Editor: I’m sorry I was not available when Jody Purdom tried to contact me regarding last week’s roller derby cover story. I live in Sonoma and am so proud of Jen and all the women of roller derby. My father invented the game in 1935 in Chicago, and I promoted it until its demise in 1973. A group of women in Texas restarted it in 2003 and today it is one of the least known but most widespread sports in the world, with over 778 leagues in 30 countries, ranging from Australia and Japan to the UK, Germany, Israel and South Africa with some 35,000 participants. These leagues are all amateur, supported by the skaters themselves and the games are completely legitimate. You probably will see Jen and the others in the Olympics within eight years. Take the family and see a game. It is truly family entertainment with none of the fighting, etc. of the old derby.
Jerry Seltzer
Sonoma
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