Combat boots by day, roller skates by night

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Christopher Reel
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The pounding of wheels on a flat track is muffled under a roaring crowd as girls slam into one another.

For one Airman, this is the jet fuel that lights her burners.

Staff Sgt. Emily Kruithoff, 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron aircraft general evaluator, is an avid roller derby participant with the Tallahassee RollerGirls, Tallahassee, Fla.

The Zeeland, Mich., native joined the Air Force more than eight years ago. Prior to her assignment here, she was a crew chief maintaining F-15 Strike Eagles at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.

Staff Sgt. Kruithoff now evaluates maintenance crews that perform on weapon test systems, but when she's not in her combat boots she's in her roller skates.

"It all began towards the end of 2010," Sergeant Kruithoff said. "I kept seeing stickers on the back of cars when I'd be out driving. I finally looked it up online to see what it was. When I saw all of the girls' roller derby pictures and how much fun everyone was having, I knew I had to give it a shot. I began in February 2011 with the Panama City Roller Derby, and I'm glad I did, because I fell in love with it."

Sergeant Kruithoff always looks for opportunities to derby.

"When I go on temporary duty assignments for work I look up derby teams," Sergeant Kruithoff said. "I've never experienced a gap when I meet up with different teams, it's like I've always been one of their girls."

In addition to meeting up with other teams during work assignments, she gets to travel with the derby girls. They've had derbies, also called bouts, as far as Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.

Roller derby helped Sergeant Kruithoff on and off duty.

"Ever since I've been doing roller derby, I've been constantly training," said the sergeant. "I wasn't ever really big on working out, but since being involved with the team, my Air Force physical training tests have been a breeze."

Though roller derby has become more of a lifestyle than a hobby for her, as roller skating didn't come easy.

"When I first joined, I hadn't skated since I wore those plastic Fischer Price skates that slip over your sneakers," said Sergeant Kruithoff. "But the girls on the team are awesome; they are always helping each other improve. It's like having another family, they don't leave you behind.

"I think the hardest part about getting into roller derby is convincing yourself you can do it," Sergeant Kruithoff said. "It doesn't matter if you don't know how to skate; you are joining a great community, and we are always there for each other, on and off the track."

Though participating in roller derby may cause some bumps and bruises, it is well worth it, explained Sergeant Kruithoff.

"Roller derby is fun and great exercise," she said. "There's a good chance you might get a little hurt, but it's nothing serious; you'll be fine. There's no excuse not to join a team, roller derby is for all skill levels and they have teams for all ages."

The Tallahassee RollerGirls is comprised of women in age from 18 to 50 years-old and from a variety of backgrounds.

The women hold three to four-hour practices twice a week to work on skill and strategy to prepare for bouts. The Tallahassee RollerGirls made the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) South Central top 10 ranking.

"Even though we work hard we still find time to have fun and be goofy," Sergeant Kruithoff said. "All the hard work pays off, especially when people from work come out and show their support during bouts. They get to see why I love this sport."