Nova Interviews the American Athlete

I'd like to thank Nanny for her time she was a blast interviewing. and also if you're interested to be interviewed throw me an IM on SL or Facebook ;) enjoy everyone - Tyress Serevi

give us a small introduction about yourself
I'm Nanny Gothly - my wrestling nickname is the American Athlete. I started wrestling in SL in 2009. I began in poseball, as that was very similar to the Yahoo emoting style I came from. I ran across hud based wrestling a few weeks later, when I found Hard Knocks Wrestling Federation in a search. I met Louve McMahon, Kimberly Soulstar, and Jenn Parkin, and my life as a SL ACPWS wrestler began!

IF you have a Stage/nickname: How did you get it?

Well, as I said my nickname is the American Athlete. I decided on it because I am a very athletic person. I enjoy tennis, and working out, and running, and swimming, and biking, and yes, even wrestling. Also, being from Washington DC, how could I not love America?

How did you Find Second Life and what made you join?

 I was very active in the Yahoo wrestling community, and people started leaving Yahoo for SL from 2006 on. I opened an account in SL in 2008, and was not impressed at all. I didn't know anyone, and didn't understand how things worked, so I got lost a lot and was ignored a lot. So I gave up on it. After my very first Iron Man triathlon in 2009, I decided to try again, this time trying to find my Yahoo friends. And slowly I did, and met people like Stacey Cardalines and Rikki Reichmann - people I knew in Yahoo, who were really nice, and very generous, helping me get out of noob mode, making my avi look more realistic, and getting me out of my awful noob clothes. And I've been active for all but about 4 months since!

How did you get into SL wrestling?

 I started as a poseball wrestler, wrestling for Divas. Poseball is a style based on animations controlled by a menu, and enhanced by emoting - more like a roleplay than temporally realistic play. It's fun but rather slow. I was looking around after a few weeks of poseballing, and found HKWF - which was an ACPWS hud-based wrestling federation run by Louve McMahon and Sugarcube Woller. I was there hanging out and met Kimberly Soulstar. We started trash talking one another playfully, and she was impressed that I could keep up with her. She started talking me into joining, and finally I did.

What Made you decide to get into SL Wrestling?

well I love wrestling outside of SL - I have done it for over 20 years, but as we get older and have children and lives and things, our side passions become hard to do outside the home, so yahoo and SL help fill the gap sometimes when there isn't time rl. But as for becoming active in SL wrestling, at least Hud based - Louve wouldn't let me slack off and had me trained and tested within two weeks. she even had me test while on vacation at the beach! What a slave driver!

do you have a Dream achievement to accomplish in SL wrestling?

 I have been a champion in three feds now, but championships have never been the most important thing to me. If everyone I have worked with, ever, when I am done with the sport, can look back on my match with her (or him) and say - "You know what? I had a great time in my match with Nanny", I think I will have accomplished what I wanted to. But don't get me wrong, I love titles too! ㋡ Seriously, fun matches are what I love to have, and I have had a lot of fun matches! I just want to continue doing that.

What do you think makes Your Character Special?

I made my character based on the real Nanny - she's short, she's tough as nails, and she's fearless. I'm a face, meaning I'm a good girl - I have toyed with becoming a heel but it's just never seemed to be the right time. What makes me special is I come out - I entertain - whether it's talking a little smack, making some jokes, whatever, but I also make sure I know my match as well as I can - so that I perform it as best as I can. I hope people come to see nanny because they want to see a well performed match that makes them cheer, boo, smile, and get mad, all in the span of 10-15 minutes.

what is the name of your finishers and what are they?

Oh my gosh this could take all day! lol! Well when I started wrestling, I used the All American, which is a cutter bulldog. Then I moved on to the Flag in the Wind, which I still use as a signature move - it is a flying cross body with pin. Now I use three finishers most often - the American Dragon sleeper, the SmartBomb, which is like Nikki Roxx's Barbie Crusher, and the Shock and Awe, which is a guillotine choke and body scissor combo.

how long have you been in SL wrestling?

 I joined HKWF in September 2009, so two years now.

do you have any Dream Matches?

  I do. I'd love to be in something like a Hell in a Cell match with Vendetta. I think that would bring out the best in both of us. I'd also like to have any kind of match with Nina Prater - and hopefully now that she's in HAWX, that dream match isn't too far away!

if you could pick 5 Matches in any Federation which has been your favorites?

hmmm. This will be tough. I loved the three way ladder match at HKWF between Jenn, Kashi, and Kimberly. I enjoyed watching Loody vs Tony at WS1. Even though I was away, someone called me and told me I had to turn on the stream for this next one, and I marked out so bad I almost peed myself - was Vendetta vs Akasha in the crazy hardcore scaffold match. Then the ladder match between Kim and Elisa, where Elisa defended her HAWX title would be up on the list because that was amazing. And finally - and this happened just this past Sunday - was Jericho scarbridge vs Bazza Windlow in the Las Vegas Strip Duelling Elvises match at Bytch School.

How long have you been in your current Fed?

 I will speak of HAWX first - I was one of the founding ten members of that in January of 2010, so 21 months now. For DCWF - I joined that in August, so only a couple months.

what have you accomplished in SL wrestling?

I have held several titles - the VWE Women's Championship, the HKWF Women's Championship, the HAWX lightweight title, the Hellkatz title, and the Hawx Cupcake title - but really what I accomplished here that is most important to me, and probably to the SL Wrestling community, was I organized and ran the Tamsi iNvitation Tournament in March and April of 2010, which raised 500,000 lindens for cancer research, and that I matched with my own money outside of SL. That is what has made me most proud of myself, and my friends here - how we banded together to remember a dear friend, and raise money for a good cause.

do you have a Dream Tag team Partner/Stable members?

well if I were to go into battle with anyone, I'd choose the Fearsome Fivesome. That is the 5 women I trained with, learned from, helped learn, and just went through the battles with, in the early days for me in SL wrestling. The other four members of what I call the Fearsome Fivesome are Jenn Parkin, Kim Soulstar, Elisa Riddler, and Vendetta. If I had to pick one alone to be my tag partner, it would be Vendetta.
if you could be the booker for 1 day and you could pick Any wrestler male or female from any fed who

would you pick for the Mainevent?

well I am a booker, so I can make dream matches a lot! But if I were able to take away the constraints of federation rules and all the silly drama, I'd choose Misaki Yumako vs Jenn Parkin in maybe a 60 minute iron woman match for the main event.

who trained you?

 I was trained by four people - mostly Kimberly Soulstar, but also I was trained and helped along the way by Jenn Parkin, Akasha Faulkes, and Louve McMahon. And - well I train every day - mostly with Vendetta - she's always finding great new ways to make this sport more entertaining, and I'm always in awe of her.
 if you have a top 1 moment since the beginning of your Carrer to now can you tell us about that and why?
a top moment - wow. There are so many in 2 years of wrestling. I've had so many moments and so many accomplishments that I never expected I'd have. But probably it would be winning the championship for the federation that started me off. Winning the HKWF Women's title is probably my most shining moment to date.

is there anyone you'd like to thank for being there since you began your adventure in SL wrestling?

Tons of people! Louve McMahon for not letting me slack off and start wrestling because she knew I was ready before I knew. Jenn and Kashi and Kim for training me and not holding anything back - for helping me grow into a solid wrestler from a rookie. To Seth Cameron for letting me sound off my opinions on him even when he didn't like them, and for putting up with me for as long as he did. To Elisa and Tyress and Rubie and Kashi and Jenn and all those who wrestled in VWE with me. To so many others I have run into through these two years that I can't remember at this moment but as soon as the interview gets published I say "holy moly I forgot XXX" . To Kelley Ariantho - who is an invaluable member of the HAWX management team and an awesome person and friend. And most importantly, to Vendetta, who is my partner in crime at HAWX. Well technically she's my boss, but she'll never admit to it....but she's my best friend here, my confidante, my roommate, and just the coolest person I know in second life. The things she does for me, for her friends, and for the wrestling community are spectacular, and her generosity knows no bounds.

If you have been in more then One Federation how many have you been in and what was the names?

 I began in HKWF, and have wrestled in MPW, and XWA - both predecessors to VWE, and of course VWE, and RAGE, and UHW for a special tournament for the Women's title, and for DCWF and of course HAWX, which I help run with Vendetta and Kelley

do you have anyone that inspires you in SL wrestling? and why?

Vendetta inspires me every day to try harder, to do more, and to think outside the box. For every HAWX PPV she comes up with something special that makes us stand apart from the other feds out there. She makes moves that are perfectly timed and painfully made. She runs a fed, which is hard enough in this second life full of drama and back biting and bitching and moaning and drama, and yet everyone loves her to death! How can you not be inspired by that! She's truly a special and amazing person.

Do you have anyone that inspires you in RL wrestling and why?

 In real wrestling, I love the independent scene best and I love to watch Daizee Haze, Portia Perez, Daffney, Sara Del Rey, and MsChif. I also enjoy watching Lightning Mike Quackenbush, Los Ice Creams, and the Ant Colony. I like to think they all get mushed into a ball and thrown into my brain to make me someone who merges all those styles, into something unique of my own.

If you have a custom Attire what is the colors?

 I have lots of different outfits, but to wrestle I almost always wear a flag based theme. And by flag, I mean the only flag worth saluting, and that's the American flag!

FED OWNERS questions:

what made you decide to start your own Federation?

Wrestling is a male dominated sport. You can see it at all the big feds - often there are 3-4 men's matches for every 1 women's match. However when you look at the rosters, often the ratio of men to women is 1-1. So it's obvious women want to wrestle as much as men do. They're just not always given the same opportunities. HAWX or Hellkatz Angels Wrestling Xtreme, was created by Vendetta for just that reason - to give women the spotlight for once. 75 minute men's matches are fine, but we want our time too. That is what HAWX is there to do - to provide that time to shine.

has there been any regrets?

A knee jerk reaction would be to say that not striking out on our own sooner would be my biggest regret, but I don't think that's the case. I think we picked a perfect time for breaking away from VWE and becoming a fed that truly any woman could join and wrestle in no matter what federation she was from. So, that's certainly not a regret. I regret firing two people from HAWX, under pressure form the federation we were associated with at the time. We fired Charisma Aries, being pressured that we might lose our affiliation with that company if we kept her. I also regret firing Maxine Endrezzi for similar reasons, although at the time I thought they were good reasons. After reflecting on that whole situation - allowing her to remain in management at HAWX was not the right thing to do, but releasing her completely was a mistake and I regret it.
can you name your top 5 Favorite matches in Your Federation?

yes I'd be happy to. The title match between Kimberly Soulstar and Elisa Riddler, which was a ladder match, is one of my favorites. Also I did a drunk match with Horses Morrissey which made me laugh so hard I threw up rl. That has got to be up there. I really enjoyed Vendetta vs Lillith Aftermath for the hardcore title in the scramble match. Also Jelly vs Bazza in the elvises match was hilarious and fun, so that has to be in there - even though it was a men's dark match in an all women fed, it was awesome. I hate to mention myself twice but it's a great match and was fun to do - but the best of three falls hardcore match that Ven and I did to mark our move from Blacksilk to MetaMix studios is probably up there too. I must sound like an awful egomaniac, but I think that's it.

can you name your top 5 Feuds in any Fed of SL wrestling?

well the one feud that was boiling when I came into wrestling was Jenn vs Kim and that was a great one so that has to be up there. I loved the short but very volatile Kashi vs Cinthia falmer feud at hawx. The competitive, friendly feud of Brakman Wylder and Alexius Gant was great, with lots of well thought out and innovative spots. Any feud where loody was a heel in the 2010 time frame was classic because he made it so. And the love/hate relationship between Acheron and Maxine, which started in VWE and continues in UHW, still hasn't gotten boring for me - they always find ways to make it interestign

Any Special Match you'd like to see? if so between who?

well I know one I'd love to participate in, and that's is me vs Cinthia Falmer in a 60 minute Iron Woman match - yes it's the second time I have brought up Iron Woman matches in this interview - it's kind of a theme for me.

has it been easy being the owner of a federation?

Absolutely not. Ven is the nice one and everyone loves her. I'm the disciplinarian. I scold those who are slacking off. I yell at griefers and barrier jumpers. I ban people. I hire people. I fire people. I book shows and make difficult decisions working with lots of egos. It's not easy. But in the end, when a show goes off great, it's all worth it.

as we know theres alot of rumors in SL wrestling some are bad some are good what do you think causes these rumors?

People not going to the source and asking whether the rumour is true or not. People would rather whisper among themselves and make the rumour grow like a week than cut it off and tell people to shut up about it.

is there any certain Federation you would love to work with your federation?

I have loved working with DCWF and OEW and UHW and XLW but I still miss my friends at VWE and would love for them to work with us again, letting their exclusives work with other women like these other feds have. They have all (those that have them) relaxed their exclusivity rules for HAWX, and I'd love to see VWE do that again, so we can see those dream matches of Saki vs Jenn or Ty Vs Paula or whatever!

if you could name top 3 Feds which would they be and why?

well I think HAWX is the best of course, as I have a lot invested in it! After that, I'd have to say DCWF, as I like more wrestling-based action and less with the promos. Then I think VWE must be mentioned, as they have the highest value of production, so they appeal to a different but important audience. I think UHW is really coming up - I remember watching them when they started and thought - good lord what a train wreck - but then I remember, so were we at hawx in early 2010. UHW will become a major player, even more than they have. OEW, I think, needs to recombine - I have told David and Vince that in many ways, through many media outlets. I just can't get get my head around all these different feds with people from all feds mingling between. I think they need a rebranding, and brand consolidation, to become a major player again. Again, the views of Nanny are not necessarily the views of HAWX, or the intervierwer today!

what is your opinion on the "SL Wrestling Community"?

 There are lots of great people, but also a lot of egos. Mine included. I'm no saint, and I have my opinions on things and they are strong opinions and I speak them good or bad. I love where UHW, DCWF and HAWX, and to a lesser but still important way XLW and OEW, are taking to work more openly with the other feds. Yeah we compete a little, but in the end this is SL and the winner should not be the person who screwed over the most people, but the person who had the most fun. After all we're here to have a good time right? I think if we can get there and maintain that as a community, where people are having fun, and not sniping each other all the time, then we can call ourselves a success as a community.

any last words?

HAWX is live from the Hellkatz Arena on Thursdays at 6 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. There is also a combined federation show called Friday Night X on Fridays at 5, combining the talents of HAWX, UHW, DCWF, and XLW. Come on out to the Hellkatz arena and see us!