It is with great pride that we announce the upcoming OSDA Championships which will take place on December 6th at the International Sports Center, 1 Hovtech Boulevard in Mt. Laurel, NJ at 8:30pm.

Labels: championships, osda, press release

For Immediate Release
OSDA Home Office

February 15, 2008


ANOTHER OSDA MEMBER HEADS TO THE THROWDOWN
In addition to the three OSDA representatives already announced as heading to the Throwdown in the Sound Tournament in Tacoma Washington, the OSDA is proud to announce that Arnold "Skip" Schoen, the OSDA Director of Referee Training and Certification, will also be in attendance. Skip was one of the primary architects of the OSDA rule set along with Judy Sowinski. Skip is the OSDA's Head Trouble Shooting Referee and as such has officiated at all OSDA games played on the East Coast. Skip has a long and varied career in Roller Derby. He began skating in 1968 for the Warriors and during his career skated for teams as varied as the Detroit Devils, the New York Bombers and the Canadian Braves. He is best known for his run with the Eastern Warriors where he played from 1968 thru 1972. If you have any interest at all in becoming an OSDA referee, this is the man to talk to. OSDA is delighted that Skip was able to clear his schedule and join us at the Throwdown.

Labels: osda

OSDA is excited to confirm participation at the "Throwdown in the Sound" Men's Roller Derby Tournament scheduled for Saturday, March 8th, 2008 in Tacoma Washington.

At the invitation of the event organizers, OSDA will be making a presentation during the Rules Summit to further clarify the differences between OSDA Rules and others. There will be an active Q & A session following the presentation. The goal is simply a better understanding of OSDA rules. OSDA is also planning to schedule a Training / Coaching Scrimmage to show OSDA rules in action.

During the tournament, OSDA will be hosting a table with Association Handouts, Rule Books and information about all things OSDA. There will also be a door prize drawing for new OSDA Merchandise and other goodies!

OSDA appreciates this opportunity to participate at the Throwdown in the Sound, and OSDA has chosen three of the very best OSDA Old School style skaters to make it happen.

Judy Sowinski (aka "The Polish Ace and The Queen of Mean") has had a long and colorful professional Roller Derby skating career. She is a deserving member of the Roller Derby Hall of Fame and currently functions as the OSDA Manager /Coach/Trainer for the Penn Jersey She Devils along with fellow Classic Roller Derby skater, OSDA Coach, Certified Referee Arnold "Skip" Schoen. Judy is currently the only distaff OSDA Certified Referee. She also functions as OSDA Advisor, having been on the creation team of the original She Devil rules adapted by OSDA.

Judy was featured this past week on the cover of the SPORTS SECTION of the Philadelphia Inquirer...here's the link to the article:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20080120_Queen_of_Mean_is_no_has-been.html

Cherry Bomber (aka Rachelle Lee Smith) is the Co-Captain and lead jammer for the Sadistic Sweethearts, a core team of the Penn Jersey She Devils. She regularly jams for the travel and All Star teams. She is intimately familiar with OSDA rules and strategies and skates like a bat out of hell!

Bobbie Carnage (aka Rob Wyatt) is the Team Captain and Founding Member of the Hell City Hooligans. Dedicated to the OSDA way, he is a graduate of the original OSDA Referee Certification class and has earned a Level 3 Status, which allows him to travel to officiate at any OSDA Sanctioned game. Expect Bobbie to bring his "A" Game to the OSDA pre-tournament scrimmage!

For Further Information, Contact:

OSDA Home: www.oldschoolderby.com

OSDA MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/oldschoolderbyassociation

Throwdown in the Sound Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/throwdowninthesound

Throwdown in the Sound Contact: throwdowninthesound@yahoo.com

Labels: osda, training

Representatives of OSDA leagues on the East Coast gathered together Saturday January 19th in Deptford, New Jersey for the OSDA & South Jersey Derby Girls first annual Smorgasbout. The game had a food theme as members of OSDA leagues were combined to create two co-ed teams, the Licorice Whips & the Teriyaki Terrors. The game served as a showcase for the OSDA as members of the Penn Jersey She Devils, Richmond Derby Demons & the South Jersey Derby Girls and even a special guest player from Jersey Shore brought their A-games with them. The score went back and forth with both teams battling for the lead but at the final buzzer, it was the Licorice Whips taking the game with a score of 62 to 50. The action was so intense that at one point, yours truly who was announcing was taken out by a few few flying roller girls. Fans where also treated to music during the intermissions by band Cheesy & the Crackers and some delicious baked goodies that were for sale. Congratulations to the South Jersey Derby Girls for hosting a great event.

For extra added OSDA goodness, OSDA league the Penn Jersey She Devils & their coach Judy Sowinski made the Sunday Sports section of the Philadelphia Inquirer the next day. The full page features coverage of Judy's long career in Derby, the She Devils and OSDA. A companion piece covers the history of Philadelphia's former Professional Roller Derby team, the Philadelphia Warriors.

All in all, a good weekend for OSDA. And with many of the OSDA leagues starting up their seasons, it just looks to get better & better. Hope to see you all soon at a game.

Ken

Labels: osda

Oh boy, so much to write, but so very, very, very lazy!

So two weeks ago, I had the chance to make it down to the fabulous town of Mount Laurel, New Jersey. I personally recommend the dollar store that is going out of business near the rink, and the restaurant Friendly's with their outrageous portions of salad dressing for a side salad. The REAL reason I was in the big ML however, was to check out the Penn Jersey She Devil's vs our gals the Hammer City Rollergirls for the Roller Derby Hall of Fame weekend on Oct 27th. HCRG were playing OSDA rules for their first time. After many squeaky butt cheeks on that newly polished floor, the PJ's came out on top with a score of 85 to 57. HCRG's Dangermouse even sacrificed a healthy leg for her girls, but unfortunately it was not enough. Send her your love, and maybe an unbroken leg!

That was the first time I have ever seen an OSDA bout, and it was quite the experience! It took me a while to finally catch on due to my lack of being able to follow instructions, pay attention, and read clear explanations in the program. Although once I figured it out, it was a very exciting game! One rule that I found interesting was how the lead jammer could change numerous times throughout the jam, and if the second jammer was stuck at the back of the pack their pivot could instantly take over as jammer. That keeps a pivot on her toes! One rule that I wasn't a fan of was that if a jammer went out of bounds while she was going through the pack, she;s have to go to the back of the pack. That rule would literally KILL me as a jammer, I think I'd be banned to the back. Plus, I found that there were too many elbows for my liking. Maybe I'm a wuss?

It was also cool to see some of the former Old School players getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was disappointed with the turn out of the night. Perhaps there were more people at the other events that weekend, but I found attendance quite low at the bout. Especially since there's a high concentration of derby leagues in that area, it was an international bout, and it was H.O.F. weekend. C'man people, where is the "Derby Luv"? Hahaha...ok I'm not funny.

Anyway, the Penn Jersey gals were great, and the after party was a blast. Karaoke, weird old men asking if we there were a lot of lesbians, and me getting kicked out of the bar for an attempt at stealing an inflatable parrot off the wall with Tequila Sunrise. Bastards.

NEXT DAY: Oct 28

Trip to Hyde Park, New York, to play the Hudson Valley Horrors. Best part of the whole trip? The fact that the inside the RollerMagic Roller Rink matched the New Skids (MTLRD allstar) team's neon uniforms. Hell yes!

The bout was tons o' fun, and it was a great game. Considering we're two leagues that are quite new to the derby scene, there were a lot of hard hits, fast skaters, and effective blocking. Guest skater Captain Morgan from the Long Island Roller Rebels knocked me on my ass numerous times. Perhaps a few too many! But don't worry, she'll get hers..by playing two more bouts each week following that game! haha sucker

The final score was 89:HVH 116:MTLRD (i think!). Hudson Valley was awesome, thanks ladies! And a tidbit of information, Hyde Park, NY, is the home of FDR. He had a very large house, and I saw it!

Some shout outs go to...
Hudson Valley Horrors
Hammer City Roller Girls
Penn Jersey She Devils
Mr. Rawk (Head Ref from Gotham Girls and temp announcer on OCT 28)
Long Island Roller Girls
Pioneer Valley RG's for comin' to the game!


Peace!

Georgia W Tush

Labels: MTLRD, osda

This past weekend on Saturday October 27, OSDA League the Penn Jersey She Devils (representing the USA) took on the ladies from Hammer City (representing Canada) in a game skated under OSDA rules. It was a tough game with a lot of excellent skating but when all was said and done, the She Devils took it 85 to 57. Both teams joined each other for a victory lap around the track with their flags held high. This event was held in conjunction with the 2007 Roller Derby Hall of Fame Induction Event & many Old School Banked Track Skaters were in attendence including stars such as Buddy Atkinson, Judy Arnold & Little Richard Brown. For many, this was their first Flat Track Game and the reaction was very favorable to the OSDA style.

The following night, the Hall of Fame held their induction dinner making 6 more skaters members of the Hall of Fame. The She Devils were in attendence along with representatives from other OSDA teams like Corpus Christi Rolling Thunder & the South Jersey Derby Girls. The She Devils were chosen to model uniforms from Roller Derby's past and did a fashion show during the event. After the induction ceremonies, the She Devils were surprised by the Hall of Fame with a Special Merit Award for keeping the spirit of Old School Derby alive. One of the highlights of the evening was seeing Buddy Atkinson, former coach of the incredible Eastern Warriors, running an unplanned training session with the OSDA skaters in the hallway outside the banquet room. One could feel the love & respect that these two generations of skaters had for each other. From the many offers of coaching & training assistance offered to the OSDA by these banked track legends, I think we can safely say that doors that had long been closed were opened to the OSDA that night.

Ken Sikes
Founder, OSDA

Labels: osda

Hey derby luvvers! I lost my glasses a few weeks ago so extra hours on a computer have been a little tough lately, but I'm replacing them this week, so I should be able to get back into the swing of things.

In the news: Check Georgia W Tush's post about the MTL All Stars team playing down in NY at the end of the month.

A roller derby girl and female football player was on "Deal or No Deal" last night. I am hunting for her name and contact info.

And Ken Sikes, Founder of the OSDA has been invited formally to blog with Derby Luv about OSDA news. I hope to see him join us soon, and that you enjoy an old-school view of roller derby!

Have a great derby day!

Labels: media, MTLRD, osda

Check out the newest article we have, all about the OSDA.
Thanks to Kenneth Sikes for taking time for Derby Luv!

Labels: Derby Luv, osda

Hell City Hooligans helped me out with the list of recruiting Co-ED OSDA leagues:

Men and Women Skaters Needed! Also refs!
North East Pennsylvania
Diamond City
Death Kings
NEPA's 1st and only Mens Roller Derby Team is now recruiting skaters. All you need is skates, pads and guts. Come and attend an open practice see what you are missing out on. Practices are Monday 8-10pm Wednesday 9-11pm

For any questions, visit www.myspace.com/dcsqmensderby

Also recruiting for the women's team at www.myspace.com/dicityscreamqueens

Philadelphia / Bucks County / Southwest Jersey She Devils Roller Derby wants you!
Everyone 18 and over is encourage to play! We have spots on our women's teams and men's team. Come out to a practice. Practices are Monday 9-11pm and Wednesday 9-11pm at Jamz in Philadelphia.
hellcityhooligans.com
shedevilsrollerderby.com

Richmond Area Virginia Men's Roller Derby
Are you ready, Richmond? The Richmond Derby Demons are recruiting for an all-male roller derby team. Must be 18 or old and use quad skates. No derby experience necessary. Will train. (We are also recruiting for our women's team!)

If you are interested, send a Myspace message or e-mail to info@richmondderbydemons.com

Others recruiting:
Hanging City Derby
Corpus Christi

If you are interested in one of these teams or other teams, you can also stop by at the OSDA Meet and Greet. It's August 12th in Southern New Jersey.

Women's Leagues Recruiting
T-Town Derby Grrls
South Jersey Derby Girls
Red Dirt Rebellion Rollergirls
Kalamazoo Kamikazes

Contact info:
OSDA (Co-Ed, Women's and Men's Derby Association)
www.oldschoolderby.com

Thanks, Hooligans!

Labels: osda, recruitment, roller derby

Looking to the past to lead us to the future

The Old School Derby Association

(OSDA) was created as an alternative for those who were dissatisfied with WFTDA rules. Old School rules were created by melding many of the current developments in Flat Track Derby with the rules used by Old School Banked Track Roller Derby skaters. These rules were developed by the Penn Jersey She Devils through consultation with representatives from Derby teams from the 70s and we believe add to a more exciting game for both the fans & the players. It is the belief of the OSDA that by ignoring those that came before them, today’s leagues
are doing a great disservice to both themselves and the fans. In no other sport, has what came before been ignored. It is the intention of OSDA to restore these ties and learn from that past. To that end, the OSDA has begun the process of developing an advisory board of former Roller Derby skaters. This board will consist of some of the top skaters from the 60s & 70s glory period of Roller Derby. It is also our intention to establish contacts with the Roller Derby Hall of Fame in New York for member teams allowing them the opportunity to perhaps discuss and view films of early Derby. Another possibility in discussion is the establishment of 1 or 2 day Intensive Training Sessions with some of the Old School Derby skaters. It is our belief that there is a huge untapped market out there for Derby skated in Old School fashion. Consider the fact that Old School Derby has never really died on the West Coast as teams of these Derby Stars still entertain decent crowds as recent as this past year. We believe that it is possible to entertain a crowd with an aggressive hard skated Old School game. The field is littered with those who didn’t understand that the draw was the Game. Pure & simple. Not Alligator pits, not figure eights, not walls of death, not gimmicks - just the incredible skill of the skaters. It is the intention of the OSDA to once again show the beauty of a game that has kept Derby fans Derby fans for years. It is our hope that you will consider joining us on this journey. Come help us grow. Create the future with the help of those from our past.

And bring back Derby the way it could be, would be & should be.

Copyright Old School Derby Association 2007

Labels: instructional, osda