Tony Muse has lived quite an extraordinary life. He moved seamlessly from figure skater to inline speed skater after realizing what he truly loved was to “just go really fast”. At 17 years old, he became the youngest male to win a Senior World Championship. Counting the numerous metals he has won from national and international competitions is enough to make anyone sweat.

Nowadays, he can be found strapping on quad roller skates as he takes the track for Your Mom Men’s Roller Derby. He is as much of a winner on quads as he was on inline skates. Your Mom won the MRDA (Men’s Roller Derby Association) World Championship in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 he skated as a member of Team USA, competing against 14 other countries in the Men’s Roller Derby World Cup.

We caught up with Tony to learn more about his background and which sport he finds the most challenging.

Tell us about the rink your family owned in Iowa? Is that were your athletic prowess began?

My family owns three roller skating rinks in Des Moines, Iowa. Similar to something like the Super Wheels Skating Center that I’ve heard people enjoy from friends. The unique thing about one of them is that Skate West has a four bedroom three bath home connected to it so that my family actually grew up in the skating rink. It was the best playground any kid could have and why my siblings and I feel so natural on skates.

Did having so many competing siblings drive you to be the fastest?

For me it wasn’t he number of siblings that drove me to be the fastest as my older siblings were largely figure skaters. It was that the brother closest to me (Dante 1.5 years) and I hated losing to each other and we competed against each other. He was a bit older and smoother but as the youngest I had less pressure and worked harder.

You were a speed skater and now you are a roller derby champion. Which would you say makes you sweat more?

I actually started out as a figure skater which gave me my balance, transitioned to speed which gave me my technique and endurance, blended into some hockey which gave me my comfort with physical contact and finished now I am playing roller derby which is kind of a marriage of them all. They all have amazing aspects but if pushed I would say speed skating requires a bit more sweat. The part of roller derby which most people don’t understand that I find most challenging is the cerebral part. You have to be thinking all of the time.

What do you find the most challenging about what you do?

The most challenging parts to playing roller derby for me are the strategies and the ever changing rules and loop holes that come with them. The flip side to that is my favorite thing is bringing innovation to the sport so without the challenge I might not love it so much. The other hard part for me is the injuring that come with the sport. The contact is so high and padding so minimal.

What do you do to stay fresh (gear can definitely take a smell beating)?

I am probably the wrong person to ask this question of because my pads are not odor friendly. My pads get changed annually, I wash them every month, I never let them sit in a bag over night and I shower 2 or 3 times a day yet my pads can overwhelm sometimes. I would love a quick fix if you have one.

What’s on the horizon for you? Any cats you can let out of the bag?

I wish I had some great story to tell. I love playing the sports and just feel blessed that I still get to travel around and play games (why I am Peter Pan). The ride so far has been amazing and I hope I don’t have to get off anytime soon.

Power Stick Freshness Score: 4.5 out of 5

Power Facts:

• There are a number of different race formats in inline skating including sprints, relays, marathons and elimination, or last man out races.
• Inline skates that have smaller wheels and a shorter chassis are considered to be more aggressive because of their maneuverability, allowing skaters to perform tricks.
• Roller Jam, which combined inline skates (rollerblades) with roller derby rules, was a television series that aired from 1999 – 2000.
• Roller skating gained greater popularity in the United States starting in 1884, with the onset of endurance races. These races often resulted in collisions and crashes, which excited the audience and thus the sport of Roller Derby was born.