Power Through the 4th Whistle Roller Derby Podcast

Listen to this episode and learn the power of chocolate!
A sweet special guest this week -- Lily Gaskell! Lily steered away from sports as a young person and found roller derby at age 19 following her sister's lead into the sport. Lily has skated for Sheffield Roller Derby, Rainy City Roller Derby, and as co-captain of Team England at the Roller Derby World Cup last year.
Lily's lessons of taking chances, being brave, and going for the life you want are an inspiring listen. Besides derby, Lily loves making chocolate, has a t-shirt business, being a personal trainer, and will perform at your wedding if you ask nicely. ;-)
Strike the Forge is a 12 week training program for contact athletes that will help you with plyometrics, agility, strength conditioning, balance work, recovery, anything and everything you need to go along with your on skates training.
Link to program: https://coach.everfit.io/package/MQ247059
Follow Lily Gaskell on IG: @lilygaskell316
Photo by Life Thru Argo's Lens
Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre
To find about more about the Fast Five Skate Race at K1 Speed in Traverse City, Michigan, go to this link: ⁠https://www.tcrollerderby.com/events-2-1/fast-five-skate-at-k1-speed⁠
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Today's episode asks big questions. Are there ways to have less blowout games in roller derby? Is lead jammer overpowered? Should we change starts? How has clockwise blocking changed the game? Is roller derby...boring?
Code Adam from Arch Rival Roller Derby joins the podcast today to generate more discussion and curiosity about ways to improve the game of roller derby. He has been presenting lots of research on his Instagram profile to compare/contrast our sport with other sports as well as breaking down the flow and nuance of our games in general. His big ask is that the roller derby community take a chance and devote some scrimmage time to testing out new ideas to see what could come of it.
Do you like graphs and charts? Read more here: https://medium.com/@adamcz/roller-derby-is-boring-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-part-1-ebb9d1c68b45
https://medium.com/@adamcz/roller-derby-is-boring-part-2-lead-jammer-is-overpowered-plus-a-call-to-action-8f0d64a08864
If you have ideas/comments, follow @rollerderbyinnovation on IG or email [email protected].
You can also join the discord server to join the conversation: https://discord.gg/GDdKeGMRzR
Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre
To find about more about the Fast Five Skate Race at K1 Speed in Traverse City, Michigan, go to this link: https://www.tcrollerderby.com/events-2-1/fast-five-skate-at-k1-speed
Or follow Traverse City Roller Derby on socials: ⁠⁠@tcrollerderby⁠⁠
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Our heroes become gods...and then sometimes, our gods become human.
This week we’re diving into the Olympics, figure skating, the Quad God, and the brutal beauty of performing under pressure.
The journey of the seemingly unbeatable Ilia Malinin is one of the biggest stories of this Winter Olympics. Let's explore what happens when the gold feels inevitable… and then suddenly isn’t.
Why is it easier to chase than to defend? Why do we play freely when we have nothing to lose—but tighten up when it’s ours to win? And what’s actually happening in our brains when we “choke”?
This episode unpacks the psychology of pressure, the art of recovering from mistakes, and how to keep caring deeply without letting nerves take over.
If you’ve ever folded when it mattered most—or been afraid you might—this one’s for you.
The book referenced in this episode is Choke by Sian Beilock.
Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFP
Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre
To find about more about the K1 Speed Rollerskating Race Event coming up in Traverse City, follow Traverse City Roller Derby on socials: ⁠@tcrollerderby⁠
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Runback episode!! The podcast is back and we're starting by looking back on this conversation from 2020 with Erin Jackson. Since this interview, Erin Jackson won a Gold Medal in the 500 meter event in Beijing, China in 2022 and now in 2026 is competing in Italy at the Olympics in the 500 meter event as well as the 1000 meter event for the first time.
Listen and learn about the inspirational journey and competitive mindset of Erin Jackson!
Erin Jackson was a jammer for Jacksonville Roller Derby AND USA Roller Derby. Erin grew up in inline speed skating with many national championships and was named Female Athlete of the Year for Roller Sports three times. Months after learning to ice skate, surprising everyone including herself, she qualified for the 500 meters long track speed skating event at the 2018 Winter Olympics. It was also announced in early May that Erin is on the US Speedskating Long Track National Team for 2020-2021. Did I mention she’s doing all of this while furthering her education?
📷by Quick N Derby
Follow Erin Jackson on Instagram: @speedyj
Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre
To find about more about the K1 Speed Rollerskating Race Event coming up in Traverse City, follow Traverse City Roller Derby on socials: @tcrollerderby
https://www.facebook.com/tcrollerderby
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Burnout doesn’t show up all at once — it creeps in slowly, disguised as exhaustion, irritability, or the sinking feeling that you’re no longer doing anything well. In this episode, we dig into what burnout looks like in roller derby and in leadership roles, how to recognize when you’re hitting your limits, and why stepping away might be the most powerful move you can make.
If you’ve been feeling drained, stuck, or unsure whether you’re still in love with Derby, this episode is your permission slip to breathe, explore, and reset.
And now to put on my magic ring and disappear for a bit. I'll be back in 2026 with more episodes! Until then, listen to the previous 186 episodes, take care of yourselves, and each other. xoxo ~ Jackie Bauer

Photo by ⁠⁠Jason Lome @lomeranger on Instagram
Podcast logo by Liz Mac Intyre
Would you like to sponsor this podcast and get your message out to our very smart and cool roller derby audience? Email me at [email protected] or DM on IG @power4thwhistle.
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