So how did you land one of the coolest jobs in the league?
Shortly after the formation of the league and before bouts were scheduled I was told by a friend (former BRRG skater, Justice) that they would need an announcer. I showed up, and continued to show up to practices to work the mic and the rest is history. So far I’ve never missed a home bout and travel out for the All-Stars whenever my schedule permits. Everyone else that expressed interest was all fluff and no stuff except Kent Smith. He’s grown leaps and bounds as an announcer and I’m glad to work with him.

Is there a downside to your job as a derby announcer?
I’ll only voice one complaint. I’ve only got to watch one derby bout as strictly a fan. People always say “at least you get to see all the bouts” but it’s different. I can’t yell and scream like every other fan and I technically could be fined for obscenities. The one bout I did attend off duty I intentionally sat in the bleacher with no children so I could just unload with the screaming. Several tasty beverages into the bout a lady came over with child and sat right in front of me. There was an entire row open on the other bleacher. This didn’t stop me from enjoying my fan experience. Shame on her. I do however watch boutcasts on DNN.com and yell at my screen a lot but it is not the same.

So you are an actual Reverend, correct?
Yes, I received ordination in 1996 from ULC. There is a interesting story behind how this came about actually…I only tell it in person if the mood is right. I’m seriously thinking about dropping the Rev from my derby moniker. You heard it here first.

Who has been your favorite person to co-announce a bout with?
I’ve learned something from everyone I’ve worked with and there are different favorites for different reasons. I’ll go with someone I don’t get work with on a regular basis for this answer. Overall out of the many revolving announcers I’ve worked with I’d have to go with Tank from Cincy. He’s been a derby mentor to me- we called the first ever Black & Blue as well all 3 previous BRRG championships together. He coached and announced for ORG in Columbus and he knows the game as well if not better than anyone calling today.

How did the Ref heckling start, and who is your favorite Ref to pick on?
It all started with my old intro tag-line for them- “graduates of the Ray Charles School of Refereeing”. The fans used to boo them so I just jokingly played off of that sentiment. There was very little ref heckling this season. I mostly only do it at home because I know our crew personally. I’m an equal opportunity destroyer when it comes to our foot locker crew. To their credit they have a rough job and I wouldn’t want to do what they do.

Tell us about a book you have recently been enjoying.
I’m currently trying to finish two books- Chaos: Making A New Science by James Gleick. It’s about the mathematical and meteorological origins of chaos theory. I won’t pretend to fully understand all of it but what I can grasp from the book is incredible. The other is Made By Hand – Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder. I  just started The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I love dystopian fiction!). It would most likely take a librarian to get me to give up my bachelorhood!

What do you think about the growth of the league from first season to present day?
The growth is a culmination of a lot of hard work and I attribute much of it to community involvement. The girls are out there making numerous appearances in various communities throughout the greater Cleveland area. They are involved in any number of charitable events and the passion they exude for the sport is contagious. There exists a great reciprocity between this city and the BRRG. Everything was taken to a greater level this season with the move to the Wolstein Center and things should only continue to get better.

Who do you miss the most that has left the league?
I’m never going to hear the end about these “favorite” questions. I miss former Hard Knocker standout The Validator the most. Val had a unique style and grace about her that was just awesome to watch. Her stall blocking technique was epic and she was a great jammer. She was a bit of a role model for what could be done while skating by the book without playing dirty. She’s just a sweetheart off the track. Does this sound like I have a crush on the Knockers bench manager? lol

The announcers location for the finals seemed perfect, thoughts?
In season 1  the table was in a crows nest type of position so far away from the action and the sound was horrible so it was rough. Season 2 we moved, per request, to turn 4 where we remained until the finals this year. I went to Toledo to call a mini-tournament and their table was set in a similar position; the main difference was height and the fact that there was no audience seating behind the table. The view of the penalty board and ref hand signals was the best I’ve ever had so I had to present the case for the move. I’m so glad they let us move, it improved our performance quite a bit.

Do you feel like you need to “bite your tongue” often, in your position?
Haha, are you trying to get me fired? Yes, absolutely. It’s not because of the politics or any of those drama-filled reasons. There are so many things we have to refrain from saying with the live mic brand of announcing we do in derby. What my esteemed announce partner Kent Smith and I do live for BRRG is known in our world as the “house” or “in-house” call.  This is a style of calling the action just after the fact. We have to be careful to not disclose jammer position in situations that may give a strategic advantage to either team. We also have to refrain from calling out someone you know is just going to lay someone out while it’s happening so we don’t blow their shot by tipping of the blocker that a hit is coming their way.

In a broadcast it would be OK to say something to the effect of “With only 45 seconds left Team X may want to end the jam and call a time out if they want to get another jam in during regulation. We can’t say this type of thing because it is considered coaching from the mic. Even though this scenario might be obvious to the Team X, Team Y can present the case that we gave X an advantage. The rules are what they are and the clock and scoreboard are visible to all but the reality is with house calls you need to pump the brakes quite a bit.

This may sound easy but it is counter intuitive in many respects to a broadcast type call that is not heard by skaters. When you are calling for a regular broadcast you can call action more closely as things unfold. The timing is closer to the action in broadcast. Both are essentially forms of storytelling, just at different paces.
I will say that my kill switch on my mic is my best friend. Broadcasters live by the infamous “cough” button.

Tell us about the worst autograph signing you have had to do?
Signing my drink tab receipt at the after party is never fun.

During your tenure, tell us about the top 5 BRRG skaters that have impressed you the most?

These aren’t in any specific order,  I’m just going to throw them out there:
Eva Lucien – I cannot stress how bummed I was when I found out she would miss playing time to recoup from an injury. Her skills as a jammer are legendary! I was surprised to see her return as a blocker; her play as a blocker were likewise nothing short amazing. When I asked her why she didn’t roll back to the jam line she said “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Talk about a class act! Most standouts would fight to get back to their spotlight but she was willing to play the game as the team needed her. This type of cohesion shows in every one of the Pin Ups smiling faces as it reflects off the Hazard Cup trophy.

Stroker Ace - if you see her wicked grin you are either about to get passed or knocked on your ass. Stroker was ahead of a lot of skaters in skating ability from Jump Street. She was pulling toe stop runs before anyone I can remember and she was just sadistic in her first two seasons! I’ve watched her hit so many times that I can telegraph her shots. She’s like a shark on skates.

Erin Gargiulo – Ego, in my opinion, had the greatest rookie season out of anyone I’ve watched in the BRRG. She is just a natural on skates. She reads a pack like few can when jamming and has blinding transition speed when in the mire of the pack. She’s also the first BRRG skater to use her real name, which I love.

Rogue Cheddar (former Hard Knocker and All-Star) – The first two seasons she was a force of nature. Who could forget that Cheshire smile flying around the track annihilating the pack? She was voted “Most Feared” for good reason.

Pain Austen (former Cleveland Steamer, Queen of the former Xanadont’s) – Her folks corrected my Engrish, and she didn’t shank me for missing her name in two intros. For the record, she was NOT printed on the roster that was verified by the team cap’t. She was the smallest skater in stature and she skated with the most heart. She survived hits that would make your head hurt just by watching them. Nobody made the crowd pop like she did. They would go nuts when she jammed and go dead silent when she would take a major hit. She owned it on the track like no other. Fearless and tenacious, I miss the sheriff of Paine-sville.

What can you tell us from your perspective, about the changes you seen in the league from beginning to present day?
Season one had a lot of Rock & Roll/Punk DIY vibe. It was a revolution. The outfits were skimpy and the attitudes were pure sass. The first couple of years were like the adolescent years. It was just as much about the wild skater personalities as it was the game. Over the past two years everything matured. Uniforms became more streamlined and the understanding of the game has grown amongst the fans. People are now taking the view of sport versus the view of a sports spectacle. I used to salivate when a skater would come up with a racy or raunchy name, now I cringe. I’m way more PC and PG than I ever was when I started.

Recommend one of your favorite songs that everyone should hear?
I’ll do one better, I’ll recommend a band: WEEN. Go buy all their albums!

What are you expectations for Season 5?
Awesome things! Season 4 was the most exciting yet and it should only continue get better next year.

what do you feel is essential to propel roller derby as a sport?
Word of mouth. Tell a friend and bring two of them to a bout. Our BRRG season is short in comparison to other sports so don’t wait around!

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