A Renaissance Woman Who Rows and Rolls

Many college students who balance 40 hour weeks with demanding school schedules crave the opportunity to kick back and relax in their limited free time. Simone Peterson, however, is not satisfied to simply play the role of civil servant by day; student by night. She has found a way to fill virtually every free moment with extracurricular activities and even volunteers.

Peterson works full time for Manatee County in the Neighborhood Services department, where she has been an administrative assistant since 2007, when she started out during her senior year at Manatee High School. She also works part time in Public Relations, specializing in internal video production and designing newsletters, magazines and event invitations.

Along with work, Peterson currently attends the University of South Florida, where she is nearing completion of her Bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in management and marketing.

In February, Peterson picked up a set of oars and became a founding member of USF’s rowing Crew Team, on which she currently serves as Secretary.

Although rowing is considered by many athletes to be a grueling work out, Peterson still found the energy to lace on a pair of skates in April, when she began trying out for roller derby. By July, Peterson was a member of another team: The Nuclear Bombshell squad of the .  

Because Peterson joined the Bradentucky Bombers late in the season, she will not actually be competing until next season. She does plan to attend the Bombers’ final bout of the season against Ft. Myers, which is scheduled to take place at Astro Skate on September 11 and encourages anyone who is free to join her in supporting her teammates. The significance of the day will not go unnotices. The event will pay homage to members of first responder units.

In the rink, Peterson goes by another name: Nikita Dy-No-Mite. With a firecracker personality and a seemingly endless supply of explosive energy, one might easily mistake Peterson for a stick of dynamite on roller skates, especially when she is suited up in her bright red Bombers’ team uniform.

“I knew that I would need something to keep myself active and out of trouble during the off season for Crew,” Peterson explained. “This is great because I don’t have to worry about paying for a gym membership.

"Derby keeps me conditioned for Crew and it’s also a great stress reliever. Any exercise is, really – but with this one, you get to hit people without worrying about being arrested,” she joked.

Prior to joining Crew and the Bombers, Peterson had no experience in either sport.

“There was this big rowing explosion in Manatee County when the ,” said Peterson. “It was something that I wanted to try out as a leisure activity and the USF team is free to join, so I signed up.”

As for roller derby, Peterson said that while she has been aware of the sport for years, she never had any serious ambition to join the team until recently.

“A friend told me about it a long time ago, but I didn’t think too much of it back then. I always kind of wanted to try it out, but I was too chicken to actually go through with it. Now I wish I had started doing it years ago,” she said.

Rowing and rolling is a full-body workout, according to Peterson.

“After Derby, my legs feel like green Jell-O and after Crew, everything else hurts – my back and my arms, especially,” she said.

Although two sports may seem vastly different on the surface, Peterson sees one strong similarity: Teamwork.

“You can’t be a renegade in either one. In rowing, you have to be perfectly in sync with the rest of the girls in the boat. The same goes for roller derby. If you aren’t in sync with the rest of the team, all you’re doing is skating in circles.”

When both sports are in season, Peterson said that she has to “map out” her schedule carefully to make sure that she can get everything done. Crew practice generally occurs early in the morning, while practice for roller derby is an evening activity. In the hours in between, Peterson is either working, attending night classes at USF, or volunteering.

Yes, she even finds time to put in volunteer hours at Explorer Post, a program for local youth aged 14-20 who exhibit an interest in pursuing a career in law enforcement. At Explorer Post, Peterson serves as an advisor and assists adolescents in the program in honing their public speaking skills.

Although she’s on the go seven days a week, Peterson says that she tries to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night.  She makes up for any lost sleep on Sundays – after she’s finished with her Crew or Derby related activities, that is.

“This is a time in my life that I know I won’t be able to get back, so if I want to do something, I’m going to do it,” said Peterson, who will turn 22 Thursday.

“Life is all about what you make of it. I used to be the kind of person who just wanted to go to school and get my degree.  I regret not doing enough extracurricular activities in high school, so when I decided that I wanted to join Crew, I did it – and when I wanted to get involved with roller derby, I did that, too.”

In the future, Peterson plans to work toward rising up through the county ranks, where she believes that she has begun to “make a little niche” for herself. She also intends to pursue her Master’s degree in a business-related field or political science.

Although Peterson will no longer be able to participate on the crew team after graduating from USF, she is glad that she will still have roller derby to stay in shape and keep her time occupied.

Peterson said that without the support of her family, as well as her employers and co-workers, she would not be able to accomplish everything that she has so far.

“If you have the right support system and enough ambition, you really can do anything,” she said.

“My advice to anyone is that if you’re willing to step outside of your comfort zone and put in 110% effort, you will succeed at whatever you set your mind to.”