Ann Calvello, Joan Weston: Is Roller Derby Real

Two of the greatest women athletes of the Bay City Bombers answer confrontations from sports casters.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• roller
• derby
• ann
• calvello
• joan
• weston
• rollergirls
• girl
• fight

[OldeSkool1]

Weston and Calvello would kick the shit out of The Predator AND The Alien. Twice.

[alexisperez808]

she's my aunt :)

[rayjr62]

@alexisperez808 God Bless your aunt. As a young impressionable boy growing up in a Northern California suburb during the late 1960s and early 1970s, your aunt and a few other Roller Derby people were my heroes.

R.I.P. Ann and Joanie.

[voyage2k]

@PreFlashGordon: And one more thing -- none of the classic Derby people used fake names for when they played. Weston may have been nicknamed the "Golden Girl," but folks knew her name. Annis Jensen may have been called "Big Red" -- but you knew her name. None of this modern day "I have to make up some pun for a name" stuff. If that's what they want to do, ok, but I find it cheapens the game to refer to some woman as "Auntie Maim" and even the playbooks don't have her real name. Ridiculous!

[voyage2k]

@PreflashGordon: Sorry, but I'll politely disagree. I've attended quite a few of the "modern" Derby games and I simply don't find it to be comparable to the original Derby. How exactly would you say I'm "knocking" it? It's an opinion, which you clearly disagree with -- fine and good.

I will say this definitively, though: they broke the molds when Calvello and Weston were made. Tough ladies today? Sure, but I'll never agree they come anywhere near Joanie and Ann. :)

[PreflashGordon]

@voyage2k Don't let the names fool you. I'm a photographer for many modern roller derby leagues and the skaters are tough, tough mofo's. And no Ann Calvello? I could name about twenty modern skaters who have just as much charisma and toughness on the track.

There's no need to knock the present game so the past game can be good. Modern roller derby in its present incarnation is one of the greatest sports in the world. IMHO both today's game and yesterday's are awesome.

[wildwildwest1414]

Joanie Weston always a BOMBER!

[voyage2k]

Today's modern roller derby is all fine and good, but it will always pale in comparison to the original Roller Derby. There are no modern-day Joanie Westons or Ann Calvellos; now the teams all have players with fake names based on puns or punishments. Sure, it's cute, but to me, it's NOT the derby. It's more flash and fights then the original.

Like I said, the modern stuff today is fine; I'm glad it's been kept alive, but it'll never be as legendary as when Jerry Seltzer was overseeing it.

[raydog699]

Is Wall Street fixed? I took as faith Efficient-Market Theory and trusted my own wily genius and insider knowledge till I lost all in latest crash. Scrounged 2 bits ,leveraged, bet against the T-Birds, back on my skates.

[toddy1968]

I miss the days when the chicks could actually skate. None of this retro, slow flailing, wobbly stuff.

[ibtnm25]

Honey you are a scary mess.