Screamin’

At first glance the world of roller derby seems to be all about jammer blocks and hip checks, tough women asserting their dominance on the track trying to intimidate each other with alter egos such as Petty Rage and Yoko OH NO!

However, with a second look, women such as Raemi Poitras are proving that roller derby is not just about short skirts and hard falls. The sport is physically demanding and requires hard work and dedication. And while, yes, there is showmanship and performance, taunting and derision, there is also friendship and community.

A derby girl with the Lava City Roller Dolls since 2007, Poitras, better known as Screamin’ Meanie to her fans (and just Meanie to her friends), stunned the local roller derby community by ranking No. 1 in the league during her rookie season.

“I did tryouts, and the first time I tested I ranked 17th out of 40, which I was pretty proud of since I didn’t know how to skate at all when I started,” said Poitras, noting that it was her sister who had urged her to try out.

“At the time I was a heavy equipment operator and I’d come home at the end of the day tired and dirty, but I tried it and I was hooked,” she said. “At first it was just a way to get out of my daily rut, to do something physical, make friends. I didn’t know I’d still be doing it eight years later.”

But Poitras has stuck with it and in June she was the featured skater for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, bringing her story to the world-wide community of skaters. She was named Oregon MVP All Stars for the 2012 season and Oregon MVP All Star Reserves in 2013. She is the captain of her home team, 12 Gauge Rage, and also skates for her league’s all-star travel team Smokin’ Ashes.

Perhaps most noteworthy, however, Poitras will be celebrating her 50th birthday next month.

“There are very few women my age playing derby at that level,” offered Poitras, “and even less playing for an All Star Team,” a distinction that Poitras has been able to boast since her rookie year. But boasting is actually something she isn’t very good at.

“It’s so strange to be considered a vet now. When I started, there were so many awesome women I looked up to. It was amazing to be a part of such an amazing group of skaters, but it’s weird to be that vet skater the new girls look up to for support.”

However, her derby journey hasn’t come without some major hurdles. In the middle of her skating career, Poitras was injured in a major car accident.

“On my way to a derby bout in Tacoma, Washington, I was involved in a head-on collision. I was taken off derby and my job and went through a year of rehab. When I was able to finally get back to work, the economy in Bend had tanked and my boss didn’t have any work to give me … but I’m a tough girl,” she said with a laugh.

After a few months of not being able to find work, Poitras started her own business at age 47, Raemi’s Pet Care Service.

“I take care of dogs, cats, birds, turtles, cows, lizards, horses, bunnies … I just love animals and thought this would be a great service I could offer people,” said Poitras. “I offer on-site pet service, house sitting, dog walking, whatever people need. It’s a great feeling to be in a business where you just get to help people.”

That sentiment permeates everything Poitras does.

She’s been a coach for the Lava City Junior Derby since it started in 2010, after a boot camp revealed the sport was increasingly popular with young women. Then in 2013, she also took on the role of director for the junior derby.

“The junior leagues are the future of our sport,” said Poitras, who models the junior league training after the adult all-star team training to ensure the girls play at a competitive level against other junior leagues.

“My favorite part is watching the growth not only in skating skill, but also in confidence and teamwork of each individual skater and the team as a whole,” Poitras said.

“I don’t know how she does it, but she gets everyone where they need to be and helps us all be better skaters,” said Abbie Robertson, 17. “That she’s so active and involved at the age she is, is really inspirational to me. … She’s just an overall good person.”

“We all know her as Meanie, but she’s the last thing from mean,” said Erin Babcock, whose daughter Taylor participates in junior derby. “She has helped my daughter with difficult times, helped with things she couldn’t deal with otherwise, without derby … she is so much more than a coach. She’s patient, kind. She listens to all their stuff, makes sure each girl’s independent needs are taken care of, all in her free time.”

Which is what people around her find most amazing about Poitras. It’s not just about derby. Derby is her passion, yes, but even more so, derby is what she uses to help those around her find their own voices, to help where she can, in whatever way she can.

“Yeah, I have my awards,” Poitras continued, “but my biggest love is helping those girls in our junior league. I’ve watched them go from little girls on skates to finding themselves in the world. Derby is a great place for that. It’s open, non-judgmental, and I love watching the girls thrive and grow.”

“I can’t say enough how incredible a person she is,” said Babcock. “She has the biggest heart, and I am so very grateful my daughter and I get to be a part of her world.”

And it’s a world she’s not planning on leaving anytime soon. Poitras said she hasn’t even thought about hanging up her skates.

“I don’t think I’ll be done anytime soon. Derby has put me in the best shape of my life. I wish I found it when I was in my 20s,” she declared. “I continue to skate because I truly love the sport and the physical challenge involved. It keeps me in good shape – physically and mentally strong.”

But while her name reflects the side of Poitras that plays to win, taken from the name of one of the fastest and toughest fighter jets in the world, she never loses sight of the other side of herself.

The side that has new grandma bragging rights, that enjoys nature and volunteering in the Bend community where she was born and raised, and that enjoys just being laid back.

“I love my life, my job, and getting to enjoy the paradise we live in, day by day.”