Julie Brandt Glass known as Atomatrix, 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, and former speed skater.

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

 as Julie Brandt, she took up inline speed skating

Inline speed skating

Inline speed skating is the sport of racing on inline skates It is often called inline racing by participants. Although it primarily evolved from racing on traditional roller skates, the sport is similar enough to ice speed skating that many competitors are now known to switch between inline and...

, and won two gold medals at the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1995. She was overall sprint champion at the U.S. nationals that year, and again in 1998, also winning the Downer's Grove Championship in 1996 and 1998, and taking a gold medal at the World Cup in 1997. She took a break from skating during which she married Doug Glass, a fellow speed skater, then returned to win a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games

1999 Pan American Games

The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23-August 8, 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. The 1999...

. She also competed at the X Games

X Games

The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....

, taking gold in the women's downhill inline skating at the 1998 event, won gold at the 2003 Pan American Games

2003 Pan American Games

The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....

, and at the 2003 Berlin Roller Marathon

Berlin Marathon

The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

.

Glass took another break from skating in 2002, during which time she and her husband ran a roller rink

Roller rink

A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...

 and drive-through coffee shop in Lebanon, Oregon

Lebanon, Oregon

Lebanon is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem. The population was 12,950 at the 2000 census and the 2008 census data shows the population at 15,397.-Geography:...

. After watching the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

, she began training as an ice speed skater

Speed skating

Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...

, quickly gaining a place on the U.S. team, training in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

 and entering some World Cup events, despite her lack of experience in the sport. However, she decided that she lacked the motivation to excel in the discipline, and returned to inline skating.

Glass subsequently moved to Olympia, Washington

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

, working with her husband on their Atom Wheels business, and gave birth to twins in 2007. The following year, she attended the 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...

 of roller derby, and decided to take up the sport, under the name "Atomatrix". She joined the local Oly Rollers

Oly Rollers

The Oly Rollers are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Olympia, Washington. The league was founded in February of 2006. The Oly Rollers are a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association .-Teams:...

 league, and was a key member of their team which won the Championships in 2009.

As Atomatrix, 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...

.