Listen to this episode and learn the power of chocolate!

A sweet special guest this week -- Lily Gaskell! Lily steered away from sports as a young person and found roller derby at age 19 following her sister's lead into the sport. Lily has skated for Sheffield Roller Derby, Rainy City Roller Derby, and as co-captain of Team England at the Roller Derby World Cup last year.

Lily's lessons of taking chances, being brave, and going for the life you want are an inspiring listen. Besides derby, Lily loves making chocolate, has a t-shirt business, being a personal trainer, and will perform at your wedding if you ask nicely. ;-)

Strike the Forge is a 12 week training program for contact athletes that will help you with plyometrics, agility, strength conditioning, balance work, recovery, anything and everything you need to go along with your on skates training.

Link to program: https://coach.everfit.io/package/MQ247059

Follow Lily Gaskell on IG: @lilygaskell316

Photo by Life Thru Argo's Lens

Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre

To find about more about the Fast Five Skate Race at K1 Speed in Traverse City, Michigan, go to this link: ⁠https://www.tcrollerderby.com/events-2-1/fast-five-skate-at-k1-speed⁠

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Today's episode asks big questions. Are there ways to have less blowout games in roller derby? Is lead jammer overpowered? Should we change starts? How has clockwise blocking changed the game? Is roller derby...boring?

Code Adam from Arch Rival Roller Derby joins the podcast today to generate more discussion and curiosity about ways to improve the game of roller derby. He has been presenting lots of research on his Instagram profile to compare/contrast our sport with other sports as well as breaking down the flow and nuance of our games in general. His big ask is that the roller derby community take a chance and devote some scrimmage time to testing out new ideas to see what could come of it.

Do you like graphs and charts? Read more here: https://medium.com/@adamcz/roller-derby-is-boring-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-part-1-ebb9d1c68b45

https://medium.com/@adamcz/roller-derby-is-boring-part-2-lead-jammer-is-overpowered-plus-a-call-to-action-8f0d64a08864

If you have ideas/comments, follow @rollerderbyinnovation on IG or email [email protected].

You can also join the discord server to join the conversation: https://discord.gg/GDdKeGMRzR

Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre

To find about more about the Fast Five Skate Race at K1 Speed in Traverse City, Michigan, go to this link: https://www.tcrollerderby.com/events-2-1/fast-five-skate-at-k1-speed

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Our heroes become gods...and then sometimes, our gods become human.

This week we’re diving into the Olympics, figure skating, the Quad God, and the brutal beauty of performing under pressure.

The journey of the seemingly unbeatable Ilia Malinin is one of the biggest stories of this Winter Olympics. Let's explore what happens when the gold feels inevitable… and then suddenly isn’t.

Why is it easier to chase than to defend? Why do we play freely when we have nothing to lose—but tighten up when it’s ours to win? And what’s actually happening in our brains when we “choke”?

This episode unpacks the psychology of pressure, the art of recovering from mistakes, and how to keep caring deeply without letting nerves take over.

If you’ve ever folded when it mattered most—or been afraid you might—this one’s for you.

The book referenced in this episode is Choke by Sian Beilock.

Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFP

Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre

To find about more about the K1 Speed Rollerskating Race Event coming up in Traverse City, follow Traverse City Roller Derby on socials: ⁠@tcrollerderby⁠

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Runback episode!! The podcast is back and we're starting by looking back on this conversation from 2020 with Erin Jackson. Since this interview, Erin Jackson won a Gold Medal in the 500 meter event in Beijing, China in 2022 and now in 2026 is competing in Italy at the Olympics in the 500 meter event as well as the 1000 meter event for the first time.

Listen and learn about the inspirational journey and competitive mindset of Erin Jackson!

Erin Jackson was a jammer for Jacksonville Roller Derby AND USA Roller Derby. Erin grew up in inline speed skating with many national championships and was named Female Athlete of the Year for Roller Sports three times. Months after learning to ice skate, surprising everyone including herself, she qualified for the 500 meters long track speed skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. It was also announced in early May that Erin is on the US Speedskating Long Track National Team for 2020-2021. Did I mention she’s doing all of this while furthering her education?

📷by Quick N Derby

Follow Erin Jackson on Instagram: @speedyj

Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre

To find about more about the K1 Speed Rollerskating Race Event coming up in Traverse City, follow Traverse City Roller Derby on socials: @tcrollerderby

https://www.facebook.com/tcrollerderby

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Burnout doesn’t show up all at once — it creeps in slowly, disguised as exhaustion, irritability, or the sinking feeling that you’re no longer doing anything well. In this episode, we dig into what burnout looks like in roller derby and in leadership roles, how to recognize when you’re hitting your limits, and why stepping away might be the most powerful move you can make.

If you’ve been feeling drained, stuck, or unsure whether you’re still in love with Derby, this episode is your permission slip to breathe, explore, and reset.

And now to put on my magic ring and disappear for a bit. I'll be back in 2026 with more episodes! Until then, listen to the previous 186 episodes, take care of yourselves, and each other. xoxo ~ Jackie Bauer

Photo by ⁠⁠Jason Lome @lomeranger on Instagram

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Would you like to sponsor this podcast and get your message out to our very smart and cool roller derby audience? Email me at [email protected] or DM on IG @power4thwhistle.

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It started with a simple exercise — a wall of sticky notes and one question: Do you want the league to be competitive or fun?

What happened next revealed more than anyone expected. Behind each was a story — of why people skate, what they’re chasing, and what they’re afraid to lose. And why they leave when they're not getting what they want from a sport they are passionate about.

In this episode, we explore how many teams grapple with identity, ambition, and joy. From the thrill of winning to the sting of being benched, from those who push hard to improve to those who just want to play with their friends — it’s a look at what happens when a community sport asks itself what it truly values.

How do you balance the drive to win with the joy of playing? Because in the end, it’s not just about roller derby. It’s about how we define success, and whether being competitive and having fun can ever really coexist.

Photo by ⁠⁠Jason Lome @lomeranger on Instagram

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Would you like to sponsor this podcast and get your message out to our very smart and cool roller derby audience? Email me at [email protected] or DM on IG @power4thwhistle.

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In this episode, I talk to Super Smash Ho aka Nicole Doucette, producer of The Wheel Deal roller derby documentary focusing on the Terminal City Roller Derby league in Vancouver, BC, Canada. This project is a seven episode series, newly released on youtube, free to everyone!

This documentary brings to light a very common challenge in roller derby – competitive vs fun in an amateur sport. The age old question: if people come to this sport for different reasons, how do we accommodate everyone and get their needs met? How can we make roller derby more accessible for everyone for the long term health of our sport? These questions and more!

Smash’s intro to roller derby was actually through Rolla Skate Club in Vancouver founded by Lulu Demon and BiznessTime (formerly Booty Quake). Rolla Skate Club is a rollerskating center and fitness gym where you can do anything related to rollerskating and short track roller derby!

Watch all the episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wheeldealdoc

Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/wheeldealdoc

If you were as fascinated by Rolla Skate Club as I was, here’s a link to their website: https://www.rollaskateclub.com/

Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/rollaskateclub/

Photo by ⁠⁠Anthony Floyd Photography

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Would you like to sponsor this podcast and get your message out to our very smart and cool roller derby audience? Email me at [email protected] or DM on IG @power4thwhistle.

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"We could be freeeee....."

This episode is for the perfectionists out there and how we can break ourselves out of cycle of the trap of perfectionism.

After injury and self-doubt left me questioning everything, I found myself wrestling with perfectionism, shame, and the fear of not being “enough.” In this episode, I share how I learned to let go of perfection, reconnect with my team, and find strength in imperfection — with a little help from a movie about K-Pop Demon Hunters (maybe you've heard of it ;-) ). Because sometimes, the beauty really is in the broken glass.

Photo by ⁠⁠⁠Jason Lome @lomeranger on IG

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Would you like to sponsor this podcast and get your message out to our very smart and cool roller derby audience? Email me at [email protected] or DM on IG @power4thwhistle.

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In this episode, I talk about stepping into character and embracing your roller derby identity and alter ego to give yourself to be competitive and elevate your own performance and push everyone else to their limits.

I also talk about team culture and taking care of each other and how your contagious energy can push your team forward or hold them back.

Photo by ⁠⁠Meagen Kopacki

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I read a book that made me mad...and then it made me think.

In this episode, we uncover the hard truths about competition that coaches often leave out. From shifting your mindset to embrace relentless competitiveness, to understanding how small actions control the margin of victory, we explore what it really takes to win. Learn how to push your limits, balance empathy with toughness, and make your own luck — because winning isn’t just about showing up, it’s about showing up prepared.

Photo by ⁠⁠Jason Lome

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Would you like to sponsor this podcast and get your message out to our very smart and cool roller derby audience? Email me at [email protected] or DM on IG @power4thwhistle.

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