Mo Sanders

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Mo Sanders
Quadzilla roller derby.jpg
Sanders (center), skating as Quadzilla L.K., uses a can opener move on the opposing jammer
Personal information
NicknameQuadzilla L.K.
NationalityAmerican
Born1971 (age 52–53)
Tacoma, Washington
Height6 ft (1.8 m)
Achievements and titles
National finals Men's Roller Derby Association Championships: 2nd place 2011

Mo Sanders (born 1971), known as Quadzilla L.K. or simply Quadzilla, is an American roller skater, who has competed at international level in roller derby and aggressive inline skating, and national level in jam skating.

Sanders was born in Tacoma, Washington, USA. His father often rollerskated to work, and Sanders spent much of his spare time at the local roller rink. Although largely self-taught, he was also coached by Lann Werner, a champion artistic roller skater. He acquired the nickname "Lanny's Kid", the initials of which appear in his derby name. [1]

Sanders began skating on inline skates in 1991, and became a professional aggressive inline skater in 1993, competing in the X Games. [2] In the late 1990s, Sanders spent time skating in California, particularly at Venice Beach, and while there he heard about auditions for RollerJam , a television show based around banked track roller derby. [1] On the show, he was known for his multicolored hair, and for his acrobatic moves. [2] He later claimed that the staged nature of the show "sucked" and he believed that it proved unsuccessful because "there was too much drama, too much scripting". [1]

By late 2001, Sanders was back in Seattle and attracted attention for break dancing on skates. [3] By 2005, he was part of the "Quad Express" jam skating team, who reached the national finals of the Roll Bounce Championship. [4] He subsequently performed at the Hollywood opening of the Roll Bounce film, and this led to involvement with Enchanted , in which he appeared and for which he choreographed much of the skating. [5]

With the development of flat track roller derby, Sanders returned to the sport, skating both as "Quadzilla L.K." and, occasionally, as "Barack O'Trauma". He coached the Oly Rollers, [6] then the Rat City Rollergirls, and bench managed Team Awesome to second place in the national banked track championship in 2008, then Team Legit to take the national title in 2009. [7] He traveled internationally to coach various leagues, [8] and developed both Antik skate boots and Heartless Wheels. [9]

Sanders stood down as Rat City's principal coach in 2011, [10] but he remained active as a skater with Puget Sound Outcast Derby and was a key member of the team which took second place in the 2011 Men's Roller Derby Association Championships. [11] In connection with this, he has appeared in the roller derby documentaries Derby Baby and This Is How We Roll. [5] Sanders also won the "Best Double Threat" title at the Derby News Network's 2011 awards. [12]

In 2016 he featured in an Australian-based skate documentary called “Wheels will land”

Sanders is known for his ability to jump long distances on skates. His record is jumping over fourteen people. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller skating</span> Sport, activity, or form of transportation

Roller skating is the act of travelling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sidewalks, and bike paths.

Skating involves any sports or recreational activity which consists of traveling on surfaces or on ice using skates, and may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inline skating</span> Sport discipline

Inline skating is a multi-disciplinary sport and can refer to a number of activities practiced using inline skates. Inline skates typically have two to five polyurethane wheels depending on the style of practice, arranged in a single line by a metal or plastic frame on the underside of a boot. The in-line design allows for greater speed and maneuverability than traditional roller skates. Following this basic design principle, inline skates can be modified to varying degrees to accommodate niche disciplines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller derby</span> Contact sport on roller skates

Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States.

USA Roller Sports (USARS), formerly the United States Amateur Confederation of Roller Skating, is the national governing body of competitive roller sports in the United States. It is recognized by the International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS) and the United States Olympic Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller skates</span> Shoe or overshoe with wheels

Roller skates are shoes or bindings that fit onto shoes that are worn to enable the wearer to roll along on wheels. The first roller skate was an inline skate design, effectively an ice skate with wheels replacing the blade. Later the "quad skate" style became more popular, consisting of four wheels arranged in the same configuration as a typical car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller in-line hockey</span> Sport discipline

Roller in-line hockey, American roller hockey or inline hockey, is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The sport is a very fast-paced and free-flowing game and is considered a contact sport, but body checking is prohibited. There are five players including the goalkeeper from each team on the rink at a time, while teams normally consist of 16 players. There are professional leagues, one of which is the National Roller Hockey League (NRHL). While it is not a contact sport, there are exceptions, i.e. the NRHL involves fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artistic roller skating</span> Type of sport similar to figure skating

Artistic roller skating is a competitive sport similar to figure skating but where competitors wear roller skates instead of ice skates. Within artistic roller skating, there are several disciplines:

Jam skating is a skating style consisting of a combination of dance, gymnastics, and roller skating, performed on roller skates. The origins of jam skating are disputed, but it is often traced to the Great Lakes region, Florida and California. The style has its roots in traditional roller disco, but has been greatly influenced by breakdancing, artistic skating, gymnastics, and modern dance. Successful jam skaters are well practiced in these different forms and must have the ability to translate these movements while on skates. Jam skating first became popular in the early 1970s and is still practiced.

Roller sports are sports that use human powered vehicles which use rolling either by gravity or various pushing techniques. Typically ball bearings and polyurethane wheels are used for momentum and traction respectively, and attached to devices or vehicles that the roller puts his weight on. The international governing body is World Skate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rat City Roller Derby</span> Roller derby league

Rat City Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2004 as Rat City Rollergirls, LLC, the league has incorporated alternative cultural influences, and has inspired and mentored other leagues. Rat City is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and has achieved success on the WFTDA stage, qualifying for WFTDA Playoffs every season, including a second-place finish in the 2007 WFTDA Championships.

<i>RollerJam</i> American television series

RollerJam is an American television series featuring roller derby that aired on The Nashville Network from 1999 to 2001. It was the first attempt to bring roller derby to TV since RollerGames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose City Rollers</span> Roller derby league

The Rose City Rollers is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Portland, Oregon, operating as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Established in 2004, the Rose City Rollers consists of a recreational program, four adult local home teams, and two all-star travel teams that represent the league in competition with others as well as junior skaters on six home teams with a travel team for Rose Petals (7–12) and a travel team for Rosebuds (12–17). Rose City's all-star travel team "Wheels of Justice" won the WFTDA Championships in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riedell Skates</span> American skate manufacturer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Rollergirls</span> Roller derby league

Texas Rollergirls is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Austin, Texas. Founded in early 2003 and widely credited as the league that started the modern roller derby movement, the Texas Rollergirls were the first flat-track league in the nation to play a version of roller derby using new standardized rules and a track design based on the dimensions of the old banked tracks. As flat-track derby caught on in other American cities, the Texas Rollergirls' rulebook and track design eventually evolved into the specifications that were adopted and ratified upon formation of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in 2005, of which Texas is a founding member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philly Roller Derby</span> Roller derby league

Philly Roller Derby (PRD) is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005, Philly Roller Derby is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Roller Derby League</span> Roller derby league

The Victorian Roller Derby League is a flat track roller derby league based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2007, VRDL provides opportunities for all ages and at all levels to participate and compete in Roller Derby. VRDL is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), having gained membership in December 2011. In November 2017, VRDL became the first non-American team to win the WFTDA Championships. Since 2019, VRDL is the 2nd-ranked team in the WFTDA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Glass</span>

Julie Brandt Glass, known as Atomatrix, is a former roller derby skater, and a former competitive speed skater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puget Sound Outcast Derby</span> Roller derby league

Puget Sound Outcast Derby (PSOD) is a men's roller derby league based in Seattle, Washington. The league was founded in 2007 by Chuck“Hollywood Hendrick, and consists of a two teams, The Puget Sound Outcasts and the Puget Sound Castaways which plays teams from other leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Skate</span> Roller sports governing body

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Alex Cohen and Jennifer Barbee, Down and Derby
  2. 1 2 "Mo Sanders 'Extreme' Style Proves Popular In 'Rollerjam's' Fourth Season on TNN", PR Newswire , October 4[ when? ]
  3. ↑ Kristin Dizon, "On a roll again: Skating rinks are seeing a resurgence of popularity among young and old", Seattle PI , March 21, 2001
  4. ↑ Judy Chia Hui Hsu, "Underdog Seattle jam-skaters in U.S. final", Seattle Times , September 16, 2005
  5. 1 2 Natalie Gordon, "Fun & Antiks 2", Inside Line #4 (June 2012), pp.30-32
  6. ↑ "Quadzilla", MOCORD
  7. ↑ Richard Whittaker, "Flat-Out on the Track", Austin Chronicle , June 24, 2009
  8. ↑ "Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Girls successful in Great Northern Showdown", This is Lincolnshire, November 25, 2010
  9. ↑ Steve Shay, "Roller Derby 4/30 at Southgate Roller Rink, teen girls, adult men, separate bouts", West Seattle Herald , April 20, 2011
  10. 1 2 Natalie Gordon, "Fun & Antiks", Inside Line #3 (March 2012), pp.31-33
  11. ↑ Dainty Inferno, "MRDA Championship: (2) New York Defeats (4) Puget Sound for 2nd Straight Men's Title, 143-133 Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine ", Derby News Network , November 6, 2011
  12. ↑ "DNN Best of 2011 Poll: Results", Derby News Network, January 30, 2012
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