Joan Weston
Encyclopedia
Joan Weston or Joanie Weston (January 20, 1935 – May 10, 1997), known as the "Blonde Bomber", "Blonde Amazon", "Golden Girl", and "Roller Derby Queen", was a U.S.
athlete and was the most famous personality in the original Roller Derby
.
in 1935, and grew up in nearby Downey
.
In 1954, Weston joined the original Roller Derby headed by promoter Leo Seltzer
, becoming a favorite member of the Los Angeles Braves. Her fame increased markedly when in 1965 she was appointed captain of the San Francisco Bay Bombers. She appeared on 19 consecutive all-star teams in that sport, and was the highest-paid female athlete in the 1960s and 1970s.
Joan usually skated as the distaff heroine of the sport, no matter what team she appeared with. She remains the most beloved of all historical Roller Derby stars. Her long-time rivals on the track included Ann Calvello
(August 1, 1929 – March 14, 2006), Cathie Read (b. August 17, 1940), Sandy Dunn (b. January 8, 1945), Jan Vallow (b. September 21, 1940), and Margie Laszlo (b. November 8, 1942). The 1972 film Kansas City Bomber
, starring Raquel Welch
, was supposedly inspired by (but not based on) Weston.
Weston was a mentor to many professional Roller Derby skaters that made it on a team. She was said to take rookies under her wing.
Roller Derby was not Weston's only sport. While a student at Mount Saint Mary's College
, Weston played softball
. She was also involved in surfing
and canoeing
. In 1962 she won the Hawaii
canoe outrigger
championship.
Weston later married Nick Scopas (b. June 3, 1938) who was also a professional Roller Derby Skater.
After her Roller Derby career, she regularly played softball in San Francisco Bay Area
leagues.
In 1997, at age 62, Weston succumbed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
in Hayward, California
.
In 1999, her life story was sold to Goldie Hawn
Productions.
Roller Derby ceased operations in 1973 and as a result the most famous female skater in the sport was never inducted into its Hall of Fame. In the 2000s, the skater/fan based Roller Derby Hall of Fame based in Brooklyn, New York, corrected this oversight.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete and was the most famous personality in the original Roller Derby
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...
.
Biography
Weston was born in Huntington Beach, CaliforniaHuntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
in 1935, and grew up in nearby Downey
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...
.
In 1954, Weston joined the original Roller Derby headed by promoter Leo Seltzer
Leo Seltzer
Leo A. Seltzer is generally credited as the creator of the sport of roller derby, and was the founder and head of the original Roller Derby league from 1935 until his son Jerry Seltzer took over the business in 1958....
, becoming a favorite member of the Los Angeles Braves. Her fame increased markedly when in 1965 she was appointed captain of the San Francisco Bay Bombers. She appeared on 19 consecutive all-star teams in that sport, and was the highest-paid female athlete in the 1960s and 1970s.
Joan usually skated as the distaff heroine of the sport, no matter what team she appeared with. She remains the most beloved of all historical Roller Derby stars. Her long-time rivals on the track included Ann Calvello
Ann Calvello
Ann Theresa Calvello was a U.S. athlete and notable personality in the sport of roller derby.Ann Calvello graduated from Presentation High School in San Francisco, CA in June 1947....
(August 1, 1929 – March 14, 2006), Cathie Read (b. August 17, 1940), Sandy Dunn (b. January 8, 1945), Jan Vallow (b. September 21, 1940), and Margie Laszlo (b. November 8, 1942). The 1972 film Kansas City Bomber
Kansas City Bomber
Kansas City Bomber is a 1972 American drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Jerrold Freedman and starring Raquel Welch.- Plot summary :The film is an inside look at the world of co-ed Roller Derby, then a popular league sport....
, starring Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
, was supposedly inspired by (but not based on) Weston.
Weston was a mentor to many professional Roller Derby skaters that made it on a team. She was said to take rookies under her wing.
Roller Derby was not Weston's only sport. While a student at Mount Saint Mary's College
Mount Saint Mary's College
Mount Saint Mary's College may mean:* Mount St Mary's College, Sheffield, England, UK* Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles, California, USASee also:* Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, New York, USA...
, Weston played softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. She was also involved in surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
and canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
. In 1962 she won the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
canoe outrigger
Outrigger
An outrigger is a part of a boat's rigging which is rigid and extends beyond the side or gunwale of a boat.In an outrigger canoe and in sailboats such as the proa, an outrigger is a thin, long, solid, hull used to stabilise an inherently unstable main hull. The outrigger is positioned rigidly and...
championship.
Weston later married Nick Scopas (b. June 3, 1938) who was also a professional Roller Derby Skater.
After her Roller Derby career, she regularly played softball in San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
leagues.
In 1997, at age 62, Weston succumbed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or CJD is a degenerative neurological disorder that is incurable and invariably fatal. CJD is at times called a human form of mad cow disease, given that bovine spongiform encephalopathy is believed to be the cause of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans.CJD...
in Hayward, California
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
.
In 1999, her life story was sold to Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
Productions.
Roller Derby ceased operations in 1973 and as a result the most famous female skater in the sport was never inducted into its Hall of Fame. In the 2000s, the skater/fan based Roller Derby Hall of Fame based in Brooklyn, New York, corrected this oversight.
External links
- Joanie Weston obituary/biography in the New York Times
- Photos and footage of Joan