Wil Andruschak

How did you get involved in roller derby?

I saw a poster for some girls that were starting a roller derby league on quad roller skates. I had skated quite a bit when I was younger and was quite excited about skating again. I was a little nervous to try out by myself, so when I was at a tattoo festival they had a booth and I signed up right then and there. This was in 2005.

What team do you play on?

The house team I play on is the Cut Throat Car Hops and I also play on the league’s travel team, the Hellion Rebellion.

Where has the team taken you?

In the last three seasons we’ve played in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. We’ve travelled into the U.S. and played in Tacoma, Salt Lake City and Spokane.

Are the U.S. teams tougher to play than the Canadian ones?

The U.S. teams are amazingly advanced. They have more competition. There are so many more people in the U.S. and so there’s more people joining roller derby. The athleticism is so insane.

It looks like a pretty rough sport. Have you ever been seriously injured?

Just some minor bumps and bruises, but nothing that’s ever taken me out.

How did you come up with the name Dragstrip Dolly?

I’m into cars — I have a few vintage Volkswagens.

I hear one is a pink Beetle.

Yes, I have a bright pink 1972 Beetle that I’ve raced a little bit on the drag strip — hence the name. And I also have a 1965 Beetle as well.

You’ve raced it on the drag strip? How fast can it go?

No too fast; enough to get me by. It’s no quarter-mile gem we’ll say. But I love it nonetheless. It’s fun every time.

What do you do for a living?

I am a registered nurse. I work in pediatrics. I’ve been a nurse for two-and-a-half years now.

Your training must come in pretty handy playing roller derby.

Yeah. It’s nice that when one of the players on my team is injured I have the ability to be a responder before anyone else. We have EMS at all our games, but in practice situations there’s no one there — so it’s nice to have that background to make sure my girls are OK.

How long do you think you’ll play?

As long as my body allows me. Over the last couple of years I’ve noticed it’s getting harder and harder, but there’s some women in our league that are a total inspiration to me playing in their 40s. It’s cool to see, knowing there’s a potential for me to play for another 10 or so years.

Do you play a specific position?

When I started derby I was jamming (scorer) a little bit, but I found that I’m more of an asset to my team as a blocker (defence).

Do you get paid for roller derby?

No. It’s out of pure love for skating and the game. We actually pay $40 a month to skate in the league, just like any other minor sport in Calgary that I’ve ever played in before.

How long is the roller derby season?

We had to make an adjustment this year because we lost venue after venue. Calgary is a hockey-loving town, so we lose out big time when it comes to space due to hockey. We had to adjust our season to run from April to August.

Do you see a lot of younger girls getting interested in the sport?

We have an age restriction, so you have to be 18 to play. There are a lot of younger girls who want to play. There are cities around the world that have started junior derby leagues, but it’s not something we can foster yet in Calgary because we don’t have the practice space. We just can’t support it yet, which is sad to say.