Judy Sowinski
Encyclopedia
Judy Sowinski was a roller derby
skater and coach.
Sowinski was born in Chicago
, and became interested in roller derby after watching a game at the Chicago Coliseum
in 1957. She tried out and was soon picked up as a professional, skating for the San Francisco Bombers. She cultivated an obnoxious persona, but preferred the games themselves to remain genuine contests. She later also skated for the Philadelphia Warriors, spent nine years with the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, and captained the New York Bombers.
In 1972, Sowinski appeared in Kansas City Bomber
, a movie set in the world of roller derby. She finally retired from the sport in the early 1980s, taking a job at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, living with her female partner. Judy returned to skating several times in the 80's and skated her last game in March 1992 at the Hershey Arena for the IRSD league run by Bob Raskin.
Sowinski returned to roller derby in 2003, coaching the Penn Jersey She Devils, initially on an unpaid basis. In 2004, she was inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame.
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
skater and coach.
Sowinski was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and became interested in roller derby after watching a game at the Chicago Coliseum
Chicago Coliseum
The Chicago Coliseum was the name of a succession of three large indoor arenas in Chicago, Illinois from the 1860s to 1982 that each served as a sports venue, convention center, and exhibition hall over the course of their respective histories. The first Coliseum briefly made an appearance in the...
in 1957. She tried out and was soon picked up as a professional, skating for the San Francisco Bombers. She cultivated an obnoxious persona, but preferred the games themselves to remain genuine contests. She later also skated for the Philadelphia Warriors, spent nine years with the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, and captained the New York Bombers.
In 1972, Sowinski appeared in Kansas City Bomber
Kansas City Bomber
Kansas City Bomber is a 1972 American drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Raquel Welch.- Plot summary :The film is an inside look at the world of co-ed Roller Derby, then a popular league sport....
, a movie set in the world of roller derby. She finally retired from the sport in the early 1980s, taking a job at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, living with her female partner. Judy returned to skating several times in the 80's and skated her last game in March 1992 at the Hershey Arena for the IRSD league run by Bob Raskin.
Sowinski returned to roller derby in 2003, coaching the Penn Jersey She Devils, initially on an unpaid basis. In 2004, she was inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame.