S1:E19 - Candi Fisher is In the Studio with Calamity Jane
In The Studio with Calamity Jane is a show highlighting the incredible women of Las Vegas!
In this episode, we sit down with Candi Fisher, founder of the Atomic Rollergirls, a roller derby league right here in Las Vegas. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
If you're an amazing woman in Las Vegas (or know one), fill out the guest application for a chance to be In the Studio with Calamity Jane!
Transcript:
Hello, welcome to another episode of In The Studio With Calamity Jane. My name is Jodi, also known as Calamity Jane.
Our purpose with this series is to find women doing amazing things in our community and give them the spotlight for a moment.
Joining me today is Candi Fisher with the Atomic Rollergirls. Welcome to the show, Candi.
[Candi]: Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here.
Tell us a little bit about the Atomic Rollergirls.
The Atomic Roller Girls are a Las Vegas-based roller derby team, and our purpose is to promote the sport of roller derby by empowering strong, positive role models for our league, and partnering with other local non-profits to enrich the lives of citizens of Las Vegas.
How did you come to start the Atomic Rollergirls?
I started the Atomic Rollergirls in 2014. I had discovered the sport of roller derby in 2012. I was looking for something to stay active. I had just had a child, and I love roller skating. I grew up roller skating, and I saw that Las Vegas had roller derby, and I immediately went to go check it out, and was hooked; I wanted to do it.
I joined a local league and was with them for a while. I officiated, refereed, skated, but then, it wasn't quite a good fit for me and I did not want to give up the sport of roller derby because I had just fallen in love with it and everything that it brought to the community. and just the feeling of camaraderie.
I was ready to commute to a team in California or Arizona, wherever I had to go to continue to skate, and my husband said, "Why don't you just start a team of your own?" And then, Atomic Rollergirls was born.
What do you feel makes you successful?
I feel that our success stems from the focus on the team. There is no "I" in team and that is very true in roller derby. We're a team not because we have to be, but we're a team because we want to be, and that's what makes our league great. That's what makes it successful because everybody has a passion, they're there because they have a passion for the sport and they want to see our league succeed.
So roller derby is a for the skater, by the skater sport and we are truly a for the skater, by the skater league.
What piece of advice would you give a new entrepreneur who's just getting started?
As with any business, roller derby, even though it is a league, it's a business first. So when I thought about starting the league, the first thing I did was I did my research. I found out what exactly I would need to make sure that we could run a successful business before I created the league. So making sure that you meet with city officials to find out what type of permitting is involved in your area because when we first started, we were skating at a public park so I made sure to contact Clark County Parks to make sure that what we were doing was legal and okay, to see if it required any permitting.
A lot of leagues forget about things like that. They just build the league, and then have to worry about starting the business after the league is already formed and at times, that can be very difficult depending on the type of jurisdiction that you're in. Anybody starting a business, definitely, you wanna do your research first, and find out what you would need to actually be able to legally have and maintain a business in the area that you're in.
And now, the famous questionnaire that was asked for 26 years by the great Bernard Pivot and made famous on In The Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word?
I'm gonna say probably the word I use the most, and it's not really a word, it's just 'duh-duh-derp'. You will hear me at practice saying that all the time. It's how I correct a skater if they do something wrong. It's a noise I make if somebody falls. It's a noise I make if I want somebody's attention, just 'duh-duh-derp'.
What is your least favorite word?
My least favorite word? I would say it's a combination of two words: "I can't". I don't like hearing that from people because you can do anything you set your mind to. To quote Yoda, "Do or do not, there is no try." If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right, so when I hear a skater come up against something tough and they say, "I can't do it," I don't like hearing that. I want to get them out of that; I want them to feel like they can do anything they set their mind to.
What turns you on creatively, emotionally, or spiritually?
Positivity. Positivity when I have people around me that are empowering, and positive, and motivated, that is what really gets me going. It helps me because even I get in funk, and get in that rut, and get stuck, so when I'm surrounded by people that are energetic, and positive, and motivating, that keeps me right there with 'em.
What turns you off?
Negativity, any, any type of negativity. When I have a big task in front of me, sometimes I just want to shut down, and if somebody is just giving all the negative aspects of it, that tends to consume. And you don't want to go there, so you wanna stay positive. So really, any time someone brings any type of negativity to me, I'm very quick to either walk away or just shut that down, instantly.
What is your favorite curse word?
Can I say it? My favorite, most frequently used is For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Fuck. I say it all the time; it is sentence flavoring for me. I will decorate every sentence with it. It's how people know that I'm serious about something 'cause I will use that word very liberally.
What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of cheering. The sound of a happy, entertained crowd. The sound of people being pleased by what they've seen, and clapping will do that, a clap, a cheer, a yell, a whistle, as long as it's not a cat call. But an empowering, like "way to go" cheer, that is the best sound.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Whining. When people complain and whine, that is a terrible sound. I'd rather hear nails scratching the chalkboard, a fork scraping a plate, but if I hear somebody whining, it literally makes me want to punch them in the throat.
What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
I would love to act. I would love to act in musicals because I like to act and I like to sing. So a musical star, maybe Broadway.
What profession would you not like to do?
I don't think I could handle being in the medical field. I had previously been in the medical field, in an administrative aspect, and being a doctor is just high stress, and even though sometimes it can be a very enriching career, I don't think I could handle literally life-and-death situations depending on me.
If Heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
The roller derby track's that way.
[Jodi]: Thanks for being on the show today, Candi.
[Candi]: Thank you for having me, it was wonderful to be here.
And thank you for watching. Join us for the next episode of In the Studio with Calamity Jane, where we put another amazing woman from Las Vegas in the spotlight.
Special thanks to Gigi from Gigi's Rockin' Jewels, who gave me these beautiful accessories to wear!
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