DES MOINES –Watching Malay Bouaphakeo, aka Show Stopper, the founder/player and coach of the Des Moines Derby Dames, conduct practice can be an exhausting experience in and of itself.
Bouaphakeo was a force of nature during D3’s Wednesday night practice at Skate North Incrediroll in Des Moines. Whether explaining the proper implementation of defensive maneuvers like the snowplow or when to do a two-wall or a three-wall, or serving as jammer or blocker during scrimmages, she maintained the same level of intensity mixed with iron will and determination.
“BUILD A WALL!” she yelled out at one point from the sidelines awaiting her turn in a scrimmage.
“GET UP HERE!” she called from the front of the pack to a teammate inside it.
“HERE SHE COMES!” she exclaimed to her scrimmage teammates as an opposing jammer creeps up.
This kind of drive and focus is par for the course for the 27-year-old Storm Lake native.
“She’s always been intense,” said D3 Blocker Monica Thompson, aka MOAB (Mother Of All Bombs). “She’s always been in our faces and pushing us hard because that’s how she works and that’s why we love her.”
Bouaphakeo will bring that intensity back to the oval on Saturday night as the D3 will take on the Old Capital City Roller Girls in a rematch of their teams first bout at the 7 Flags Event Center in Clive. Old Capital City won that bout by the score of 192-81 on April 3 in Iowa City
It was also the bout where Bouaphakeo suffered a partially torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and a partially torn PCL(posterior cruciate ligament), an injury that has kept her out of the previous two bouts.
Details are sketchy among her D3 teammates as to what happened exactly, which can be expected given the fast pace of a derby bout. The injury occurred in the closing stages of the first bout with Old Capital City. Jennifer Dixon, aka Squirrel Ex Machina, D3’s bench coach, said the combination of Bouaphakeo taking a good hit from an Old Capital City player that she didn’t see coming, combined with her left knee pad being slightly out of alignment contributed to her injury.
Bouaphakeo said she herself does not even remember what happened except that she fell.
“I was in the pack and I was just blocking and I fell,” Bouaphakeo said. “I don’t know how I fell, really. I hurt it instantly and I couldn’t really move it. And I’m a pretty strong person and to actually start bawling in the middle of a game or with an injury- it’s a pretty tough thing. I’ve played sports my entire life. I’ve played Division I softball. I’ve never been injured in my life. It was a big deal for me. I mean I usually just get up.”
Evidence of her strong will was on display later that night. Dixon said after being taken to the hospital, refusing painkillers and being fitted with a knee brace, she returned for the after party. Still seeing their founder and captain on the ground was very dramatic for D3, although according to Jammer Lacy J. Brunnette, aka Cosmo Disco; it has been easier since Bouaphakeo has switched her to a coach while she has been off the oval.
As for Thompson feels partially responsible for the injury to Bouaphakeo.
“I feel like if anybody on our team gets injured, whether it’s my job to be there and protect them or not, I feel like I’m partially responsible,” Thompson said. “I’m a blocker. I am ‘The Mother Of All Bombs’ and I protect people. That’s what I do. That’s why I’m here. This is my family and it’s my job to protect them. If I’m not keeping them safe and happy so we can dance and sing afterwards then I have not done my job.”
Thompson is a girl I'd like to have on my team! Wishing her a speedy recovery!
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