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Rollercon 2013: What To Do at Rollercon Besides Skating (Which I Don’t Do)

159524-250Today, we have another guest post from Jerry Seltzer, often referred to as “The Commissioner” of Roller Derby.

His father, Leo Seltzer, invented the sport in 1935 and Jerry has followed in his footsteps since 1957, going from Roller Derby promoter (SF Bay Bombers) to television syndicator, to co-founder of BASS tickets, to Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ticketmaster and now, finally, to Brown Paper Tickets, where he is serving a role as an Outreach and Sales Representative. We are honored to have a living legend as part of our team and Jerry has a ton of great stories on Derby history and the history of the modern ticketing industry as we know it today.

Today, Jerry shares some memories of past Rollercons and lets you know where to find him at Rollercon 2013, happening Wednesday, July 31st to Sunday, August 4th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

So, without further ado, here’s the man himself: Jerry Seltzer, the Roller Derby Jesus!

The first Rollercon I attended was in 2006, and I don’t remember exactly why I went. I think it was because Loretta “Little Iodine” told me about it.

 

I had met the Windy City Rollers and my first derby wife Val Capone the year before. Judi Flowers sent along 300 pair of her flower slippers that had been featured on Oprah and Sex and the City and we gave them out…..anyone still have them? Loretta and I were so honored to be introduced and to get to say hello to everyone at the big opening dinner (which has since gone the way of the dodo bird).

Rollercon 2013 at the Riviera Las Vegas will be either my fifth or sixth Rollercon. Ivanna and Trish and all the people who put this amazing event together are wonderful…..at least to me. Rollercon has become the centerpiece of modern roller derby, even more so than the championships. Over 5000 attendees from all over the world will be there (anyone coming from the leagues in China, Russia, Korea, South Africa, Egypt or Israel?). This has become Roller Derby Mecca:  the best skating instruction, the best functions, seminars, trade show, etc.  Or, perhaps think of it as Roller Derby University, where it is not as much what you learn, but who you meet, hang with and make bonding relationships with.
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Alternative Sports Doer Bob Noxious On Roller Derby’s Meteoric Rise

The Brown Paper Tickets office is still buzzing about the Roller Derby World Cup that was held in Toronto earlier this month. One can’t understate the significance it had to the derby community. The event was the first international gathering of derby teams and supporters and it’s been amazing to watch the sport grow from scrappy, DIY beginnings to international notoriety.

Our Alternative Sports Doer Bob Noxious has been with the derby revival pretty much since the beginning. I talked to him recently about the Derby World Cup, his history with the sport and how derby’s growth has mirrored Brown Paper Ticket’s growth. He had lots of interesting things to say. I thought I’d share those with all you derby fans out there.

Ladies and gentlemen, Bob Noxious!


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Supplement the Turkey Coma with a Side of Derby

The holidays are almost upon us and what better way to celebrate the holidays than taking the family to see your local roller derby league? We got tons of holiday themed derby events, some fundraisers, some training events and of course, lots of bouts. Derby is always a fun and unique way to spend time with the family and your local derby teams could use your support for the upcoming holiday season.

Also starting on Thursday, December 1 in Toronto, Ontario is Blood & Thunder’s Roller Derby World Cup. This is the first Roller Derby World Cup and features teams from USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Finland, Sweden, France, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina. Proof positive that the derby revival has become a worldwide obsession. Our Alternative Sports Doer Bob Noxious will be in the house helping out along with resident roller-girl Michelle Sunnyday (aka Sunny With A Chance of Pain of the Tilted Thunder Railbirds). This is going to be a great event where international derby teams can not only compete with each other but also network and learn from fellow derby enthusiasts. If you love derby, get your tickets here, head out to Toronto and be a part of what promises to be the derby event of the year.
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Hot August Fights – Rollerpalooza and This Weekend’s Derby Events Nationwide!

As everyone knows, we love roller derby here at Brown Paper Tickets and we got a ton of derby events happening all over the country this weekend.

One of special interest to us is Rollerpalooza starting on Friday, August 19 in Coos Bay, Oregon. Our Derby Doer Bob Noxious is going to be in the house to help out. Bob travels all over the country helping out derby leagues with everything from announcing to coaching to helping them set up ticketing. If you’re a derby league that needs a hand, get in touch with Bob and he can help you out.

Rollerpalooza is a weekend long derby festival that features clinics, scrimmages and tournaments from up and coming Northwest derby teams.

Bob says, “It’s really grass roots derby, which is what I like about it. OK, ALL derby is grass roots, but this is derby for the love of the game and our culture. Not a tournament aimed at improving your ranking for the national playoffs , so the vibe will be very different, very fun.”
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Bob Noxious’ Hair Reports from Derby-Land!

Josh Gates opens his show, “Destination Truth” by saying: “In my travels, I’ve experienced some unexplainable things, and I’ve done some things I can’t quite explain.” So, I’m going to us that as the perfect opening for this blog post and an overall description of my derby career.

A rich and anecdotal history revolves around today’s topic… my hair. Specifically, the lack of it. I’m my own hair stylist! I know, it’s hard to tell. Early on, I was renown for flamboyant (a fancy word for “stupid”) hair cuts that changed with every bout. I’ll admit, I got tired of the effort and my kids were tired of hiding from Daddy. So, it’s on a rare occasion that I do anything unusual to my hair these days. This is the set up for a recent rare occasion. With my hair being the focal point of this post, I think a little “history of the hair” is in order. This isn’t even close to the sampler platter of the “Atrocities to Bob’s Head” menu.

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MEET BOB NOXIOUS!

Hey everyone, meet Bob Noxious our Alternative Sports doer extraordinaire. He’s out there hitting the pavement, providing support to all the amazing derby teams that we work with around the country. We wanted you all to get a chance to meet him and to get a glimpse inside the world of Roller Derby. So, without furter ado, Mr. Bob Noxious!
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