Grim D.Mise will always be one of my favorite skaters.
Not only has she always been naturally fluid on the track, but she has always been an awesome person OFF the track. My first encounter with Maine Roller Derby was when I was only six months into playing the sport, and on top of that, coming back from injury. As I watched from the bench (which is where I belonged in comparison to the skill on the track) there were a few girls that stood out to me. Of them all, Grim is the only one still skating with the Port Authorities.
(Just so I don’t get e-mails asking who the other three were: Itsy Bitsy Fighter, Olive Spankins and Punchy O’Guts. If you didn’t get a chance to see them skate, you really missed out!)
Grim has always had a natural springiness to her. It’s kind of like watching a really excited five year old after they’ve been loaded with pixie sticks, set on skates, given a star and told “Just turn left and don’t get hit.” Her style of skating is a matter of moving faster than her opponents and squeezing through holes that no one else could.
Watching her play at East Coast Extravaganza this year was awesome. Despite a loss to a lower ranked team, that team (Toronto) was a fierce opponent that did a great job at controlling Maine’s power. But not Grim. She was not daunted by the heavy hitters and backwards blocking. She was able to avoid precise blocks, intense team work and score points regardless of how many blockers thought they had contained her long legs.
She’s one of those skaters who always looks like she’s having the time of her life when she’s on the track. Off the track, she’s ready to laugh and always making friends. Here’s a little piece of trivia: She is the first skater from an opposing team that I ever added as a friend on Facebook.
That game I played against Maine when I was barely capable of staying with a pack? I did play a few times; even jammed twice. Got lead against Grim D.Mise. Then later, she was one of the skaters that hung out with us at the after party and I’m pretty sure she partook in the Breakdance-Off. Thank you, Grim, for being an extremely sneaky ninja on the track for us all to admire, and extremely friendly off the track so we can all be friends with you.
Thank you to photogs Dave Wood Photography and Tyler Shaw Derby Photography for the awesome shots!
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