Did you know that I have something in common with Winter Olympian, Erin Jackson- sorta?

And it’s not that we’re both Black! (Don’t you f*cking start and you know who y’all are!)

OR being the first Black American woman to win in the 500 meter Speedskating World Cup in Poland

OR being the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold in an individual sport

OR being first American woman to win an Olympic speed skating gold since Chris Witty in 1000m in 2002 (the year she was born)

OR being first American woman to win the women’s 500m since Bonnie Blair in 1994 (when she was 2 years old)

OR placing first in the Women’s 500m and 1000m races earning a spot on the U.S. National Team heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy

OR being the first Black flag bearer for the Winter Olympics in Two Thousand and Twenty-Six?

(Did you know the FIRST Black flag bearer for The Olympics™ was in 1960 which is 12 years post the resuming of the games post WW2 where Alice Coachman became the first Black woman to win an Olympic Gold medal who was unable to access athletic training facilities or participate in organized sports because america is was racist and we obviously aren’t anymore because we had a Black President – Happy President’s Day to him ONLY, I guess [except we been paying for that ever since]? I know you didn’t because EYE didn’t. But look at you knowing now!)

What could I possibly have in common with Erin, or Ms. Jackson ‘cause I’m nasty. Roller Derby*! We have roller derby in common. Erin also competed in roller derby with the Jacksonville RollerGirls of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. (She was MVP in 2014).

Also by we have that in common I mean that we both had skated derby. Not that I was good.

Also my track was curved and it is so much more fun than a flat track.

(Falling is not fun on either, but at least on a curve track you bounce a little bit? I don’t know if that’s a pro or a con)

Anyway, that’s today’s fact boys and girls and everybody else!

*my roller derby had no derby because I am a fragile flower with bad knees. But if I coulda had a derby name, I was definitely gonna be Hell O. Kitty