This is a black and white photo book with a huge 32 page section in full color!
Former professional Roller Derby skater, referee, photographer and fan, Jim Fitzpatrick spent years compiling a huge collection of memorabilia of the original Roller Derby along with some of the outlaw leagues which sprang up over the years. Now for the first time he gives a glimpse into the wild world of banked track mayhem with many rare and never before seen photos. A number of photos had been given to him by his friend and Roller Derby legend, Ann Calvello. Ann wrote the forward to the book. Also a number of soon to be classic photos taken by Jonathan Perry, famed Roller Derby photographer, are included along with a few the author had taken over the years.
Enjoy this look back on a sport which refuses to die. The original Roller Derby ended in 1973 but today the tradition of the original league still lives on in the American Roller Skating Derby league of which Jim Fitzpatrick now manages the defending World Champion SF Bay Bombers.
Jim Fitzpatrick was born and raised in San Francisco. He became hooked on Roller Derby at an early age and went on to skate for the world famous San Francisco Bay Bombers of the International Roller Skating League. While training to make the team he worked on the track construction crew, helping set up and dismantle the banked track (their playing field). During his rookie year, he skated in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A few years later, after suffering a number of shoulder separations, he became a referee. He refereed all the road trips the IRSL made across the country after they combined with Rollermania. He refereed four times in Madison Square Garden. On his last trip to the Garden, he was flown in ahead of time with four other skaters to perform Roller Derby stunts in a music video for MTV. He was also placed in charge of the track construction crew for that game.
After the IRSL folded, he worked for a number of other start-up leagues.
In 1993 he made a return to skating. He was chosen as one of eight American skaters selected for the USA All-Star team which competed in a Roller Game World Cup held in Tokyo, Japan.
He is currently married with a lovely wife, Elvie, who he met while in the Philippines. He has two children, Joey and Vanessa and let's not forget to mention their very adorable Chin, named Meme. Recently Meme was given a playmate called Liebchen, who is also a Japanese Chin. They all reside in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2006 Jim published his second book, "I Have a Chin! A Japanese Chin" by Trafford, ISBN# 9781425113865
Since writing this book he has been drawn back into professional Roller Derby. He is currently the ARSD (American Roller Skating Derby) trainer and the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Bombers. On October 13, 2007, the Bombers won the ARSD Championships at Kezar Pavilion and Jim was voted 2007 General Manager of the Year.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2008 the SF Bay Bombers returned to KOFY TV20 - Cable 13 with a one-hour special. Dan Ferrari, Jim Fitzpatrick and Brad Wagner were listed as the Executive Producers for the show. On March 14, 2009 the SF Bay Bombers first game aired and was the highest rated show that day for the age group of 18 to 34. Ferrari, Fitzpatrick and Wagner are the Executive Producers for the games which will initially air once a month, leading up to a weekly showing. On Sept 12th, 2009 Jim's team won the 2008-2009 World Championship at the Cow Palace. He was once again named General Manager of the Year for the 2008-2009 season.
Jim came in number 2 on the Top 10 Males' list for Movers and Shakers in the July edition of XR News (Roller Skating Magazine).