IRDD Cover Girl for October/November: Toxic Sugar of the Old Capital City Roller Girls

Real name: Kimberly Hendricks
Derby name: Toxic Sugar
Team: Old Capitol City Roller Girls OCCRG
Position: Pivot (mostly) but I play all blocking positions
Age: 34 (will be 35 Oct 25th)
Current Town: Iowa City
Hometown: Iowa City
College: Kirkwood Community College
Family: Husband is a police officer with Johnson County Sheriffs Dept. 4 daughters: the "little Sugars" Chloe 6 yrs old. Jocelyn, Farrah and Silvie 3 yr old triplets.

Were you athletic growing up? I was a bit athletic growing up. Played softball from age 5 until my freshman year of high school, but no sports other than that.

How did you get involved in Roller Derby? I became involved in derby when OCCRG first began in October 2008. A friend of mine, called and asked me to go with her to check it out. (Fonda Cuffs-retired OCCRG)I had been at home "playing Mommy" since the triplets were born (03/07) It was time for me to find an activity that was "just for me" I went to my first practice and fell in love with everything about Roller Derby!

How has derby impacted your life? Derby has impacted my life in so many ways! Being a mom has been the MOST challenging and most rewarding aspect of my life. My daughters and my husband mean more to me than anything in the world. When I found Derby, I was at a point in my life that I felt I had lost a piece of myself. I was so focused on being a Mommy, that I forgot about myself. A happy Mommy=a happy family. I needed some time away, out of the house, doing all those everyday things, to regain that part of myself. I regained my personal confidence, my athleticism, my courage to take on a new challenge. I became part of something that is so much more than putting on skates and working up a sweat. I found my place within a group of women who are strong, confident, athletic, spontaneous, creative and hardworking. All the things that I am. A group of women, each so different, yet share a common bond, the love of the game. Derby has given me an outlet to express myself. To feel like a strong, beautiful and confident woman. A woman that can kick ass athletically and take part in all the fantastic things that come along with belonging to a team.


What is your favorite aspect of Derby? I have so many favorites about Derby. I love being hands on with so many aspects of the team. Mostly I love the game. What it stands for. Strong, Beautiful, Athletic Women kicking ass and taking names. I love the way I feel when I lace up my skates and play hard. I am proud to be a part of something so WONDERFUL. The friendships I have made will last a lifetime! Another thing that goes into the things I love about derby...the fact that we are a team of women that give so much back to the community! You can always find your OCCRG's doing positive things in the community.

Least favorite Being out injured right now. Very difficult emotionally and physically for me. I hate that injury has to be a part of something so damn awesome!

Best moments on the track:  Again, so many great moments, it's difficult to pin point one moment. I always love it when we have a tight wall and are able to contain the opposing teams jammer, while ours is racking up the points, all the while holding that line and working together as a team. And of course having a spectacular block executed at the perfect time is always a proud moment. Moment that made me laugh the most...we were playing MIR and I went down with several of their skaters...I was sent to the sin bin and had lost my skate in the pile up. I had to skate on one foot all the way around the track to the box, I was almost there when I literally fell flat on my face into the suicide seats...difficult and embarrassing, I laughed the entire way there!

How long have you been away from the track? Too long already!
I blew my knee at practice on July 21st. We were working on hitting drills and I took a bad fall. It happened in slow motion I swear. I fell directly on the knee. I heard the tell-tale "pop pop pop crack crunch" and was instantly in horrifying pain. I completely ruptured my PCL and my MCL strained the ACL and dislocated my patella. I have an extremely high pain tolerance and I can say it has been awful. I went through 6+ weeks of physical therapy with no change in the ligaments. I had surgery on Sept 9th. I had the MCL reconstructed ("put back together") and the PCL replaced with a cadaver ligament, screws holding it into place (gross and kind of cool at the same time.) I am 10 days post op today. I can easily say, it has been the most difficult 10 days of my life (Blogger's Note: This conversation took place mid-September). Even more difficult than being on bed rest for 10 weeks in the hospital with my triplets! The pain is crazy. I have to remain straight legged for 3-4 weeks and cannot place any weight on it. Crutches suck! I will begin my PT this week. Very extensive from what I understand. I will not be on skates for a minimum of six months, I am told it will more than likely be closer to eight or nine for full recovery. Everyone is different, so I promise myself I will take it one day at a time.

Will you be back on the track for OCCRG? Of course I WILL! I love roller derby! It is a part of me now! It's in my blood, under my skin. Besides, I could die tomorrow...sure the risk of injury is there, but if I'm going down, I'm going down with a fight, doing something I LOVE TO DO! Besides, my daughters love TOXIC SUGAR too much...can't disappoint my biggest fans! Don't worry Sugar will be knockin' em down again soon.

As you can see, Old Capitol City's Toxic Sugar has experienced almost the entire panorama of what Derby has to offer, from the elation of a regained self-confidence and a feeling of strength to a vicious injury that has interrupted her time on the track doing the sport that she loves. She shows the dedication and the sacrifice that derby girls are willing to go through to play their game. 

As a player, Toxic Sugar is one of the major bullwarks of the lethal OCCRG defense and is one of the big reasons why they are in a position to break the single season win record in the state (Currently held by the undefeated 2010 Mid Iowa Rollers at 8). Off the track, Toxic Sugar continues to have her hands on the teams day-to-day operations, serving as league coordinator, doing numerous behind the scenes activities to ensure the smooth running of the OCCRG Team. 

As a veteran of Old Capitol City since the beginning, as a stellar pivot, as a woman who is bound and determined to return to her sport, and as a wonderful ambassador for the spot, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Toxic Sugar as the Iowa Roller Derby Diaries Cover Girl for October/November 2010.

To read more about Toxic Sugar's experiences with OCCRG and the derby world in general, read her blog.

Photo Credit: Emily Sherman Photography