Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Holt-Roysdon.
Hi Andrea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Andrea Holt-Roysdon, but my teammates know me as Shisa Beast, or Beast for short, and I’m the Training Chair for the Alamo City Roller Girls (ACRG). I got my start in roller derby in 2012 with Okinawa Roller Derby (formerly known as Kokeshi Roller Dolls), and have been involved in derby ever since. Derby is my world — all my friends were my derby sisters, I’ve traveled the world because of derby – getting invited to a derby expedition in Beijing, played in tournaments in Germany, Tokyo, and Okinawa, even played for Team Japan at the 2018 Roller Derby World Cup. Both with my old league and ACRG, I volunteer/ed my time holding various leadership positions as league translator, marketing director, bout productions/event coordinator, social coordinator, and now training chair for ACRG.
I’ve never been the athletic type, but after starting roller derby, I never looked back. The sport itself is invigorating, strategic, challenging, and FUN! The community is tight-knit, diverse, and offers a deep sense of camaraderie that I hadn’t experienced before.
I’ve met so many people because of derby, and thanks to social media, kept in touch with them. I know no matter where I go in the world, I can connect with someone either I met personally or a friend of a friend because of derby. Sometimes, I even run into people randomly!
I moved to San Antonio in the summer of 2018 only knowing my now-husband. I knew the fastest way, I’d make friends was to continue playing the sport, I love and get involved with the local league. I joined ACRG in September 2018 and am happy to say I can add to the list of incredible people I’ve met because of it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not always! I already mentioned the derby world is diverse… that being said not everybody is always going to get along. There is a wide spectrum of leagues ranging from “toxic” to “unicorns and rainbows” and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
At first, I had a difficult time transitioning to a new league, not because I didn’t feel welcome, but because I was skating with all new people. I had to learn their skating styles, their strategies, their coaching styles, and gain their trust so we could be a more effective unit on the track. It was just all about adapting. Thankfully, as someone who has lived a pretty nomadic lifestyle, adapting is something I’m used to. I’m happy I sought out ACRG to continue my roller derby journey.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Alamo City Roller Girls is a nonprofit, amateur sports organization and member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. Our mission is to foster athleticism, diversity, empowerment, and community engagement through competitive roller derby.
ACRG is not just about the skaters. We also have non-skating officials, referees, other volunteers, and our fans to thank for keeping roller derby alive in San Antonio.
What are your plans for the future?
The pandemic has been a real challenge. We haven’t been able to practice as normal. We haven’t been able to recruit as normal. We haven’t been able to have bouts (games) as normal!
We miss our league mates, we miss our fans, and we miss hitting our friends (on the track, in legal target zones, without acquiring penalties).
Things are looking up though. We’re looking forward to coming together as a team, as a league again. We’re looking forward to getting back to game-day shape and competing again!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alamocityrollergirls.com/
- Instagram: Instagram.com/acrollergirls
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ACRollergirls
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ACRollergirls
Image Credits
Alamo City Roller Girls, Photoninja, and L3 Photo Studio
