Windy City Roller "Kola Loka" gets back in the game!

Geek To Me: Tell me about being a competitor in roller derby and about Tahira Johnson as a former teammate.

Kola Loka: Being a competitor is roller derby is probably the most fun I've ever had. It feeds that need for competition, once you grow up and leave school, as an adult it's hard to find a really competitive pseudo-professional sport.  That's what roller derby provides.

Playing with (Tahira) she always was one of those people who would go to every practice, like to and from, and go running afterwards.  She was an amazing athlete and also took it very seriously.

G2M: What are some things about roller derby competitors that you think people don't know about that they should appreciate?

KL: Well probably because women of my generation have all grown up with women being athletes, all of us grew up playing sports.  It was kind of a natural progression into the next sport, but we didn't grow up playing it.  If you see a professional basketball player he was most likely playing it since he was a kid.  

Most of us learned to roller skate and to play roller derby in our twenties or thirties.  So, with that said, the learning curve is pretty steep.  We end up having to put in a lot of time on the back end - or I guess the front end - before we can go out there and look as good as we do, in terms of skating fast, tough, strong, not falling down all the time.  

I would say practice, even after coming back, five times a week, whether it's roller derby practice or speed skating practice which we've started incorporating. Because it's fun people many don't realize how much hard work goes into making it look fun.

G2M: Did you see the movie Whip It?  How did you feel about the way it portrays Roller Derby?

KL: I think any movie about roller derby is good for roller derby, so even though it may or may not have been wholly realistic, I was still happy with it.  It definitely played up the 'we're kinda crazy, we like to fight, punch people out all the time.'  There's that and that sells tickets.  But in real roller derby, if you punch somebody you're ejected just like in any other game; you can't play anymore, so it's not really worth it.

Don't get me wrong, we don't all just sit around and knit.  You know you can come to the after party and there will be a good time. But in terms of playing up the out-of-control violent female, I don't think that's very realistic.

It's a very straight game: you go as fast as you can, you hit as hard as you can, and you foul as little as you can.  

G2M: The way she describes it, I don't know the way you could have avoided the accident that happened to Tahira Johnson.

KL: Yeah, that can happen any day, any time, to any one.

I remember when that happened to her that was in August and then the very next month there was that football player that also was paralyzed with almost the same injury. Fortunately for him there was an ambulance on site and they cooled his core temperature within five minutes and he was walking again in six months.  But that was because of medical care he received right away.  But there's nothing you can do to prevent a freak accident.  There are things we can do to prevent twisted ankles, broken wrists, but that was something entirely (different).  One of those shockers you can't really (avoid) unless you stop football or roller derby, or any of those sports.  I don't think you're going to prevent it.  

Which is why right after she got hurt, people were expecting a lot of people to retire or quit or stop watching games and there was not one retirement, post Tequila or in relation to Tequila, really ever.  Because people recognize, and even she brought up, it's not like that's probably going to happen again to somebody.  And if it did it would just as freak as if you got in a car wreck.

Kola Loka (image courtesy joerollerfan.com)

G2M: You just had a child yourself, you recognize the risks, you can compete anywhere - why roller derby?  Why not join a softball league?

KL: BOOOOOORING! (laughs)

I did do that.  I played some sports in college - and I got out and thought 'oh I'll join the sports social club or whatever they have in Chicago. And especially for women, the competition's really not the best.  It peaks right away; you end up competing in a co-ed league eventually.  Their primary goal is to go out and have a beer afterwards, and/or during the game.  So it was just not really competitive, because there's a small amount of really competitive women athletes, post-college that you're going to get together in the same city and play that often with.  So I was bored with that. When I saw roller derby and how hard they worked, (they had) organized teams with a lot of practices and the potential to travel around the country and play against teams in other cities.  Unless you're gonna play another professional sport like basketball or soccer - something I could not achieve - that's as close to professional as I can get for Chicago for a person like me who plays roller derby.  And going to play in a rec league is so not remotely similar.

G2M: What do you think about the Lingerie Football League?

KL: I don't really think about it. (laughs)  It seems silly to me, obviously. I think it must seem silly to even them.  They know what they're doing.  

We're trying to be serious and women playing sports can be sexy, if women are going to be seen as sexy regardless of what they're wearing you don't have to get that obviously 'in your face' that we're also wearing lingerie.  

I say more power to them, but that's a totally other thing.

G2M: A memory of Tahira to share?

KL: Before her accident, when we would practice together I remember how she was about things.  I never remember her complaining. She was always trying to push the envelope, to get better and stronger.  And after the accident, (during) all the time I spent with her she was absolutely no different.  She never once complained about being paralyzed.  I'm sure she was frustrated and disappointed and devastated, but she was somehow able to be the most positive person in the room.  It's the reason why she's come so far, considering how drastic her injury was.  I guess people find a certain kind strength after an accident like that.  But she's such a pillar of strength.  I guess it surprised all of us.  And I know that the rest of us have had knee surgeries or broken ribs, or bumps and scrapes and it's almost impossible to complain about being hurt, or in pain, having a teammate like Tequila.  Because what are you going to complain about?  She's already set that standard.  

It keeps us realistic.  It makes me feel lucky that after an injury I can go back.