By all means! You never need to ask to link; in fact, my Creative commons license means that people don't even have to ask to use most of my pics in most ways -- I just hope for credit if it gets used on a site or in printed form somewhere.
You're right about derby girls not having to be skinny. One nice thing about derby is that there is a role for every body type. Small, lithe girls usually skate as jammers -- the fast sprinters who score points. But for the most part, you want your defense to be made up of tall women and bigger women, because they do most of the blocking and hitting. Muscle and mass is an asset in that role. Bigger skaters don't get hurt as much, either, usually. It's funny, because when I try to recruit people, small women say, "I'm scared I'll get hurt; aren't they all big and tough?" and big women say, "Don't you have to be fit and small to be an athlete?" It's like everyone thinks someone else would be better at derby. But as I tell people all the time, anyone who says you is too tall/short/skinny/fat for derby hasn't played it seriously (or seen it played seriously). The only thing I ever warn women about derby is 1) you almost certainly will lose weight from playing, and gain muscle and, 2) if you play seriously and for several years, you'll end up with a bigger right leg than left leg.
The Rocky Mountain team in Denver has some really unusually-built women who are fantastic. Pinky 500, for example, is built a lot like me, big boobs, very hourglass, except she's easily twice again as big as I am across her hips. They are a weapon; she can smack with those hips so hard, it makes your head spin. They also have a girl who is probably under 5' tall in her skates, and pretty heavy for her height, and she can get down and hit upward to knock someone on their ass; AND she's fast as hell. Another star, from Gotham City, is Beyonslay:
And made no mistake: Pinky and Beyonslay are BELOVED in derby.
Which is also cool, because even though derby folks usually see bigger players and assume they are blockers, there are plenty of big jammers out there who are every bit as fast and nimble as the little ones.
Re: P.S.
You're right about derby girls not having to be skinny. One nice thing about derby is that there is a role for every body type. Small, lithe girls usually skate as jammers -- the fast sprinters who score points. But for the most part, you want your defense to be made up of tall women and bigger women, because they do most of the blocking and hitting. Muscle and mass is an asset in that role. Bigger skaters don't get hurt as much, either, usually. It's funny, because when I try to recruit people, small women say, "I'm scared I'll get hurt; aren't they all big and tough?" and big women say, "Don't you have to be fit and small to be an athlete?" It's like everyone thinks someone else would be better at derby. But as I tell people all the time, anyone who says you is too tall/short/skinny/fat for derby hasn't played it seriously (or seen it played seriously). The only thing I ever warn women about derby is 1) you almost certainly will lose weight from playing, and gain muscle and, 2) if you play seriously and for several years, you'll end up with a bigger right leg than left leg.
The Rocky Mountain team in Denver has some really unusually-built women who are fantastic. Pinky 500, for example, is built a lot like me, big boobs, very hourglass, except she's easily twice again as big as I am across her hips. They are a weapon; she can smack with those hips so hard, it makes your head spin. They also have a girl who is probably under 5' tall in her skates, and pretty heavy for her height, and she can get down and hit upward to knock someone on their ass; AND she's fast as hell. Another star, from Gotham City, is Beyonslay:
And made no mistake: Pinky and Beyonslay are BELOVED in derby.
Which is also cool, because even though derby folks usually see bigger players and assume they are blockers, there are plenty of big jammers out there who are every bit as fast and nimble as the little ones.
And thanks so much; I'm glad you like the photos.