In this new series, we’re going to introduce you to the fierce and fab ladies who live, work and play within our Midcoast community. Not everybody has the guts and drive to make it in the sport of roller derby. Welcome to the women who love, live and breathe derby.

Skater Profile: Chain Lynx

Real name:
Kristen Eckmann

Tell us about your derby name: 
My derby name is derived from my animal medicine or power animal. The lynx is said to be clairvoyant and possess amazing instinctual reactive abilities. It is a cat that you do not want to mess with when encountered in the wild (or on the track).

Age:
38

Current town and hometown:
Live in Camden, grew up in Bangor.

Occupation:
Artist and mother.

How long have you been skating?:
I skated as a kid in Oklahoma and at Skate Scene in Bangor, all through middle school. I am a founding member of Rock Coast Rollers.

Why derby?:
I have always had an aggressive side when it came to competition. I grew up with four brothers and I wanted to be just as successful in athletics as they were. My dad was also an athlete and someone who taught me to always give 120 percent at everything I do. Derby serves all my needs and pushes me to be better all the time. It is an amazing physical challenge as well as a mental game. It keeps you on your toe stops, that is for sure. I just love skating.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of derby so far? What’s your Achilles’ heel, so to speak:
I am in love with “the big hit.” It is the one time on the track where I get to put EVERYTHING I have into knocking someone off the track. My timing is good and I do get one in almost every game, but I know a successful blocker needs a tight, impeccable containment game. I am working on this now. Slowing down someone and holding them with nowhere to go is a big challenge and I hope to own this as much as the mega hits I am known for.

Most fun and rewarding part of derby?:
The most fun in roller derby is playing another team in front of a crowd. I love figuring out my opponent and what makes her tick and hearing the reactions from the crowd when I do this successfully. Whether they cheer or boo, I do not care because it means I have done my job on the track. The most rewarding part of roller derby and being a member of RCR is my league. I belong to this great group of women that support me in ways I cannot even express. When I have struggled in life, they have been there for me; when life is good, they are there for me. I LOVE Rock Coast Rollers and I leave my blood on the track for them.

Other sports/hobbies/interests:
Being a mom to two smart, talented children, sewing, paper making, volunteering in my community, wrestling octopi.

Rock Coast Rollers is a diverse group of women dedicated to advancing and advocating for the sport of roller derby, women, their league and their community. RCR aims to be a skater-owned, nonprofit business under the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, based in Rockland. For more information visit rockcoastrollers.org.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com