Ok, so I have proclaimed in past articles that I am unfamiliar with the world of men’s derby. Here we go, though, another reason to study up! It is crazy looking through the photos of Jack Hammer’d of Mass Maelstrom. Here’s a guy who is twice the size of his competitors, but keeps up with them in stride, laterals and agility.
It is unsurprising to see opponents leveled after taking a hit by Jack or to see him blocking while skating backwards with assertive force. It was surprising to see him dancing on his toe stops, spinning around blockers with the star on and using his hips contain guys like Quadzilla. I guess the mantra “No Rest” that he wore on his knuckles during a bout at the M.R.D.A. championships holds true for Jack Hammer’d. This is one of the guys that gets me amped up to watch more men’s derby.
For a man of his size, you wouldn't expect Jack to be as nimble on his skates as he is. A true double threat on the track, he was an anchor for the Maelstrom both on and off the track. I was most surprised by his jamming success in 2012 after years of mostly blocking. MRDA, like WFTDA found it's strategy develop so jammers needed to be more than fast, they needed strength and stability two get through extremely aggressive packs. Jack Hammerd brought all three when jamming and jammer killing hits from inside the pack.
Jack reminds me of Mr. Incredible - unstoppable, able to leap large pile ups, powerful in his stride and hits, and a true gentleman toward everyone on and off the track. – Bitches Bruze
"Drinks like Dylan Thomas, hits like Refrigerator Perry." – Malcolm Sex, Vermont Men’s Roller Derby
Thank you to photogs Kimmy Kempf and Hispanic Attack for the photos used.
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