RollerGames

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World Alliance of Rollersports (fictional league for RollerGames)

RollerGames was a U.S. television series that presented a theatrical version of the sport of roller derby for a national audience, and featured a number of skaters who had been in the Roller Games league (1961–1975), as well as younger participants. It was broadcast for one season (1989–1990) before its distributor went bankrupt for reasons not directly related to the series.

About the show

In 1989, Emmy Award-winning television producers David Sams (who helped launch Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and The Oprah Winfrey Show while head of global marketing and creative affairs at King World) and Mike Miller (who went on to produce shows like When Animals Attack and Big Brother) teamed with Roller Games owner Bill Griffiths, Sr. to create a modern version of the sport marketed as Rock and RollerGames. Sams provided color commentary while Chuck Underwood provided the main play-by-play.

The show took place in the Super Roller Dome, where all matches were broadcast.

Instead of a banked oval track, a figure eight track was used where one side heavily banked. It included obstacles such as the "Wall of Death" (which was located on the heavily banked side) and the "Jet Jump". The only ones who could score during each 45-second scoring cycle were the "jetters," who wore helmets and got six points if they got above the top line on the Wall of Death without going over, and two points if they got between the two lines. The "Jet Jump" had a 12-foot marker that allowed six points if the jetter got past it, and two if the jetter landed in front of it. In either case, the jetter had to land safely.

The rest of the cycle involved traditional roller derby elements of scoring one point for every opponent lapped. The players got as many 45-second cycles as possible within four six-minute periods (cut down from eight 12-minute periods in traditional roller derby). The team with the most points won.

As a tiebreaker, two skaters would skate around a pit full of alligators. The first skater to skate around the pit five times or to throw his or her opponent into the alligator pit was declared the winner. The debut episode was the only time live alligators were ever used, as no ties ever happened after that.

The show also included halftime entertainment by musical performers like Lita Ford, Warrant, Exposé, and had halftime commentary by Wally George. Main commentators for the show were former Ohio State football and basketball announcer Chuck Underwood and David Sams himself. Former Phoenix, Arizona news reporter Shelly Jamison (who also appeared nude in Playboy) served as sideline reporter. RollerGames premiered in 95% of the country, and, though generally panned by critics, was well-received among teenagers and college students.

The "world famous" Los Angeles T-Birds were one of the teams used for the show. Other teams were The Rockers, Hot Flash, The Violators, Bad Attitude, and The Maniacs. Many of the athletes that skated for Griffiths in the past were used for RollerGames. Some of the most visible skaters included twin sisters Jennifer & Kristine Van Galder, the "T-Bird Twins" (two blonde waitresses that Sams recruited while dining at a trendy LA area eatery), "The IceBox" Robert Smith, brothers "Mr. Mean" Harold Jackson & "Monster Man" Bernie Jackson, Michael Flaningam "The California Kid", "Electric" Randi Whitman (who got her nickname because of her hair), "Stars and Stripes" Matt Bickham, "Dar The Star" Darlene Langlois, "Latin Spitfire" Patsy Delgado, and the late Ralphie Valladares, whose daughter, Gina, skated for Hot Flash. Other past Roller Derby personalities to appear on RollerGames included "Mizz" Georgia Hase, the cantankerous heel manager of the Detroit Devils and Bad Attitude, and "Little" Richard Brown, the Maniacs' top skater who got to manage and coach several skaters on RollerJam.

Former ABC Monday Night Football director Chet Forte was recruited to direct the show. Many of the graphics and camera techniques were unique for the day, like the cameras on the skaters. Some of the storylines were off-the-wall, but tame by today's standards — the main storyline was a controversy involving the T-Bird Twins being drafted as one person (more on that below), rather than two. Hair-pulling and catfights were crowd favorites.

In many cities, RollerGames aired late at night, against Saturday Night Live, while in others it aired mid-day on Saturdays. Although the show's ratings were quite good, even beating out the popular American Gladiators, it only lasted one season before getting cancelled due to the distributor going bankrupt. The distributor did not go bankrupt due to RollerGames.^{[citation needed]} RollerGames delivered a 4.7 national rating vs. the American Gladiators 2.5 rating. Its debut in New York scored a 9.3 overnight rating.

The show became noted for its "big controversy": according to a report from Sams, Georgia Haze claimed the T-Bird Twins were improperly drafted as one entity. Thus, Jennifer went to the Maniacs, and Kristine went to the Violators. At the same time, the league office informed Ralphie Valladares that he was to be the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. This led Haze to object that, according to the rule book, Ralphie could not enter unless he hung up his skates for good. The league office did not intend for that to happen.

After two rule violations by Guru Drew (manager for the Maniacs) and The Skull (manager of the Violators) of physically abusing each of the T-Bird twins, Sams and on-the-track commentator Shelley Jamison brought up how each twin's contract was null and void, thus returning them to the T-Birds. This led Griffiths, Sr., as commissioner, to let the public decide on how this situation was to go. The American public overwhelmingly elected that Ralphie continue to skate while being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and that the twins return to the T-Birds for good.

Revivals

The show paved the way for a revival ten years later with the 1999 premiere of The New TNN's WSL RollerJam, where former RollerGames skaters Richard Brown, Patsy Delgado and Ray Robles skated.

In January 2008, RollerGames coproducer David Sams announced that he "intends to put banked-track Roller Sports back on Television and the Internet in 2008."^[1]He later announced that The David Sams Organization was recruiting skaters, coaches, trainers, and cheerleaders for a series that "will be taped in the Los Angeles area, as early as this summer and fall." He also said "A tour is being planned for the winter/spring of 2009."

Following the cancellation of RollerGames, Griffiths continued promoting an untelevised league under the name Roller Games International, which continues the sport of RollerGames to this day.

RollerGames Soundtrack (1989)

Lone issue of RollerGames Magazine (1990)

Promotional tie-ins

• A RollerGames arcade game was released by Konami, along with a Nintendo Entertainment System version, released in North America under their Ultra Games label.
• In 1989 the World Alliance of Rollersports released a CD Soundtrack album featuring the show's theme song "Rock & RollerGames", as well as team theme songs "Made In The USA" (T-Birds, sung by Rockers skater Darlene Langlois), "Hit And Run" (Hot Flash, sung by skater Tammy Hanson), "Rock It" (Rockers), "Bad Attitude" (Bad Attitude, also sung by Hanson), "Kick Butt" (Violators) and "No Brakes" (Maniacs). The album was produced by Douglas Cooper Getschal, who sang "Rock & RollerGames" and a few others.
• In 1990, Williams released a pinball game, RollerGames, designed by notable pinball designer Steve Ritchie, with features the main theme song recomposed by Dan Forden.
• G.C. London Publishing, the original publisher of Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, put out its first and only issue of RollerGames Magazine.

References

Famous RG quotes

• Georgia Hase: "First of all, again, it is 'Miss' Georgia Hase!"
• Georgia Hase: (to Shelley Jamison) "You know, I am proud that Valladeres has committed himself to this Hall of Fame because he will not be skating on the T-Birds, and those tweety bird twins will be separated! One will be on the Maniacs, and the other on the Violators! You got that, lady? Tell it to the bank!"
• David Sams: "That was absolutely DE-VAST-AT-ING!"
• Shelly Jamison: "Back to you, Chuck 'n Dave."
• Shelley Jamison: (during Guru Drew's abuse of Kristine) "Sexual harassment?! This means the twins are back together again! Her contract is null and void!"
• Bill Griffiths: "So what I've said is I will abide by the public decision, but let the public decide!"

See also

• Roller Games—the show's namesake
• Los Angeles T-Birds

External links

• Roller Games International