BAY AREA ROLLER DERBY

by Jerry Seltzer and Keith Coppage, Arcadia Publishing

Book Review by Craig MacDonald

Roller Derby was HUGE. It filled major venues around the country, including Madison Square Garden, Oakland Coliseum, Kezar Pavilion, the Cow Palace, San Francisco's Civic Auditorium and Chicago White Sox Park, where more than 50,000 shrieking fans jammed in to cheer on their favorites.

Promoter & Genius Leo Seltzer knew how to draw crowds. In 1935, he first created the Derby in Chicago & moved it to California in 1959. He would eventually turn it over to his son, Jerry, an enthusiastic genius in his own right, who would have the sport broadcast on 122 television stations in the United States & Canada. For many, it was "must watch TV" every week.

Fortunately, Jerry, who died in his Sonoma home on July 1, 2019, got to see various versions & variations of his favorite sport created and enjoyed throughout California, the United States & around the world.

There were even movies and articles about it in Time, Life Magazine, The New Yorker and Sports Illustrated. SI Writer Frank Deford wrote a 15-page feature. His first book was appropriately titled: "Five Strides on the Banked Track."
Thanks to Jerry Seltzer & Roller Derby Historian Keith Coppage for putting together, through text and photos, an intimate & honest look at Roller Derby—from its inception, through its highs & lows, its struggles & successes and its love, among participants and among fans, as well as the Roller Derby-type competitions today.

In the 1960s, my mother won 4 VIP tickets to a Roller Derby Game at San Jose Civic Auditorium. Our family, sitting near the track, was thrilled to see our favorite Bay Bombers—Charlie O'Connell, Annis "Big Red" Jensen & Joanie Weston "take it" to another team. We watched the Bombers compete on TV every week. What a thrill it was to see, what appeared to be, hard fought battles between two skillful teams. Each had five skaters, racing at high speeds on an oval track, trying to score points (or prevent scoring).

Teams have a Jammer, who tries to score by lapping the opposition. Points are earned for each enemy passed. Teammates try to help the Jammer score. The competition tries to stop the Jammer from getting through by blocking him/her, elbowing the skater to the floor (or up against the rail) and maybe locking arms with teammates & to prevent passage.

To the audience, there were heroes & villains, loudly cheered or jeered by the boisterous crowds. The Bombers, like others, such as the Eagles, Red Devils, Jolters or Pioneers, had two teams, one made up of all men & the other all women.
It was definitely exciting for everyone participating on and off the track. One writer called the game: "One grand melee which involved elements of football, fighting, wrestling, speed and endurance skating and the constant noise of 1,000 workers drilling rivets into the steel of a 10-story madhouse."

In the Bay Area, the traveling derby, took place in such cities as San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley, Daly City, Santa Cruz, Antioch, Vallejo, Richmond & Fresno. There was even a game on an aircraft carrier; another at a horse racetrack. One competition was a mini-game between San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raider football players.

Players had names like "Elbows" Anderson, "Wild Bill" Reynolds, "Peanuts" Meyer, "Dynamite" Mike, "The Blonde Amazon."

Even though it often looked like there was "bad blood" between certain skaters, in this book you'll find out that many competitors really liked and cared for each other. Contrary to what the audience might think, they wouldn't try to seriously injure anyone and if another skater had an injury, they made sure not to target it.

Fascinating Derby tidbits:

The Bombers Phil Kaudubee also was seeking a Psychology Degree from the nearby University of California at Berkeley.

Charley O'Connell, perhaps the most famous skater & coach, also owned cocktail lounges in Alameda and San Leandro, which employed several fellow skaters.

Tommy & Buddy Atkinson were brothers who skated.
Judy Sowinski, who started skating with a salary of $100 a week & an extra $25 for food on the road, ended up many decades later as a revered coach at 71.

Stars Gerri Abbatello & Joe Chaump got married and had a child that became a derby skater. Icons Annis "Big Red" Jensen and Russ Baker's daughter, Barbara Baker, became a fan favorite in 1968.

The entire International Roller Derby League lived in the Bay Area. But players could be moved to different teams and play around the country.

Roller Derby was one of the only sporting events not derived from something else.

Montana-born Leo Seltzer on helping create it: "Nearly every man, woman & child has skated or tried to skate on rollers but there's never been a national outlet for champion roller skaters." (Maybe this explains why it was so popular.)

TV Broadcaster Walt Harris of Danville created a passion for Roller Derby through his weekly broadcasts watched by millions. His enthusiastic voice and passion for describing the action, made home viewers feel like they were sitting track side, feeling the breeze created by skaters roaring past.

Audiences felt a real closeness to their teams. They'd talk to players, help retrieve flying helmets, and, occasionally, assist a fallen skater or one who flew over the guide rails.

Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, always had capacity crowds, and was home to more Derby games than any other Bay Area location.

The much anticipated & appreciated "Push-Off" (or Changeover) occurred between periods. The women's team would circle the track one more time, the men would join them and the ladies would give a nudge to their male counterparts as they rolled off the track. The men repeated the same procedure at the end of their period.

Roller Derby, yesterday & today, has raised thousands of dollars for charities, from breast cancer research, aiding the homeless and domestic violence awareness to many other issues.

"Bay Area Roller Derby" will provoke fond memories for the millions who enjoyed watching it in person or on TV. This book is a wonderfully documented, much-needed tribute to the Seltzers & others, players and fans alike, who helped make this sport so extremely popular. It was even considered as a possible Olympic sport. Thanks to today's competitive skaters for keeping "fun on the track."