Guest blogging: Tigre Force

Today I have the pleasure of introducing a guest blogger who is not only one of my favorite derby personalities, but also a close friend and terrific coaching partner: Tigre Force.  When we met for the first time in 2009 she was rolling around outdoors on the most god-awful fleamarket roller skates I have ever seen (I still remember duct taping her bearings into place) and she came off as a shy kind of girl.  Boy did I get the wrong impression.  "Shy" is definitely NOT a word that describes her and I can't think of a more appropriate name for this woman than Tigre Force because she is definitely an animal force to be reckoned with, both on and off the track.

Tigre Force, #142. By Marko Niemelä.

Before getting hooked on derby when the sport made its first appearance in Finland in 2009, Tigre had been playing various eclectic sports for many years (ie. "rock soccer").  But like the story goes for so many of us, when derby entered her life, all other hobbies were slowly consumed by the derby monster.  Tigre has now been a coach with Helsinki Roller Derby since the summer of 2010 and she loves to travel the world of derby for both skating and coaching.  You can follow her on her trips at her blog Traveling in the Name of Derby.  In 2011 she was my right-hand woman as the assistant coach for Team Finland and I truly hope I get to partner with her again for coaching opportunities in the future!

Let it be known that skates can be deceiving.  The most ferocious derby player you'll ever meet might not be wearing high-end, polished black leather skates with $400 wheels and ceramic bearings.  She might very well be hiding in beige and orange fleamarket roller skates that don red plastic wheels and lots of duct tape.