Blossom Bruiso, Lover of Skating

Posted on March 27, 2009

 By Holly Hitsville

Blossom Bruiso plays for both the Windy City Rollers (WCR) All-Stars and WCR’s Double Crossers. She was the Co-Captain of the WCR All-Stars in 2008, the year they grabbed 2nd place in Nationals.   I recently caught up with the Brighton, Michigan, native about the origin of her derby love, teamwork, and the advice she has for rookies. 

This is the last WCR interview of the series.  If you want to learn more about them come on out to Saturday’s bout and watch them in action.

Describe your skating and/or athletic background before roller derby.

I played ice hockey before I played derby, first for a girl’s team out of Ann Arbor and then for the University of Michigan’s Women’s Club Ice Hockey Team.

How long have you been playing roller derby and when did you start skating for the WCR and WCR All-Stars?

I started skating with WCR, the beginning of my derby career, in 2006.  I started skating with the All-Stars when the team formed in 2007.

What made you want to become involved in roller derby?

One of my good friends from college, who now skates with the New York Shock Exchange and bench manages for the Gotham Girls as Abraham Drinkin’, fell in love with roller derby when the Windy City Rollers were in their first season.  He convinced me to tryout and I fell in love too.

The All-Stars are coming off of a long break where they haven’t competed since they placed 2nd at the November 2008 Nationals.  DDG vs. WCR All-Stars will be your first travel team bout of the year.  Do you feel your team has their strategy all worked out for the 2009 season or does it usually take a few bouts before you feel really cohesive with one another?

We are constantly working together to build and fine-tune our strategy.  As far as our teamwork goes, many of us have been together for two seasons so I feel like we know each other pretty well on the track.  The newer skaters to the All-Stars have worked really hard to get on the same page with the rest of the team strategy-wise, and they have also brought new ideas and opinions to the team, which only enhances us.

Can you give our fans some insight on what to expect from WCR’s playing style?

The Detroit fans can expect a hard-hitting and intense game.  We know that Detroit is a skilled team.  They barely missed a trip to nationals in a nail-biting game with Philly where Detroit fought their way back from a deficit.  We really respect the DDG skaters, and I think this will be a game Detroit fans won’t want to miss.

As an established veteran do you have advice to share with rookie skaters?

Never be afraid to ask veteran skaters for help and advice, and don’t be afraid to try something new.  All veterans remember what it was like when we were first starting out – we are more than happy to answer questions about rules/skills/gear/whatever.  Also, if there is a new skill you want to learn, don’t be afraid to try it.  You might fall down the first 50 times you try it, but eventually you will get it!

When you hear the name Detroit Derby Girls what comes to mind?

Hard-hitting derby!

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