This is the story of the rocky beginnings of men’s roller derby. The fans don’t know if they want them there. Some members of women’s derby are sure they don’t. Chronicling the fringe of a fringe sport, this alternately hilarious and thought provoking film follows the rise, occasional ridicule and good spirited rivalries of men on roller skates.

Meet Puget Sound Outcast Derby Skaters for this WORLD Premiere of This is How I Roll at the True Independent Film Festival.

But pictures do much better job at telling the story.

Next we have our Atom, and we have an Atom All-Star, Cory Pain.

Cory Pain #19

Name: Cory Acklus

AKA: Cory Pain

League: Puget Sound Outcast Derby

Wheels: Atom Juke Alloy/93a

Floor Surface: Maple

Started Derby: 2008 briefly, 2010-current

Competitive Skating: Speed – 5yrs old to 13yrs old, Derby 2010-current

Height: 6′

Age: 32

Hometown: Everett, Wa

2011 Highlights: PSOD 2nd place finish at 1st MRDA Men’s Championships

Other Sports Played: Baseball, Football, Golf, and Softball

2012 Goals: Improve my overall derby skills and to help PSOD win and to help PSOD to the MRDA Championship title.

Greatest Athletic Influence: Walter Payton (Chicago Bear Hall of Fame Running Back) and collaboration of Family, Coaches, and Friends.

My Dream as a Derby Player: To play and win at the highest level of derby.

Three words that describe me are: Fun, Friendly, and Fair.

Best Advice ever received: Work hard, be confident, but stay humble.

Strangest superstition/habit: None at the time.

If I could play derby any where in the world it would be: Anywhere, Everywhere!

How did you pick your jersey number: 19. I have used the number 19 since I was 5yrs. old. It was influenced by my father’s playing days.

My favorite thing about Atom Wheels: The support and product development to better the sport of roller derby.

Another Sponsored skater is our Riedell Super Star and World Record Holder, Speed Dealer.

Puget Sound Outcasts
Seattle, Washington

Boots: Custom Riedell 965 – red/blue/black/gold

 

Plates: PowerDyne Reactor
Wheels: Radar Tile Biter Black 37mm
Cushions: PowerDyne Magic Cushions – Yellow (85A)
Bearings: KwiK Swiss Nitride

Bio:When I was seven years old, my dad pulled me out of daycare and dropped me off at a skate camp, kick starting a lifelong obsession with rolling. I enjoy everything about skating, from the adrenaline boost I get while dropping into a pool at a skatepark, to the small and complicated footwork required of jam or dance skating. I love playing with a team and enacting high-level team strategies, but I also enjoy forgoing all the strategy and just rolling as fast as possible in a good, old-fashioned, one-on-one race.

Two and a half years ago, I discovered men’s roller derby, and I’ve been hooked on the sport ever since. In that time, I’ve played with some of the best teams in the world, including: Team SeXY, The Co-Ed Cripplers, and The Puget Sound Outcasts, usually as a team captain and coach. In 2011 I helped Puget Sound place 2nd in the MRDA National Championship Tournament, despite being considered tournament underdogs. Playing derby on a national level, with such amazing and talented teammates and opponents, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Even though we lost the championship bout against the New York Shock Exchange by just ten, hard-fought points, I wouldn’t trade the experience for any other.

When my father dropped me off for my first day of skate camp fifteen years ago, he had to help me tie my skates. Those skates have taught me a lot of lessons, taken me a lot of places, and given me a lot of gifts. I intend to keep on rolling them until I can, once again, no longer tie them myself, and then my grandchildren will need to help me.

Name: Geno Guerrero
Derby Name: Geno Guerrero (formerly G. No-Evil)
Teams: Puget Sound Outcast
Age: 39
Years skated: 5 years (derby)
Position: Blocker
Hobbies: a little bit of a computer nerd, and tinkering with skates
Favorite Derby Move: taking out jammers…of course.
Bont boot: Custom Bont Quad Racer with front stitched lace cover Blue with yellow trim, and same boot in White with Blue lace cover and yellow trim.
How did you get into derby? As most guys I followed my wife in to this wonderful world of roller derby.

Flat Track Fever roller derby tournament shows fans that derby isn’t just for girls
anymore

CALGARY, March 15, 2012 – By showcasing the breadth and depth of roller derby in
2012, the upcoming Flat Track Fever roller derby tournament shows fans that derby isn’t
just for girls anymore. Early in its revival (starting in 2001), roller derby was touted as a
women’s only sport, with a large part of the appeal being its message of gender specific
empowerment.

But in the last few years, derby has undergone a revolution. Flat Track Fever is
welcoming not only women’s teams, but men’s teams, and junior players to play and
compete. Many of the men got into the sport because their wives or girlfriends played,
and many of the juniors have parents who participate – making the sport truly a family
affair. The rules of the game are the same for all, but the style and physicality of the
play differs by gender and by age: for example, the juniors are very low contact with
positional blocking as the mainstay of the game.

“Derby has grown from a novelty activity into a legitimate sport,” says Flat Track Fever
tournament organizer Crimson Shivers. “With the first successful World Cup just
wrapping-up in January, and a bid for the 2020 Olympics, roller derby is finally getting
some true respect in sport culture. And, with the addition of the men and the juniors,
there is great variety and an opportunity for people to see what the future holds.”
The Flat Track Fever tournament competition begins Friday, April 13 and wraps up
Sunday, April 15 with the semi-final and final games. Both men and women will compete
in a double elimination tournament. The tournament schedule is now available online:
http://flattrackfever.chinookcity.ca/ftf2012_schedule.pdf
Advanced tickets are on sale at:
http://flattrackfever.chinookcity.ca/tickets.php

Flat Track Fever 2012 will be the single largest flat track roller derby tournament event in
Alberta to date. On April 13, 14, and 15th, 2012, Chinook City Roller Derby will host two
double elimination tournaments – one women’s and one men’s. The tournament will
feature 13 women’s teams from across Alberta; 4 men’s teams from the North Central
and Western regions of the USA, BC, and Alberta; as well as co-ed bouts and junior
bouts to showcase the present and future of roller derby! It will also include an extensive
vendor village of local, national, and international vendors from the roller derby, fashion,
and sports industries. Flat Track Fever is presented through the generous support of
CJSW 90.9 FM, The Ship & Anchor Pub, and Tourism Calgary.

OLD BETHPAGE, NY — On Saturday, October 22, the New York Shock Exchange hosted the Big Apple Beatdown – the first Men’s Roller Derby Association championship tournament. In the final game, NYSE beat the “losing curse” that has typically befallen tournament hosts in women’s derby, holding off a tough challenge from Puget Sound to win the championship bout 143-133.

The victory made NYSE men’s derby champions for the second year in a row — last year, they claimed the organization’s title when it existed as the MDC — and improved their all-time record in public bouts to 30-1.

As the #2 seed, New York had a bye for the first round, and then fought hard against Jacksonville, Florida’s Magic City Misfits in a nailbiter that saw the Misfits leading for much of the second period. NYSE managed to battle back for a win by a score of 139 to 131, sending Magic City to the third place game against the #1 seeded St. Louis Gatekeepers (Magic City won there to claim third, 170-145.) Fourth-seeded Puget Sound Outcast Derby’s tournament journey began with a 225-64 win over Pioneer Valley’s Dirty Dozen, and continued with a 127-106 upset over St. Louis, vaulting the West Coast team into the championship bout against NYSE. The two teams last met at the 2011 Spring Roll, with NYSE squeaking by for the win, 125-118.

After a scoreless opening frame, Jam 2 saw NYSE’s Rinkworm line up against PSOD’s Thunderstruck. Rinkworm escaped the pack first, but a minor cut prevented him from getting lead jammer. Thunderstruck was held up by NYSE blockers Ladies Knight, Vader, and Ace of Skates and did not get the lead jammer call as he managed to finally get out of the pack. Rinkworm pulled off a grand slam for the first points of the game, but unable to call the jam off, Thunderstruck also pulled off two scoring passes of his own for a final jam total of 11-9 in NYSE’s favor.

Puget Sound’s jammers managed four consecutive lead jammer calls in the next four jams, and then New York jammers got the lead jammer whistle for four straight jams after that. Strong blocking and penalties on both sides, combined with strategic jam calling by the lead jammers made for several low-scoring jams, and after 10 jams NYSE led, 24-20.

In jam 11, PSOD took their first lead with a 9-0 jam by Scott Slamilton as Radillac, Hollywood ‘Chuck’ Berry, Cory Pain and Corporal Punishment ganged up on Rinkworm to keep him in the pack for two minutes, making the score 31-24. NYSE’s Jonathan R. answered back in jam 12 with a 25-2 jam over Puget Sound’s Speed Dealer, who started the jam in the penalty box and passed the star to pivot Corporal Punishment.

With a lead of 49 to 33, NYSE was held scoreless in the next two jams by PSOD, but added to their lead in jam 15 with Rinkworm scoring an 8-5 jam over Quadzilla. PSOD crept back with back-to-back 4-2 jam wins in the next two jams, but a 14-3 jam for Stan DaSide helped them reclaim the lead as NYSE jammer Starsky cooled his heels in the box on a major track cut.

With Puget Sound leading 62-61, Hollywood ‘Chuck’ Berry started the next jam on the line unopposed and scored two grand slams to pad the Puget Sound lead as Starsky passed the star to NYSE pivot Jonathan R, who became the target of Puget Sound’s punishing defense. Ladies Knight lined up with the star against Thunderstruck, but Thunderstruck went to the box for his fourth minor, leaving Knight to score three grand slam scoring passes, putting NYSE in the lead at the half, 76-72.

The lead flipped back to Puget Sound as the second half began, with Ryrod starting out and immediately passing the star to Hollywood ‘Chuck’ Berry, who dropped a 6-0 jam on Jonathan R. to make the score 78-76, PSOD. Rinkworm and Thunderstruck faced off yet again in the next jam, with Rinkworm scoring nine points to Thunderstruck’s four, taking back the lead for NYSE, 85-82.

NYSE pulled away in the next few jams, with Ladies Knight contributing a 15-0 jam over Speed Dealer to put New York at the century mark for the bout, while Puget Sound’s point total held steady at 82. Both teams scored low for the next five jams, and the score was 109-93 as Jonathan R. lined up next to Scott Slamilton. Slamilton escaped the pack first, but a major cut sent him straight to the box. Meanwhile, Jonathan managed to score four grand slams as the NYSE blockers played the slow game to force the PSOD blockers to stretch the pack out and into no-pack situations, making the score 129 to 93, New York.

Brutal blocking from both sides prevented any major scoring runs for either team over the next ten jams, with both New York and Puget Sound scoring 11 points while shaving 10 minutes off the clock. With the score standing at 140-104 in NYSE’s favor and exactly five minutes remaining in the game, Stan DaSide picked up lead jammer against Jonathan R., scoring a 14-3 win. With 3:43 left, Puget Sound found themselves within striking distance again, with the scoreboard reading 143-118. They managed to pick up small wins in the next two jams, scoring 7 points while holding NYSE scoreless, but unable to do more damage as the PSOD crew filled the penalty box and blocker Cory Pain was ejected for seven trips to the box.

With the clock ticking down and less than a minute to go, Jonathan R. and Scott Slamilton lined up for another jam together with the score totaling 143-125, NYSE leading. With only two blockers on the track for each team, Slamilton was through first, but a minor track cut prevented him from obtaining lead jammer status. Jonathan R. came through the pack shortly afterward for lead, but opted to hang back and kill time, allowing Slamilton to score 8 points before calling the jam and securing the championship for the Shock Exchange.

Leading scorers for NYSE were tournament jamming MVPJonathan R. (61 points in 14 jams), Ladies Knight, (46 points/10 jams), and Rinkworm (34 points/12 jams). For PSOD, Stan DaSide led the scoring with 41 points in seven jams, followed by Hollywood ‘Chuck’ Berry (23 points/9 jams), Quadzilla (19 points/7 jams) and Speed Dealer and Thunderstruck (each with 17 points in 7 and 6 jams, respectively).

Standout blockers for NYSE were Abe Drinkin’ (32 jams, 0.00 differential), Jefferee (20 jams, +1.00), Vader (19 jams, +1.68), T-Stop Tornado (16 jams, +0.19) and Filthy McNasty (16 jams, +1.15). For PSOD, blocking threats included tournament blocking MVP Radillac (29 jams, +1.79), Cory Pain (33 jams, -0.97), Hollywood ‘Chuck’ Berry (19 jams, +0.79), Ryrod (27 jams, -1.70) and Quadzilla (19 jams, -2.26).