World Cup 2011 Retrospective: Talking with ShortStop, Team Australia

The site of the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup has been named: Dallas, Texas, USA. It is over the next few weeks and months that skaters, coaches, and referees will begin thinking (and trying out) to be a part of this incredible tournament.

To help give everyone a better idea of what this international event is like, we asked World Cup 2011 coaches and skaters to recount their experiences of the inaugural World Cup and extend some advice to those thinking about participating in next year’s effort.

Hale Yeah talked to ShortStop of Team Australia.

DL: When you were chosen to be on Team Australia for 2011, what was your reaction? How did you find out? Who was the first person you told?
ShortStop: I remember I was watching the Team Australia Facebook page when the list was announced. I can’t recall my reaction but I can guess there would have been a moment of shock, followed by me rereading the list about 10 times, and then a lot of girly squealing and jumping up and down.

DL: What was the most difficult part of your trip to Toronto? Is there anything you would have done differently if you had to do it again?
ShortStop: I’m not a great traveler as I get motion sickness, so the long flight over to LA and then to Canada had me a bit nervous. But I was going with three other CRDL skaters so they looked after me. If I could do it again, I probably would have had organized to stay longer to go site seeing.

DL: What was your favorite moment while on-skates at the World Cup? What was your favorite moment when not on-skates?
ShortStop: My favourite moment on skates was the bout against Team USA. While we totally got smashed, it was an education on how the best of the best do it. That experience continues to push me to become better every day. My favourite moment not on-skates was the time, after a hard day of skating, the team decided to have a relax in the hotel pool and thought it would be a good idea to see how many of us could fit in the spa. Even though the sign said maximum of three, I think the count was twelve and a Mr Potato Head doll.

DL: When you returned home, what was your biggest “rock star” moment after you had represented your country at the World Cup?
ShortStop: Hmm, I think it would have been a year later when Gotham came down for the RDX tour and there was a meet and greet. Sexy Slaydie was there, who I had met for the first time after Team Australia played Team USA, and she gave me a huge welcome and I totally felt like a rock star!!

DL: What are the two best pieces of advice you would give to skaters going out for next year’s World Cup?
ShortStop: If you want to try out, but not sure about if you have the money or can get the time off work, stop thinking and just do it! It’s a once in a life time opportunity and the most incredible experience, that stuff can be sorted out later. The second piece of advice would be to practice, practice, practice. You can’t beat time on skates and I’m a strong believer in mastering your basic skills. I’m still working on my plow.

DL: How was the mood on the Team Australia compared to Canberra Roller Derby? What did you feel your role on the team was?
ShortStop: I didn’t feel there was a huge difference in mood from Team Australia to Canberra. Everyone was really friendly and relaxed, but switched into competitive mode when on the track. I think maybe because we had no idea where we stood compared to other countries there wasn’t this huge pressure to perform just do the best we could. I think we even surprised ourselves how far we came especially since we had only trained for the first time together a few days before the tournament. I don’t feel like I had a specific role on the team, though I did jam a bit more then block. It was such an intense few days with multiple games, if you weren’t skating you made sure you were the loudest ones cheering for those who were.

DL: What were your team’s goals and your personal goals for the tournament? How would you expect those goals to change for the next World Cup?
ShortStop: I can’t quite remember what our team goals were but I’m sure it had something to do with playing our best and having fun. As for personal goals, I wanted to skate hard and learn as much as I could from the experience. If I make it back onto Team Australia, my goals won’t change but I’m a lot fitted and more determined than I was and can’t wait to push my boundaries even more. In terms of Team Australia’s goals, I hope that they would want to high for the World Cup 2014.