Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 5-27-16 Online Edition

Features
Memorial Day Event To Recognize Those Lost To Street Violence
Bullied Teen Excels As A Roller Derby Skater
It wasn’t that long ago that four young men, David Bul- lock, Smitty, Woogie, and Virgil Bolds, formed a group known as the U-Haul Boyz. Now, two members of that group are serving lengthy prison terms.
One of them, Bullock, has been keeping up with events since his incarceration, and while talking with Bolds, and Marlin, the owner of Club 1828, they came up with an idea to reach out to the families of murder victims, and offer them assistance.
Bad Boyz Promotions, Party Squad Entertainment, and Self Made Entertainment will be presenting their first annual “Rest In Paradise, Black Lives Matter” cele- bration. The event will be held Memorial Day Monday at Club 1828, 5110 North 40th Street, and will be hosted by D Ross, Kenya, and the whole city.
Music will be provided by DJ Dreamchaser and DJ Smooth, and shout-outs will be made to Bob Boone, Killer B., Maurice, Ser- gio, Marvin Lancaster, LA, Scarface, Carlos, Fast, Squirrel James, Ponce, Luke, Andrew,
Lil’ B, Lil’ Rodger, Preacher, Tom Tom Blind, Snoop, LA Bronx, Boody, Manook, Fatboy Pratt, and all of the others who are gone, but never for- gotten.
“We wanted to let the fam- ilies know that the commu- nity is still there to support them, and they aren’t going through all of this alone,” said Bolds.
“We want to appeal to all the young people out there to stop hurting each other, and find a better way to resolve their conflicts. This is a com- munity effort, and we are uniting as many families as we can.”
Bolds said they are devel- oping revenue resources to help families.
“We want to stop young people from turning to crime to support themselves and their family, and offer them legitimate alternatives.
“We decided to use music to draw everyone together, and we want to do this in the harmony and spirit of stop- ping mothers and fathers from burying their children.”
For more information on this event, call Don at (813) 919-1451.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Growing up, Ashlyn Fish, 17, was picked on a lot because she was so much bigger than her peers.
Although she’d often find herself crying from the cruelty of her peers, Fish found com- fort in playing roller derby.
“I’ve always enjoyed skating, so my parents would take me to the local skating rink to pass the time. One day we went to the rink, and they had a flyer about roller derby.
“I decided to give it a try, and after my first practice, I fell in love and kept at it until I got better and better. I found my- self spending hours outside my house skating in circles to not fall and get better.”
With her father, Phillip Hill training her, Fish is now competing as an AAU Junior Olympic Team member.
Ashlyn’s mother, An- toinette Hill, is very support- ive of her daughter’s career, and is helping with fundraising ideas.
“As a young child, I was bul- lied for being so built as a fe- male. I was called every name in the book, including big fat man, ugly girl boy, troll, and others.
“What I didn’t know at that time was I’d be able to succeed at roller derby, and later be- come one of the top blockers in the sport.”
Fish and her father said it’s nice to let others see African Americans participating in a sport other than the traditional football, basketball, or base- ball.
“I practice six days-a-week, three of those with the team,
Ashlyn Fish competing.
and the rest at the YMCA and other facilities.
“I’m very careful about the foods I eat, and I try to always load up on carbs and protein.”
Fish, who is a senior at Seminole Charter School, said she’s still teased and taunted at school, and she still allows it to affect her emotionally, but not on the scale it did when she was a lot younger.
“I now use that to motivate me. I still get emotional and sometimes I’m drawn to tears from some of the things they say, but I recover fast and I just put on my skates and forget all of that stuff.”
Fish said she’s never lacked confidence in anything she’s done. And she understands that it’s difficult when you’re exceptional.
“I don’t have time to fail. As a high school senior, I feel my purpose is to play roller derby.”
Fish said when she gradu- ates from Seminole, she wants to attend law school, and still compete with roller derby.
“I think I’ve been very blessed I got hit by a car when I was younger and that kept me out for months.
“My dream is to compete in the Olympic Games. This sport is growing in popularity and arenas are packed every-
Ashlyn Fish, the model.
where.”
Fish is a member of the
Tampa Bay Junior Roller Derby Chicks, the Tampa Bay All Stars Travel Team, and also participated in world cup events.
When she straps on her skates, she’s known as “Sugar ‘N Spice,” and she said her entire demeanor changes when she’s competing.
“You really have to have an attitude to do this and you can’t be soft. You have to be very aggressive while at the same time remembering your role on the team.”
It’s not all school and roller derby for Fish. She’s also done some modeling and says that relaxes her.
“I consider myself very pho- togenic, and my different per- sonalities help me get through school, compete in roller derby, and modeling.”
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016