Skater Profile: Hyper Lynx of the Queens of Pain
May 31, 2010Hyper Lynx – Fighting The Good Fight
By Thomas Gerbasi
Now in her fifth season skating for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, Hyper Lynx has carved out a significant niche for herself, not only as a member of the Queens of Pain, but of the Wall St. Traitors and the league All-Star team. But if you’re expecting her to strain her shoulder while patting herself on the back, think again.
Hyper Lynx warms up with her trademark helmet ears. Photo by Jon Tannen
“I know that I have a long way to go,” she said. “This is my fifth year and now I can at least look like I’m jamming decently. (Laughs) But I’m even more obsessed with it than I was before. Before, I was the type of person who would pay for a whole year’s gym membership and go three times. And it’s still kinda hard to get me up and go running, but this is the only sport that makes me want to go drive out to
And when you add in the practice time for all three squads and a day job as an IT professional, it’s a schedule that would be the envy of none. But she wouldn’t have it any other way, even buying a car recently to cut down on travel time. She’s in this for the long haul, and if her performance in
Putting in a solid performance that included 18 total jams (tied for third on her team), Lynx scored 18 points, and also saw time as pivot and blocker. More importantly, she was on the track for three of the final five jams in the nip-and-tuck contest that was eventually won by
Hyper Lynx battles for an edge around Swede Hurt. Photo by Chris Chen
It was a disappointing loss, but even in defeat, Queens showed that they were not the same team that went winless in 2009, and this 2010 season is far from over.
“It definitely lit a fire in us and everybody’s just really focused,” said Lynx before the bout when asked about
Fans at the sold-out
“I fell in love with the sport the first time I heard what it was about,” she said. “It’s like fighting at high speed on roller skates. You can’t beat that. It’s very exhilarating, it’s full-contact, and for me it’s fun.”
Born in
“When I was growing up, my mom definitely didn’t want me to be a little tomboy, so I had to take ballet,” she said. “But I actually went to judo class on my own and I remember spraining my shoulder and having to find a Chinese doctor to treat it myself. (Laughs) They kinda figured out that I was pretty aggressive.”
In addition to judo, Lynx studied Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu at various times, and is even considering Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the future.
“The funny thing is that I told my fiancée that maybe I should try MMA, and he’s like ‘do you want to lose teeth?’ I’ve dabbled in martial arts but I haven’t really found something that I want to get into right now.”
Needless to say, contact on the derby track isn’t an issue.
“I see some parallels in derby, especially as a blocker,” she said. “You want to find the best ways to hit people, and every second is almost like a fight. When you see a blocker you’ve got to either fight for a position, be able to figure your way around her, or give her the most effective hit you can.”
In the middle of 2005, roller derby came calling, and in the time since her debut in 2006, Hyper Lynx became a key member of the league, even if you won’t hear her admit it. And like her peers, the love of the game is a clear motivator.
Hyper Lynx picks a path between Fisti Cuffs and Swede Hurt. Photo by Asa Frye
“For some reason the longer I’ve been at it, the more addicted to it I’ve gotten and the more I actually want to get better,” she said. “And once I started playing for the travel team, the whole thing went from one level to another because now you really want to win, and it’s not just winning in
It’s this continuing hunger to get better that not only keeps Lynx on top of her game, but also serves as an example for the newer players in the league. And with the sport getting more and more attention, she admits that in recent years, the level of participation is growing along with it.
“It’s still very grassroots, very do-it-yourself,” she said. “It’s for the skaters by the skaters, and it’s still gonna take some time to get mainstream. There’s still a lot of confusion with what it is. The pioneering roller derby leagues in the 70’s were more like wrestling, so I think people associate it with being a certain way and expect some level of theatrics. It will be real interesting to see where modern roller derby is gonna go, but tryouts are very competitive now. When I joined up, I just showed up at a roller rink [the defunct Skate Key] and we sat around in the snack area. (Laughs) Now I think the most recent tryouts drew 100 people and we got it down to around a class of 20. There’s definitely a lot more people, but it’s getting a lot harder to get into a league like ours. We’re very competitive and a lot of the girls have been here a long time, but I do think that there’s a lot more interest, and a lot more people know about us and want to try out, which is great. I welcome every one of them and I definitely like it when people who used to play sports play it because it just makes you better.”
But we have to know, is there any hazing for the “fresh meat”?
“I think having to practice that much is hazing enough,” she smiles. “For the first three months, they’re in their own class for the fresh meat, so they have an extra practice. But we do get to hit them. You couldn’t even do that in most schools – you’re not allowed to hit your pledges. (Laughs) But here, it’s like ‘welcome to derby, here’s how hard we hit.’”
There’s nothing wrong with that, especially for the young lady known as Hyper Lynx.
“If you’ve taken martial arts, when you spar with someone it’s like a fight to the finish. In derby, there’s that thrill, and that thrill is repeated so many times during a jam. I’ve never been in a sport like this, and it’s such an adrenaline rush.”
Hyper Lynx and her Queens teammates. Photo: Chris Chen
Queens next battles the Brooklyn Bombshells on July 10th.