Among the subculture of roller-derby girls, Kandy Kake (a/k/a Adrienne Donato), is about as tough and sassy as they get. Only five-foot-one, she's co-captain of the Bronx Gridlock and has made a name for herself as a mean blocker, keeping her opponents at bay with some angry elbowing and body-checking. She's a favorite off the rink, too, perhaps because of her penchant for throwing chocolate-covered, cream-filled Kandy Kake snacks into the audience. Even in her working life, she embodies the bold cheekiness of the roller-derby world: She teaches exotic dancing part-time and is also training to be a welder. After work, the 30-year-old, decked out in her derby uniform of hot pants, miniskirt, and checkered socks, reminds her teammates to hit back, and hit hard. And when she talks, they listen.