THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WOMEN’S FLAT TRACK DERBY ASSOCIATION (WFTDA) ISSUE 7, SPRING 2010
fiveonfivemag.com
editor she who cannot be named rocky mountain rollergirls copy editor vera n. sayne rocky mountain rollergirls content manager annsanity rocky mountain rollergirls art director assaultin’ pepa rocky mountain rollergirls contributing writers dahmernatrix duke city derby suzy hotrod gotham girls roller derby hambone gotham girls roller derby
from the editor Welcome to the seventh issue of fiveonfive magazine, the official magazine of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)! The holidays are behind us, our winter breaks are over, and it’s time to start revving up for the 2010 season!
ida slapter rat city rollergirls
We have tons of good stuff lined up for you, our fabulous readers, in this issue
go-go gidget angel city derby girls
and for the coming year. Whether you need to jump-start your workout routine
lady quebeaum charm city roller girls catholic cruel girl rocky mountain rollergirls tank cincinnati rollergirls malice with chains windy city rollers justice feelgood marshall derby news network
(page 10), work on nailing down team strategies (page 20), or want to try mounting your own plates (page 26) it’s all here in these very pages, plus tons more. 2010 promises another year of tremendous growth for the sport of women’s flat track roller derby – just take a look at our calendar of events on page 22! And we here at fiveonfive are excited to bring it to you all wrapped up in a nice, beautiful package!
coach pauly phoenix, arizona miss jane redrum ft. wayne derby girls betty ford galaxy seattle derby brats bunnie low-browski circle city socialites jolene jawbreaker dutchland rollers ivanna s. pankin’ san diego derby dolls aj epstein los angeles, ca
Have a story idea? A unique perspective or derby experience that you want to share? fiveonfive is always looking for contributors! Send your article ideas to content@fiveonfivemag.com. Any general comments? Talk to us at editor@fiveonfivemag.com – we’d love to hear from you! Too timid to write but take a mean photograph or even have a derby-themed tattoo? Send your high-res pics to photos@fiveonfivemag.com. Don’t forget to tell us who you are and what league you’re with so we can give credit where credit is due!
crankypants toronto roller derby luscious smacksome rocky mountain rollergirls
Now, let’s get rollin’!
cover photo joe schwartz joerollerfan.com fiveonfive magazine info@fiveonfivemag.com myspace.com/fiveonfivemag fiveonfivemag.com
She Who Cannot Be Named #88 Rocky Mountain Rollergirls Denver, CO editor@fiveonfivemag.com
contributors Hambone
Check out additional contributors at fiveonfivemag.com.
Catholic Cruel Girl
HighPlainStudio.com
Hambone has been a referee for Gotham Girls Roller Derby since 2004. Off-skates, he has served as the league’s Director of Marketing and has studied Sports Sponsorship at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Many thanks to our contributors who come from all over the roller derby community and share their knowledge based on their countless hours of dedication to this sport!
Dahmernatrix was a founding member of Duke City Derby, one of the WFTDA’s original leagues, and was an active WFTDA member from the organization’s ontology until her move to San Diego four years later. Dahmer now skates for the San Diego Derby Dolls, on both flat and banked tracks nationwide, as well as with Team Awesome. She enjoys taking her skates apart and putting them back together, teaching newbies how to block, and anything and everything related to WFTDA tournaments.
Andrew J. Epstein (artdaddy), artist, photojournalist, and graphic designer, was introduced to derby at age seven by his unconventional grandmother Pearl. Pearl’s other life, before Epstein’s grandfather, was cooking the books for Chicago bootleggers, while also managing the derby concessions for Leo Seltzer in the 1930s. While working at Playboy, Epstein suggested The Blonde Bomber (Joan Weston) for a sports interview where he wanted to shoot the derby as a participant rather then a spectator. Joan dared him to try out for the team. Having played hockey and football, he was good at it!
Dahmernatrix
Catholic Cruel Girl joined the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls in March of 2007 after a woman in her book club mentioned she was trying out. Having never seen nor heard about roller derby before, somehow she knew she had to play. Off the track, Cruelie (her strange derby nickname) is an artist and consultant, which translates into a lot of odd jobs in between. She is passionate about natural health and holistic medicine, enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, traveling and having adventures.
Suzy Hotrod Suzy Hotrod joined Gotham Girls Roller Derby in New York City because she was a poor selfmotivator who hadn’t exercised in four years. She is known for her honesty and backwards witty way with words. This clearly qualifies her to answer your questions about roller derby. While she appears to be a tough, mean chick, the truth is, “Everyone thinks I’m an asshole! I’m the nicest one here!”
A.J. Epstein
Malice with Chains Alice Gleason fka Malice With Chains skated with the Windy City Rollers from 2006-2009. Malice co-captained her home team, the Manic Attackers, for two seasons, winning the league championship Ivy King Cup in 2009. She skated with the Windy City All-Stars at the WFTDA National Tournaments from 2007-2009, co-captaining twice. Now retired, she is excited to watch new talent and new strategies emerge nationwide. She’s also looking to start a cat farm and expects Varla Vendetta to adopt them all.
games and coaching
to boo or not to boo TA N K , C I N C I N N AT I R O L L E R G I R L S
At the Declaration of Derby this past November, many things changed in roller derby. The East was no longer the dominant region. Rocky Mountain proved to be the biggest Cinderella story since Kansas City in 2007. The mothers of the sport, the Texas Rollergirls, were beaten by the young upstart Oly Rollers in the finals. While these were all major milestones, one thing that was constant throughout the weekend was the booing of the Denver Roller Dolls and their style of play, which continued while they were handed their third place trophies. While some hated Denver’s style of play, others rushed to the defense of DRD both live and online, proclaiming that the booing showed a complete lack of sportswomanship, one of the cornerstones of the WFTDA mission statement. The question remains: Is booing a bad thing, or could it be the sound of success? Over the years, I have read countless interviews with skaters in which the player being questioned stresses the importance of roller derby being a real sport, that it’s not staged and that the winners and losers are not predetermined. The fake fights and the showbiz stunts of yesteryear are gone, and only the sport remains. Within any sport, sportsmanship or sportswomanship must exist for the integrity of the game and the safety of its athletes. Without it, dangerous situations and ugly incidents can occur; one needs only to Google Elizabeth Lambert or Bill Romanowski for proof.
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While sportswomanship must exist on the track between players, there is a different code of conduct for fans in the stands. Fans watch sports to support their favorite teams, hoping to see them win games, achieve a regional spot and possibly a national championship. They pay their hard-earned money for a seat and thus the right to express themselves. They pay for the sport as we know it to exist. Without them, roller derby would not be played inside of roller rinks, gymnasiums or arenas but instead would be relegated to parking lots like pickup basketball. Hearing members of a crowd boo is not a bad thing. It’s a good thing because it means people care. When I was in art school, one of my professors said: “If you show your work in a gallery and people rave about it, that’s great. If people hate it, that is good. But if your viewers have no reaction, your work is a failure.” I have called games where the crowd is not engaged, where no one is booing or cheering, but rather just sitting on their hands in dead silence. If portions of a crowd are booing a team, that means they are
actively engaged, know what’s happening and will pay again to see the team they are booing possibly be defeated. What happens, though, if the fans in the stands that are booing are also WFTDA players? While some might find this as a negative, I see a positive that will come out of it: A rivalry. When Windy City took on Denver, they were confused and stifled by their start-and-stop play. However, by the second half, they adjusted to it, even using Denver’s strategy against them. They won the second half 73-56, but it was just too little, too late. For the rest of the
D
weekend, whenever Denver played, Windy City and their fans were there to cheer on their opposition, boo, and lead chants against the Dolls. The next time Windy City and Denver meet on the track, it’s going to be an intense game that neither will want to lose. Both teams will train for months on end leading up to the bout because not only will rankings be on the line, but more importantly, pride will be. Even if it were on a neutral floor at East Coast Derby Extravaganza in Philadelphia, those in the crowd will side with one team or the other because of what happened at Declaration of Derby. Because of the talent of these two teams this could be the beginning of a rivalry that fans will pay to see every year akin to the Cowboys vs. the Redskins
in the NFL or the Yankees vs. the Red Sox in baseball. Stor y lines, individual players, and history are what make non-playoff games important. There are thousands of games of roller derby played worldwide every year, yet a handful stick out in my memory because of the story lines and implications that were associated with them. Who didn’t want to see cross-town rivals Denver and Rocky Mountain lock horns at Regionals and later Nationals? The derby community wondered what would happen when Rice Rocket jammed against Bonnie Thunders on the East Coast. And who would emerge victorious when the fast rising Charm City met Rat City, a team that had firmly established itself as one of the best programs in the history of the
WFTDA as the featured Friday night game of ECE? As the sport continues to age and advance, these are the type of games that will set the stage for the contests that come after them. 2009 saw important growth for the WFTDA and the sport of roller derby as a whole on the track. For 2010 and beyond, the fan experience must continue to grow for the good of the sport. As the country’s economy continues to struggle, teams need fans in the stands to help line their coffers to fund uniforms, arena rentals, and travel. Without them, roller derby will cease to exist as we know it. If fans are booing, that means they are there and that they care. And if they care, they will come back again and again.
DNN BRINGS IT TO YOU live coverage from all the biggest events!
SCORES
HIGHLIGHTS
ANALYSIS
LIVE COVERAGE
POWER RANKINGS
feature
last interview with ann calvello AJ EPSTEIN
“If you’re gonna screw me, at least kiss me a little...” A statement calculated to shock and provoke. That pretty much typifies any introduction to Ann Calvello. My recent expertise in roller derby came about because of my current photographic book project, The Blonde Bomber (theblondebomber.com), and the rebirth of the derby. Smackin’-N-Wackin’ Roller derby was a unique American cultural hybrid – part sporting event, part traveling theater. It galvanized fans across the country in its day. In the 1940s and 1950s roller derby had attracted a large following, owing much of its popularity to the growth of television and to the stamina of tough guys and sexy dames smackin’-n-wackin’ each other weekly. Back then America was different. If you were female, you got married, had kids, and became a happy homemaker. Occasionally metamorphosis in nature occurs, and you get Godzilla... or Ann Calvello. Take It Like A Man! I was in San Francisco for a design conference and was working on the book in the only town where roller derby was still performed with any regularity. Ann wanted to be in my book, and made sure everyone talking to me knew it. Calvello was not skating against Joan at the time I was shooting and skating back in the 1970s, so I had no photos of the two battling for supremacy on the banked track. I was both eager and fearful at the thought of meeting Ann without a plan to put her in my book. Between the conference and the calls from home about a friend hooked on meth, I chose not to contact Ann. Then I got the phone call at my office back in Chicago. “If you’re gonna screw me, at least kiss me a little.” I experienced the wrath of Ann’s scorn! I hadn’t kissed her, and she thought I might be screwing her by leaving her out of the book. Life experiences have taught me when caught being an asshole, bend over and take it like a man! There was now a reason for me to document the legendary Banana Nose Calvello: the making of the documentary film of her life, Demon of the Derby: The Ann Calvello Story by Fireproof Productions. 42 | Spring 2010 | fiveonfivemag.com
The Dame’s Got Great Aim! I got beneath the surface of the Ann Calvello story. Fortunately so did Sharon Rutter, Christine Murray and Elizabeth Pike who dedicated several years to following Cavello making Demon of the Derby. It captures the image of who Ann Cavello was in her last hurrah skating for the now defunct Roller Jam on TNN with a deliciously choreographed fight with the studly meat man, Mark “The Enforcer” D’Amato. Ann gets so pumped during the rehearsal that she really lets D’Amato have it with a swift kick to the balls – skates and all. “The dame’s got great aim!” D’Amato told me. Out Draggin’ the Queens! The premier screening of Demon of the Derby at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theater in the center of the queer ghetto was the perfect setting. Demon was screening as part of the Independent Cinema series and quickly sold out. The crowd began forming hours before the film. A black stretch limo pulled up in front of the Castro Theater, and the crowd pressed closer. A red, white, and blue manicured, jewel-ladened hand began waving out of the sunroof. Then a surreal bit of newly coiffed, painted and bleached hair pops through. The Demon of the Derby
had arrived and was waving to the masses. The spectacle of her existence was in full force. It’s hard to upstage the Castro’s drag queens, circuit boys and leather fisting daddies, but Ann did! The Castro belonged to her! Even roller derby’s last owner, Jerry Selzer, son of its creator Leo Seltzer, eagerly waited to greet Banana Nose Calvello. While he and Ann have had their confrontations over the years, one of the more tender moments showcased in the film and in the lobby of the Castro Theater was the renewing of their friendship. Ann’s story is inspiring. The film allows us to view a woman whose spirit wants to compete, but whose body is saying something quite different. Over the years I’ve had many conversations with the lovable lioness and found the core of a very unique woman and loyal friend. AJ: When did you first create your larger than life personality? Ann: August 1, 1929.
Did you reinvent yourself into a largerthan-life creation for self-fulfillment? I was always me, even when I was in school and everything, I was always very, very good in sports and everything, you know, I was going to a Catholic school, they didn’t have too many things for girls to do. Somebody described you as ‘punk before punk.’ Yeah, but punk in my generation wasn’t good. “Punk” meant a wise-ass! Well, weren’t you? No, I was not! I respected everybody. I respect my elders to this day. When you go to Catholic school for twelve years in the depression... Twelve years of nuns and a Navy father, we respected family and stuff in those days. Different times, you know. Back in the 60s and 70s you had big hairdos and spray-painted your hair. You stood out. Yeah. When I first got in the derby, it was with the Philadelphia Panthers, and the team colors were black and white. I didn’t start doing my colored hair until after ‘56. I started to stand out in ‘49 when
I wore gloves to skate in, a lot of the girls did. But I wore a black one and a white one. I didn’t want to wear two of the same colors. I went to Catholic school, I got 12 years of uniform, then I’m in the roller derby, I got all the years of uniforms, then when I worked at Safeway, I had my uniforms. Now I’m a ticket-taker at the 49er games. I got a uniform and tie. Who wants to wear a tie? But rules are rules, that’s the way I was raised, you do what you’re told to do. I’ve always had this colorful personality and people have been jealous of me my whole life. People couldn’t help but notice you. Obviously that was deliberate. No, it wasn’t. When I was in a black and white uniform, my hair was a crappy, shitty brown. I wore red lipstick and my mouth looked like a baboon’s ass. That’s why I don’t wear red lipstick anymore. Did you develop your personality or did “they” (derby management) say, “OK we’re gonna have you...” No, no one told me nothing. I was lucky they even knew I was out there.
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