Atom Wheels welcomes DANTE MUSE!

1985 - Doug Glass in 2nd, Dante Muse in 3rd

Atom Wheels is proud to announce Dante Muse - the most prolific quad skater on the planet! Dante skated on the US World team with Atom Wheels' co-owner Doug Glass from 1986-1991. Dante went on to compete at the world level until he retired in 1996. Atom Wheels Co-brand, Luigino, is working diligently on a quad plate and boot set to introduce this summer. Dante is a huge asset considering his skating experience and product expertise. Look for more information on boots and plates coming soon at www.LuiginoRacing.com and www.AtomWheels.com


I was born in Ames, IA in 1966. I learned to skate before I could walk at the skating rink my family managed. The rink was destroyed by a tornado, causing the family to move back to Des Moines for work. My parents built the first of 4 skating rinks in 1971. Our house was built into the rink, so I grew up into rollerskating.
I started competing in speed and artistic at 5 years old. I stopped doing artistic at around 11 or 12 yrs old and competed solely in speed. I won my 1st nationals in 1982. I made the U.S. national team in 1985. I became a many time national champion as well as winning 14 world titles from 1985-1994 on both quads and inlines. I competed in my last indoor nationals in 1996. I was inducted into the rollerskating hall of fame in 2003. I traveled all over the world racing and teaching, that is how I met my wife Romina (AKA Stella Italiana). She was a member of the Italian national team.
I stopped racing in 1998 and that is when I was introduced to aggressive skating, which I still continue to do today.
My wife and I run one of our family’s 4 skating rinks in Des Moines, IA and we have a 3 yr old daughter named Lorenza. She started skating at 10 months old.
I am currently a coach for the Des Moines Derby Dames, and just recently started playing mens derby.
I’ve long retired the spendex, but for me, my life still rolls on!
-Dante Muse

Atom Wheels Signs Front Runner - Quad Almighty!

Atom Wheels proudly introduces 2011 Front Runner - Steve Haldeman aka Quad Almighty!

Quad Almighty coaches derby for the Cincinnati Rollergirls and also plays for Harm City Homicide. He founded and captained Midwest Men's Roller Derby and is a member of Team SeXY. When he's not coaching derby or playing he's practicing or studying derby! Occasionally, he blogs about derby. Quad is a charter member of the Find a Ref a Friend Foundation and is an advocate for the humane treatment of referees everywhere. Quad was born a pirate and currently resides in Ohio.
"Atom Wheels are the most important piece of equipment I use. They are without question the most versatile and consistent wheel on the market. I wouldn't recommend anything else."

Atom Wheels Signs STELLA ITALIANA!

Atom Wheels is proud to introduce our newest ALL STAR - Stella Italiana!

Name: Romina Muse
Derby Name: Stella Italiana, #30

My derby name means “Italian Star.” I was born and raised in Italy, where I began speed skating at the age of 3. I competed for the Italian national team, which is how I met my husband, Dante, who was a member of the US team. I moved to Des Moines, IA, in 2003. Currently, my husband I manage a roller rink in Des Moines and chase around our 3 year old daughter, who already holds her own on skates.
I started playing roller derby in January 2010. The Des Moines Derby Dames were practicing at our rink and I began to consider playing derby. Later, I heard that Atomatrix, a friend of mine from my speed skating days, was playing derby and she loved it. After hearing this, I decided to give it a try and was hooked right away.
I currently skate for the Des Moines Derby Dames and will also begin skating for the Oly Rollers during the 2011 season. Additionally, I am delighted to be the coach of Iowa’s first junior roller derby team, the Des Moines Derby Brats. I truly enjoy exposing derby to the youth in my community and love to watch them learn the ins-and-outs of the game.
I am excited for what this year has in store for me. I would like to thank Julie and Doug for allowing me to be a part of Atom All Stars. I would also like to thank my husband and #1 fan, Dante – I couldn’t do it without your help and support.

CONFIRMED- Roller Derby is a REAL SPORT!!

For anyone who doubts whether Roller Derby is a real sport or not, the 2010 Championship bout of this year's WFTDA ‘Uproar on the Lakeshore’ in Chicago put all questions to rest!

"WOW, is the best way to describe the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls vs. the Oly Rollers (reigning 2009 Champions). As co-owner of Atom Wheels and husband of Atomatrix, I have witnessed an abundance of great matches but none that remotely compared to this one!" -Doug Glass

The Championship weekend started off with a lot of talk regarding the Western Regionals where Rocky Mountain took down the 22-0 Oly Rollers. Oly wanted nothing more than a rematch with Rocky as they were handed a beating that weekend by RMRG. However, Gotham and Philly were two of the top ranked teams chomping at the bit to stop Rocky and Oly from meeting up in the finals. Rocky handled Gotham, advancing to the finals and later that evening Philly put up a hard fought battle with Oly with the Oly Rollers advancing to the big dance vs. Rocky in Sunday afternoon’s final bout. Oly, Rocky and the fans got everything and then some with these two powerhouse teams that have taken roller derby to another level. Rocky Mountain remained victorious over the Oly Rollers by a slim one point margin with no time left on the clock...it was a nail biter with several lead changes and jaw dropping moments throughout the entire contest!

This bout had it all… Mind boggling blows, intense aggression, cocky swagger and athletes pushing beyond the normal range of fatigue fighting for the championship title. Not one of these girls was playing for money. Each and every athlete had worked their butts off for months with one common goal...WFTDA Championship bragging rights, and a possible back-to-back title on the line for Oly. The commitment was huge and even bigger when you consider the sacrifices and realize there are no guarantees. Then, add in the risk factors as well, and you have the true meaning behind Women's Roller Derby. No wonder it is the fastest growing female sport in the nation.

Atom wheels represented 100% of the floor during the WFTDA Championship clearly proving Atom wheels make a difference in performance! For two years running the official wheel of the WFTDA, Atom Wheels were being used by 100% of the winning team. This year was an even more convincing with 100% of both first and second place using Atom Wheels.

Atom Wheels congratulates each and every player from the 12 leagues participating for playing their hearts out at this year’s championship. A big thank you and congratulations to the Windy City Roller Girls for putting on an unforgettable championship!

See you next year… Which happens to be November 11-13th in DENVER for the 2011 Championship.

-Atom Wheels - Official Wheel of the WFTDA

A personal note from Atom All-Star and Co-Captain of the Windy City Rollers - Varla Vendetta

Uproar on the Lake Shore is just one week away! We've been training all year for this! I'm jumping up and down in my skates!

Windy City also just returned from a Pacific Northwest tour that set us on the track with Rose City and Oly. Since both are so geographically distant, those are teams we are always extra jazzed to get to know and play, as we don't have many opportunities to do so. Thanks to both teams for being awesome hostesses and intense competitors! And I learned I have a great affinity for both waterfalls and Voodoo Doughnuts!

We set out looking at these bouts as a prep for Uproar: try out some new combos, look at what areas need tweaking, play on the road. Both were really hard hitting games which, in the tradition of Chicago teams like the Bears (heart!), Windy City loves. We like our derby to be physical and were happy both games were just that! Super fun games!

I often hear teams say, "we learned a lot from that loss." And I've certainly felt that in the past: you experience a new strategy or a new style of play and a light bulb goes off. More recently, and from those two games especially, I feel like I learn a lot more about myself from a loss: how I deal with loss internally, how I can work on focus in tight games, how I rebound to make myself mentally tougher. That brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from Walter Payton: "Tough times don't last, tough people do."

Coming into tournament season, I think that mental part of an athlete's game becomes perhaps the most important training on which a skater can work. Her body has trained to be in the best shape it can be to execute by this time in the season. So now it's her head and her heart that are going to be the elements that propel her toward the Hydra. The strength of one's inner athlete is vital to the success of her entire team.

I cannot wait to see that inspiration and drive that will be part of every game next week. It's why the Championships are so incredibly thrilling! Good luck and congrats to all who will be competing! See you in Chicago! No waterfalls, but a ridiculously beautiful Lakefront...make sure you take time to see it!

Varla Vendetta
#25
Co-Captain, Windy City Rollers All-Stars

New 2011 Wheels Available For Purchase!!

All the exciting new Atom Quad wheels have now been added to our Wheels page on the Atom Quad web site and are available for purchase through our shopping cart. Stock up NOW!

OLY ROLLERS VS. WINDY CITY from Atomatrix

Following the BIG NEWS at Regionals, big news being OLY taking their first ever WFTDA loss (after a 22 game winning streak) against the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, people were eager to see what would happen at our next WFTDA bout which took place 10/17 against North Central #1, the Windy City Rollergirls.

Since the day we returned home from Sacramento, we've only had one thing on our mind - Getting ready for Nationals the first weekend in November which was only 5 weeks away at the time. Luckily, we had a perfectly timed bout to put our hard work to use against Windy. The results were right on track with what we we've been working on. Some have said Windy was there to scout, but playing and watching this bout firsthand...that was not the case. They were a classy bunch of ladies playing straight up derby with clean play and hard hits. I remember being on the bench completely blown away at the intestity of this game, from start to finish! Regardless of the score the derby action was phenomenal - nobody walked away early from this bout. It was super fun to bout with Varla Vendetta, a fellow Atom All-Star for the first time.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at Nationals which is now only 2 short weeks away!

Your friend in derby - Atomatrix