Looking strong in 2011

Well die-hard Heathers fans, the start of a whole new season is drawing near. This year we have new captains, new players, and a new venue to try out. I'm sure that I'm not alone in my excitement at the prospect of another great season of derby! In anticipation of this auspicious event, I had the opportunity to throw a few questions at one of our new captains, TeqKillYa. This is what she had to say:

George: You have a number of new players on the roster this season. What can the fans expect to see from the "rookies" in 2011?

TeqKillYa: We do have a number of new icy-blooded Heartless Heathers this season! Our “rookies” are a combination of ladies who are new to derby, as well as a couple of transfers from other leagues or, in the case of White Flight, a transfer from another RCR team. So, as a whole, the “rookies” are quite varied in skill. Even the newest ones have now been skating with the team and league for some time and are 100% up to speed. The fans can expect to see some really exciting play from these ladies – we have very tenacious jammers as well as hard-hitting blockers. I joked in the last draft that we got the biggest and the smallest draftees – Mercy and Bump’R Stick’R – and that is just one example of the varied range of skill, as well as body type and strengths. I’m excited to see them all in action and know our fans will love them! Our fans are truly the best!

George: Some of the Heather stalwarts retired last season. How do you see this changing the Heathers' style of play (if at all)?

TeqKillYa: Yep – as with the rest of the teams, we had our share of “retirees” last season – especially with the new league “travel team only” policy, where many RCR team skaters left their home teams to skate exclusively for RCR travel teams. We’re lucky however, because those skilled travel team players are still actively coaching the Heathers, and so I expect our tried-and-true strategies to still be in place - although infused with new perspective, energy and twists!

George: Being a Heathers fan may make me biased, but I think that the Heathers look really promising this season. How do you feel that you stack up against the other league teams?

TeqKillYa: OK, I may be incredibly biased as well! But, looking at our team – I think we’re pretty stacked with talent. We have skaters who have been with the team since the first bout in 2005 and tons of fresh skaters as well and the mix is just incredibly exciting to watch. This is a building year for all of the league teams and I think we’re no different, but building can be an opportunity to rise to the occasion and really come out swinging. We’re going to do well this season - it gives me icy chills just thinking about it!

George: There is a long-standing heated debate among your fans as to how to properly spell your name. We've seen it spelled Teqkillia, Ta Kill Ya, Teqkill Ya, and a half dozen other ways. How do you properly spell your name?

TeqKillYa: Ha ha – I’m glad THIS is what keeps my fans up at night (not wondering if I’m a robot, or if I bleed tequila or blue ice?). The true spelling of my name is TeqKillYa – but I’m not picky about it. I actually take the most pride in my name making many people unable to say the word “tequila” anymore. You don’t know how many times people come to me laughing/complaining about their bar experiences after they’ve tried to order a drink!


There you have it Heathers fans – all the makings of a fine season. It all kicks off Saturday January 15th at the Memorial Coliseum. Doors open at 5:00 PM, so don't be late to grab your seat at this exciting new venue!

Heathers Por Vida