Men on the Track

An Open Letter to the Derby Community

March, 2008

Nearly two years ago, a small start-up league in Western Massachusetts had the notion to include a men's team in their organization. Since then, men have slowly joined forces around the country to form the beginnings of a new and exciting branch of the Derby family tree.

Over the past eighteen months the first men's Flat-Track teams - including Harm City Homicide, the New York Shock Exchange and Pioneer Valley Roller Derby's Dirty Dozen - have played at halftime shows, as pre-bout entertainment and during open scrimmages. All three teams have participated in the men's portion of double header bouts with PVRD's women.

In 2008, the men's roller derby community is growing; more and more men are deciding that they want to play the game that they have fallen in love with. Many are referees who longed to shed the stripes in favor of the helmet covers.  Others are long time skaters who saw that Derby offered a way to translate their love of the rink into an intensely competitive and rewarding athletic endeavor. Some even had no previous skating experience, but were drawn in by friends or random encounters in the same way many of the women of Derby were.

The one thing that binds these men together is a serious dedication to Roller Derby. As the founding member of this class, I can say without hesitation that we desperately want to feel the sting of the track and the joy of a well-placed block or a sneaky pass. We share the strong belief in skater owned and operated clubs. It is in this way we seek to bond together locally as teams and nationally as a community. 

Most of all we want to challenge ourselves to become better athletes - strong and enterprising as the women who developed and grew this sport. Without them we would not be able to pursue our goals and as such we strive to make our ambitions complementary to theirs. 

Over the coming months and years HCH, NYSE and PVRD will continue to devote our time and energy to the positive expansion of Flat Track Roller Derby. Though it is a bit premature to speak of a national organization, we are in early stages of coalescing the existing men's Derby concerns around the country to form a constructive environment for new male teams. In keeping with this effort, our three clubs will offer our support to help any and all developing men's leagues learn the game, handle logistics and gain exposure.

First on the agenda for our emerging group is a small men's Derby summit to be held in New York City on Saturday, April 5th. This event will consist of a few organized scrimmages, some open pick-up games, a bit of training and a whole lot of brainstorming & discussion. Tickets will not be sold to the general public, but interested Rollerfolk are invited to come and meet the fellows and watch the action on the track. For more information please check out the website: The Eastern Men's Derby Conference.

Thank you for taking the time to check us out. We look forward to working and skating with all the amazing women & men of Roller Derby around the world.

Sincerely,

Bazooka Joe #49,
Co-Founder: Pioneer Valley Roller Derby
Representative: Men's Derby Coalition