‘Spark Plug’ might have to take a break to focus on career

Heather Bedgood is a different character when she steps inside the rink.

Outside the wall that outlines the rink, Bedgood is quiet, reserved and keeps to herself. Inside, she’s aggressive, passionate and vocal, whether it’s talking with her team or igniting the energy.

On July 16, when she stepped into the rink to battle the Muscogee Roller Girls, Bedgood was dressed in black, head to toe, including her hair and lipstick. When she lined up, waiting for the shriek of the referee’s whistle to begin the jam, she had one thing one her mind: get through that wall. The look in her eyes was determination.

She couldn’t breach the wall. While her team didn’t win that bout, Bedgood, or “Spark Plug,” her derby name, was just happy to be out there.

“This is my team,” she said.

It has been her dream for a few years now. She got into the sport at 16, thanks to her step-mother, who is also on the Middle Georgia Derby Demons’ roster.

Once Bedgood turned 18, she officially began her derby career.

“I was scared out of my mind,” she said of her first bout. “Just like with any sport, your first game, you’re gonna be really scared.”

Bedgood loves roller derby. She said it’s kind of her way to stay into sports. Sports have always been a part of her life. Growing up, she played softball and basketball through her freshman year of high school.

Sports, however, took a back seat for Bedgood as she began focusing on her career.

After her freshman year, she said she went into an ROTC program and then an engine building program. The decision to participate in the engine building program has paved the way to her becoming an auto/diesel technician.

Bedgood is pursuing her degree in a three-year college program at Northwestern Ohio, starting her freshman year this fall.

“(I was) on an engine building team, and we were at nationals in Indianapolis,” she said. “And we got scholarships, and I got full-ride tuition to go to that school.”

So for the next three years, Bedgood is going to have to find a new team to skate on.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m scared, too. I’m scared I might have to wait until I get done with college and then play with this team or a different team.”

Bedgood is sad she is leaving her team, and it bothers her even more that she might have to give up the sport for a little but. But she hopes she can play in Ohio.

“I want to be on a team no matter what,” she said. “It’s really, really fun. It’s a good experience.”

There are a few teams around her school in Lima, Ohio, but they are all about two hours away.

This sport has done a lot for her. Despite the persona Bedgood takes to the rink, she’s not as outgoing as she appears. As she prepares for this new experience, she knows it’s going to be difficult. Her step-mother has always been by her side, helping her in social situations. She won’t have that for the next few years.

Ideally, she would like to come back home to the Derby Demons once she completes her degree.

“It’s made me social. I am not a social person,” she said.

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 3:34 PM with the headline "‘Spark Plug’ might have to take a break to focus on career."