Roller Derby has been around for years and was a staple of the early days of television. It was similar to its better known counterpart, pro wrestling and was seen on many of the same low powered UHF stations in the same bad timeslots. It had a similar borderline sleazy group of promoters and businessman that was common in the regional territory era of pro wrestling. Roller derby didn't have the success or popularity that pro wrestling did. There was a serious athletic component to be sure, but the dim witted storylines made pro wrestling look like Shakespeare. The sport does have its own history--most know that the LA T-Birds were the perennial champions of'70's, and Ann Calvello and Ralphie Valladares had been in the sport forever and were considered legends--but it never really stuck in the public consciousness like the pre-Hulk Hogan era of pro wrestling.

When the original purveyors of the sport quit promoting in the early'80s most thought it was dead and gone until a 'new school' of roller derby surfaced on cable TV via the A&E reality series Roller Girls. It featured a local, all-girl roller derby league in Austin, Texas and followed the lives of the players on and off the track. While much of the show dwelled in Lifetime style drama about binge drinking and bad relationships, it was the first clue that many had that roller derby had risen from the dead. A sport that had faded into the lowest level of obscurity had been rediscovered and embraced by an eclectic group of young women. They had kept the same essential format, thrown in a healthy dose of burlesque camp and Varga pin-up inspired glamour and made it into their own vibrant subculture. They changed the competitive format and renamed the competitions "bouts" a la MMA or boxing. The result was a compelling mixture of glamour, toughness and athleticism driven by a healthy dose of punk rock "do it yourself" mentality.

Today, roller derby is a full blown worldwide phenomenon. There are hundreds of local roller derby leagues not only in the United States, but Canada, Australia and Europe. Most of the local groups similarly play up the campy retro pin-up/hot rod iconography and everyone involved sure looks like they're having a good time. Between teams there's a vibe of good natured competitiveness and camaraderie.

The young women in roller derby have taken what was cast off TV time filler and revived it into their own distaff 'action sport'. The community that has sprung up around it bears a striking resemblance to the skateboarding or snowboarding subculture. There's one big difference--in contrast to more male dominated action sports the roller derby circa 2009 is just the opposite--a living, breathing matriarchal success story.

The new generation rollergirls also pay homage to their sports' pioneers much in the same way that skateboarders give props to Duane Peters and Tony Alva and surfers evoke the names of Duke Kahanamoku and Greg Noll. Many of the individual group websites have sections devoted to the history of roller derby, and the late Ann Calvello--regarded as the Queen of the original Roller Derby--is revered as something of a patron saint.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Posted under Fitness

June is set to be an extremely exciting month for Football fans, when the 2010 FIFA World Cup will finally take place in South Africa. It has been an extremely long wait, but it is now just around the corner. Of course, people are already thinking about which team will win, but history proves that there are a certain bunch of teams that have showed some dominance, so could continue to dominate this year. A World Cup 2010 Forum is going to ensure you keep in touch with all the latest developments.

In any recent World Cup, it seems that Brazil is one of the top contenders, and that has been the case over time. They have qualified and ranked highly on many occasions, with multiple wins in the past. To date, Brazil has managed to win more World Cups than any other team. It all began back in 1958, when they managed to obtain their first win. This was a fantastic show, weakening the Swedish team early to get a 5-2 win.

1962 was the next time Brazil natives saw a similar performance, a performance that truly showed their dominance and skill. They managed to challenged the Czechs early in the final, and eventually took a 3-1 victory. The successful final did not come until 1970, where Brazil would face Italy, who did well to knock out the Germans in the semi final. Eventually Brazil was victorious in a spectacular fashion with a 4-1 win.

Unfortunately for Brazil it would be a full 24 years before they reached another final. The weird thing for Brazil was, they would actually come up against Italy once more. This was certainly not a repeat performance though, with Italy holding them to a 0-0 draw, although Brazil went on to win based on penalties. Most World Cup 2010 Forum boards are talking about past events as we speak.

Just 4 years later Ronaldo would become the top scorer for the team, acting as a catalyst for them reaching the final. A 2-0 win against Germany would make up for the fact that they lost to France in 1998.

Whilst no other team has shown as much dominance as Brazil, the likes of Italy have shown strength. They had a great run before 1950, winning the 1934 and 1938 World Cup. Their third win came in 1982 with Rossi being one of the main assets of the team, with the fourth coming not too long after.

Germany has also showed some form over the years, taking three wins in total. This included their most recent wins in 1974 and 1990.

The total between all three teams (Brazil, Germany and Italy) is now 12! Check out a World Cup 2010 Forum to keep up to date with all the action.

Keep up to date with all the latest gossip by joining a World Cup 2010 Forum. www.footballforums.com

Posted under Exercise

Whether you have been with your partner 3 months or 30 years, spending quality time together is an essential part of keeping a relationship on the right track. The good news is that even if you are really strapped for cash, you can still have great times together.

A quick call to your local trade of commerce or a look online should bring up a host of activities or events in your locality which either cost only a couple of bucks or are free. This is especially good in the summer as you can attend outdoor theater shows or concerts.

Due to the current economic clime, there are some real bargains to be had on theater and movies tickets during off peak times. It surely makes sense to be able to have 2 nights out midweek than just 1 on a Saturday. You get to spend more time together and save money.

Why not combine your date with taking some physical activity. Go on a long bicycle ride down one of the trails, or dig out your old tennis racket and head for the local park and have a few games on the free courts.

When we go camping, one of our essential items is the cheap and cheerful badminton set. Dig it out and play together in the back yard.

Everyone is struggling financially at the minute; gas prices are rising constantly and babysitters don't come cheap. There are some great nights in to be had with your loved one with are extremely frugal.

If you have young kids wait until after they are in bed, older kids can be bribed to stay out of the way with extra computer time etc. Then why not have a romantic picnic on the living room floor, or out in the yard?

When you have a busy life with kids etc it's very easy to start taking your relationship with your partner for granted. Spend as much time together as you can without the TV set, kids and other distractions.

Check out more of this author's writing regarding items like wine and cheese gift baskets and champagne gift baskets.

Posted under Fitness