Derby in Dairyland: An Interview with Gotham City All Stars Captain Donna Matrix

With Derby in Dairyland just a day away, Victoria, a.k.a. Elle Machete, has been interviewing Captains from teams that will be descending upon Madison. She now heads out to the Big Apple for an interview with Gotham City All Stars Captain Donna Matrix.

How long have you been skating with your league, playing with the All-Stars and captaining?

I've been a Gotham Girl since 2005. Last year I was the co-captain of GGRD's All-Star team and this year I'm the captain.

What do you love about roller derby? (Or to rephrase: "Dude, how awesome is roller derby, right?")

All the usuals.. the hitting, the girls, the competition, staying fit.... But lately I've loved seeing how much the sport has progressed and how the strategy and plays develop. It's constantly evolving. New ideas pass from team to team and change along the way.

How has your team been preparing coming in to the Eastern Region Tournament?

Our season started in April... so since April. Though in June we had a bit of a focus shift to beating Texas.

How has your roster developed over the last year? What rookies and veterans should we look out for?

Luckily we have pretty much the same core roster as last year which allows for good continuity.

Who do you expect to be the fiercest competition? Any long-standing rivalries?

I expect Windy City to be the toughest game. They want it as bad as we do and they are looking good. We have an ancient rivalry with the Mad Rollin Dolls. The cleaned the floor with us in our 1st interleague bout back in 2006. Then again at the Dust Devil. But our team is a whole other animal now. Ironically, our first game could be against Madison.

Also, Philly Rollergirls are our sisters, and last year we beat them out of national seeding. But there is no bad blood. This year when we face each other in the semis, we will have both already made it to Nationals.

What Madison attraction are you looking forward to seeing?

Seeing? Um... I'll be lucky to see Madison during the day. Work, work, work. But seriously my trip is way too short. I really wanted to bike around some lakes.

What's your favorite kind of cheese?

Queso del Tietar. Sorry.