Charity Driven, Hard Hittin', Fort Wayne Derby Girls

What does the word "revival" bring to mind? I would say for most people visions of rollicking churches, people rushing to tents with gesticulating ministers, and sobbing choirs would be the norm. Not this time.

Roller derby is the revival of the moment and here's why:

In the late 1940's roller derby had already had a great run. The man behind the inception of roller derby was Leo Seltzer, a publicist who had fashioned the sport from a race of sorts into the bone crushing contact sport it is became. However, television gave roller derby widespread exposure. Watching the participants elbow, kick, and hop over bodies, was a sight not to be missed.

In 1958, Jerry Seltzer, son of Leo, took the reins and moved the headquarters to the San Francisco Bay area, spotlighting the most famous team of the time - The San Francisco Bay Bombers. He then syndicated Roller Derby to 120 television stations, changed some the rules and made the players wear dazzling helmets. Thus Roller Derby became a staple of American life- much like wrestling or apple pie.

Fast forward to 1973 - too much exposure and high overhead led Jerry Seltzer to shut down his league- and Roller Derby drifted into television obscurity - or so it was thought. Of course, like all good violence - there were many attempts to lure back the fans - to no avail and then- in the early 21st century -

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association was born. This event was primarily female driven and non-profit. At the end of 2005 there were nearly over 50 leagues and, according to Wikepedia, by Mid-August of 2006 over 135 leagues were on the rosters.