Theyaren’tpaid,but they’reover-the-top dedicated—andprettydarngood

Early-morning jogs, strict diets and punishing workouts are par for the course when you are a professional athlete. But what about the attorney, salesman or student who has a relentless passion for a particular sport?

We’re not talking about your typical weekend warrior, but the hard-core athlete driven by something deeper than a desire to have fun or shed pounds.

Some girls brave enough to sign up for roller derby end up with shattered bones, but neighborhood resident Meg Weathers has been lucky to sustain only some bruises and a popped shoulder joint.

“It’s a little bit of a badge of honor,” she says. “I’m almost embarrassed not to tell you I have more. My friend has a hematoma on her leg, and I was a little jealous.”

Weathers, known on the rink as Daisy Shoots, has been playing in the Assassination City Roller Derby League for about year with the Deadly Kennedys. The girls play on the third Saturday of each month from January to October. All four teams will compete in the championship round this month. Although it might look like a bunch of girls skating around in a circle trying to hammer each other, there’s more to it than that.

“It’s all about strategy,” Weathers says. “I think you kind of find a couple of things you’re good at. I’m fast, I can get in front of people. It’s incredibly engaging. You’re looking backward, but you’re skating forward. I get smacked pretty hard, so I fly pretty far.”

Sometimes, right into audience members’ laps. But that’s part of the fun, Weathers says.

“We like our fans to be that close. The energy level is awesome. People are wearing their team colors. It feels really cool because there are a lot people watching you, banging on the walls. My family’s staring right at me. The audience is always going crazy. I can’t think of a sport where you get that kind of exposure.”

When she’s not at her day job working for a local marketing firm, Weathers practices at least twice a week with the league and does yoga on her own to stay flexible. Though Weathers has been working out for years, she has never been much into sports. She actually studied theater in college.

“It’s a sport where people who are nonathletes become athletes,” she says about roller derby. “I think that’s a beautiful thing. It’s made me confident and not doubt myself. The other stuff in your life doesn’t seem so daunting. Assassination City is like a huge family. I have a huge amount of respect for all the girls.”