National Year of Reading 2012

Feature Week 20: Sporting ambassadors
Canberra Roller Derby League

Support for the National Year of Reading isn’t limited to authors and illustrators. A host of sporting stars are helping us to spread the word about the importance of reading. During the 20th week of the National Year of Reading, we feature some of our female sporting supporters from the ACT, Grace Gill, from the Canberra United Football Club, several players from the Canberra Roller Derby League and Jess Bibby from the Canberra Capitals basketball team.

About the Canberra Roller Derby League

The Canberra Roller Derby League competition promotes women’s sport, health and community in the Canberra region. Skaters take part in competitive skating trials before being accepted into the league. They undergo intensive training and a series of safety and skills assessments to ensure they are ready to hit the track for a fun and feisty competition.

The League currently has four teams: Black ‘n’ Blue Belles; Brindabelters; Red Bellied Black Hearts; and Surly Griffins.

We were interested to hear that there are a number of people who work in the library sector that participate in roller derby leagues around Australia. If you haven’t seen a roller derby bout before, the following clip will give you some idea of what is involved:

Skaters from the league are keen to encourage reading, taking the view that it doesn’t matter what you read as long as you read. They demonstrated this by taking part in the Free Comic Book Day at Impact Comics when free comics were distributed.

CRDL thoughts on reading and the National Year of Reading

At CRDL we believe that reading is one of the most enjoyable and essential skills for children and adults to learn, love and embrace. The Canberra Roller Derby League is proud to be a National Year of Reading ambassador for the ACT.

Eight of the CRDL players took time out to tell us a little about their reading habits and the books they have most enjoyed reading:

Black 'n' Blue Belles

Firstly, players from the Black 'n' Blue Belles share their thoughts:

Cherry Axe-Wound, Black 'n' Blue Belles

• Which book is by your bedside right now? ‘A clash of kings’ book 2 from the Song of ice and fire series. I finished it a couple of nights ago but it’s there to remind me to pick up book 3.
• What was the last book you received as a gift? Books 1 and 2 of the A Song of Ice and Fire Series from my husband and son for Mother’s Day.
• What was the last/first e-book you downloaded? ‘Fever’, the second book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, which is a completely trashy Dystopian Science Fiction series that I adore and haven’t been able to find in local bookshops.
• Print books, ereader or both? I prefer print books because there is nothing quite like holding a book in your hands and turning the pages to find out what happens next, but I am learning to like the convenience of an e-book.
• Do you remember learning to read? I really struggled learning to read - I couldn’t grasp the learning by rote method they used in primary school. I was lucky though that my mum and a really excellent teacher didn’t give up on me and found a method that worked for me.
• Do you have a favourite book from your childhood? ‘Can’t you sleep, Little Bear?’ by Martin Waddell was one of my favourite picture books as a child. The illustrations and story are just beautiful.

Cherry Axe-Wound's favourite reads

• Grimm’s Fairy Tales I was completely scandalised the first time I read Cinderella-there was no singing mice, there were shoes filled with blood! These Fairy Tales were the beginning of my love of Gothic fiction and short stories.
• ‘The bloody chamber’ by Angela Carter A short story collection that I found, out of my love for gothic fiction. It made me realise that fairy tales weren’t just for children and that love comes in many different guises - and there I was, unbeknownst to me, outed as a hopeless gothic romantic.
• ‘The Maxx’ This was the first comic I ever read as an adult. I have been completely immersed in the world of comics and graphic novels ever since.

Shortstop, Black 'n' Blue Belles

• Do you have a favourite genre? I mostly read paranormal fiction. I’m reading a lot of series with vampires, werewolves or shape shifters. Yes, I blame ‘Twilight’ to getting me hooked onto this genre.
• What was the last book you bought from a bookshop? ‘Bloodlines’ by Richelle Mead. I saw it in the bookshop while I was cruising the shelves and decided to buy it since I really liked her Vampire Academy Series.
• What was the last book you received as a gift? Hmm, I think it was one of the books from Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlene Harris. I can’t remember which one but it was from my Grandma.
• What was the last/first e-book you downloaded? ‘The hunger games’ by Suzanne Collins. I heard the movie was good and the book even better, so I decided to download it and read it before I went to see it at the movies.
• Do you have a favourite book from your childhood? The only books I can remember from my childhood are the Meg and Mog series by Jan Pienkowski. This might be the reason I like paranormal fiction :-)
• Where's the strangest place you have ever read? Probably waiting on a physio table with dry needles stuck in my shins. Not as uncomfortable as you think.

Shortstop's favourite reads

• ‘Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone’ by J.K Rowling This book started my love for reading. My only experience with reading was through school and uni, but this book was the first I read for fun and I haven’t been able to put down a book since.
• ‘Twilight' by Stephenie Meyer The next step after Harry Potter and cemented my thirst for paranormal fiction.
• Hit and Miss Magazine I love a good magazine, especially when it’s about Roller Derby.

Hatchet Woman, Black 'n' Blue Belles

• Are you a constant reader or are there times when you don't read at all? I often go through times when I don’t read at all because I do so much professional reading at work and home that I am too tired to then read for enjoyment.
• What's the book you've read most often? ‘April fool’s day’ by Bryce Courtney.
• Which book is by your bedside right now? ‘Medium raw’ by Anthony Bourdain.
• What was the last/first e-book you downloaded? ‘The hunger games’ by Suzanne Collins. I heard the movie was good and the book even better, so I decided to download it and read it before I went to see it at the movies.
• How do you get hold of books? Mostly through book shops. I am a late technology adopter.
• Print books, ereader or both? Print books but I am considering purchasing an ereader very soon.
• Do you skim the boring bits or read every word? Unfortunately I read every word and have now decided that if I don’t like the book I just won’t finish it rather than continuing to read something I’m not enjoying.
• Where's the strangest place you have ever read? On a sand dune on Fraser Island overlooking the sea.

ValHannah, Black 'n' Blue Belles

• Are you a constant reader or are there times when you don't read at all? Constant – I always have one book on the go.
• Which book is by your bedside right now? Jules Verne ‘Around the world in eighty days’.
• What was the last book you bought from a bookshop? Mark Thomas ‘Extreme rambling (Walking the wall)’ which combined two of my interests; comedy and history of the Holy Land!
• How do you get hold of books? Internet mostly and second hand book shops and fairs; especially the Lifeline book fair.
• Did you like to read as a child? Never. Now I read all the time – I was a late developer!
• Do you have a favourite book from your childhood? Janet and Allan Ahlberg ‘The jolly postman’ the illustrations are beautiful. As a child I was mesmerised by the pop-up and 3d nature of the book.
• What author or illustrator has most influenced you? As I didn’t read as a child I was more influenced by illustration so Janet and Allan Ahlberg and Quentin Blake pretty much inspired my progression into a career of art and design.

ValHannah's favourite reads

• Harper Lee ‘To kill a mockingbird’. My all time favourite book. This was a book we had to study in high school and was my first ever experience on actually loving a book/story. Also obviously it teaches invaluable lessons about humanity.
• Bram Stoker ‘Dracula’. I had reservations when I began this book that a story over 100 years old would be able to chill my modern desensitised bones, however I was proved wrong by how thrilling and terrifying it was – and such a clever hypnotising read.
• Bret Easton Ellis ‘American psycho’. When I first read this book I hated it. For the first time I was prepared to put a book down and not finish it. I remember reading it on the train to London and having to put it down as I felt physically sick! The book haunted me for the months following and slowly and surely it began to sink in to the point now where I consider it a favourite. It is testament to never giving up on a read.

Surly Griffins

Players from the Surly Griffins also told us something about their reading habits:

Canuckles, Surly Griffins

• When do you read? When I read really depends on the book, if I’m really excited about the book, like the Hunger Games, I can hardly put it down and I try to squeeze in a few pages whenever I can. In general I read before bed, but I am definitely the type of person who will turn off the tv and pick up a book if there’s nothing good on.
• Are you a constant reader or are there times when you don't read at all? I always have a book on the go but sometimes I find time to read a lot more than others. If I find myself stressed out or sad I find I read a lot more, I find going on an adventure with a book will always lift my spirits.
• What was the last book you received as a gift? The last book I received as a gift was at Christmas time from my boyfriend he bought me ‘World War Z’ by Max Brooks. It’s about a Zombie apocalypse and is one of my all-time favourite books.
• At what point do you give up on a book? I tend to give up on books that have a character that I can relate to in some way. Character development is a biggie for me. If I don’t feel like I know the character like I would a friend I struggle to keep reading. I must admit there have been a few books that I gave up on but later gave them a second chance and they ended up being great reads.
• What's the first book you can remember reading or having read to you? I remember my parents reading lots of books to me as a child, a lot of Disney story books and 'Berenstain Bears' books. The one book that was read to me that left the biggest impression was 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was read to our class by my year 5 teacher, I remember every single child in the glass was glued to every single word and we always begged him to keep reading.
• What author or illustrator has most influenced you? My favourite author is Steven Pressfield. He is historical fiction writer and is famous for his books of ancient war time. His second novel titled ‘Gates of fire’ was written about the Spartans and the battle at Thermopylae. This is my favourite book and I refer to it a lot while I’m training for sport. A quote from ‘Gates of fire’, “Power, Speed, Endurance, Suffering and Salvation,” I say this quote to myself when I’m training for Roller Derby; it’s where I find my strength.

Canuckles's favourite reads

• ‘Gates of fire’ by Steven Pressfield I find the struggles of the characters motivating, and where they find their courage and motivation extremely inspiring.
• ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien It was one of the first and most influential stories ever told to me, it will forever be a favourite.
• The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling I started reading the Harry Potter series when I was going through a really hard point in my life, escaping into the magical world was a way to find some happiness in tough times.

Drakeula, Surly Griffins

• Are you a constant reader or are there times when you don't read at all? I’m a constant reader. I need to be reading something. If I’m stuck at the table for breakfast with no book handy, I’ll read the back of the cereal box. I need to read.
• What's the book you've read most often? Hmm, this is a tough one as it’s not an individual book but a series. Harry Potter is by far my most favourite. I’m a Harry Potter nut. If my roller derby training didn’t clash with the local quidditch team’s training sessions (yes, I checked) I’d definitely be playing quidditch as well.
• What was the last book you borrowed from your public library? I’m currently working my way through the graphic novel series, Fables, and its spin-off series, Jack of Fables.
• Which book is by your bedside right now? At the moment it’s ‘Unicorn point’ by Piers Anthony. It’s book six of the Apprentice adept series. There’s a good mix of sci-fi and fantasy in this series as there are two parallel phases, one which deals in magic and fantastic creatures and the other in science and robots.
• What's the first book you can remember reading or having read to you? My mum told me that I made her read a Little Golden Book about counting over and over to me, and then I could read it on my own at age two. I don’t really remember the counting one, but I do remember the ‘The poky little puppy’. That was a favourite when I was really little.
• Did you like to read as a child? Yes, all the time. I would be a frequent visitor to my public and school libraries to return a pile of books and borrow another pile. I would take the maximum you could borrow every time. I read so much and so quickly that my mum refused to buy me books as birthday or Christmas presents. Thankfully she decided to break that rule and buy me my first Harry Potter book. But to this day most people won’t buy me books because I have so many they’re not sure if I already have that book or not.
• Estimate the number of books you own. Thankfully I don’t have to estimate as I’ve been working on listing my collection – mostly to help me know if I own a book or not! Currently I have listed 578 books. The scary part is that of those books, 144 I haven’t read yet. That’s about 25% of my collection!

Drakeula's favourite reads

• The Harry Potter series I find the struggles of the characters motivating, and where they find their courage and motivation extremely inspiring.
• The Ancient future trilogy by Traci Harding This is another fantasy trilogy, and there’s time travel, immortality, reincarnation… I think this was my first real foray into fantasy novels so it opened the door to the genre for me.

Kimodo Dragon

• Do you have a favourite genre? Non fiction/Autobiographies.
• What's the book you've read most often? I usually read a book once and once only.
• Which book is by your bedside right now? ‘Water for elephants’ by Sara Gruen.
• What was the last book you borrowed from your public library? A craft book on mosaics.
• What was the last e-book you downloaded? The last I downloaded was the Hunger Games trilogy.
• Print books, ereader or both? Both.
• Do you have lots of books on the go at once, or just one? At least two.
• Do your ever cheat and read the end of the book first? No way!!!
• Do you skim the boring bits or read every word? Every word!!
• At what point do you give up on a book? Never.
• What's the first book you can remember reading or having read to you? Babar books in French.

Princess of Power reading habits, Surly Griffins

• Are you a constant reader or are there times when you don't read at all? I always have at least one book on the go, sometimes up to five.
• Do you have a favourite genre? Fantasy, almost exclusively. It is my escape and mental recharge time.
• What's the book you've read most often? I've read the Belgariad and Mallorean series by David Eddings all the way through a few times. Also John Marsden's Tomorrow when the war began series. Ellie is my all time favourite heroine.

  

• Print books, ereader or both? I have kept all of my print books, they are a real treasure in my bookshelf. However, I am now an avid ereader for four reasons:
  
  
  • I can easily carry several books with me in my handbag when I travel;
  • In the long run it is cheaper and does not cut down trees to print;
  • I can download the next book in the series as soon I finish the previous one! (that's my favourite reason); and
  • The page turning does not annoy my partner at night time!
• Did you like to read as a child? Yes! Two vivid memories about reading; the first was being given ‘The Hobbit’ by my Oma when I was about 8 or 9yrs old and I spent the whole day reading it - I could not put it down, the second is from having surgery in my early teens and all I wanted was my Mum to read to me, which she did for a few hours each day for about a week - it was the newest book in the The Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody - a series I have read through three times now (with still more to come!).
• Do you have a favourite book from your childhood? ‘The balloon tree’ by Phoebe Gilman. Great illustrations and wonderful story about a resilient young girl.
• Where's the strangest place you have ever read? In a tent in Africa, with wild buffalo grazing around us.

Princess of Power's favourite reads

• Tomorrow When the War Began, Series by John Marsden Growing up camping, hiking and spending a lot of time on rural and outback properties throughout my teens the storyline and Ellie as a character really spoke to me. She was tough, courageous, resilient, loyal and never gave up fighting.
• ‘Interview with a Vampire’ and other books in the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice Complex characters that I loved to love, or loved to hate at times, surrounded by history and a dark centuries. The characters were compelling and fascinating and broke almost all the social norms. I read these books with fascination and they certainly showed me what true vampire fantasy can be.
• The Obernewtyn Chronicles Elspeth is an amazing character, as is the world Isobelle Carmody created. Complex, yet frightening at times, it also delves into the profoundness and importance of relationships during tough times. I think it spoke to me so much because Elspeth was very different and an outcast in her society, but she found a place to belong where she wasn't just accepted but admired, respected and loved. I think all of us can relate to that, particularly during our younger years.

Want to know more?

• To find out more about the Canberra Roller Derby League, take a look at their website:

  Website

• You can also find them on facebook:

  Facebook

• To see our other featured ambassadors in week 20, select the following links:

  Grace Gill

  Jess Bibby

• If you want to see the other National Year of Reading ambassadors, go to our ambassadors page.

  Click here

• Other featured ambassadors can be found on the ambassador feature week listing.

  Click here