Buddy Atkinson, Jr Interview
By Rich Besser
Where and when were you born?
I was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 26, 1941 and raised on the road with my parent until I had to start going to school. At that time I went to live with my grandparents in new york for one year. Then to Utah for 3 years on a farm that my cousins owned, which was a great place to live and grow up. I then stayed with friends for one year in Colma, California.
What are your parents names?
Barbara Fern Johnstone and Arthur Joseph Atkinson
What was it like as a kid, having your parents being Roller Derby players? Did you travel on the road with them?
Ii enjoyed my life on the road. All the skaters were my Aunts and Uncles. The skaters were great to me and I loved being around them..
We ate all meals in the building in a kitchen that was brought with the skating unit throughout the tours. The roller derby cooks were great! Some of the cooks' names that I remember were Ma Perni, Mary Fabian, and Rosie.
Back then we living in the buildings that my parent performed at, and slept in quarters. My sleeping area was always the bottom bunk and one of my parents was on the top bunk. My Mom or Dad used to make a tent like surround for my bunk when I slept. This travel was from the time I was about 2 to 10 years old. However, as of 6 years old, I only traveled in the Summer time, due to school.
How old were you when you skated professionally?
I was 17 years old. It was just two days after my birthday, June 28th. I skated for the NY Chiefs.
Back in your rookie years who did you admire the most?
Charlie Saunders - he was super to me and I always thought he was a tremendous guy and skater. He used to watch over me, in my 1st pro games.
Charlie O’Connell was also a skater I thought highly of.
During your prime days back in the late 50's, 60's and early 70's, who did you respect the most and why?
I would say Mike Gammon in my skating era, Mike was probably one of the best skaters. We had skated together from 1958 until 1968 and we did lot of plays with each other and our two families seemed to always be together.
I would also like to say Vinnie Gandolfo was another guy that I truly liked and enjoyed skating with while on the Warriors from 1969 to 1974 as he always covered my back.
Buddy for the following male and female name skaters provide in one or two words a description of them:
Men:
Charlie O'Connell: terrific skater
Paul Rupert: funny guy
John Parker: good friend
Mike Gammon: great skater
Bob Woodberry: much talent
Buddy Atkinson Sr: real showman
Ronnie Rains: craziest
Dave Battersby: old roommate
Ken Monte: supersonic
Sean Atkinson: my favorite new era skater
Women:
Judy Arnold: just great
Judi McGuire: fun stuff
Margie Laszlo: crazy & fun lady
Diane Syverson: bad ass
Joan Weston: good gal
Ann Calvello: sorry to see her gone
Dru Scott: number one person
Bobby Johnstone: best person & skater
Ali Atkinson: my girl
Jan Vallow: smart lassie
Earlean Brown: pleasant girl
What was your favorite team to skate for?
The New York Chiefs 1958 – 1967 and Philadelphia Warriors 1967 - 1974. They were both special to me.
What team made you the most famous?
I would say the Warriors because we were home team and skated 6 days a week for nearly 7 straight years. But being on the NY Chiefs and having a family of good roller derby professionals, that skated for years sure helped too.
Which did you prefer to skate, the derby or the games?
I would say the derby as I liked the hard nose stuff and straighter skating games but had more enjoyment with National because we were treated better and the skaters got along real well together. There was a time when roller games was higher paying and had more benefits than roller derby. That finally changed in the late 60’s when Roller Derby started have more road trips and home based teams. Which meant the Bombers weren't the only team being paid a full yearly salary.
In chronological order what teams were you on?
The NY Chiefs 1958-1961, the Red Devils with Ken Monte/John Parker 1961, the NY Chiefs 1961 to 1967, the Philadelphia Warriors 1967 to 1974, and for part of a season in 1977 to 1978, back on the Chiefs again and at that point (age 37 – 38) I felt my skating day were over as I believe, “if you can’t give the fans the best then it’s time to hang those skates up”.
What were your goals as a skater?
My goals were to keep the games going and be the best! I wanted to stay in Banked Track skating/coaching till I die. I have developed training programs and new designed tracks as my dream is to own my own training center as I love to train people.
What were your accomplishments and goals outside the skating world?
When I was 21 years old I became an elevator mechanic at a San Francisco elevator company. I also owned a wholesale car business in 1983 and prior to that I was in the top 4 salesman at a new car agency. I also drove a truck after there wasn't any steady skating going on. All these pursuits were satisfying and rewarding.
What jobs have you been doing currently?
I am retired as of this moment, but was an office manager for a fire extinguisher company just before retiring.
What did you like about Roller Jam?
I enjoyed teaching and training the new people to perform on the bank track.
What did you dislike about Roller Jam?
I would say the lack of commitment and indecision of management to maintain a game plan and the marketing of the product.
Who did you think had the most talent and able to grasp the game?
In Roller Jam in the girl's field I would say Denise Loden. She learned so quickly and within 2 months was a total leader. She is also gracious and giving. She helped me out tremendously. She was mentally prepared.
In the men's field I would say Sean Atkinson was in fact the best in all phases of the banked track skating game.
Mark Webber showed his pureness for skating in his ability as he was a natural. Also Craig Fisher of the Texas Rustlers was a gifted skater.
Why did you think roller jam ended?
There was conflict in the television production end and what network wanted. The game structure was changed to often and the whole endeavor became just a half hour television show. The other reason that this failed was the lack of understanding by management that live games had to be established along with television games.
Is there any more future for you in the Derby?
I always dreamed of being with a banked track derby, but it is not going to happen in the near future without a very big monetary investment and a well laid out plan that will fit a very special niche of the sports entertainment world.
What are your hobbies?
Poetry, photography and computers
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully helping with a banked track derby or maybe training roller girl teams that are very popular currently.
What is your rule of thumb?
"Know where you're at and everybody else is".
There have been so many derby skaters who have passed away, who do you miss the most?
My Mom! She was always a person I could learn from.