Derby Skater Profile – Uncanny Ally
Derby Name:
Uncanny Ally # 3 laws
Derby Team:
South West Angels of Terror
Occupation:
Warehouse Operative
How long have you been skating?
Almost 2 years
Why did you get involved in roller derby?
I’ve always liked the idea of doing a competitive sport but never got around to it. I was put off in school by the mean girls and felt a bit of a misfit so never really tried. When I first heard of roller derby I couldn’t believe it! Skating, smacking people, getting shoved around fun! And it has strong links with Alternative music and dress-sense perfect 😀
How often do you practice?
1 – 3 times a week
What Pads do you use?
Scabs knees (and gaskets), Pro-tech wrist guards, 187 killer elbows and Crash Pads 2700 tailbone protector shorts (AKA my magic pants heh).
What Helmet do you use?
(It’s got ‘Bell‘ written on it?)
What skates do you use?
Bont hybrid boot with a DA45 plate and Reckless Evader wheels
What were your first pair of skates?
The cheapest ones I could get in my size Roller Derby Cobras (please note bunny rabbit ears, this brand is not suitable for actual roller derby). One of the boots came apart from the plate after a few months so a friend bolted it back together for me!
Where did your nick name come from?
It’s a play on ‘Uncanny Valley’, a term coined by robotics professor Masahiro Mori. Think of a graph with how human something is along the x axis and how much people emphasise with it along the y axis. As you can imagine, the more human that something appears, the more that people like it e.g. the two have positive correlation. BUT when something gets really close to looking human yet is still clearly not a human there is a huge dip in the graph the Uncanny Valley when people find the thing repulsive and abhorrent. Think of very lifelike robots or dolls or even zombies creepy!
I love my name 
It’s a brilliant alter ego to step into. It makes me think of a scary- tough, unstoppable creature with terrifying alien machinations >:D
What is your favourite part about being a Roller girl?
Feeling like a bad-ass 😀
Any top tips for up and coming Derby Superstars?
Don’t let self-doubt get in your way! Don’t worry if others seem to be better than you or learn things faster. The only person you can compare yourself with is you. If you take twice as long to learn something, who cares? You’ve learnt it now, time to move on to the next challenge!
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Published by Martin from Roller Derby UK. Follow Martin on Google Plus >>.
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