Flat Mat Radio

In Episode 30 of Flat Mat Radio, Punchy O'Guts chats with Kickit about sexism, gender bias, and toxic masculinity in roller derby. Punchy O’Guts is a skater and coach, who is currently on injury + relocation leave. She’s been active in roller derby since 2006, and shares her derby and coaching knowledge through 4Eyes Coaching and Publishing. Want to keep your favorite skaters coming to your podcast player weekly AND get awesome Flat Mat Radio bonuses? Become a patron!

Screw Barrymore is a force on Victorian Roller Derby League, so it was awesome to have this rad and smart human on Flat Mat Radio! Kickit and Barry talked about her background in sports, her start in derby, self-care for skaters, traveling as a team, and much more. Screw Barrymore started skating in 2011 after watching Whip It. She realized that liked it heaps so she skated with a new club closer to home for a few years. After a trip to America and Camp Awesome in 2013 Barry was convinced to join the big smoke at VRDL and stumbled onto the team pretty quickly. She upgraded from bench warmer the next season in 2014 and slowly stepped into a bracing position which is her primary role on the team. Screw Barrymore captained the 2016 season and is stepping into captaincy again this year. Want to keep your favorite skaters coming to your podcast player weekly AND get awesome Flat Mat Radio bonuses? Become a patron!

Your favorite roller derby physical therapist is back again to talk about breathing! Jill and Kickit chat about why breathing is the most important pattern you've got, how to position your body for more symmetry and better breath and movement patterns, and why belly breathing isn't really your friend. Want to keep your favorite skaters coming to your podcast player weekly AND get awesome Flat Mat Radio bonuses? Become a patron!

Welcome to Season 3 of Flat Mat Radio! In Episode 27, Kickit chats with Luludemon (Pivotstar, Terminal City, Team Canada 2011 + 2014) about roller derby past, present, and future. Love Flat Mat Radio and want to help keep it on the air? Support the podcast at patreon.com/flatmatradio or leave a review on iTunes!

Recording the first two seasons of Flat Mat Radio was a blast. I'm so stoked that I get to share conversations with your favorite skaters with you, so that you can learn more from them! Because you love the podcast so much, I want to be able to devote more time to recording and releasing the best episodes that I can. In order to do that, I need Flat Mat Radio to bring in some cash every month so that it isn't just a labor of love. Flat Mat Radio is free to listen to--and it always will be!--but it definitely isn't free to make. That's where you come in. Every dollar pledged on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/flatmatradio - will mean more time that I can devote to recording and producing Flat Mat Radio. When you give a little cash, you're not only keeping the show on the air, you're also going to score: behind-the-scenes content and fun bonuses exclusive Flat Mat Radio merch the chance to submit questions to ask future guests (you know, your derby heroes!) a rad little Patreon community where we all get to

In Episode 26 of Flat Mat Radio, Kickit chats with roller derby skater and international coach Smarty Pants. Smarty shares her thoughts on the difference between a trainer and a coach, direct and indirect learners, her love of roller derby, and what to consider when you start coaching. Nadia Kean is a derby skater and coach who plays and lives in Austin, Texas. Nadia has played for Texas and the US National Team since 2011. Nadia is the owner of Get Smarty Coaching and Strong Athletic. Nadia is an advocate for equality and equal access in sports. You can find her online at getsmartycoaching.com and strongathletic.com

Episode 25 of Flat Mat Radio features the one and only Demanda Riot! She talks with Kickit the broken ankle she sustained in early 2016, the process of recovery, and returning to skating after a break. Tune in to hear her experience and her physical and mental tips for coming back to the track after an injury. Part blocker and part warrior, B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls' own Demanda Riot instills fear in – and inspires – all who oppose her on the track. Sporting fierce blocking skills, Demanda has made a name for herself in the roller derby world as a skater who embodies the extreme attitude, commitment, and athleticism of the sport.

In Episode 24 of Flat Mat Radio, Kickit welcomes Team USA and London Rollergirls skater Juke Boxx to the show! There's lots of talk about body awareness, footwork (and how it's not only about your feet), and breaking down apex jumps. A lifelong skater and rink rat, Juke Boxx is a captain/skater with London Rollergirls, London Brawling (ranked #3 in the world). A Team USA member since 2011, Juke has travelled around the world as both an athlete and a coach. She is extremely enthusiastic about this complex game of roller derby and will talk about it for hours if you let her. She has a very distinct style of skating and brings that to her coaching. It is very technical, while being encouraging and warm. This combo will help open your eyes to a new level of learning and awareness in your skating.

In Episode 23, Kickit chats with longtime Gotham skater Em Dash about why mental game is so important, and how it's helped her stay in derby for the past nine years. They also discuss how there are often different versions of the same story, and Em Dash dishes about her new Kickstarter project: a roller derby coloring book! Em Dash has been skating for Gotham Girls Roller Derby for nine years, including four seasons with the WFTDA-champion Gotham All Stars. She has co-captained Manhattan Mayhem and the Wall $treet Traitors, and is a Gotham coach. She is the author of Derby Life: A Crash Course in the Incredible Sport of Roller Derby, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Derbylife.com. She has also written for Derby News Network, fiveonfive magazine, and Derby Central. You can score a copy of her book at gutpunchpress.com, and get $2 off with code FLATMAT

In Episode 22 of Flat Mat Radio, Kickit chats with Tiggz from Rose City Rollers about what it's like skating with a chronic illness. Whether you've got one, have a teammate who does, or don't really know much about chronic illnesses or autoimmune diseases, there's some awesome info in this ep about all the things that it's possible to overcome, and why derby is really fucking rad. Tiggz grew up reading books and not playing sports, so she knows that roller derby is REALLY REALLY HARD. She loves to talk to other people about their difficulties in playing derby, especially if they have a chronic illness. She began skating in Los Angeles in 2010, as a member of Angel City Derby Girls, Ventura County Derby Darlins and SFV Roller Derby, before moving to Portland in 2015 to join the Rose City Rollers. Aside from derby, Tiggz also loves hockey, dachshunds and telling people they too can have perfect eyebrows, if they'd just believe.

In Episode 21, Chrome Molly turns the table on Kickit and interviews her! Kickit shares her derby story, and Chrome Molly and Kickit chat about what makes a good yoga teacher, and why "I'm not flexible" is not an excuse to skip yoga, and why it's hella important to get uncomfortable. Chrome Molly is a yoga teacher and former roller derby skater based in Portland, Oregon. She skated with Southern Oregon Derby and the Rose City Rollers, and was ahead of her time and got her start in skate parks on both skateboards and quads.

In Episode 20 of Flat Mat Radio, Kickit nerds out with Tear o'Bite about shoulders, the difference between off-skates training and off-skates cross-training, how skaters can benefit from Tae Kwon Do forms, and why failing is pretty fucking awesome. Tear O’Bite might as well be a native Nashvillian, and skated for the Nashville Rollergirls for five years. Tear grew up studying Tae Kwon Do, earning my 3rd degree black belt when she was 16. She is also surprisingly agile for a drunken moose. You can also find her on YouTube!

In Episode 19 of Flat Mat Radio, Kickit chats with Sweetart, author of The Ultimate Mental Toughness Guide for Roller Derby! They discuss teambuilding, why positivity matters, and how to foster a healthy league culture. Sweetart is the founder and Head Coach for Spokannibals Roller Derby and Tournament Director of Spokarnage. She’s got a Master's Degree in Psychology, and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, is Certified in Sports and Fitness Psychology, and is a Certified Yoga Calm Youth Instructor. Sweetart is also the author of The Ultimate Mental Toughness Guide for Roller Derby and the proud owner of a backyard mini half-pipe. You can find her online at http://www.mentaltoughness.zone/

In Episode 18 of Flat Mat Radio, Kickit chats with Decider about all things RollerCon! Delilah Decider is the Registration Manager for RollerCon, an NSO and fresh meat trainer for Angel City, and a moderator of RollerCon 2016 - Crank It Up to 11, the Roller Derby Compendium for Freshies Worldwide, and the Black Roller Derby Network. She likes Judge Judy, walks on the beach, world peace, and pineapple hard cider.

In Episode 17, Kickit and Ambush talk transferring leagues, why hockey skills translate well to derby, footwork, and why you should try skating without your toe stops. Ambush also shares a little info about being a Bont Quadstar and the Texies! Ambush lives, works, and plays in Austin, TX, and skates for the Texas Rollergirls' Texies. Formerly, Ambush played with Maine Roller Derby, and Gotham; she proudly represents Bont in her 4th year as a Quadstar. Her friends call her Babs, Bushy, Jambush, and just Aja.

In Episode 16, Varla Vendetta chats with Kickit about retirement, skating on the first Team USA, her love affair with Norway's Nidaros All-Stars, and how yoga helped her roller derby game. In a decade of playing flat track derby, Varla Vendetta has been a skater on Team USA, the Windy City Rollers All-Stars, Atom Wheels All-Stars, banked track teams, Team Illinois, FSOP, and Rollercon’s All-Star Roller Derby game. Varla has coached skaters across the US and internationally and captained Windy City during two of its eight WFTDA championships. Her coaching style seeks to inspire players, help light bulbs go off, and to channel fun, while always being challenging. During retirement from competitive play, she has been working as a coach for Trondheim, Norway’s Nidaros All- Stars, who rose 112 spots on the WFTDA rankings in  the last year.

Jill Nye the Science Guy is back for the most anticipated podcast episode of the year: all about the pelvic floor! Find out what your pelvic floor actually is, why you shouldn't pee when you get hit, how to do a kegel correctly, and why using your pelvic floor effectively will help your entire game. #neverpeed

Octopus Prime returns to Flat Mat Radio in Season 2! This time, she and Kat talk about setting goals for cross-training based on your roller derby goals, as well as tracking metrics in different ways. Oh, and bodily fluids. And butts, 'natch. Octopus Prime is a teacher turned skater turned entrepreneur. She loves roller derby and is working hard (in her own corner of the world) to make it huge. She skates with the Northwest Derby Company, consults for Roller Derby Solutions, and runs Iron Octopus Fitness. Prime is into tea, lifting heavy things, being a mom, and introversion, and she offers intelligent cross-training for the crazy smart derby girl {or boy}.

In Episode 13 of Flat Mat Radio, Kat talks with Midge Wilhelm of Denver Roller Derby about her competitive nature, how she uses her size to an advantage on the track, how to think about strategy as a jammer, and her athletic background prior to roller derby (three words: jump rope club). Midge Wilhelm is a software engineer by day for a company called Green Chef. In most of her free time, she's practicing and skating with Denver Roller Derby's Mile High Club. She’s a big fan of cycling (especially on summer evenings), drinking coffee, traveling and learning all the things.

Flat Mat Radio is back for Season 2! Tune into this interview with Artoo Detoonate of Providence Roller Derby and Roller Derby Junkies to hear about why you should be watching more footage and *how* to watch footage. She's got some rad tips as a skater and coach for anyone getting started, too! Artoo started with BAD's Rec team in 2012 and transferred to Boston that fall. She played with the Cosmonaughties and Boston all-stars until 2016. Now, she’s with Providence Roller Derby's Riveters and Old Money Honeys! She began coaching in 2013 for Boston, and in 2014 for Mass Men's Roller Derby. Artoo also accidentally started a roller derby gif empire in 2014 after watching WFTDA champs and wanting to illustrate star passing strategies for Boston.