Wheels Don't Glide Far from Derby Track for Macomb Mother-Daughter Duo

The Droege ladies don’t run–they roll. 

A player-in-training with the , Krista Droege was the first in her household to fall in love with derby. Now as she stands next to her 9-year-old daughter in matching pads, it’s clear the passion is genetic.

“When I was a kid, I wouldn’t even take my skates off at the dinner table. I was always on roller skates,” Droege, now 39, remembers. “At my first (derby practice) I just sat there watching and my feet were shaking. I wanted to put roller skates on so bad I couldn’t get home fast enough to order my stuff.”

Convinced by a friend to attend a “fresh meat” practice in November, Droege is now only a few skills tests away from participating in her first derby bout.

“I’m still fresh meat, but now I can really participate in all of the practices and learn to hit properly and to take hits,” Droege said. “I’m not going to lie, I was terrified the first time, but it’s not as scary as it sounds. And I have the bruises to show I am working.”

Although not a fan of the bruises themselves, Droege’s husband, Tim, said he couldn’t be prouder of the commitment they represent.

“I’m proud of her for sticking with it,” he said. “Those girls beat the heck out of each other.”

But as Krista now knows, there’s more to the black and blue than meets the eye.

“I have a 10-month-old baby and a 9-year-old daughter, so to get out of the house a couple of nights a week and skate out the aggression that has built up during the week–I can’t say enough about how therapeutic that part has been.”

The fact that her teammates are “the nicest people in the world” is just an added bonus.

“They come from all walks of life and that’s the cool part,” Krista said. “There are stay-at-home moms, nurses, hairdressers and every walk of life, and you’re all there for the same common thing–to have fun and play derby.”

A make-up artist by day, it’s Krista’s alter ego, Red D. Whip, who takes the track on derby nights.

“People pick names for different reasons. This is supposed to be your alter ego, you want it to be tough and mean and intimidating. But of the whole experience, picking the stupid derby name has been the hardest part.”

Well, at least for Krista.

“I was thinking it could be like my name, but only Eve with an L. Eve-L,” explains Krista’s 9-year-old daughter Eva.

But though Eva is “itching to get into junior derby,” Krista said her would-be derby girl has a few more practice hours left on her skates before she’ll be allowed to follow in mom’s tracks. 

And how does dad feel about his pro-derby household?

“I can’t wait for both of my girls to be derby girls,” he said. “I have a deal worked out with the dentist.”