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Meet Smackie Kennedy-Onassis Jennifer Kennedy-Orlando’s hobby is nearly as demanding as her day job. Nearly.
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or sheer endurance, teamwork and toughness, few sports eclipse the demands of Roller Derby. Just ask Xavier English teacher Jennifer Kennedy-Orlando, who skates for Suburbia Roller Derby’s Backyard Bullies and The Indian Point Sirens under the Derby name Smackie Kennedy-Onassis. Introduced to the sport by a friend, Ms. KennedyOrlando knew immediately she had found her game. “I didn’t know what was going on, but I loved it, and knew then I needed more Derby in my world,” she said. A long-time fitness buff known for riding her bike between 16th Street and her home in Brooklyn, Ms. Kennedy-Orlando put in nearly a year of basic training to qualify for league play. In addition to teaching freshman and junior English, Ms. Kennedy-Orlando has moderated the Xavier Dramatics Society, the Yearbook and the Photography Club, is a founder of the Book Club and is a devoted supporter of Xavier’s CFX programs. None of those activities have, fortunately, left as her bruised and battered as her newest passion.
Interested skaters are invited to contact Smackie personally for details. Ms. Kennedy-Orlando noted that she is not the only Xavier Derby skater. Nick Favia ’06 skates for the men’s Roller Derby team, The New York Shock Exchange, under the Derby name Glittersaurus Rex. In her official Derby bio, Ms. Kennedy-Orlando offers young athletes the same kind of encouragement they would receive from a rugby or football coach: “Get up when you fall. Move forward when you fail. But most importantly — PLAY.”
“Roller Derby truly is an empowering and exciting sport, and it is great for women of all ages.” “I was doing plow stop, drills in Basic 2 class and came down hard on my wheels,” she said. “I had the biggest, ugliest hematoma for weeks after that.” Formerly an exclusively American sport, Roller Derby has seen an international revival, boasts more than 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide and was considered for the 2020 Olympic Games. “Roller Derby truly is an empowering and exciting sport,” said Ms. KennedyOrlando, “and it is great for women of all ages.” In fact, the Suburbia league plans to start a Junior Derby program for girls aged nine through 17 this summer. “Smackie Kennedy-Onassis,” AKA Jennifer Kennedy-Orlando, eyes the competition. 36.
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