Nicole Williams known as Bonnie Thunders, is a roller derby

Roller derby

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...

 skater.

Williams grew up in Rome, New York

Rome, New York

Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...

, where she attended the Rome Free Academy, before studying conservation biology with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry is an American specialized doctoral-granting institution located in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, immediately adjacent to Syracuse University...

, linked to Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

. She was a leading member of the college's synchronized skating

Synchronized skating

Synchronized skating or synchronised skating, a large and fast-growing discipline, consists of 8—20 athletes skating on ice at one time moving as one flowing unit at high speeds...

 squad, the Syracuse Orange Experience,she also spent time playing soccer competitively.

After moving to New York City Williams found roller derby and traded in her ice skates for roller skates. In 2006, Williams successfully tried out for the Gotham Girls Roller Derby

Gotham Girls Roller Derby

Gotham Girls Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league based in New York City, New York. Founded in late 2003, Gotham Girls Roller Derby was the first skater-operated flat track roller derby league in the metropolitan New York area...

, and was placed on their Bronx Gridlock team. Taking the name "Bonnie Thunders", in her first season, she was named the league's Rookie of the Year. She soon became part of Gotham's travel team (All Stars), and skated for them when they won the 2008 WFTDA Championships

WFTDA Championships

The WFTDA Championships are the leading competition for roller derby leagues.The Championships are organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association . They originated in 2006 as the National WFTDA Championship...

, at which she won the Most Valuable Player

Most Valuable Player

In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 award. Although she worked for several years at a conservation charity, in 2010 she set up the Five Stride Skate Shop, a skater owned and operated roller skate shop in Brooklyn, NY.

By 2009, Thunders was the captain of Gotham's travel team, and was also a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association

Women's Flat Track Derby Association

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues in the United States. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501 business...

's Tournaments Committee. She was selected for Team USA at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup

Roller Derby World Cup

The Roller Derby World Cup is an international women's roller derby tournament organized by Blood & Thunder magazine. Teams of amateur skaters from around the world are fielded to compete for their respective nations. The inaugural 2011 event is being hosted by Toronto Roller Derby, and is being...

.

Thunders won Gotham's Best Jammer award jointly in 2007 and in her own right in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. She also won the Derby News Network

Derby News Network

Derby News Network is an internet broadcast network featuring the international sport of roller derby, using the internet to collect remote streaming video, photographs, audio, and text from reporters around the world, and distribute it internationally. DNN is frequently cited as an authoritative...

 readers' 2010 Best Jammer award. She is double jointed, which she believes helps her maneuver while jamming.

Skating Experience

Years skating: 14 years ice skating, 6 years roller skating
Years playing derby: 6

Awards

• GGRD Rookie of the year 2007
• GGRD Best Jammer 2008
• Bronx Gridlock MVP 2008
• GGRD Best Jammer 2009
• GGRD All Stars MVP 2009
• Bronx Gridlock MVP 2010
• GGRD Best Jammer 2010
• GGRD All Stars MVP 2010
• GGRD League MVP 2010
• GGRD Best Jammer 2011
• GGRD All Stars MVP 2011
• GGRD League MVP 2011