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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1971)
Roller derby invades Mac Court on Friday By JIM HUNTER Of the Emerald VUhile you’re inside McAr thur Court watching this Friday’s roller derbv game don't laugh The encounter between the San Francisco Bay Bombers and the Midwest Pioneers is sport, not entertainment And if you don’t agree you're in the majority because, more than likely, the only ones that believe roiler derby is sport are the International Roller Derby league empresarios. And it’s dubious if they really believe it themselves. But regardless of what it’s called it’s prosperous and the roller derby elite are smart enough not to tamper with a good thing Since its inception in 1935, roller derby has always been considered on the same plane with wrestling. "Hie ring sport was once a respectable athletic event but television overexposure in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s reduced it to merely a display of showmanship. Television also killed roller derbv during the same period. It was stagnant until 1956 when Jerry Seltzer bought the rights to the sport for $500. Under the name International Roller Derby, Seltzer has developed it into a business whose worth is estimated between $5 million to $10 million Last year roller derby grossed $6 million albne from attendance plus an un disclosed, but considerable, sum from television Public relations represen tative Gene Moyers feels the reason roller derby is so popular is not because it is a show but because of “the contact, action and speed,” He admitted there is a "certain amount of showmanship involved, but it’s just like any other sport Joe Namath wears white shoes doesn’t he. Why single out roller derby?” According to Moyers, the audience the event appeals to is the blue collar worker “I'd say our hard core support comes from blue collars. We’re especially big in the industrial cities of the east like Buffalo. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnatti. We re also strong in the Carolinas.” In 1970, roller derby drew 2.061.000 and is hoping for about 2.500.000 this year The San Francisco Bay Bombers outdrew all other Bay Area teams last year, attracting 793.000, in cluding 28.814 at one game The sic roller derby teams — the northwest Cardinals, representing the Seattle Tacoma Portland area; the Midwest Pioneers, representing Chicago, the Southern Mustangs, representing Dallas-Fort Worth, the New York Chiefs; the Northwest Braves, representing the Boston-Providence Worchester are and the San Francisco Bay Bombers - play a 120 game championship season lasting from the first of May through September The majority of these games are played in the Bay Area because “this area is a proven draw " The top four teams then meet in a playoff to determine the champion The Bombers have won the championship six of the last eight years, including 1970 The rest of the year the six teams play "exhibition tour games" in cities throughout the United States and Canada This Friday’s' game is the final exhibition contest before the regular season begins on Anril 25. The game in Eugene features Charlie O’Connell, five time Most Valuable Player, six time Roller Derby King and Hall of Fame member Leading the girls contingency will be Margie Laszlo, two time MVP and Roller Derby Queen The current girls MVP, Joan Weston, will not be appearing in Eugene as she is touring with the Oakland Bay Bombers. The average age of a roller derby performer is 22 although some veterans, like Ken Monte, skate until they are in their forties Most skater’s put in five or six years in the league with travel or marriage the main reasons for retiring To replace retirees a roller derby training school has been set up in Alameda, Calif, to teach prospective skaters the trade The center in Alameda has an enrollment of 500 to 600 out of which only four or five will make it to the professional ranks Training usually lasts eight weeks Referees, who many claim are on the track just to lend the event an aura of respectability and do little in the way of spotting infractions and stopping fights, are recruited from fans, officials in other sports and former skaters Despite the time consuming WANTED Your Vote For Public Kindergartens Give Them AH A Fair Start Vote Yes Uay 3rd lights, roller derby is an offense oriented game with 48 43 a typical score A point is scored when a jammer, wearing a stripped helmet, or a pivot man. wearing a solid black helmet, laps a member of the opposing team It’s the job of the blocker, wearing a solid white helmet, to prevent the jammer from passing them in the alloted one minute jam There are two jammers, two blockers and a pivot man on the track for each team except when a player is out because of drawing a penalty A quirk of the game is that the Bombers, usually trailing after 95 minutes of play, have an inexplicable knack of scoring the winning point or two on the final jam of the eighth and final period So after the Bombers pull out Friday’s game on this last jam for the umpteenth time and you wonder how the brains behind roller derby could seriously consider this athletic travesty a sport. don't No matter what they actually believe it is. they're laughing all the way to the bank MOPE Charter Fllahts March 21 April 26 June 9 June 9 June U March 28 May 16 July 8 July 16 Julv 2-4 June June June June June June 12 13 13 13 13 IS August 10 Nov 21 Dec 18 Dec 26 July 9 June 19 June 30 August 20 August 30 Sept 10 Sept 10 Nov 27 Jan 2 Jan 2 September 9 September 15 September 20 December 18 June 6 June 21 July 30 September 12 September 23 Port lain! Honolulu INirtland Lisbon Seattle Amsterdam Seattle .Amsterdam Vancouver BP Amsterdam Portland Iasi don Portland Honolulu INirtland Tokyo Portland lawdon Seattle Amsterdam Portland London Portland Tokyo INirtland Honolulu Port la mi Ixaidon Portland Honolulu $137 00 7 days $338.00 30 days $20000 todays $380 oo w days $300.00 45 days $350 (X) 27 days $125 00 6 days $207 00 17 days $203 00 t« days $300 00 TO days $203 00 07 days $207 oo SO days $137 00 0 days $245 (X) 15 days $137 00 7 days Onr w*> Port I a ml Umdon Portland Umdon Port land London Portland Now York Umdon Vancouver HI' Umdon Portland Umdon Vancouver BP London Portland Umdon Portland $150 oo $1.15 00 $150 00 $ 82 2 $150 00 $150 00 $150 00 $150 00 $150 00 AOQlliunai iwmm wi v ■■■ JMK WALTER KONING SI* E. ISUi M* 7*2* ON CAMPUS CITY SNORT SITS Left Red And white or navy and white striped scoop neck top with white hot pent* si/es 7 13. 100 per cent cotton knit 13 00 Right Tunic top with rope tied waistline and side silt; red or purple top with white hot pants siies 7 to 13. polyester cotton 13 00
