WHIP IT-Traveling Across America Promotingggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Duff on September 30, 2009 at 8:51pm

My whole family & I will be seeing the movie this Friday at The Mall Of America! My 13 yr. old daughter has suddenly become a "Derby" fan! I feel that if an ATKINSON (Synonomous w/ Great Roller Derby) says it's good it must be fabulous can't wait to see it and of course it will be on our "Get that DVD' list Thanks Hurricane your opinion speaks volumes!

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Permalink Reply by Grand Poobah on October 1, 2009 at 3:24am

It's a fun film. I thought it sent a great message about roller derby. That it's empowering and fun.

Does it get everything "right?" No. But that's not really all that important. The rules explanation doesn't get into lead jammer (which is probably just as well, because it would have been wrong for somebody in every theater no matter which way they explained it) nor do the refs call any penalties but fighting. There's a new mouthpiece presented which magically doesn't require boiling. Coaches diagram "plays." I see refs skating without helmets or pads.

Me getting upset about stuff like that would be like getting mad about "You can't do that with photon torpedos" on Star Trek. Like the Wall St Journal said, derby is perhaps the actual star of the film. That said, it's just a vehicle for a story about a girl's self-discovery. Even documentaries tend to gloss over the finer details in order to get the story told.

If you're watching a basketball movie, you don't gripe about how long the shot clock must have been running during that one part. When you watch Rocky you don't wonder why Rocky doesn't ever seem to just duck the occasional punch. It's a movie, ya know?

Even if the movies a box office bomb, we'll pick up new fans from it. And new leagues will spring up here and there.

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Permalink Reply by Tom on October 1, 2009 at 4:18am

I'm sure this film will have an impact on female new recruits, but you got to wonder if this will be the final nail on the coffin for those who keep thinking that roller derby should be co-ed. and since iy's sooo relevent to this website, this film definatly has to be a hit for Dave Sams to finally lure those elusive investors out of hiding, otherwise it's doomsday for rollergames!
and this could be final redemption for the Lonetar rollergirls? When the A&E series came out, instead of recruiting & organzing, they sat back, wallowing in their own glory, while the WFTDA & the flatrackers scooped up all the new rollergirl wanabees.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Patten on October 1, 2009 at 6:29am

I'm always amazed that old-school teams put their MEN in front for their promotions, interviews and image. The WOMEN sell the tickets and draw the interest in roller derby. Nothing has changed in this regard.

I guess some men have egos so large they are willing to let their league falter, just so they get their ego stroked again?

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Permalink Reply by Grand Poobah on October 1, 2009 at 10:51am

@Tim:
I'm cool with men's derby, but if you look at what's happening with today's derby, there's fewer men who want to skate derby and fewer fans who want to see it.

Men playing derby by rules designed for women's bodies ironically looks about as awkward as women playing derby designed for men's bodies did back in the old days. I've watched a few classic derby DVDs, the women had a harder time making it look like they were doing anything with all those forearms and elbows they kept throwing. Here's an odd idea, allow and encourage the women skaters to use more of the moves that their bodies are perfect for, the hip checks and booty blocks you see in today's derby. Women have a lower center of gravity than men.

Along the lines of what you're saying Tim, let me offer up a quote:
"I'll tell you, I think sixty-five to seventy percent go to see the girls. This one time in Santa Rosa in '64, there was a mix-up, and none of the girls arrived in time for the game, so they went ahead with just the boys. They were going to skate twenty-minute periods. A thousand people walked out of there after the first twenty minutes. The girls showed up and saved it."
Ann Calvello, as quoted in Five Strides on the Banked Track by Frank Deford.

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Permalink Reply by Grand Poobah on October 1, 2009 at 10:36am

@Tom:
TXRD seems to be satisfied with being fairly unique. It's possible there might be another league or two within the next couple years that do things their way, banked track, slightly "dramatic," skating a legit bout but throwing fights and other hijinks in when the score gets uneven. The two leagues I have in mind are fairly close to them geographically so I guess that works OK for them.

The way they play works for them with their Austin audience. It's proven less than helpful in their recent competitive interleague bouts. Though that's really not what the league is all about.

I don't think TXRD "sat back, wallowing in their own glory." I think they did a fair bit to foster the growth of the banked track version of the sport. But it's a very difficult thing to make work. They've played in two tournaments and hosted one of their own. They built a second track and moved their show from a warehouse into their convention center.

They pioneered PPV streaming and then switched to sponsored free streaming. They have a guy doing text play-by-play for their many remote fans. That stuff seems like it would eat into their numbers but a fan who's in town isn't going to get the same experience by not being there. So it gains them and keeps them the fans from around the world who fly in to ATX to see them.

WFTDA benefited the most from the "Rollergirls" boom because their way of doing things is far more cost-effective than banked track. And because its way of doing things counts on interleague bouts as one of its largest money sinks. If you don't need to spend $40K on the track and even more to rent a warehouse month-to-month, you can spend some of that money you saved on travel bouts, which satisfy skaters' competitive needs and offers them chances to play against opponents with differing strategies and playstyles.

A new league in the next city over isn't business competition that has to be stamped out, it's future sports competition that gets fostered and even coached in the short term. Having a rules set that almost everyone follows helps leagues find it easier to find opponents to play against. And there's almost always some higher competitive plateau to compete against.

Other styles of derby have a tough time offering all of that to new leagues. Some other formats seem to be growing OK. Men's teams that have a complimentary relationship with local women's leagues are growing fast. Almost every league in the Pacific Northwest has a junior league that could start feeding it "naturals" over the next few years.

With banked track legit derby there's likely to be a three-way split in the rules set. Flat track derby can afford to have that because there's simply so many leagues. When today's five legit bouting banked track leagues becomes six-to-nine, a commonly-accepted rules set that leagues play at home and away will become a desirable thing.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Wersderfer on October 1, 2009 at 7:12am

In the OSDA league, most referees do not wear pads or helmets. Some don't even skate.

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Permalink Reply by Grand Poobah on October 1, 2009 at 3:08am

Racer McChaseHer from Detroit Derby Girls was a national level speed skater. She also skated in the film. She's fast as hell and very tough to knock down. I've met Val Capone, who was in the booth at Wrigley singing with Drew. She's a great derby announcer, when she's not skating on a home team.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Patten on October 1, 2009 at 6:26am

The reviews are great! Some say this movie has a good message for young awkward teen age girls, giving them hope to find their own place in the world.

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Permalink Reply by ATKINSON WAS HERE! on October 1, 2009 at 7:58am

Hey Tom, In the old days! and in the A.R.S.D. Referees didn't or don't wear pads, helmets or skates. I think it takes away from the game (with funny names and numbers you can't read on back of Referees jerseys or the home-made shirts...LOL

Only skaters should be skating in the infield,coaches are OK because most are skaters.

It's really not needed, but they like to look cool as the Girls! The last few games I have seen here in Del Mar San Diego the Ref's didn't even do hand Signals, Whats up with that?

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Permalink Reply by Tom Wersderfer on October 1, 2009 at 8:12am

I know about the old days. I refereed in Roller Games for the Warriors on the east coast and T-Birds on the west coast between 1976 and 1983. None of us ever wore any kind of padding or helmets. It was just black pants, referee jersey and a whistle.

We did get injured but that's part of the game. I was knocked out cold by John Hall trying to break up a fight, gotten knocked down which caused my pants leg to rip at the knee and causing a four inch gash across my kneecap and other injuries.

I agree for banked track games that only skaters should be on skates.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Patten on October 1, 2009 at 9:00am

Get rid of those grannies and disabled clowns on the infield.

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