The very first bout was the debut of the bad hair. There was a strategy to
my look!  I was nervous. I knew the more ridiculous I looked, the harder I
would push myself to succeed.  It would be bad enough to fail.  But to
look and dress like I did and fail would be humiliating.  It worked!  I
pushed the crowd harder each bout while Baam, my co-announcer,
provided play-by-play.  Now, there are many who look forward to seeing
what I'll look like at the next bout, keeping me from dropping the antics.  
Though it's time consuming, and I get some interesting looks during the
drive to the venue, the upside is nobody forgets who you are.  I often get
e-mail from other leagues, and all it takes is "I was the announcer with
really weird hair" and instantly they know who they're messaging.
This married, father of two, burb-livin', middle-aged announcer, was given
the opportunity to find the kid in him again for the first time in many years.  
Finding that kid and meeting amazing people all over the country are the
gifts from roller derby I cherish most.  

Love, peace, and wheel grease,

Bob
The exposure working with the nation's4th ranked travel team provides the
legitimacy to pursue my passion of helping new leagues. Whether it's visiting
to announce, provide feedback, or answering questions via e-mail, helping
the sport improve and grow drives me. My creative re-birth and passion for
derby inspired this site, and the business that is Flyin' Squirrel!
It's all true!  Ask anyone!  If I have any notoriety at all, it's as the flamboyant,
bad hair- sportin' announcer for Madison Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls.
Bob Noxious - Roller Derby Announcer, Fan, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Having worked in corporate America for 15 years, at the time, it was
becoming evident to me that I was so restricted I had creatively  flat-lined.
That's when derby unexpectedly knocked on my door, took me in, and
reinvigorated my energy.  Nearly everything sold on this site or on the site
itself has had my hand in concept or creation.
There are few sports - mens' or womens' - that provide the speed,
excitement, athleticism, and crashing blows that roller derby does.  
The women are incredible athletes, great people, and I love this sport.
What started as a whim -  a test to see if I could actually stand in front of a
crowd and enlighten and entertain - became a passion.  August 19th,
2005, MRD fielded our very first Dairyland Dolls roster and traveled to The
Bronx, where we defeated New York's Gotham Girls in a close, physical
bout.  Having announced in front of 1200 fans in one of the nation's
toughest sports towns, I knew this was more than a short-term
fascination.
incredible learning experience.  Styles differed, but the announcing was
nearly seamless, mutual admiration for each other grew, and the
"sub-culture of the sub-culture" was born.  We formed the Voices of
Reason, a private announcers' MySpace group, where we share
experiences and ideas, help train new announcers, and give each other a
hard time. The core of us are very  tight knit.
Avid MySpacer?  You can visit my page here.  If you are an announcer that's
not already part of the Voices of Reason, contact me at my page and I'll get
you added to our roller derby announcers' group.
In February 2006, roller derby had its first major event and announcing
had its first real test - The Dust Devil National Tournament.  It was the first
time in history a dozen announcers worked together at the same event.
What could have been people trying to show each other up turned into an