by Jim Almy
Sintripetal Force first put on skates three and a half years ago a few weeks before trying out for the Minnesota RollerGirls.
“I’m still surprised that I made it,” she said.
She made it so well that, three years later, she was selected the Most Valuable Player for the Throttle Rockets in their win last Saturday night at KeyArena over Grave Danger. Sintripetal (#1618) jammed for 81 points in that 190-155 victory.
She skated with Minnesota for a year before moving to the Denver area and joining the Denver Roller Dolls for another year. Her move to Seattle came when she was accepted into the graduate program in Computer Science at the University of Washington.
“I knew that the Rat City Rollergirls were the biggest league in Seattle and when I moved I simply emailed them about transferring. Since joining I’ve always been with the Throttle Rockets, and I love my team,” she said.
Like so many of the women who are roller derby skaters she has played sports most of her life. A three sport varsity athlete in high school in cross country, swimming and track, she went on to run cross country and track in college. “I currently do a few triathlons each summer. Last summer I completed an Ironman-distance triathlon (and promptly decided to never do that again). I also love snowboarding and occasionally go skijoring with my dogs,” she added.
Sintripetal has always been a jammer, though she said that she spends a lot of time working on her blocking this year. She summed up her game strategy this way, “For me, it’s all about focusing on where I want to go. Instead of looking at the blockers who are in front of me, I look at the track I want to get to.”
She said that her approach changes a lot from bout to bout, but that, “I try never to be intimidated by the skaters I go up against. I am always excited by the chance to test my abilities against really skilled skaters. Having said that, I think the DLF blockers are great, and I can’t wait to skate against them in April!”
There are probably weaknesses in her game, but you’ll have to find them yourself. Sintripetal isn’t telling. “My mental toughness is probably my greatest strength. I tend to have a positive attitude on the bench and when skating, which helps as a jammer. I will never reveal my weaknesses!”
The opposing team’s players make the MVP selection. Sintripetal said that she wasn’t sure why Grave Danger picked her but that she was really excited that unshine (#52) was voted by her team as the MVP for Grave Danger.
“We were lifting buddies last year. All that pumping iron must have paid off!”
On the track she’s Sintripetal Force, the scoring machine, but on campus and around home she goes by Lauren Milne. She hails from New Mexico. She points to her boyfriend as her most loyal local fan. “He comes to every game and he’s definitely my most loyal fan.”
Her family streams most of her bouts, after which a bunch of text messages congratulating or commiserating will arrive. They’ll all be tuned in next month when Sintripetal Force and her fellow Throttle Rockets take on Derby Liberation Front for the league championship.