Bill Bogash
Encyclopedia
Bill "Flash" Bogash was a roller derby
skater and coach.
Born in Chicago, he began his career in 1935 during the Great Depression
, and skated until 1958.
Bogash's career began after he and his mother attended the first Transcontinental Roller Derby in Chicago of 1935, a six-week race that tracked skaters' total distance traveled in laps around a track on a US map. He and his mother, Josephine 'Ma' Bogash joined the second race in September of that year, in Kansas
.
After racing with many teams throughout the 1940s, Bogash led the New York Chiefs to their first Roller Derby World Championship in 1949. Towards the end of his career, Bogash skated for the Los Angeles Braves.
After retirement in 1958, Bogash went on to be a restaurateur in Yucca Valley, California
.
He died of respiratory failure
on March 20, 2009.
He was inducted into the National Roller Derby Hall of Fame in 1953
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
skater and coach.
Born in Chicago, he began his career in 1935 during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and skated until 1958.
Bogash's career began after he and his mother attended the first Transcontinental Roller Derby in Chicago of 1935, a six-week race that tracked skaters' total distance traveled in laps around a track on a US map. He and his mother, Josephine 'Ma' Bogash joined the second race in September of that year, in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
After racing with many teams throughout the 1940s, Bogash led the New York Chiefs to their first Roller Derby World Championship in 1949. Towards the end of his career, Bogash skated for the Los Angeles Braves.
After retirement in 1958, Bogash went on to be a restaurateur in Yucca Valley, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
He died of respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
on March 20, 2009.
He was inducted into the National Roller Derby Hall of Fame in 1953