Sapergia started out as roller derby ref

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Her partner, Sonny Lewis, also plays for the Murder and while watching them practice Sapergia was asked if she wanted to join in. That led to her involvement in an exhibition bout with Seattle and the offer of a full-time position on the team.

“The faith these guys had in me was really moving,” she said. “Nobody treated me differently or like I was the weak new woman. Sonny is a gifted athlete and he really stands out and he’s been training me, which increased my game a ton. He’s a competitive power lifter and personal trainer and he’s quite agile, which is something to see.”

Mr. and Mrs. Testosterone practice two or three times per week in Prince George with the Lords of the North co-ed team. Two other Prince George players, Justin Arding (Gravy Graves) and Kelly Hambleton (Duke of Hazard) also play for the Murder and they make regular trips to Vancouver during the season to work out with the team.

To help overcome the size difference of competing against men, Sapergia works hard on cross-training. Although she did roller skate a few times at the Roll-A-Dome she never ice skated as a kid. Now working in Prince George as a tattoo artist as co-owner of Handsome Cabin Boy Tattoo, it wasn’t until after Sapergia returned from art school in Montreal that she was introduced to women’s roller derby about seven years ago when a friend recruited her as a referee.

“As a ref, I fell in love with the sport,” she said. “I came to every practice and started training in the gym to try to make my body into an athlete’s body. A lot of people who get into derby come from outside a sports background, so it was a good place for an artist to go. I just worked really hard and absorbed everything I could went to any (roller derby) boot camp that I could. I just absorbed myself into it.”

Sapergia learned quickly what it’s like to take and give out a hit. Hitting from the knees up on any part of the body is allowed as long as it’s coming from the front. Hits from behind are not allowed unless it’s the shoulder that’s targeted. It took about two years for her to make the transition from referee to player.

“Every now and then I would put myself into a drill but the I would get scared if people hit me,” she said. “I didn’t have enough confidence in my skating ability. I was afraid of getting hurt. I’d only been a tattooer for a few years and wasn’t willing to throw everything out the window. We wear a lot of safety equipment and learn how to fall, but I feel life is just as dangerous as derby. Derby has made me a safer person because now if I fall on the ice I feel like a cat.”

Sapergia is always trying to recruit new players and encourages anybody to give derby a try.

“It’s hard to get people to put a pair of skates on but once you get bumping around it’s like being a kid, it’s so fun,” she said.

Nobody treated me differently or like I was the weak new woman. — Theresa Sapergia