Additionally you've been one of the most consistently solid and versatile players in the league, yet have somehow managed to stay under the radar outside of Chicago. What do you credit to your continued success as a player?

If you want to be a competitor in any sport, you always have to push yourself as hard or harder than the player across from you. I think the fact that the game of roller derby is still developing makes this even more pronounced in our sport. If you aren't constantly pushing and watching and learning, someone that you barely noticed on the track last season is going to blindside you this season. As a team, we are very aware of this because we had the experience of being an underdog team that kind of came out of nowhere, so I think we are very careful to never underestimate anyone. We are constantly pushing each other to learn new skills and discuss new strategies. I know I wouldn't be the skater I am today without the group of women that I am lucky enough to skate with.

Last year you captained the team to #2 in the country-- that's a huge accomplishment and a responsibility that I can't imagine. How does just being a player contrast to captaining the team?

I know you and the rest of the team have your eyes on the big prize in Philly in November, but you'll need to beat either Kansas City, South Central #2, or Denver, West #3, to advance to the top 4. The All-Stars haven't seen either on the track this year. What are your thoughts going into the few weeks of training before Nationals?

Any team that we face at Nationals is going to be tough, and if we want to advance in the tournament we have to be ready to fight for every point. Although we are preparing ourselves as much as possible by watching the regional tournaments to see what other teams are bringing to the table, we can't spend too much time worrying about the unknown. We are working hard to fine tune our team in the coming weeks so we can make our game as tight as possible, and we will go into Philly ready to work hard in every jam - no matter who our opponent might be.