Roller Derby Revisited

Roller Derby Revisited

Joe Blenkle blows the whistle to start a Roller Derby game held at Hogan High School Sept. 28, 1991. That's Teri Inabnett to the left. Photo by John Blenkle

(This is the final article I wrote on Roller Derby while working for a weekly paper in the Sacramento, California area. This appeared in print Oct. 9, 1991)

    About a month ago when I finished up my three-part series of articles on Roller Derby, I had heard that a benefit game was planned for a high school in Vallejo.
    Sept. 28 they had that game and I was invited to attend.
    It probably had been over 10 years since I had seen a live Roller Derby game. Perhaps even longer. My memory fades off into the mists of time.
    When I showed up at Hogan High School, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had no idea who would be skating, if they even had teams, or if I would recognize any of the skaters from the "olden days."
    I guess my whole concept of this game would be that it would more or less resemble a pickup game where you got some players together and divided them up into teams.
    That probably wasn't too far from the truth, but it was still exciting to see the skaters out there.

Dave "Wildman" Marez being knee blocked by Bombers Capt. Frank Apodaca at a benefit Roller Derby Game at Hogan High School Sept. 28, 1991. Photo by John Blenkle

    A poster outside the gymnasium proclaimed that the Bay City Bombers would be challenging the L.A. Turbos this night.
    Once inside, a few of the skaters who were circling the track for their warm-ups looked familiar to me - others did not. Ann Calvello, the subject of part of my previous Roller Derby articles was there. We chatted briefly before the contest started.
    Prior to the start of the game, someone presented Calvello with a rotten banana, harking back to the days when she was called "Banana Nose Calvello" from her many broken noses.
    Cal Stephens, Delores Tucker and a few others that I remembered were also there, but weren't skating that night. There were a lot of new faces - at least for me - but I was willing to give this group a chance to prove themselves.

    My first shock of the evening came when Dee Dee Medina (the skater who arranged my tickets) informed me that I was to start the game. After realizing that she hadn't meant "start" as in skating the game, my bout of panic induced dizziness passed. But having never been on the infield of a Roller Derby track, there was still some trepidation on my part. Fortunately, my role was simply to stand at the starting line on the track, blow a whistle, and drop my hand - signaling the start of the game.
    Then I was out of there like greased lightning, grabbing the railing around the track and swinging down to the floor before the skaters had even reached the first turn.
    The game was exciting - despite the obvious. Many of the skaters were terribly out of shape. But the half-filled gymnasium of people were still enthusiastic.
    One fan, a lady of over 90 years of age, sat by the track in her wheelchair, enjoying the game as much as the kids crawling through the stands.

Steve Sartain (left) in pursuit of Roller Derby's #1 point scorer Jumpin' Joe Perez. Photo by Joe Blenkle

    With the women's first period over, the men took to the track for their first skating period of the night. One thing that stood out in my mind from that night was the sheer violence of the men's skating game. Skaters received blocks at just the right moment to send them over the railing, thudding 10 feet below to the gymnasium floor. The hard-blocking and egos of skaters getting bested by one another soon led to the inevitable fighting that frequented the Roller Derby I remembered.
    Despite some obvious showmanship by some of the skaters to get the ire of the crowd, the game was a hard-fought duel to the finish with the Bombers finally winning in overtime.
    A question I have often asked myself over the years is, "Is there really a Roller Derby without Charlie O'Connell and the San Francisco Bay Bombers?"

Ann Calvello (left) mixes it up with Delores Holmes. Photo by Joe Blenkle

    I think I have finally had that question answered. There is indeed!
    For me, watching two unknown teams with, for the most part, skaters I had never heard of, was every bit as exciting as watching my old favorites whiz around the track.
    More is in store as well, as the public address announcer mentioned two more teams being added in the near future, along with the opening of a training school.
    NOTE: This game was a charity event to raise money for Hogan High School.
    With such a large fan base in the Sacramento area, perhaps it won't be too long before someone decides to bring Roller Derby here for their own fund-raising event.
    All that is needed is a gymnasium with a regulation-sized basketball court. It would be nice for the fans of Sacramento to enjoy - even if for only one night - the game that made such an impact on them for so many years.

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