CONCORD, N.C.,None — When Leslie Jenkins strapped on roller skates and did battle on the roller derby rink, it just seemed natural to her.
"Me and my family are big roller skaters," Jenkins, a Concord resident and Georgia native, said. "On the weekends, that's what we did – we would go to the roller rink and skate."
Jenkins, 29, is a player for the Charlotte Speed Demons, a new roller derby team formed last year in the Queen City.
The season closer for the Speed Demons is Saturday, and most likely, you'll see Jenkins fending off jammers and other defenders.
Her husband, Tim, a motorsports engineer, encouraged Leslie to join the Speed Demons earlier this year.
"I knew she loved to skate and wanted to get back into it," he said. "She had heard about the team and was on the fence about joining. I researched the team and encouraged her to join."
The Speed Demons were formed last year and take a different path than other modern flat-track derby teams. Their aim is to bring a professional sports mentality to roller derby, said president Craig Bailey. The team has a professional staff to handle marketing and logistics, while the players focus on skill development and athleticism.
That's what attracted Leslie the most about the Speed Demons.
"Anything active I'm attracted to," she said. "When you're sitting at a desk all day, I'm ready to get moving after work."
As a research administrator at UNC Charlotte, Leslie facilitates the scientific work that goes on there.
But on the roller derby rink, she is the pivot, the player similar to the quarterback in football, who keeps the pack of defenders together and eyes where the opposing team could break through.
On the sidelines, Tim, 29, acts as the unofficial team engineer, making adjustments to skates and helping out as needed.
"A skate is like a race car. It has four wheels and suspension," Tim said. "I was able to relate to the skates, thinking of them like race cars in a way."
Roller derby has turned into a shared interest for both Leslie and Tim, mainly because of the team.
When Leslie played in her first bout, which can be intense and bruising, she said she wasn't nervous.
"I had scrimmaged before, so I knew what to expect," she said. "Plus the other players and the coaches are very supportive, like a family."
Tim echoed the sentiment.
"The team fits us, and that's probably why I'm so supportive and involved as I am," he said.
WSOC
