High roller: Jackie Lord in her roller derby alter ego of Boneyard Betsy.
KIM WATERS
THE ROUGH and tumble of Geelong’s roller derby should be the last place to find a fragile woman in constant pain.
But fibromyalgia sufferer Jackie Lord, who plays roller derby under the name Boneyard Betsy, said the contact sport on skates relieved her debilitating condition.
Ms Lord was diagnosed with a tumour in the roof of her mouth five years ago after a lifetime of migraines. After surgery to remove the tumour a doctor diagnosed fibromyalgia as the cause of her “head-to-toe ache”.
She was prescribed anti-depressants to help block the pain.
“It got to the point where I couldn’t get out of bed. I was prescribed anti-depressants but I never took them. I saw them as being a Band-Aid and they didn’t actually address why I was in so much pain.”
Ms Lord said a chance encounter with a roller derby competitor in a bookshop changed her life.
“I was walking through Borders and a derby girl said she liked my shoes.
“Exercise is something that helps fibromyalgia and I was meant to be going to the gym but I don’t enjoy that kind of exercise and I wasn’t doing it much.”
But the sport revealed a further setback when Ms Lord broke a rib during a training drill. During treatment she was diagnosed with osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis.
“I can’t compete now because if I get a hard knock I could break a bone but I’m training as a referee and I go to the training sessions three times a week,” Ms Lord said.
“My body has physically started to respond to the endurance and strength training and you get strong.”
Ms Lord said Geelong’s derby competitors had hearts of gold behind their tough exteriors.
“There are a lot more hugs in derby than bumps and bruises. It’s the exact opposite of what everyone thinks it is after they see the competitors in their gear with all the tatts.”
Ms Lord said Geelong’s roller derby competition had built a large following in the past few years.
“It appeals to people who are a bit different; people who have that square-peg-in-a-round-hole syndrome.”
Geelong Roller Derby League will run its season final from 2pm on June 19 at Bell Post Hill Leisuretime Centre.
