Ivy King, 90, Roller Derby Queen
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Ivy King, who died July 12 at 90, was a skater in the original Roller Derby, and the first person ever to be named its queen.
Beloved by her fans, she was known by the moniker “Poison Ivy” by those unfortunate enough to face her on the banked wooden tracks where her barnstorming Chicago Mohicans skated.
King’s ferocious track persona was belied by her scrawny appearance, as well as the rather prim glasses she wore. “I fall plenty, but I’ve never even broken my glasses,” King told the Chicago Tribune in 1939.
Originally known as the Transcontinental Roller Derby, the sport originated as an offshoot of marathon dancing, with races that lasted for days as contestants skated several miles — enough to cross North America.It made its New York debut in September 1936, with a 21-day race at the Hippodrome.
By 1939, the Roller Derby evolved into a more competitive sport, incorporating teams and blocking at shorter distances. Despite being knocked out for months by injuries and an appendicitis, King was one of the few original contestants competing.
According to a Chicago Tribune article of 1939, she used her earnings of about $400 per meet to keep her family off relief rolls.
“She wears scarlet polish on her fingernails and two silver bracelets on her right arm, skating or not,” the paper reported. “She has a fine scarlet satin cape thrown over her shoulders, its color rich and luxurious against her dark blue tights.The crowd screams in joyful hysteria as she enters.” She got fan mail from across the country.
At one point, she held women’s speed roller-skating records at the quarter-mile, half-mile, and mile.
In 1940, King was elected the first Roller Derby queen in a fan poll. Not long after, she married a banker and retired. In 1953, she was elected to the Roller Derby Hall of Fame.
She was gratified in recent years to be remembered for her accomplishments in the early years of her sport. The Windy City Rollers, a Chicago allgirl team, named their championship tournament cup for her last year.
She leaves no immediate survivors.
