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Roller derby ready to jam on 82nd anniversary of Chicago-born sport

Athletes zipped through Coliseum Park on roller skates Wednesday morning to warm up for the 82nd birthday of roller derby, the high-contact sport born in Chicago.

World Roller Derby Week begins Sunday with a birthday party at 12:30 p.m. in the park, 1466 S. Wabash Ave.

Sunday also is the anniversary of the sport's debut - Aug. 13, 1935, at the Chicago Coliseum, which once stood at the site of Coliseum Park.

Chicagoan Leo Seltzer is credited with creating the sport. At one point, its weekly broadcasts were seen coast-to-coast, and a 1972 Comiskey Park match drew a crowd of about 50,000.

The week also includes a blood drive, and will culminate in a retro-style roller derby match in which teams wear classic jerseys from the sport's heyday. It will be Aug. 19 at the Fleetwood Roller Rink, 7231 W. Archer Ave., Summit.

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