Like many, Ive been thinking about Hall-of-Famer ANNIS JENSEN this past weekend. By the time many of us started watching Derby in the late 60s, she was no longer Womens Captain of the Bay Bombers. JOAN WESTON had been given that prime spot, so here on the banked track was this veteran talent, appropriately nicknamed Big Red, leading the Northwest Cardinals. She was surprisingly powerful and knew every trick in the book, even if she didnt scream for the spotlight. She let the game speak for itself. Wed see her again with the Southern Mustangs, then later shed return to skate with her daughter, BARBARA BAKER, on the ISC Bay Bombers along with ANN CALVELLO & Weston. Calvello made sure Jensen wore jersey #38 on the ISC team since Annis had been the Bombers original distaff leader. While many of us didnt remember her with the Bombers, another generation of fans always associated Jensen with the Chicago Westerners. I feel fortunate to have spent time with Annis & Barbara in 2005 & 2006. Calvello always noted Annis had this very British, reserved demeanor and it was true, but once you got her talking, there was this splendor, something solid, a confidence that emerged. She was the best of the best and thats all that mattered. If others knew it, great. If not, what difference did it make? Another star skater who had once dated Annis husband, RUSS Rosie BAKER, tried to dictate to Jensen how a game would go. Annis would have none of it. Let the skating speak for itself. She was the ultimate mother hen, forever taking care of her girls, teaching them by example and making sure they knew shed ALWAYS have their backs. She didnt like to fight, preferring to skate, but she would fight... especially if an opponent went after one of her new skaters. She was leading the New York team in 1948 when management decided another skater would be better suited for the TV cameras, so off she went to another team. Same thing happened sixteen years later with the Bay Bombers and sure, it may have hurt, but she didnt go public with it, didnt make a fuss, because skating was NOT the most important thing in her life… her family was. She knew the sport was more important than any one skater, a feeling at odds with the evolution of the Bay Bombers in the 1960s. Even after being dismissed in 1965, shed be back with the Derby for the playoffs, doing what she did best. Annis Jensen was a Roller Derby icon, there was no way she could avoid it, but if shed simply been a mother and housewife, she would have been completely satisfied. She was a phenomenal athlete who had an extraordinary life. Being with her daughter in Arizona during the final years of her life was exactly the way it was to be. Nothing made her happier. We can all learn much from Annis Jensen. Do what you do, do it the best you can, hold your head up high and what others think is none of your business. What a lady! What a life! Thank you, sweet Annis.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:53:36 +0000
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