Paralegal by Day, Roller Girl by Night

Jamie Taylor, 29, a paralegal by day in Everett, Washington, is a Jet City Rollergirl - and not the type that curl your hair literally.

Taylor skates in roller derby, that high-contact, slamming sport. To be sure, there's a show aspect -- how else do you earn the nickname "Ivana Hurtya"? -- but when they're competing, it's pure sport. Taylor is known as Precious N Metal, and she has sustained injuries as a part of roller derby: she has a plate and six screws in her ankle.

But she loves it:

"I work in an office," said Taylor, the paralegal, "and derby is an opportunity for me to express that part of myself that I don't get to do in my everyday life. It's an outlet for this part of my personality to come out."

There is also a bond of friendship, even among players from rival teams.

"There's nothing like a group of women getting together and sweating and bleeding and beating the crap out of each other, and then hugging afterward," Taylor said. "When you go through pain together … a different kind of thing happens than when you're just playing softball.

"There's a camaraderie," she said. "And a big part of derby is sisterhood. It's by women, for women."

(Source: HeraldNet)