Around the country, there are folks writing articles
about roller derby, the all stars, and the best of the best. Here in the
NW, we know we have the treasure: Elwood Bruise.
Through years of writing about and watching the sport,
he has been able to set a high bar for quality and analysis in a derby
article. Others emulate him, in fact I myself took inspiration from not
only his writing, but his stats keeping as well.
He goes all over the Northwest, pen and stats sheets
in hand, often doing the job of 3 people by himself. Leagues everywhere
wait with bated breath for his 3 stars, wondering who he will single out for
one of the most sought after unofficial accolades out there.
This time of year, he spends untold hours
tabulating votes and compiling articles on the all stars of the NW, expanding
to doing Montana, Idaho and British Columbia as well as Washington
State. What he does is nothing short of amazing.
I have had the distinct honor of working with this man
on numerous occasions as we both scramble to write down the big hits, stopped
jammers, and big moves of the roller derby community, and I am so often amazed
at what he is able to bring to his articles. To my mind, he defines what
writing about Roller Derby is all about. I am a better writer because of
him.
So thank you, Elwood Bruise!
"He believed in junior derby when everyone else
still thought it was cute....maybe he's on to something" - Jenyfer-Jenocidal
Ewig
“Elwood personifies all Pacific
Northwest Roller derby. His insightful and uplifting articles , bout reviews
and yearly all star ratings show how much he not only loves sports, but roller
derby. While we know that this time of year he would much rather be rink side
watching Ice Hockey, Elwood take his time to make us all feel the love of the
huge family we all are, in the PNW Derby community.” – Ann
Pearson Sevaatsi
When I started skating, after every
bout I played in the first thing I would look for is Elwood's bout recap.Ever
Since I joined derby I've looked to those recap to measure my progress, find
motivation, and look for inspiration. Even before he was my coach Elwood was
pushing me to become a better skater, and you could say that he's partially
responsible for the skater I am today - Chewbecca
