Wednesday, April 16, 2014

On the Beat with Jackie Daniels of the Windy City Rollers 2014

Scheduling conflicts prevented JohngysBeat.com from returning sooner to see the Windy City Rollers.  Believe me, it wasn't for lack of interest.
As i have previously written, I remember roller derby from the old days, which featured theatrics over athletics.  When I stumbled upon the Windy City Rollers, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this roller derby is legitimate athletic competition, with a little bit of theatrics thrown in.  There are real refs who enforce real rules and real scores are kept.
Oh sure, the players have fun names, like The Jamburglar.  They also have fun mascots, like Fonzo McKnuckles.  If you are looking for over-the-top silliness, look elsewhere.  These ladies are serious about their sport.
On our return to the UIC Pavilion to see WCR, our first interview was with Jackie Daniels, bench coach for the Fury.  Last year, we interviewed Jackie when she was skating for the Fury.  That interview can be found at On the Beat with Jackie Daniels.
Jackie was a great place to start.  She briefly explained the concept and organization of the Windy City Rollers.  To the novice (like we were last year), this really is helpful.
As a former skater with the Fury and current WCR All-Star skater, Jackie also gave us insight on the transition to coach and filling both roles.  Jackie gave us a lot of info, in an interesting way.  It was a great way to get us back into the WCR groove and also to give potential new fans a nice starter lesson.
I really enjoyed talking again to Jackie.  Then again, I am a Coke guy.  What goes better with Jack Daniels than Coke?  (Sorry, I couldn't help myself).
The next night of WCR action is Saturday, May 17.  The WCR home teams will fight it out for the Ivy Cup.  You can get all of the info at WindyCityRollers.com.
Over the next couple weeks, we will be sprinkling in our other interviews from Saturday night's WCR action.  I hop you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed doing them.  I also hope you give WCR a chance.

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