Cory Atkinson
by Bill Nagy (01/07/2001)
The latest member of the famous Roller Derby family of the Atkinson's to hit the banked track is Cory Atkinson, and although he has participated in only three professional games thus far, he has been skating all his life.
Cory became interested in becoming a banked track star after seeing RollerJam in Orlando, Florida and realizing that skating on the banked track was something he could and wanted to do. After training with the RollerJam skaters for a while Cory returned to Northern California to continue the Atkinson family name in the American Roller Derby League’s more traditional Roller Derby style of skating.
Although there is no banked track training center for Cory to attend in Northern California, he can be found skating on his in-line skates on a daily basis. Cory loves the challenge of the in-line skates, especially when it comes to blocking as he feels it is harder to block on in-lines than on quads. The in-line skates however provide Cory with greater speed than traditional quad skates.
A signature move that Cory hopes to administer on the banked track during the 2001 season is known as the "whirlwind" which will be a spinning backward move used to take out opposing skaters.
Cory stays in shape for his skating career by a daily mix of in-line skating and work at the gym which includes weight-lifting, cardio-vascular training and work on his legs to build speed and endurance for the banked track.
This five foot, 9 inch, 180 pound rookie describes himself as a "blocker who likes to jam" and hopes to be an integral part of the famed San Francisco Bay Bombers team for 2001.
Away from the wild and woolly world of Roller Derby, this bachelor has a graduate degree from Silicon Valley College and works as a computer graphic specialist. He also dabbles in various aspects of the music business when he is not whirling around the banked track.