By Peyton Slamming

For some, commuting across town for work is a lot. But, what if you drove a couple hours a few days a week JUST to play derby? Enya Grave is one of three Tornado Sirens who does just that. She has also quickly established herself as a forceful pivot and strong jammer.

Enya Grave #6FT
(Photo: Michael Guio)

Q: Who are you and where did you come from?
I am Enya Grave. I have transferred here to Indianapolis with two other teammates from the Fort Wayne Derby Girls.

Q: How long have you been skating?
I have been skating all of my life it seems. I used to speed skate as a kid and grew up loving the sport, but not skating competitively again until recently. I now hold two national records in the novice master women’s division for inline racing.

Q: What attracted you to derby?
I saw an ad on a bus hut, believe it or not, and wondered if it were fake or real. I called and got some info, tried out and made the team! I had a hard time being ok hitting or even touching another skater, because in speed skating that is grounds for disqualification. Now, I love to hit (I have a hard time holding back at speed practice)!

Q: You, RIPTide, and Majestic make the commute from Ft Wayne several times a week to practice. What is that like?
The Trifecta…ha ha ha, that is what I call us. We commute from Fort Wayne two to three days per week to Indianapolis for practices. It sure makes the ride (all 12 hours per week) more tolerable having people to talk to. We have good derby discussion during those long hours. We invest on the average 12-18 hours per week total between practice and travel! Unfortunately, with the price of gas, we spend about $500 per month in fuel and vehicle maintenance. There is some difficulty finding sponsors since we live in Fort Wayne and play for Indy. So, we budget our finances around derby as well as our time. It is worth every penny by the way!

Q: What was it like going to WFTDA Championships last fall?
All I can say is that I felt honored, humbled and in awe to be able to join the team and play my first game with my new team at WFTDA Champs! The Naptown Roller Girls are truly an amazing group of women! It was an experience I will never forget and look forward to earning another shot at it!

Q: Wacky fact people might not know about you/you want to share with fans.
Something people don’t know about me is – despite my skate name, people do not know that I work for a funeral home and cemetery group!