimed rink rat, and practically grew up at Gibson’s Skating Arena. Being an experienced skater isn’t the only thing that has made Amee thrive. “I have done so many things out of my comfort zone–physically and mentally.” A huge part of her success is that she’s not afraid to jump wheels first out of that comfort zone. “I have always been quiet and shy and at first it was very hard for me to come out of that. I forced myself into taking leadership positions for CFDD to not only help the league, but to help myself grow as an individual.” She practices hard and plans drills that challenge and foster each skater’s individual ability. “Leading practices is so hard for me! The thought of talking in front of so many awesome skaters is so overwhelming! But with the support of each and every one of them, I get through it.” Amee is constantly trying new things, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing and trying again-but she’s always laughing and pushing herself to the limit. 
We’ve all felt it: that tingly, butterflies in the stomach, giddy, hair-raising feeling that only comes from your first time watching derby. Deciding whether or not to strap on skates and give the ol’ track a whirl is an exhilarating decision, and sometimes takes way too long to make! This was the case for accomplished jammer, Melody Mayhem. “Fellow teammate Aria Kiddinme convinced me to try it out during a conversation we had at a going away party for a mutual friend. My interest for derby was already there after seeing a bout several years before this conversation, but I never acted on my interest. By the end of the night Aria convinced me to join and two weeks later I was on skates.”
Someone call NASA, because this week’s featured skater is out of this world! Cosmo Pain is a new addition to the Cornfed Derby Dames, but underestimate her and you’ll be sorry. Cosmo is a star jammer for The Missfits, Cornfed’s premier B-team, and has jammed with the A team as well. “It’s a great experience being on the B-Team, especially since the A-Team is so supportive and active in our progress – helping us at practice, scrimmages, and bouts. I get the experience I need on the B-Team to help me improve.” Cosmo joined Cornfed about 6 months ago at one of our new skater clinics. Although we’d like to believe that Cosmo joined due to Cornfed’s obvious allure and magnetism, we actually have a few ladies from Arlen, Texas to thank. “I knew about derby for a few years, but I never thought it was for me until I watched the King of the Hill episode when Peggy and Luanne joined a roller derby league. I used to skate all the time when I was younger (starting at 3 or 4 years old) and I missed it so I decided to attend the new skater clinic. After that I was hooked.”
The Force is strong with this one, folks! When Juke Skyblocker first started skating, the Cornfed Derby Dames didn’t even have a home rink yet. “We were about 20 girls in booty shorts skating laps in a church sanctuary that really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.” She’s not kidding about the booty shorts. There are pictures. Through hard work, determination, and a little help from Ibuprofen, Juke stuck with it and became an all-star skater who is an invaluable asset to her team. Since the church days, Cornfed has propelled our way up through the rankings, and our motivation is still as strong as Day 1. “Six years later we’re a group of hardworking athletes who strategically plan out our seasons and games. We know what we need to do and we work our butts off for it. It’s amazing to see what we’ve achieved and it makes me feel like this tiny team from Muncie could really become something so much more.”
