Stella Italiana Makes the Jump from Des Moines to Olympia
November 4, 2011
by Shelly Shankya
The struggle for first place in the West between Rocky Mountain Rollergirls and the Oly Rollers has become a classic rivalry of WFTDA tournament play over the last two years. The rosters for each team haven’t changed much during that time. However, as the 2011 West Region Playoffs played out, one stellar addition to the Oly Rollers’ Cosa Nostra Donnas made her debut on the international roller derby scene: Romina Muse, a.k.a. Stella Italiana.
Photo by Jules Doyle
Muse began skating with the Des Moines Derby Dames in January 2010 and started playing with the Oly Rollers in February 2011. Up until September 2011 she was able to be on both teams’ rosters, as Des Moines was still a member of the Apprentice Program, and not a full WFTDA member league. When they graduated to full WFTDA Member status, she began skating for the Oly Rollers only. Following the upcoming WFTDA Championships, Muse plans to return to skating with her hometown team.
Per WFTDA competition rules, a skater can only be on one charter team at any given time. A Member league’s charter team is the only team that can compete in WFTDA-sanctioned competitions for rankings and tournament eligibility, as well as WFTDA tournaments themselves. Teams can change their charters up to six times a year and the charters go into effect one month from the date of submission.
Muse splits her time running a roller skating rink with her husband, former speed skater Dante Muse, in Des Moines and playing roller derby. In fact, it was speed skating that got her involved with the Oly Rollers.
“I met my husband when he was a member of the US World Speed Skating Team,” Muse said. “I was a member of the Italian team. We got married in 2005, and I moved to Des Moines. As a surprise gift, my husband flew me to Olympia to skate with Atomatrix, a friend of his from the speed skating days.”
After meeting and skating with Atomatrix, the team approached Stella Italiana about skating for the Oly Rollers.
“Skating with them felt just right; they are amazing skaters and they have lots of experience behind their backs,” Muse said. “We talked about maybe me joining the team and two months later, I played my first WFTDA game against Montreal.”
While Stella Italiana isn’t able to practice with the team on a regular basis, she’s quite happy to play with them at tournaments and other games. She’s adamant, however, that people know she’s not a paid player.
“I think that at some point people were gossiping, saying that Oly was paying for me to play with them, and that is not the case,” Muse said. “I pay my own tickets to go play with them. I’m just glad that the Oly Rollers gave me this opportunity, they’ve taken me in as one of the family.”
The Oly Rollers are now #1 in the west and will go into Championships with a bye during the first round. Stella Italiana’s unanswered 27 point jam against Jet City in the quarterfinals at West Region Playoffs helped strengthen their grasp on the title of West Region Champions.
“I think that my background in speed skating helps me a lot; I know to save energy during power jams and I do skate laps quite a lot during practice,” Muse said. “The fact that we are #1W seeded for Championships is a big responsibility. To think about the fact that last year I was just a spectator at Championships [in Chicago] and this year I will be on the track is an amazing feeling. I want to help Oly to take home the gold, and I will do my best to make sure we win.”
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