Amanda Comeau joined the Androscoggin Fallen Angels roller derby team in June 2015, just as the team got its start, and has hardly taken her skates off since.

The team has its first bout ever on March 18 — advertised as the “4-Leaf Clobber” — at the Lewiston Armory, when her five kids and her mom will see her skate for the first time.

Name: Amanda Comeau

Age: Same age as everyone on the team! Between 18 and 99 (I’m a firm believer that when it comes to derby, age doesn’t matter at all!).

Lives: Leeds

What drew you to derby? At the time the team was just getting started, it had been over a year since I began working from home part-time while caring for my young children full time. I was feeling really isolated and simultaneously overwhelmed with my home responsibilities and underwhelmed with myself as someone other than a wife and mother. Derby seemed totally out of my comfort zone. I knew it would challenge me physically and mentally, and it felt like just the thing I needed to do to step outside of myself.

What’s your skating name and how’d you pick it? The tradition of a skating name is a combination of self expression and a symbol of the transformation into a powerful force. You play the sport as an alter ego who isn’t afraid to hurt or be hurt. My derby name is DeManda Ransom, a bit of a play on my own name that a teammate helped me come up with.

Most challenging aspect to learning a brand-new-to-you sport? So many things about derby are challenging! The biggest hurdle by far was overcoming my constant fear and self-doubt. I was so sure that I was just a practice away from realizing that I wasn’t cut out for this, and I kept anticipating the day that I would be faced with the skill I couldn’t learn and then I would have to quit the team. I was sure I’d never be able to jump with skates on, and then the time came to do it, and I could. After that I told myself that no matter what it took, I’d never quit.

Personal highlight so far: In December of 2016, we had our final assessment to become scrimmage-eligible, and everyone on the team who assessed passed! For me this was the culmination of 18 months of work both on and off the track and meant that we were finally going to be able to play the game.

Were you super athletic in your youth? I’ve never seen myself as an athlete and this is the first sports team I’ve ever been part of. When I first joined the team I was really out of shape. I learned really quickly that if I was going to be serious about this, I would need to put in the work both on and off the track. This is a sport that most definitely requires strength and endurance. I started working out regularly and I’m in the best shape of my life. I can do pull-ups for the first time ever. One of the things that’s so great about derby is that players come in every shape and size, and it’s all about knowing your strengths and using them to your advantage.

When they’re suited up and skating, most derby players look like they could take on the world. How do you channel that inner warrior? There’s definitely a whole lot of fear and excitement just before the bout gets started! Most of us choose a few things that we’re going to really focus on, like staying low and keeping our eyes on the opposing jammer. Something amazing happens when the whistle blows. Adrenaline takes over, the fear disappears and there’s nothing beyond the track. You take hard hits, but you can’t feel them.

Drew Barrymore’s “Whip It”: It is a good primer for someone who’s never seen the sport before or is it too Hollywood? I’ve never seen it!

Ways that derby skills are applicable in everyday life? Overcoming so many of my fears and doubts around my ability to play derby has carried over into every part of life. Things that might have worried me before seem like small-time compared to the feeling of sharing the track with incredibly strong opposing players who want to knock me down. You earn a place on the track through hard work, determination and practice, practice, practice. Being successful requires focus, teamwork and getting back up no matter how many times you fall. If that’s not a metaphor for life, I don’t what is.

Your kids will see you skate for the first time at the bout. What do you think their reaction will be? I have five kids, who range in age from 3 to 20. My oldest daughters know how much derby and my team mean to me and they have watched my transformation into a stronger and braver version of myself. They’re really excited to finally see me play. I’m not sure how they’ll handle it when they see me getting hit (I’m a little more worried about what my mom will think of that), but I do know that whether or not my team wins, they’ll be really proud of me. They already are.

kskelton@sunjournal.com

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