Friday, June 8, 2012

Meet the Pussycats – Jig-A-Watt Jaxon #1.21

 If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. ~ Marty McFly, Back to the Future

Name, number: Jig-A-Watt Jaxon #1.21
Position: Blocker
Sign: Taurus
Best quality: Being a redhead
Worst quality: Not a morning person
Occupation: Cashier/Burger Whisperer
Loves: Reading and travelling
Hates: Letting people down
Jig-a WHAT?  Feeling a little discombobulated? Surroundings look a little strange? Perhaps it’s because you just got launched into another time and place by the powerful force of our very own Jig-A-Watt Jaxon.  It’s no coincidence her skater number reflects the amount of gigawatts necessary to power the flux capacitor of the famed Delorean, just like the impact of her hip check that will send you travelling through time.  If you have no idea what we are talking about, then we direct your attention to a very significant film from the 1980s, and encourage you to watch this clip to refresh your memory. We'll wait.
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Now that we're all on the same page, Jax explains how her derby name came to be: “My family and I are huge Back to the Future fans, so we played around with themes from the movie.”  Interestingly enough, it was actually another film that kick-started Jax into the realm of roller derby. “I was working at a movie theater when Whip It! came out, and that's the first time I had ever heard of roller derby.”  She enjoyed the movie so much that she was soon on a mission. After doing a bit of research she discovered Vancouver’s Terminal City Rollergirls and was eager to get involved.  Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t quite right.  “I wasn't 19 yet, so I was too young to try out for the league, and was leaving the country to travel, so I put the idea in the back of my head.” 
For somebody with a name like Jig-A-Watt, timing is a pretty important factor.  Two years later,  Jax checked out a derby demo while attending a tattoo convention at the PNE. “It was Public Frenemy vs. the Faster Pussycats and it was amazing! There were skaters passing out flyers for future bouts and for try-outs, and I was hooked. I still have those flyers sitting on my desk."

If you are one of the many out there who believes roller derby is only for those with an athletic disposition, Jax would like to let you know that this isn’t always the case. Though she participated in a few sports in high school, she hadn’t played any sports since then. “Now that I’ve found derby I'm super excited and so happy to be playing an amazing fun sport and being part of a team!”  Since joining the Faster Pussycats, the training provided by her coaches and fellow skaters has helped her realize her abilities as an athlete. She explains, “I'm pretty loud normally and being loud on the track helps, or so I've been told. I'm also pretty good at multitasking and I really think that helps with my track awareness.” It just goes to show, everybody has a place in roller derby and has unique strengths that make them an asset to the game. Jax also reveals, “I can hit pretty hard, which I think throws some people off because of my size.” She laughs, and then adds, “I like to surprise people.”


Jax believes her success in derby can be based on her sheer determination (and maybe a bit of a stubborn Taurus streak). “I'm a really hard worker and I really want to learn as much as possible, and I take criticism really well.  I believe it only makes you better at whatever it is you’re doing and I don't give up!”  The rest of the Pussycats will attest she is a force on the track and a valuable asset when it comes to pack strategy, teamwork and battling the opponent to the very last whistle.
   
Her team not only appreciates the strong support Jax provides on the track, but off the track as well. “I would do anything for anyone on my team. If anyone needed anything at any time of the day or night I would help out any way I could, no questions asked. Also, I'm pretty good at making a fool of myself and I like to make my teammates laugh.” There have been a few successful road trips in the last couple of months and Jax believes this has solidified the team even more. “There are so many different personalities on the team and they come out on the track in so many ways. We play really really well as a team. We love to have fun and we love the fans to have fun!”

Speaking of fans, a derby girl isn’t a derby girl without her derby crush. There are so many inspiring and amazing athletes in the world of derby and in the league and when asked which derby skater Jax currently admires, it doesn’t surprise us to hear her gush about her own teammate, Schwarzemegger.  “While in fresh meat I really looked up to Schwarzy. She moves her feet so flawlessly and I really want to learn to pick up my feet like her!” There is a lot of talent in the Terminal City league and currently on the FPC roster, and Jax says that, “since being drafted I have looked up to all the vets on my team for all different reasons. Their skating abilities are all so different and I love getting feedback from them, they have all helped me in different ways.”
TCRG's June 9th double header is Vancouver's next chance to watch some amazing roller derby, and Jax is excited and proud to be taking part. “Once I got on a team and started to play bouts the sport got even better! I didn't think it could get any more amazing and it did. Playing in your first big production bout is amazing and there is no feeling like it.” 

Before we let her go, we asked Jax if she had any advice for aspiring skaters, she signed off with the following: “Get involved in your local derby league as soon as possible; skate as much as possible. Check out the Raw Meat/pre-Fresh Meat programs. They helped me learn basic skills I had no idea I needed to learn to prepare me for the try outs. Lastly, work really hard and never give up! Get up if you fall down and keep skating…you can only get better"

Channeling a little Marty Mcfly maybe?

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