SISTERS
PHOTO BY TRISTAN KING PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO BY DONNA OLMSTEAD
When Steel City Roller Derby was founded in 2006 , it was one of 26 teams in the world — all of which were located in the United States . A little more than a decade later , there are over 2,000 leagues around the world . Steel City consists of several hometown teams including the Mon Monsters , Allegheny Avengers and Penn Bruisers , in addition to two travel teams — the B-Team named Steel Beamers and the A-Team named Steel Hurtin ’, a nickname derived from the 1970s Steel Curtain .
Roller Derby has taken the Groll sisters all over the country and around the world as they ’ ve played abroad in Australia , England and Canada . “ Since Roller Derby is still a growing sport , there are no full-time paid players ,” explains Heather . “ It ’ s a semi-professional sport and almost every expense is out of pocket .” Since games are held on weekends , most team members work during the day and / or on off-practice nights .
Leanne is currently an assistant manager at the Youngstown Country Club in Youngstown , Ohio , and has a degree from Youngstown State University in Exercise Science , giving her a leg up on the competition when it comes to training techniques and coaching in Roller Derby .
Despite her lack of interest in academics in high school , Heather graduated college with a major in Math and Science and currently works as a Technical Trainer , specializing in corrosion for NiSource . “ Turns out I do love math and science after all ,” she laughs .
“ However , out of an estimated 30,000 Roller Derby players around the world , few are lucky enough to be sponsored ,” continues Heather . Both
PHOTO BY JUAN P . PADEN
Heather and Leanne are among the lucky ones . Heather signed on with Riedell Roller Skates in 2011 and Leanne signed on with one of the first Roller Derby-specific skate companies , Mota . “ We are both very lucky to be among the few that have been asked to represent these roller skate companies and we do so proudly ,” says Heather .
Roller Derby is more than a hobby for the Groll sisters — it ’ s a lifestyle . While the Roller Derby season goes from January through September , the sisters train year round with practices that involve full-contact hits , strategy , agility and strength building in addition to individual workouts that include lifting at the gym , running on the trail , speed skating , yoga , biking and many other demanding physical activities . In the off-season , the sisters focus their efforts on guest coaching in some of the surrounding leagues and try to share their insight on skill , game play — both mental and physical — and how to be a good Derby sister .
Roller Derby is a tight-knit group , accepting of all shapes , sizes , races , genders , backgrounds and more . According to the Groll sisters , the sport can take players from anywhere and give them the opportunity to be a rock star , with 60 new best friends , and a huge support system .
“ This decade-long chapter has been a very rewarding experience for me ,” says Heather . “ My sister , who ’ s been playing for seven years now , has made it even more enriching .” Both sisters agree their parents have been a strong influence and support , carving a path that allowed their children to explore both academics and athletics throughout their lives , as they tried to find the perfect fit . Heather also credits one of her Peters Township Middle School teachers , Donna Vaverka , for encouraging her to follow her dreams . “ She used to tell me almost every day that I was going to be something big some day , and always asked me not to forget her when
I was accepting my Grammy or Oscar one day ,” says Heather . “ Now , as a world-traveled , sponsored Roller Derby Queen , here ’ s my ‘ I ’ d like to thank …’ for Mrs . Vaverka !” n
Peters Township | February / March 2017 | icmags . com 43