Erica Jones has been roller skating since she was about 5 years old. In fact, she used to be a jam skater, which is similar to dancing with skates, and done in pairs.
A few years ago, the Hammond, Ind., native was coming to Chicago to get her hair cut and her stylist mentioned roller derby. "I immediately went home and [ searched ] 'roller derby in Chicago' [ online ] ; the Windy City Rollers popped up. I emailed them, tried out and made it. I've been hooked ever since."
Jones has transformed into Hoosier Mama, 28, who has been part of the WCR contingent for three and a half years ( four seasons ) . She now lives in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood and is a WCR pivot and, at times, blocker 2.
"Pivot is primarily known as the last line of defense in the front of the pack," said Jones, a lesbian. "It is the pivot's job to ensure that the opposing jammer does not exit the pack, or at least try to ensure that. The pivot also tries to control the speed of the pack. Blocker 2 plays both offense and defense, whichever is needed or whichever play is called."
Jones, an administrative assistant working toward a career in law enforcement, will compete in the final WCR home match of the year on Saturday, Oct. 17. Jones and the WCR All-Stars will face Portland's Rose City Rollers at the UIC Pavilion. The WCR All-Stars finished second at the 2008 WFTDA ( Women's Flat Track Derby Association ) National Tournament and are currently in first place in the WFTDA North Central conference. Rose City is ranked third in the Western Region.
Jones and the WCR All-Stars will compete in the final event of the 2009 WFTDA Tournament seasonDeclaration of DerbyNov. 13-15, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The top trio of teams in each of the four WFTDA divisions will compete in Philadelphia to decide the National Champion and the title-holder of the Hydra Trophy.
"This was a fun season and will wrap up to be a sad one as well," Jones said. "It was so much fun during the home season because the teams were evenly matched, which made for some great derby viewing. We had our Manic Attackers [ team ] come out strong this season, which took everyone by surprise, because they've been struggling for a couple of seasons. It wasn't fun being beat by them, but it was awesome to watch how their team has grown and to see them win the championship.
"The Oct. 17 bout against Portland will be a sad bout as that will be the last home bout for a couple of our travel team members due to retirement. It's hard to think of losing one of your players who you've worked along side for so long. But everyone has to leave at some point, I suppose. We've carried each other for these past few seasons and brought us from ranking 21st in the nation to second, and that is due to each and every person involved in WCR. So, to lose one [ member ] is a great loss.
"We are training hard for Nationals, as we do every year. We fought for the No. 2 [ ranking ] , and now we will fight to be No. 1. There's a lot of heart, dedication and time that goes into being such a smart, strong and skilled team, as we are. We know we are facing some of the best as well. Teams are improving constantly, just as we try to. We need to stay on our game and perfect it. We want to make our league proud and show our appreciation for all they've done to help us get to where we are today in the [ national ] rankings. So, we have to fight hard as a travel team and fight harder for those at home that helped us get to this point."
Jones said all eyes from the roller world will be on Chicago, and everyone wants to defeat Chicago.
"We know the teams that we are going to play are going to come in hard," she said. "We have to stick together, play hard and play our game, not change according to who we are playing against. We never underestimate any team we face, no matter what the rankings show. You just never know what another team may pull out on you. The game is always improving."
And roller derby certainly has been expanding in notoriety this fall thanks to the Drew Barrymore-directed movie, Whip It.
"I like that [ Barrymore ] put roller derby on the big screen and I love that she used experienced roller derby skaters," Jones said. "Some people could see it as a teeny-bopper movie, but it really grabs the attention of all ages. It's fun and keeps you interested, and I think for those who are unfamiliar with the sport all together, it peaks their interest in wanting to experience it live, which is great because there are roller derby leagues all across the country. Lucky for the people of Chicago, they can attend a Windy City Rollers bout and be impressed by a nationally-ranked derby team that's going to show them a great time!"
Hoosier Mama has plenty of fans when she's at home, even co-workers.
"My boss and her husband came to a bout and loved it," Jones said. "I've had quite a few other co-workers attend as well. They always want to know how it went, and when I compete in tournaments, they go online to find out how we did and they send the results through an email to everyone in our department. They're a very supportive group.
More about Erica Jones:
Hobbies: "With roller derby, it's hard to do much else. I try to visit my family and friends back in Hammond when possible, or catch a movie, or attend friend's events, but much else is almost impossible to do."
Little-known facts: "I hate when the toilet paper isn't flap-over-the-top. It's so much easier and visible that way. I'm also adopted by my grandparents."
Superstitions: "Splitting poles, can't stand it. Freaks me out and I'll walk back around it or have my friends turn around and walk back around it."
Favorite sport: Baseball
Favorite pro team: Chicago White Sox
Favorite athlete: "Myselftotally kidding. I don't really have a favorite athlete, though my best friend in Hammond is a professional boxer, and I admire her dedication and hard-work with raising her son, training and attending college."
Favorite TV show ( s ) : Family Guy, First 48 and Lie to Me.
Favorite movie ( s ) : Who Framed Roger Rabbit, P.S. I Love You and La Bamba.
WCR career highlight ( s ) : Nationals in 2008. "Our jammer thought she scored the winning point and called it off. Instead, she called it too early and tied it, putting us into over time. So, our captains put her back out there on the line to jam. Although we had all the confidence in the world in her, it was still a lot of pressure. It was the most nerve-racking moment I've felt so far in derby. I couldn't even watch. We all pulled together during that game and played as a solid unit and trusted each other 100 percent. We took it and that placed us in the No. 2 spot in the nation."
What's ahead for WCR after the November event: "Home teams have already begun practicing. Nationals will just wrap up the travel team season. Then the travel team players turn 100 percent of their focus back to their home teams and players who fought for each other on travel team go back to fighting against each other in the first bout of the 2010 season, in January."