Amy Callner, Charm City Roller Girls co-founder (episode 8)

Female Trouble

When Amy Callner came upon a group of tattooed women hitting each other on roller skates, she knew she’d found what she was looking for. Amy, otherwise known as Lady Quebeaum, found roller derby at a time in her life when she needed to work out aggression, test her limits and have a blast while doing so. She co-founded the Charm City Roller Girls, Baltimore’s only female flat track roller derby league. Eleven years later, she’s still going strong. Amy talked about the sport’s evolution past fishnet tights and tutus, and the increasing athleticism of roller derby players. She also discussed what pop culture depictions of roller derby get right and wrong about the sport, roller derby’s DIY roots and ethos, and raising a son who sees that it's normal for women to play contact sports. Ultimately, Amy finds power in knowing how hard she can hit. (Photo by Tyler Shaw)