Penn Jersey Roller Derby is proud to be first roller derby league on the east coast to offer both banked and flat track coed roller derby action. We were founded in February, 2005 by Ken Sikes and Greg Spencer, both long term derby fans who wanted to revive the spirit of one of America’s most beloved sports. At the time of our founding, there were no other leagues in the region and only 22 roller derby leagues worldwide. When PJRD started, there was no standardized set of rules for flat-track roller derby, so we started playing by a our own set of rules, derived from old-school banked track rules. In 2007, Ken Sikes founded the Old School Derby Association (OSDA), a formal alternative to the WFTDA rule set.
To help guide the team to its fullest potential, the late Judy “The Polish Ace” Sowinski and Arnold “Skip” Schoen hit the rink as coaches. Judy skated for the LA T-Birds, the Eastern Warriors and the NY bombers between the late 50’s and early ‘80’s. Skip also skated with the Eastern Warriors in the ‘70’s and can still give our best jammers a run for their money. Both coaches have skated right along beside us from the get-go and have passed down their skills of blocks, whips, turns, falls and jumps so we’ll be able to play to the best of our ability in every game. Also on deck is “Big John,” a champion speed skating advisor.
PJRD started out as the Penn Jersey She Devils, a flat-track league that featured two women's teams, the Fallen Angels and the Sadistic Sweethearts. As our league grew, we added the Dishonor Roll in 2007. In 2006, PJRD became a co-ed league, and a year later we added one of the first male teams in the country, the Hooligans. In 2010 the league changed its name from the Penn Jersey She Devils to Penn Jersey Roller Derby, and kept the She Devils as the travel team name that has continued to feature the Penn Jersey She Devils logo, designed for us by Dave Glass, a famous punk-rock artist.
In October 2010, we hosted the newest inductees into the National Roller Derby Hall Of Fame. That same year, we happily unveiled our very own banked track in our warehouse located on 17th and Indiana in Philadelphia. We currently play games at the International Sports Center in Mount Laurel, NJ as well as banked track games in our warehouse and in Carman Gardens on Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia. Today, PJRD is a skater-owned and operated co-ed league. We hail from all walks of life and professions including nurses, chefs, freelance writers, tattoo artists, and students. We are moms, dads, singles, and couples, but we all know how to throw and take a bruise-inducing block.
