Saturday, November 21st 2015 was not only the opening bout of our 9th season, it was also a reunion for many skaters; new and old. We came together to celebrate our successes in the past and kick off the 9th season of JCRG with a BANG! Which of course we did… it was awesome! Don’t worry if you missed it; check out the results page to get caught up!

Other than the epic battle of the skates that took place; We also had the honor to recognize one skater for her time, effort, and dedication to the league by inducting her into the JCRG Hall of Fame!

We started the Hall of Fame to honor those league members who have not only excelled as athletes, but have also made significant contributions to our league as a whole. These dedicated skaters are the ones we look up to, they are mentors and role models, leaders and cheerleaders.

Connie Torturous is all of this and more!

During her time with us, Connie “Torture” Torturous was the first president of our Board of Directors in 2008, the first Captain for CarnEvil in 2009 and skated for our all-star Bombers for 6 years, which is a lifetime in derby! She also formed and led our External Affairs committee from 2009-2011 and led our New Skater Committee in 2014.  She was also regularly voted “League’s Best Socks.”
Her positive and warm spirit, never ending supply of Hi-5’s and rainbow socks, her fierceness on and off the track embodies the true spirit of the Jet City Rollergirls.

“The real reason that I nominated Torture was not just because she was a hard worker.  I nominated Torture because she is a personal hero of mine within Jet City Rollergirls. I have always valued Torture because she has the ability to analyze, take action, and is always having fun.

      When I first started as Treasurer, there were some hard decisions that I had to make, including moving to a smaller venue.  During that event Torture was a mentor to me.  Someone with whom I could share my personal struggle with that decision and a fresh set of eyes who could look things over to make sure I had looked at everything from every angle.  There were some bumps in that move and I’ll never forget a panicked phone call I had to make on the eve of the season. It was Torture that was able to offer a sounding board in this crisis.

I was also on the New Skater committee when Torture was lead.  Torture was able to solidify a lot of the work that we did within that program and rally us in a period of low recruitment.  New Skater is always a challenging job because as a skater, you desperately want people to give themselves the chance to learn and sometimes you face people telling you they don’t feel personally capable of learning to skate.  It was Torture’s positive and warm spirit that kept the committee going when we had just a few new skaters.  I was always impressed at the meetings when she would bring so many ideas to the table and take our ideas because real action would take place after the meetings.  It is so rare in a volunteer organization to see some execute on their ideas.  It made her an incredibly valuable leader within our organization.

Finally, Torture embodied for me that rare spirit of camaraderie within derby.  I saw you all mention her background in this thread, she was in the Peace Corps, she is an advocate for equal rights in her daily work, and she is an athlete.   It’s these unique qualities that drew me to her as a person. She’s just so excited to be alive and skating or running. And her excitement and her values shine through all the other events and experiences within this sport.  Sometimes the world isn’t open to women in athletics.  We’ve all been stereotyped as a rough and tumble “rollergirl,” going through a phase.  Hanging out with Torture always reminded me that every woman competing in roller derby is a hero because they claim their right to compete.  Torture always reminds that this isn’t random; we are taking an action and creating a new tradition and role model for women.  Torture reminded me that we are badasses, even outside of roller derby and even after we stop playing roller derby!  I have the utmost respect for her contributions to our organization and I am thrilled that Jet City is honoring and thanking her by inducting her into the hall of fame. ”  ~Razor WreckHer

Connie Torturous accepting her award and honorable mention
Angelica and Cia holding the Official Hall of Fame Banner