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Going Up Against The Men
How I Held My Own In A Co-ed Sport
In my day, there weren't many role models when it came to women in professional sports. My Roller Derby career started in 1950. I went from my rink speed skating to the world of Roller Derby in such a short period of time, that it seemed like it happened over night. This was a world where both men and woman were equal on the banked track. Each skated the same game, and to the same rules. It was a world that was very new to me and so many other young women. It was a world of sports and it seemed as if the men dominated that world.
I had been watching the professional Roller Derby games to learn as much as I could. I watched it on an old black and white TV, and, at live games, as well. You just could not avoid paying attention to a few of the home team fellows. There was one of the male skaters that all of us gals liked. The one that stood out for me was Gene Gammon, who was called "Snooky Poo" by all the girls. He was so handsome, but he was married. I was also too young. There were also two other favorites of mine named Sammy Scobel, and Charlie "Spec" Saunders.
I soon found, as I trained, that these two men were known as "go go" skaters. It seemed like they never got tired, and they never stopped. They had the style, the speed, and the class of star players. As I watched the games there were other skaters that I appreciated. These two were the fan favorites and home team heroes, so I loved to sit and watch them too. They were also my favorites and I wanted to learn to be as good as they were.
Time Trials And Training
During these early days of skating, we had some time trials and pursuit races during the half time of a game. I liked these because people could cheer the skaters from not only my team, but from other teams. I like to give credit to anyone who works hard to earn it. I never kept a record of who was the fastest in the time trials, but they were exciting to watch. So many of the men were able to skate the mile as if it were nothing. The men really stood out in these lap races. When I finally did my race, I had to push to make the 18 laps for a mile. I don't know what my time was. I did finish, but I doubt if I broke any records. Again, "Spec" Saunders and Sammy really were able to stand out in these lap races.
I trained every day. They did not separate the women from the men and it was hard work! With no idea what I was getting into, I was in for a bumpy ride! I looked at the skaters lacing up their skates and eye balled a few men. There he was just a few feet away. It was Sammy Scobel, out of his usual team uniform, and he was lacing up his skates. He was about twice my weight and the perfection of health. His shoulders and muscular body at first frightened me. I began to remember how great he skated the other night against the visiting team. He talked loud and laughed. He and his fellow skaters were giving the new kids the business. I wanted to get away from his teasing of all of us, but it was always in fun when he did.
Learning The Hard Knocks With The Men
The trainer, Jack Wilson, blew the whistle. "Everyone on the track", he said, and my heart stopped. Within 15 minutes we were skating as fast as possible with the men. Sammy was right behind me. I could hear his pacing, and I knew he was one hell of a powerful skater. I was just not used to being with the guys. Even as a speed skater, the gals took to the rink in between the men's workouts, so all of this was really new to me. When the whistle blew, we started a break away and we were doing a blocking exercise. As the skaters broke by two's, I quietly counted down the skaters in front of me and realized that Sammy and I would break together. I wanted to leave the track. I had a frightened and sick feeling to my stomach. How could I get out of it? Then the whistle blew and the trainer signalled for us to go.
My wheels seems to wobble as I skated into Sammy with my first elbow block. He felt like a brick house and I fell against him, stumbling forward and losing control. All I could see was the track in front of me. I was off balance, and then I felt his body next to mine. I thought he would help to make sure I regained my balance. Instead, there was a hard whack on my left shoulder that threw me right into the air and on to my butt. I sat on the track, in pain and dazed and saw him skate away. He came to the back of the pack full of himself. I stumbled up and was pretty mad. Because I was a girl, I smiled and blushed. I was glad to join in the pack to try this again. Women were used to men helping us in a time of need in the 50s. Here they were kicking me when I was down! So this is what this sport is all about, I thought!
No Pain No Gain
I could see him smile and he laughed to himself. Boy, did I hate him. I knew now that I was intimidated. My arm and butt hurt from that last fall. When the whistle blew for us to go again, I decided to shout and yell out my anger. I threw my hair around and looked into his eyes as I slammed into him once, and then twice. I threw everything I had into it. He was scared of me. He spun into the rail and flipped nicely over it. I clapped my hands and yelled out at him as I proudly rejoined the back of the training pack. All I could think of was strength and intimidation. Sammy had a gleam in his eyes as if to tell me, "you will learn."
As I look back at that experience, I realize that this was just the beginning of so many aggressive skills that I would have to learn in order to compete in the sport. After taking hard blocks, I learned to shut the pain off. I learned to react quickly with my body and not let the bruises or pain slow me down. I also had to overcome many fears and feelings about my size, strength and femininity. Over the years, I was going to learn many new ways to be competitive.
Sportsmanship
Sammy Scobel and I developed a feeling of respect for one another after that day. "On the track" and "off the track" were two different worlds. In fact when we traveled with the teams, I thought there was an advantage to having a men's team. They always dressed very nice and would help us gals with our luggage or fix a flat tire on a car. It was a time when men were gentlemen and chivalrous. The men were there to protect us off the track. There were times when fans might get out of hand and our teammates from the men's field would be there to look out for us. Many skaters were there to help out in the situation. The men also could be a great friend on the road. I consider my life as a professional female athlete and my life in the Roller Derby as one of the best times in my life.