Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2023, Page 30

30The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1— 2023
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MADE IN ICELAND
As she zips around the rink, expertly
dodging opponents and executing
precise turns, it’s clear that Alex-
andra Ingvarsdóttir is a force to be
reckoned with. Co-captain of Roller
Derby Iceland home-team Ragnarök,
Alexandra’s teammates refer to her
as “Grim Creeper,” and — with fierce
determination and quick reflexes
— it’s easy to see why. Alexandra
is a terror on the track, leaving her
opponents in
the dust. But
outside of her
skating endeav-
ours, the exact
opposite is true.
S h e’s j u s t a
down-to-earth
individual with
a good sense of
humour.
I didn’t like
sports as a kid,
mostly because
I didn’t really
have friends
a n d I w a s
bullied. Then, I saw the roller derby
movie “Whip It” and I felt really
inspired. A year later, a team was
formed in Iceland. It took me a few
years to actually get the courage to
join. But now it’s been almost nine
years. This feels like home.
Roller derby is a fast, high-
contact sport played on roller skates.
Like most sports, it’s about collect-
ing as many points as possible.
There are two teams of five on the
track — four defensive players and
one offensive player who collects
points by lapping their opponents.
Our team is under the Women’s
Flat Track Roller Derby Associa-
tion (WFTPA), and it’s open for
women and non-binary gender-
queer people. No men are allowed —
doesn’t matter if they’re cis or trans.
There are men’s teams out there,
but there hasn’t been one created in
Iceland yet. People are hoping there
will be one.
There is an age limitation — you
have to be 18 years or older, though
there is a junior league for 10- to
17-year-olds — but there’s no upper
limit. We don’t have any require-
ment of previous sports experience
or even about knowing how to skate
— we teach
that.
F o r m e ,
roller derby is
a hobby, but it’s
a very serious
hobby, because
there’s a lot of
organising that
goes into it. I’m
really involved
in everything
since I am the
co-captain and
have been for
four years. I’m
not working
towards becoming a professional
sports player; that would require me
to move abroad.
I think one of my most memo-
rable moments of my derby career is
when I was new to the sport and had
just started full contact. I thought I
was so ready. Then a skate came up
behind me and I just lost my foot-
ing and took down five people with
me. It was just like a domino effect.
It was funny and, in hindsight, just
normal.
This fall we were competing
against Bear City from Berlin. Their
team is pretty legendary — like top
20 or 30 in the world. My co-captain
Lara Frost and I were both just like,
“Yep, we’re going to lose that game.
There’s no question about it. That’s
fine.” We accepted the game because
we wanted that learning experience.
But then, it was a really close match.
We lost, but it was only by 20 points
or something. Which is amazing,
because we’ve lost a game by 600
points before!
We’ve actually had some roller
derby celebrities come to Iceland to
train us, like “Freight Train” from
Texas Roller Derby or “Miracle
Whips” from the Montreal team.
My personal heroes are always the
blockers, the defensive players, like
“Roxy Dallas” from Gotham in New
York and “Blackman” from Denver.
The ones that I personally love
watching, they are bigger and they
are in the top teams. They’re fat and
they are some of the best players in
the world. That’s what I love about
roller derby — there are so many
different bodies and people.
This is a very queer friendly safe
space for people. We accept every-
body that wants to be part of the
team. We love getting new people.
Personally, one of my favourite
times is when we have newbie days
where we get completely new people
and teach them all the basic skating
stuff.
I’m in my final year of Computer
Science and Mathematics at Reyk-
javík University, and I’m in two
bands — Börn, a post-punk band
Börn and the more hardcore punk
band Dauðyflin — and I’ve been
working as a teaching assistant. I
feel like being comfortable on stage
has helped me command the track.
Likewise, being more daring on
the track has helped me to be more
daring on stage.
What keeps me coming are the
people and also just being aggres-
sive. This is such a safe place for me
to be aggressive, to be proud, and to
be cocky as a woman.
“This is such
a safe place
for me to be
aggressive
and to be
proud.”
THE ISLANDERS
The Grim Creeper
Words: Iryna Zubenko Photos: Art Bicnick
30The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1— 2023