Apr 8, 2013 | Featured Skaters
Hanna Belle Lector #37
Hanna Belle Lector has been skating with the Minnesota RollerGirls since the first season. Yep, Season 1 you could find her out on the track hitting other skaters around and there’s still no slowing her down; she’s a fighter in many ways and has the mentality that there’s more to be done, room to grow, and of course: more girls to hit. …It is her favorite thing about roller derby, after all (and it shows!).
Photo Credit to
Ryan Starr
And who better to lead the coaching of the Debu-Taunts (the Minnesota RollerGirls recreational league) than a veteran skater who has been around since Season 1? Hanna, with the help of other trainers, has been working with skaters in the Debu-Taunts since its launch in August 2010.
That first night of Debu-Taunts, envisioning an attendance of 10-15 women with similar skill levels, Hanna was anticipating running the practice like a Minnesota RollerGirls practice. What she got that very first night was more than 45 skaters with varying degrees of ability. She (and the trainers) still figured out a way to meet all their needs on the fly. Flash forward to January 2013: There is now a solid curriculum for three different skill levels, and scrimmage-ready girls are now playing against other leagues! (Fact. That happened for the first time in February when the girls scrimmaged the SCAR Dolls of St. Cloud, MN.)
Hanna’s an encouraging coach. She can easily drum up stories of helping and watching women achieve milestones in their “derby life,” including getting drafted to a home team. “When the Dagger Dolls drafted Detroit Muff [a former Debu-Taunt drafted in January 2013], who I had been coaching for years – I hit her really hard at her first practice and just kept going with the drill. It was my way of saying ‘I am not your coach anymore; you did it(!) and welcome to the team!’” That hit was (probably) mutually awesome on both ends…let’s hope!
Editor’s note: Want to learn to hit like a girl? Get involved in Debu-Taunts, where you’ll meet skaters like Hanna. Or be part of a home team on the Minnesota RollerGirls and get ready for tryouts, which are happening May 18!