PJRD - HOOLIGANS PHILADELPHIA BANKED TRACK ROLLER DERBYAbout PJRD/Hooligans
Originally called, The Penn Jersey She Devils, and now renamed Penn Jersey Roller Derby. PJRD were the first league to bring roller derby back to the Philadelphia region in almost 30 years. Founded in early 2005 by Ken Sikes and Greg Spencer, the She Devils started out with just a handful of girls and a vision of restoring one of America’s most popular sports to some of its former glory.
Today, PJRD is a skater-owned and operated co-ed league more than fifty skaters strong and growing. Members hail from Philadelphia, PA all the way up to Hightstown, NJ and come from all walks of life. There are singles, couples, computer programmers, tattoo artists, nurses, chefs, moms, ex-athletes, and novices throwing bruise-inducing blocks at every practice.
To help us skaters get the most out of every stride are two ex-professional skaters, Judy “The Polish Ace” Sowinski and Arnold “Skip” Schoen. We also have our champion speed skating advisor, known as “Big John” on the rink. Judy skated for the LA T-Birds, the Eastern Warriors, and NY Bombers between the late 50’s and the early 80’s. She was Rookie of the Year in 1972 and was inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame in 2004. She kicks our ass at every practice, demands 110 percent, and pushes each and every one of us to be the toughest skaters we can out on the rink. Skip also skated with the Eastern Warriors in the 1970’s and can still give our best jammers a run for their money. Every practice he’s skating right along side us, teaching us the proper ways to block, whip, turn, and fall… so we’re still in one piece after a hard game! In 2007, The Hooligans were added to the league.
PJRD skates flat track derby and banked track. We play flat track games at the ISC in Mt Laurel, NJ. We just recently acquired a banked track and warehouse in Philadelphia (1801 W Indiana Ave). We are the only Co-Ed Banked Track Amateur Roller Derby league in the world!!! In the interest of keeping today’s version of derby as close to banked-track rules as possible, the She Devils helped found the Old School Derby Association in 2007. OSDA’s rules are designed specifically to keep derby real, rough, and unpredictable – as it should be! Check out the OSDA’s website to learn more about how we play the game and find other member leagues in your area. Better yet, come to one of our games and see the excitement for yourself. Take a look at our events and buy tickets in advance to avoid missing out. We can’t wait to see you trackside!
