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A spirit that is not afraid

People of The Plains: Holzmeister Burns Track

Carrie Holzmeister is the founder of Auburn roller derby team the 'Burn City Rollers,' formed in September 2008. ELLISON LANGFORD / NEWS EDITOR
Carrie Holzmeister is the founder of Auburn roller derby team the 'Burn City Rollers,' formed in September 2008. ELLISON LANGFORD / NEWS EDITOR

Carrie Holzmeister is an unassuming English teacher at Columbus Technical College.

"Cho Cold" is a brawling roller derby skater.

And both inhabit the same slight, brunette frame.

Holzmeister began her journey to becoming "Cho Cold" after a few years of boredom in Auburn.

"(When I got into roller derby), it was a total whim," Holzmeister said. "It was so fun actually. I had a weird whim, but I didn't expect to fall in love with it like I did."

Holzmeister said some of the inspiration for her name came from the character Cho Chang in the Harry Potter books.

However, as there weren't many other roller derby skaters in the area, Holzmeister formed a league called the "Burn City Rollers" in September 2008.

Holzmeister described roller derby as a sport that attracts women who don't like other women. But she said the women who compete in roller derby have an easier time bonding with each other.

"I've made friends from this team who are almost like sisters to me," Holzmeister said.

But that doesn't mean those sisters won't take a shot at one another sometimes.

Holzmeister said she got a huge goose egg on her thigh after a teammate socked her.

How violent a derby bout gets depends on the teams playing, Holzmeister said.

She said some teams aren't very physical, but that the Burn City Rollers is not necessarily one of those teams.

"I think I love being able to get out my aggression in a healthy way," Holzmeister said. "I am a hitter. I'm not a power hitter, because I'm small, but I annoy people and I hit them a lot."

But before the skaters can go out and start wailing on each other, they have to put on their uniforms.

Team members often wear matching jerseys, but everything else depends on the woman. Some players wear tutus or panties over their tights.

But Holzmeister admitted that as much as the competitors love the sport, its unusual characteristics sometimes draw strange looks.

"Well, around Auburn, we do get some people who are like, 'What the heck?'" Holzmeister said.

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