Where did Roller Derby originate?
Seltzer: Founder of Roller Derby. Pic: thederbygirl
Roller Derby sprung from humble beginnings. The sport was an idea birthed in 1933 by Leo Seltzer, who scribbled notes on a tablecloth in a Chicago restaurant about a marathon type race.
The early game did not include the "crash and smash" fierceness that most people associate with Roller Derby. It was intended to be a marathon, where the skaters would skate round on wheels made of wood to reach their goal, which was to skate continuously for almost 12 hours.
Seltzer debuted the game on the 12th August 1935, to more than 12 thousand spectators jammed into the Chicago Coliseum. With a huge response to the sport from the public, he expanded the sport to other cities that the players and Seltzer would travel to.
The tough as nails sport that emerged in the U.S. during the Depression of the 1930s and ultimately faded, is in the midst of an unlikely global resurgence that has seen it catch on everywhere from England to Tasmania.
Derby became a mainstay of the early days of television. But by the 1970s, spectators had become turned off by an overemphasis on theatrics.
The early game did not include the "crash and smash" fierceness that most people associate with Roller Derby. It was intended to be a marathon, where the skaters would skate round on wheels made of wood to reach their goal, which was to skate continuously for almost 12 hours.
Seltzer debuted the game on the 12th August 1935, to more than 12 thousand spectators jammed into the Chicago Coliseum. With a huge response to the sport from the public, he expanded the sport to other cities that the players and Seltzer would travel to.
The tough as nails sport that emerged in the U.S. during the Depression of the 1930s and ultimately faded, is in the midst of an unlikely global resurgence that has seen it catch on everywhere from England to Tasmania.
Derby became a mainstay of the early days of television. But by the 1970s, spectators had become turned off by an overemphasis on theatrics.
The Derby revivalists played on flat tracks rather than the costly banked ones. And aside from the playfully punned Derby names, the nouveau skaters avoided stagecraft and took the sport seriously.
In an echo of Derby's depression roots, the hard-hitting sport has enjoyed a resurgence during the harsh economic times. With more than 20 leagues have emerging in Spain alone. The sun never sets on Roller Derby. In Belem, Brazil, on the edge of the Amazon jungle, a team called the Vixens From Jungle Hell is encamped. In the Netherlands, Rotterdam is the home of the Deathrow Honeys. German Derby fanatics are feasting on the Meatgrinders Bremem. The Women's Flat Track Derby Association, which promotes the sport in the US, lists 77 clubs and says that across the world the number of flat-track clubs has grown from one to more than 400 in less than a decade. While four years ago the sport was virtually unheard of in Britain, there are now more than 24 established teams (or leagues, as they're known) from Perth to Plymouth, and more are starting up all the time. The British quickly embraced derby and about 90 women's leagues have sprung up on the island. UK Roller Derby leagues began forming in 2006 – London Rollergirls, Birmingham Blitz Dames, London Rockin Rollers, and Glasgow Rollergirls were first to get together. Middlesbrough Milk Rollers, Central City Rollergirls, Royal Windsor Rollergirls, and Leeds Roller Dolls got their skates on during 2007, and along with Sheffield Steel Rollergirls, Auld Reekie Roller Girls, Romsey Town Rollerbillies, Lincolnshire Bombers Rollergirls and Rebellion Rollergirls (established 2008), members from these leagues came together, and formed UKRDA. |
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Roller Derby World Cup
Logo: Official logo of the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup. PIC: Blood and Thunder
There was a Roller Derby World Cup in 2011, which was the first ever worldwide Roller Derby event and it was held in Toronto, Canada. Team US wiped the floor with everyone, but it was the new beginnings of what is to come from Roller Derby. Thirteen countries participated in the event that was won by Team USA beating Canada in the final 336-36. Canada managed to put up more points than USA's previous victims in front of the passionate home crowd, but the final score was still a devastating victory for the overwhelmingly favoured USA. The next World Cup is due to be held in 2014 at location that has not been finalised yet. What is for definite is the interest in the sport all over the world will be even greater by 2014, therefore more nations will be competing to try and give Team USA a run for their money.