A couple of weeks ago the LB POST published an article about Roller Derby in Long Beach, showcasing Shayna "Pigeon" Mikle, current owner of the roller skate shop on Retro Row, formerly and I think currently known as Moxi. The article attempted to coherently weave together the past and current state of roller derby in Long Beach, but, understandably, it was confusing as hell.
I would like to put something together about the past and present incarnations of roller derby in Long Beach. It's not an easy task.
To my knowledge, roller derby arrived on the scene in Long Beach with the league Long Beach Roller Derby. There were at one point, several teams, as well as a Jr. Roller Derby league. This league skated to the beat of its own drummer, that is, it did not skate according to current official flat or bank track rules. Hence, this league didn't play any other league's teams. LBRD was mostly the brainchild of Michelle "Estro Jen" Steinlin, and Lindsay "Diesel" Karnopp, who experienced both wild success as well as abysmal failure, as the League experienced smash hit status, and then a crash and burn death. Why? The consensus is mismanagement. And, some claim that funds went missing. There were a lot of hurt feelings as the league had lot of members and no real reason to end so suddenly. Many eager fingers point to Karnopp as the wrecking ball, but no one has evidence or proof. Just a lot of hearsay and hard feelings.
The second official incarnation of roller derby in Long Beach rose up in Long Beach All-Stars, a little group that formed to keep rolling the girls who cut teeth on LBRD and still wanted to skate. Headed by L.A. Derby Dolls veteran Natasha "Cannon Doll-X" Vineyard, this was a mash up fitness/derby group, sans teams, that practiced at Wardlow Park.
In the meantime, Pigeon formed Beach Cities Roller Derby, based in the South Bay. No association with Long Beach.
A year or so after LBRD dissolved, Steinlin and a team of her old skate-mates formed a new league, sans Karnopp, named Long Beach Derby Gals, hoping to revive the success and fame of the first incarnation. Partnered with Sean Ellis, owner of a production company who would provide the necessary sound and lighting needed to re-create the look and feel of LBRD, the new league promised all of the success of the former league, without all of the drama associated with Karnopp, which had by this point reached totally blown-out proportions. Teams were formed, with the majority of players skaters who had played for LBRD, along with a large group of new skaters beginning to learn the game. This time, the league would play by official WFTDA rules, hoping to play other teams as they gained recognition. But the plan was to kick out a season and make a ton of cash in order to get rolling. This didn't happen. Ticket sales were down, and costs were up. It appears that while Karnopp might have caused damage, she also was a crucial part of the first league's success. When it appeared that LBDG wasn't going to be the raging success that LBRD was, Stienlin and the rest of her team broke ties with Ellis, to whom they were in debt, and walked away from LBDG.
But LBDG didn't end there. Natalie "Buster Chassis" MacPherson, owner of Long Beach Skate, stepped up to continue Long Beach Derby Gals with Ellis, provided that league ownership be established on the basis of transparency and democracy. Ellis was interested in at least getting square on his original investment with LBDG. Practice continued, but now at the multi-use space Crafted in San Pedro, not Long Beach. Soon after, the practice space and grand schemes of LBDG became too expensive to fulfill for the fledgling league, and Long Beach Derby Gals cut ties with Ellis, and Crafted.
Out of the twice-burned remains of Long Beach Derby Gals arose Badfish, the current Long Beach roller derby league, based in Long Beach at MacPherson's shop, with scrimmages held at Bayshore Hockey Rink.
Recently, Beach Cities Roller Derby has added a team with Long Beach in the name, and Mikle acquired the skate shop previously solely owned by Stienlin. Still, Mikle doesn't operate a roller derby league associated with, or practicing in, or scrimmaging in, Long Beach.
There you have it. LBRD, then LBAS, then LBDG, and now Badfish, and never BCRD.
The main reason I wanted to set this straight is there are many, many ladies upon whose backs roller derby succeeds or fails. "Estro Jen" and "Diesel" had superstar quality as skaters and athletes, and charisma up the wazoo. But there are dozens of skaters who paid dues and then watched their hard work, dues, and derby dreams go down the drain as owners walked away, time and again.
When "Pigeon" was touted as a mother hen who was overcoming the bad blood amongst skaters in Long Beach, gathering them up like lost souls, I was offended, because other than taking the reins at the skate shop on 4th, she hasn't done anything to support roller derby in Long Beach, aside from occasionally supporting the Long Beach Junior Roller Derby league, the only roller derby league to survive out of them all. In fact, during one of the meetings held by Long Beach Derby Gals, discussing the future of the league, Mikle was asked if she would take on Long Beach Derby Gals as a division of Beach Cites. She replied quickly with a no, she was not interested. She did, however, use the final practice of Long Beach Derby Gals as recruitment night for BCRD. She benefited the most from the demise of Long Beach Derby Gals, and her recruitment of Long Beach skaters undermined the continuation of roller derby in Long Beach. It was only upon the action of MacPherson that adult Roller Derby has continued in Long Beach, period.
It is understandable that Mikle would not have wanted the debt attached to Long Beach Derby Gals, and Beach Cities has enjoyed the continued success and longevity that Long Beach has been unable to sustain. It is true that old hurts are disappearing, and Mikle seems to be the only leader left standing in Long Beach, however, her league operates outside of the city. If there is one thing that roller derby in Long Beach lacks, it's loyalty, to the skater, to the city, and to the fans.
If you are interested in roller derby in Long Beach, contact Natalie MacPherson aka Buster Chassis, and find Badfish on Facebook.
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