Meet Hacksaw, the Radleak Rollers Coach

Meet Hacksaw! 

Hacksaw has been playing the sport since 2010 and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to roller derby.

The long-time derby girl, and coach of the RadLeak Rollers (GPRDA), became interested in the sport when she realized who the team in the Peace Region was. Back then, there were two leagues; the Peace Region Roller Dolls and the Grande Prairie Roller Derby Association. The two (apparently) had a bit of a rivalry.

"I noticed some of the girls working at the East Coast Garden Party. I don't remember what they were volunteering for, but I remember seeing them and going "pssssshhh"," said Hacksaw over laughter. 

"One of my friends joined and she said 'you have to come, you have to come'."

Back then, she admits that she wasn't all about the teamwork aspect of the game, but that has changed over the years. After getting dropped by the team for a while, she traveled as a pick-up player and joined many different teams all over Canada in bouts and that is what has changed her mindset.

"It has really opened my eyes to the leagues that work the best. They are the ones where the whole family is involved. You get these dynamic duos with a husband and wife. You get a husband that takes it up, then he is reffing, and the kids play, I have seen how it could work in different ways."

Although Hacksaw has thought about quitting over the last three years, she thinks derby will always be part of her life. (Also, you should see her license plate! She'd have to change that too! ;) She has her husband to thank for that one.)

"The things I have done and the people I have met I never would have if I was just a Hockey Mom living out in Sexsmith. I never would have met such cool and awesome people and travel to such cool places."

She's played in places like Las Vegas, the Olympic Dome in Calgary, and the Ice Palace in Edmonton, but the derby-love is what keeps the community connection alive for Hacksaw. 

She spoke on two derby players that are very close to her heart; Stitch Ripper and Pam Cakes. 

"They were besties, they joined together, and we were all the same age. I got kicked out of a game...I fouled out and I was SO upset. I didn't know what I was going to do and I was in Edmonton. I didn't have any teammates with me, it was one of those invitationals and I just felt like a lump of coal. I went out to the parking lot and there were these two girls that were having tail-gate beers and said 'come here'. They have loved me ever since. One of the girls has passed a couple years ago now... You just meet incredible people."

Sassy Taffy, another GPRDA RadLeak Roller, is her Derby Wife and keeps her going.

"She is someone I never would have come across in normal, every day life and now, she is one of my best friends. I push people away a lot, I have a two-year rotation, but she has stayed by my side, even if I wasn't nice."

Although the big hits and travel were her favourite parts when she first started playing, watching people learn to love derby has become her new favourite. 

"What I like now is watching people develop into the people they are meant to be. I really like watching women become strong, tough, and not what I watched my family do growing up. There were no athletes in my family. My mom played some slo-pitch, but that was it," she said.

When she isn't derby-ing, Hacksaw can be found on the golf course, doing pole-fit, playing darts, or teaching fitness. She is currently working on getting her certification to teach fitness to older people.

Her derby name comes from the show Sex in the City, but it changed over the years.

"It used to be a popular show. It was a play on Carrie Bradshaw...I was Kerrie Hacksaw, but no one got it. It got shortened to Hacksaw...sometimes people call me Hackie or Hack."

Hacksaw is a patient, kind, passionate, and an experienced derby player. We are lucky to have such a great lady here in the Peace Region. The team thanks you for all you do for the sport!