ROLLER DERBY: THE SOUTHERN MISFITS

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- Hattiesburg, MS

Team members from the Hub City Derby Dames' Southern Misfits are rough and tough in the skating rink, but when the skates come off, these ladies are compassionate and kind.

Members of the team, like Kristin McNair, live perfectly normal lives outside of the rink. The ladies' occupations range from wives to doctors to army servicewomen to administrative assistants. When the skates are on and the crowd is cheering, these women are anything but ordinary.

Along with team members' balancing work while skating circles around the competition in the rink, they are also community service volunteers. Team members have collected Toys For Tots and have worked to build homes for habitat build projects. For Breast Cancer Awareness month, team members joined with The Grand Theatre in Hattiesburg for a screening of Derby Baby with all proceeds being donated to the Pink Ribbon Fund. The team was able to donate over 500 dollars to the cause. Southern Misfits' Coach Lee Chambliss says that team members will continue their involvement with philanthropic events because it's good for team morale and the personal growth of each of the members.

As the derby season progresses, the Southern Misfits are dedicated to making the best of the season while they display their dedication to community service.


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USM QUIDDITCH

- University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg

A mystical game flies off the pages of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and lands on the intramural field at the University of Southern Mississippi.

In 2011 Nicolas Kubicki decided that he wanted USM to have a quidditch team. He says that getting the team up and running was tough, initially, but once he got the ball rolling, the team seemed to blossom. The co-ed team now has over 30 consistent members, and USM is the only university in the state of Mississippi to have a team registered with the International Quidditch Association.

To play the game:
     Each team has seven players on the field. Three members are the chasers who throw quaffles through the opposite team's hoops to score points; each team has a goalie who protects their team's hoops. Two members from each team are beaters who use bluggers to protect team members. One player from each team is a seeker who tries to catch the snitch to not only end but also win the game!

The USM Quidditch team has yet to host an official match on the University of Southern Mississippi's campus, but they hope to host a game in the near future.


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