John Wyatt, 1997 graduate of Clarkston High School, earned a gold medal with Team USA at the Men’s Roller Derby World Cup in Barcelona, Spain, April 5-8.
Twenty four teams participated, including England, France, Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and Canada. The USA Amateur All Star Men’s Roller Derby team defeated England in the championship game, 203-85.
This is Wyatt’s second Team USA gold medal – he earned his first in 2014.
Wyatt has also earned gold medals as a player with the New York Shock Exchange Men’s Roller Derby Team and five gold medals with the Gotham Girl’s Roller Derby Team, New York City, as a coach.
The son of Bob and Christine Wyatt of Clarkston, John currently lives in Los Angeles, Calif.
He is the head coach for the Angel City Hollywood Scarlets of Los Angeles and played on the San Diego Aftershocks Men’s team in 2017.
Bob and Christine were pleased to be able to attend the tournament, and meet members of the international roller derby community and their families.
Roller derby is a full contact sport played with quad roller skates on a flat track. There are many local teams to watch, including the Detroit Derby girls who play at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.
John played soccer in Clarkston and was on JV team as a ninth grader. His interest in roller derby stems from watching the Windy City Rollers, when he moved to Chicago. He eventually became their statistician.
When he moved to New York City, he joined the New York Shock Exchange team. He traveled to England, Australia, and Argentina to qualify teams to be members of the Men’s Roller Derby Association, the governing body for men’s roller derby.