By Mia Hanuska
Entering campus, would you guess that each day, a Team USA athlete teaches at Westmont High School? Meet Apryl Pascua, a special education teacher in room 4 by day, and roller derby athlete by night.
What is roller derby? With a roster of 15 skaters, roller derby is played in two 30 minute halves. Each half is split in two minute segments, with 30 seconds between them. The goal is for one player, the jammer, to race through four of the opposing team’s members (blockers) and lap them, each lap after the initial one gaining a point for the jammer’s team. Penalties are common, and the game doesn’t stop for them—instead, players must spend 30 seconds in a penalty box, and are then allowed back to play. A player may have up to 7 penalties per game before they are fouled out. There are various teams all over the world in various versions of the game; most commonly, and the versions Pascua participates in, are Women’s and Men’s Flat Track.
Teams are not typically associated with schools or universities, and are instead simply organized by athletes in each area. Pascua’s current team is mainly aged-up junior skaters, as a lot of the junior roller skaters are now aging out of their younger program and joining adult roller derby.
Pasuca graduated from CSU Fresno, where she majored in art, and then attended CSU East Bay where she took their teaching credential program. She started as a middle school art teacher, but then switched to Special Education and has now been teaching Special Education for six years. On top of earning her degrees, she’s been a consistent roller derby player. This year will be her second time playing on Team USA’s roller derby team in the World Skate Games.
Read more about her experiences in the sport below.
How’d you get involved in roller derby?
My friend had a birthday party at a roller rink and somebody said I should look into it.
How long have you been playing?
16 years, I found it when I was still going to school.
What’s your favorite thing about the sport?
Probably the fact that it’s helped me realize that I’m capable than I believe I am.
How long is the season?
Hmm.. we’re supposed to have an offseason I think. I know for Women’s Flat Track it’s a two year season, while Men’s Roller Derby has a one year season.
I assume you travel a lot for competitions—what’s the coolest place you’ve traveled to?
I want to say it was Manchester or Italy—no, Italy was definitely my favorite. My family was there, the weather was nice, and we got to enjoy it a little bit. As for nationally, the men’s team I skate with is based out of San Diego and we just had midseason tryouts, so I traveled there recently. There’s also a lot of derby that happens in Arizona, so I find myself there a lot.
Jammer or blocker?
When I started, I was as a jammer, but in around 2013 I transferred teams and moved from a jammer to a blocker.
The sport is pretty physical, how often do you get injured?
I’m actually currently recovering from an injuries I got back in June and September. We only wear helmets and wrist/elbow/knee guards, so there’s a lot exposed. I also wear padded shorts, and some have padded upper body. Some have ankle braces—the aged up juniors on my team wear ankle guards as a preventative measure.
Thoughts on inline roller skates?
I actually grew up on inlines. I can’t even remember the last time I skated in inlines… probably like my senior year? I wore aggressive inline skates.
What’s your precompetition routine? Do you have any lucky charms?
I have a handshake that I do with my coach or trainer that we’ve developed; this thing is like 10 years in the making. It changes depending on what upcoming competition we have, and I video it every time we’re done in the gym training. As for routine, I have a pretty set workout for beforehand. I also have little notes I keep in my bag that my teammates have written me, and each team I’m on has their own little rituals we do together.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The competition doesn’t happen until October. I’m not sure how they get it out there, but a lot of the derby games happen on YouTube or Twitch where the teams will stream their games (often from a coach’s phone). I’m sure you can find more info online though!