Meet 'Psycho Suzie': Suzanne Cantrell's Life in Springfield Roller Derby

Suzanne Cantrell discovered roller derby when she was 17 years old and had not yet finished high school. "I've been playing roller derby longer than I've been working in a professional setting," says Cantrell, a production scheduler at the McCormick factory in Springfield. "I love it. It changed my life. I don't know what kind of trajectory I was on before I found roller derby." At work, she is responsible for scheduling the production of millions of pounds of mustard and hot sauce, but on the rink she is known to "kick ass and beat ass." With the nickname Psycho Suzie, she spent 18 years as a jammer—the player responsible for scoring—and recently transitioned to blocker. Cantrell and the Springfield Roller Derby team practice for three hours, two times a week, year-round and travel for games and tournaments from January through October. Celebrating its 20th year, Springfield Roller Derby hosts a home game July 18 at 3 p.m. at Brightspeed Ice Park.