If you met Simone ta Devour while she was sitting down, you would be very surprised when she got up and left the conversation. Her personality suits a six foot basketball player better than a five foot gymnast. Her temper can be quick, but so is her wit and humor.
Simone, or STD as her teammates call her, has been skating off and on since a very young age. She says she had reconnected it with the sport of skating about a year before she discovered derby. Her jump into derby was a natural fit: her aggression and passion translated easily into the fast paced sport.
Her small frame, exceptional speed, and wiley agility made her a natural fit for a jammer. She’s had a love/hate relationship with the position. Since the Big 5 tournaments, the pendulum has swung back to love: “Line up in front of me and you'll feel the grind of my boney hips dig right in until I get through.”
Don’t let the stature fool you though, STD is a fierce blocker to come against. Her game is one of control; she likes to get in your way and keep you behind her. Her jammer agility allows her to stay one step ahead. She’s a master stalker through a pack; starting in the back and ending up in a wall with her pivot to thwart a jammer’s line.
She prefers the freedom to roam the track, as opposed to being trapped into a pivot position. She says she has trouble holding the pace of a pack, and goes rogue sometimes. She describes her skating as “random”, and prefers to fill holes and jobs where needed. Her teammates are also used to her using them as a prop - whether as a battering ram while she jams, or a cannonball when she’s blocking.
Players from Houston Roller Girls, Charm City, Oly and Gotham are her inspiration: “I wish I could pivot like Goldie from Houston. No matter where you go on the floor it's like she materialized right in front of you and you got no where.” Watching Joy Collision dance through a pack or the effortless skating of Bonnie Thunders pushes her to be better.
At home, STD is just as energetic as on the track. With three kids, ranging between 11 years old to two, she never gets a chance to rest. Juggling all the demands of being a mother with roller derby three to six times a week is difficult, but it keeps her busy. Her widow is exceptionally supportive, and her oldest two love coming to practice and games.
Though some of her family may not “get it”, she doesn’t let it get to her. Her life has been filled with personal struggles beyond what many can imagine, so difficulty on the track doesn’t shake her. She may get frustrated with plateaus, but through fire and determination she has risen above the road bumps of life and derby.
“I've learned that no matter what life has handed me I just have to deal, adapt and over come. Devour everything in your path and persevere.”
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