Pitchit

Pitchit has been a rink rat from the age of 7, skating a minimum of twice a week during the school year and as much as 5 times a week during the summers and participating in numerous Skate-a-thons, speed schools and all night skates throughout the years.

At 44 years of age, Pitchit has not stopped skating and still rink skates with his twin daughters on a regular basis. However, in mid-2008 it occurred to Pitchit that there might be more to roller skating than just the rink. Along with rink rat partner in crime Johnny Smokescreen, the two decided that they should start a roller derby team in Tucson. While investigating the local possibilities, Pitchit found 4 very lonely guys who had been skating together for six months. The duo joined into the existing practice schedule and called in the troops from the rink. Together, the group formed a new league, Tucson’s Dry Heat Derby.

In the short time that Pitchit has been involved in derby, he has racked up as much experience as he possibly could. Pitchit attributes much of his skill to having access early in his learning stages to great skaters like Ivanna S Pankin, Trish the Dish, Sheeza Brickhouse, Helen Wheels and Sami Automatic. He attended the 2008 Men’s Derby Conference in Baltimore and quickly earned himself a spot on Team seXY, a challenge team that skated against Team Awesome on the Fremont Street flat track for the 2009 Roller Con and on the banked track at the Team Awesome San Diego Boot Camp.

Pitchit has dedicated himself as a student of the game, participating in many clinics and classes, including Falling & Hitting 101 with the Rev, Blocking & Pack Dynamics with Coach Pauly, Confident Jamming with Sadistic Sadie and Intermediate Speed & Stride with Atomatrix. Pitchit has applied this knowledge and skill directly by taking on Bench Boss duties for Tucson Roller Derby and conducting his own ‘Five Fast Steps’ Speed Clinic at Phoenix’s AZRD on numerous occasions. Pitchit assisted in the development of Default Strategy and currently travels the globe teaching the system.

In 2010, Pitchit increased his participation in the roller derby community by joining the cast of Derby Deeds, a weekly podcast dedicated to current events and hot topics of roller derby.