She went to a roller-derby match about four years ago with a friend and was instantly in awe.
"I remember watching and thinking, 'Look at these athletes ... they are incredible,'" said Mack Savage, the Windy City Rollers' sensation who skates for the Manic Attackers and the Windy City All Stars. "I talked to someone after [that] game and they encouraged me to join. The minute I realized I could join, I signed up for skating classes."
After her first day on the track, Savage admits she was sore, but thankful she had been taught how to fall properly.
"A big [career] highlight for me was the first game of my second season," she said. "I was in the starting line-up and remember being confused. I thought that my coach had made a mistake. After my first jam, I went to sit on the far end of the bench, where the players who don't get much playing time sit. My coach asked, 'Where is Mack?!' I responded, 'Over here.'
"Then, in the most loving way possible, she said, 'I can't keep track of you if you're not in front of me. You're playing every other [jam], so you sit right here and go in unless I tell you otherwise.' It was the first time in my derby career I was expected to play, and expected to do well."
Savage said she was "absolutely terrified … and a little star-struck" when she was drafted to the Manic Attackers. "I remember looking around at my new teammates and just thinking how lucky I was to get to train with them," she said.
Savage said she doesn't have much of a differing persona. "I'm pretty much the same Mack on the track as I am off," she said. "I'm pretty goofy, a little vulgar and tend to be pretty laid back. I do derby because it's fun, and the only way I would have fun is being myself," she said.
"A lot of people still think of derby as fighting and fishnets, [but] it's come a long way since then. Anyone who thinks derby still is about that WWE mentality should come check out a game; I think the athleticism would surprise them."
Savage said her dad and brother think it's "awesome" that she does derby; her mom, though, is nervous her daughter will get seriously injured. Her co-workers think it's "pretty cool" and her friends "say it takes up too much of my time," she said.
"I guess my [derby] goal right now is to just never stop being challenged and to always remember to have fun," she said. "I'll keep going until I lose those two things. So, if that's the case, I guess my goals are to move up the ranks in the 'derbyverse.'
"Derby gave me body confidence I've never had before, in an unexpected way. Before derby, I only saw my body as this thing to put on display and to play dress-up in, but once I started derby, I was able to see my body as a tool. I saw my reflexes getting faster, my endurance getting stronger and I was more powerful. Derby helped me realized the full potential of the human body, and for that I will be forever grateful."
The Stats
- Age: 25
- Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
- Background: Grew up in Hanover Park, Illinois, and moved to Chicago at age 18
- Hobbies: Knitting and cooking
- Relationship status: "I live with my current girlfriend."
- Orientation: Lincoln Square
- Favorite drink: Bourbon, neat
- Favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life
- Favorite TV show: A Swedish show called Jordskott
- Favorite pizza topping: Pepperoni
- Favorite professional sport: Hockey
- Favoriteprofessional athlete: Candace Parker