PJSD Practice - Monday 7/07

Posted by binky on July 11, 2008 in Flat Track, Men's Derby, Roller Derby, SheDevils

I headed down to Mt. Laurel, NJ, to watch the Penn Jersey She Devils
practice on Monday night. First off to see how they practice and
secondly to wish the “Polish Ace” Judy Sowinski a happy birthday.

My son Matt and I got there early and we first saw Lucky Luciano arrive.
I got my customary hug and she pointed out Judy standing out front.
Lucky has become my absolute favorite skater. I really like all of
the girls, but there something extra special about Lucky. She skates
with all her heart and soul and in the past two months she has quit
smoking and lost 25 lbs!

I headed outside to say Happy Birthday to Judy. I got a “Hey Joe,
what are you doing here”. I made sure I told her that I cleared it
first with my Tim and Skip, but I knew that she wouldn’t mind. She
told me she was going to strap ‘em on.

The first skater the track? Why, the birthday girl herself. She did
some pacing and then the girls and guys joined her.

I got to watch the drill — stretching, pacing, jamming, blocking.
Looks pretty Old School to me. Would I expect any less from Judy and
Skip?

I know that a lot of old-school fans do not like the fake names, or
some of the apparel that they wear, but these girls and guys are
determined to bring back old-school Derby and get a banked track.

The guys have about twelve members now - more than enough for a team,
so it will be great to see alternating periods. I spoke with Ken at
the practice and he thinks that they will probably skate 4 - 15 minute
periods. I told him that would be great because classic Roller Derby
once skated 15 minute periods.

This league is the real thing. It’s not skated as a hobby. It’s a
passion for them and I’m enjoying watching them evolve and developing
good friendships in the process.

The next game is a mixed gender charity game for autism. It’ll be
interesting to watch the guys and girls skating together.

I hope others will keep an open mind and give them a chance.

Jersey Joe

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