Skater Profile

Skater Profile: GalXC of the Manhattan Mayhem

From the Cubicle to the Track - the Continuing Education of GalXC

By Thomas Gerbasi

The first passing remark from a co-worker may have been just that – a passing remark. But when the brother-in-law of the skater soon to be known as GalXC suggested that she would be good at roller derby, that was more than a coincidence – that was a call to action for the full-time graphic designer.

“I said, all right, I gotta look this up and see if this exists here,” she recalled. “So I found the Gotham Girls and I’m like ‘I can do this.’”

Admitting that being “big and ridiculously strong,” gave her an immediate edge when it came to her eventual role on the Manhattan Mayhem as a blocker (“I’m kind of a ruffian,” she laughs), there was still the little detail of being able to skate with some of the best in the sport, an issue since she hadn’t skated since the age of 10.

Then again, she was pretty damn good at 10, and when you add in her teen years as a competitive swimmer, getting back to athletic pursuits was like riding a bike.

Well…almost.

“I spent the money and got some real derby-quality quads,” she said. “I went to the park and I think I shredded about ten pairs of shoelaces because I kept sliding on the concrete. (Laughs) They were burned. It took me a summer to get into the groove of it, and a year to build up my endurance.”

That year was spent in the line of fire on a Manhattan Mayhem team filled with veterans that eventually made it to the 2009 Gotham Girls Roller Derby league championship game. And while she was on the verge of pulling a Derek Jeter by being a part of a championship team in her rookie season, it was not to be, as the Bronx Gridlock roared back from a 42-point deficit to take the 2009 title.

“That just killed me,” she admits. “That killed all of us. We were so ahead in the beginning, and then we lost the game by 11 points. It was such a close game, it was painful. I felt really bad for my captains and a couple of the girls who had left because that was their last chance to get the championship.”

Above: GalXC (fourth from left) and her Mayhem teammates at the 2009 Championship bout. 
Photo: Tod Seelie / Metromix

Yet the beauty of any team sport is that there’s always next year. For GalXC, next year is now, and as she approaches the Mayhem’s opener against Queens this Saturday at Hunter College, she’s eager to show off some new tricks.

“Personally, it’s changed for me because I feel like within the year I’ve gotten so much better working with the girls on the Mayhem,” she said. “I feel like I’ve improved so much and done a complete 180. This year my endurance is so much better, I can get to the top of the pack with no problem, and I can race around the track. I’m really excited about this bout coming up. I played the season opener with the (Wall St.) Traitors this year and we lost, but it was such a great game and I felt like I played really well. That would be the difference – that I improved so much this year and I’m really excited about playing this season out with Manhattan.”

Not that she’s got everything figured out. As she admits, picking up the finer points of the game and the derby rulebook is a continuous process, and it’s resulted in some visits to the penalty box thus far this season.

“I feel like I’ve been called to the box a lot more this season because I’ve been taking a lot more chances,” she said. “I’m still learning the game. There are so many rules, and when people come to watch, they’re like ‘what’s going on?’ We provide them some insight in the (bout) program, but I’ve had family come and they’re kinda like ‘I don’t know what I’m looking for.’ And I feel like I’m still learning the game. I get called out on penalties and I’m like ‘oh, I did that? Really? I didn’t know that was illegal.’ (Laughs) So you really have to read the rules. You get this huge rule book and it’s kinda good to go over it every season because they change it up a little bit. I learn more when I’m playing the game, and it’s good making mistakes because you’re like ‘okay, I can’t do that in the game. You can’t turn around, skate backwards and hit someone.’”

Even if you want to.

“And I have,” she laughs. So the next time you want to lash out at the graphic designer at your firm, you may want to think twice considering that she may just be GalXC, who certainly doesn’t shy away from contact on the track. In fact, when asked what the appeal of the sport is to her, the response is instantaneous.

GalXC, at far right, walls up with Fisti Cuffs at the 2009 Championship bout.  Photo: Tom Igoe

“I think it’s just the impact,” she said. “I can get out there and roller skate, which is fun as hell, and hit people and I don’t have to say sorry. (Smiles) I don’t have to apologize, I can toss them on their ass, and then later on I can say ‘you all right? Let’s go get a beer.’ And everyone is so cool. Every girl in this league is amazing. They all work hard for a living, and then we pay dues to be a part of this league because we have to keep it running. This is completely run by us, and just to be a part of that is just the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. I just love it.”

Her dedication, as well as that of her colleagues, is obvious and infectious. Two hours a day practicing during the week, bouts on the weekend, and pitching in wherever needed before and after are part and parcel of the roller derby life. And that’s even before you account for the endless hours educating new fans on a sport that has many misconceptions attached to it.

“Before they come to a game, they always think it’s bank track because that’s the way it was on TV back in the 70’s and that’s what people really associate roller derby with,” she said. “Or they think Rollerball, and I have to tell them, no, there are no motorcycles. (Laughs) And you can’t punch someone in the face. That’s just not allowed.”

What is allowed is fast-paced action in a sport that gets deeper and deeper the more you study it. That keeps it fresh for fans and for the skaters, and what started out as a hobby to keep in shape for GalXC has turned into something a lot bigger.

“I was really looking for a sport – something to keep in shape. I sit at a desk in front of a computer all day, and I really needed to do something. So why not put some skates on and beat the crap out of some women? Awesome. I thought I going to do it for just for a year, like a hobby. Here I am, my second season, and I intend on going a third season too at least. I’m gonna keep going until my body gives out.”

Guess her co-worker and brother-in-law were right after all. Now all that’s left for GalXC is to help bring a championship to Manhattan.

“We’ve never seen an orange banner up there [on the league champion display], so it would have been so great to have won. That was a very big disappointment, but we’re hoping to make a comeback this year.”

Artwork: Lawrence Christmas