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Loretta (Continued)
1951 - A Day In My Life In The Derby
The days and nights were always full of fun and excitement on the road with the roller derby. Every day was a new day and you never knew from one moment to the next what might happen. There were always last minute instructions for the teams from management on what to do before and after a game. We were set up with radio, newspaper and television interviews and photo shoots on an as needed basis. Sometimes we were asked to be in our uniform and meet at a local business store or make a fan club appearance. Most of the time it was the home team that got to do all these visits with fan clubs.
The other athletes were so much fun and entertaining. They were always kidding and joking with each other. In the 1950's no one was very serious about things, and life in general. My single focus seemed to be on my skating. I was always nervous and worried because we were skating each and every day. I am not sure that I ever got used to that type of schedule and the daily display in front of live audiences. My career was so important that I never really noticed any of the men. When I look back now, there were so many attractive and athletic men in the roller derby, I wonder now where my thoughts were. Why didn't I date any of them? (Maybe because I still was a kid.)
Becoming A Woman On The Road
I suppose since I was still young and such a tomboy I just ignored the whole bit of dating any of the male skaters. We were together so much they were like my brothers. I guess I never thought of them as potential dates. In those days the men and women trained and traveled together as a team. When you were on a professional team, as a woman your primary focus was what the other women were doing. We learned to work with each other as a team every night. I remember there were a few of the women I just did not get along with. My purpose in life was to make sure that I did not make more problems between me and those other gals. I'd hate to see our dislike for one another be taken onto the track.
Because I did not have to skate with or against any of the men in my professional games, my thoughts were on how to improve my skating skills to compete with the best out there.
We were on the move so much it was next to impossible to get to know any of the men in the towns we skated in. We might stay for two or three weeks in one town but then would be off to another. We might not return to a city for another 6 months A skater could be with another unit and on a completely different team by the time we returned to a town.
It was during these times that I grew up and the tomboy inside of me began to get lost as the woman side of me began to step in and take over. I knew that I was starting the next stage of my life.
Traveling With The Derby
Being on a traveling team and meeting all the different teams from the league you get to know different people and make different friends. Even though you had a full night of skating you would try to leave all the thoughts of this night's game, as tomorrow it would start all over again in the sport of roller derby.
There were places the skaters would meet after a night of skating just to get some dinner or an evening of other entertainment. I loved to dance so looking for place where there was music playing and other people was my idea of a good time. Having a mixed crowd of different skaters was great we were like a big family, and always had someone to do things with. Some went bowling, others went to the movies,and some might just go home to read a good book. For myself, I loved jazz and dancing and there were many gals and guys who also liked the same thing, consequently I always had someone to run with.
Traveling in different towns and cities was very different in the 50's. The cities and states we had to skate in, i.e. , Chicago, New York, California, Texas, Detroit, and Buffalo. There were many more where home teams were stationed; placed for a period of time and traveling teams came in to skate a three week series.
The skaters who had cars use to carpool to the next town, others might have flown or at that time taken the train. Different experiences were offered to the skaters during the 50's, there is always another story to tell.
Receiving Fan Mail
Being the skater that was already classified as a "villain" with the public it was always a shock when I received a wonderful letter. It was more normal for me to be yelled at or get hate mail, so this day was to be a surprise.
I was about 7 years into my professional career and was in Florida when I was handed a letter at the end of one of the games. I could tell by the size of it that it wasn't a paycheck. I opened it when I was alone and inside was a delightful fan letter from Greg. He said that he had been watching me for some time and wanted to meet me after the game at the door of the stadium. I was pretty flustered, and just didn't know what to do. I asked one of my teammates, Mary, if she would walk me out of the stadium gates. On our way he yelled, "Loretta....It's me Greg"! Thinking quickly I told Mary it was an old friend and I was going to talk to him.
Greg started to mail me letters repeatedly the next 9 months or so. This was one of the greatest treats I can remember from that era of skating. Each night when leaving the game I prayed there would be a letter from Greg. When one would come, it was such a great romantic feeling that someone thought I was special enough to take the time to think of me while I was skating every night in a new town.
Each letter warmed my heart. His letters were so warm and sweet that I was almost tempted to leave the derby and go back to Florida and get to know him a little more on the personal side and not just through the mail. Greg was always asking me to come there to visit during a layover. He wanted to know if I felt serious about him as much as he felt about me. He began to write about the prospects of marriage between us. He wrote about starting a home and family. As we became closer in our letter writing, at one point I started to get a little scared. He was getting very close to me, and I knew he wanted to settle down.For a while, I tried to change the subject in my response back to Greg by staying on a more up beat and friendly tone. My letters tried to avoid the deep personal issues that were actually going on in my mind.
After several letters back and forth, I knew that I had to tell him the truth about my feelings. I thought that he would not want to hear what I had to say, but I began to write; "Greg. I am enjoying my life very much right now. I think your a great person and you have made me feel good about myself. Right now, I feel that I have a wonderful career and I am not ready to give that up to become a homemaker. Settling down with you sounds wonderful, but my life with the roller derby makes me feel independent and happy. And I think I'd really like it to stay that way for a while...".
Our letters lasted about nine months, and then just stopped. I never saw or heard from him again, but do think of him often. Much later I heard that he had gotten married and found someone to help him build the home that he wanted. I was very happy for Greg.
For a tomboy-like girl who became a professional athlete, those letters from an admirer were one of the highlights of my life. I cherish those memories to this day and hope that other women have similar stories to hold onto through their athletic careers.