Battery Operated (left) and Dr. SKabs in D.C.’s upset of CT RollerGirls at 2009 Eastern Regionals. (James Calder)

The DC Rollergirls’ All-Star team arrived in White Plains, New York last night to participate in Derby in the Burbs, the league’s Eastern Regional Tournament. The action began this morning, and our All-Stars are scheduled to skate at noon. The Championship bout is slated for Sunday evening.

While an invitation to Regionals is certainly commendable, the All-Stars enter the tournament as the underdogs, seeded 10th out of the 10 teams invited. But if their first visit to the tournament in 2009 is anything to go by, their current WFTDA ranking won’t phase them, providing an obvious motivator for an upset in their opening round clash with seventh-seeded Carolina. Derby News Network has an excellent, full preview of today’s match-up. For those who want to track the action as it happens, DNN provides free, live, multimedia coverage throughout the tournament. On Monday, we’ll post a report on how the team fared, accompanied by a photo gallery.

Yesterday, we caught up with DCRG All-Star Co-Captain Battery Operated, whose real name is Suzie, a 29-year old land use planner hailing from Northern Virginia. (If we told you any more than that, we’d have to kill you.)

How did you come up with your derby name?

Batteries are a source of power! In roller derby, being powerful is a very good thing. When I was trying to come up with a derby name, I wanted a name that was tough, but also funny. My name certainly does make people giggle.