So a while ago, NZ’s male roller derby skaters were asked if they’d like to do a fun project to support the women’s Team New Zealand as they travel to Dallas for the World Cup. Apparently we would be doing a “Man-Up” calendar, in which we’d be re-creating classic pin-ups but as our manly selves. (Well, some of us manlier than others; it’s not a word I use for myself very much. ^_^)
The men jumped at the chance right away, especially after seeing some examples on the internet of what this could look like. It was just too unique and funny to pass up, not to mention that we really wanted to support the female skaters. We all work closely with female skaters, after all; most if not all of the male skaters are coaches and refs in predominantly female leagues, since roller derby is as yet a predominantly female sport.
Our plan called for absolute secrecy; we’d only reveal our project when it was fully realized as the beautifully-crafted item that it turned out to be. It was tough keeping the secret for six months. I had to let a couple of people in on it: my wife, who thought it was hilarious (and worked hard to sell advertising and to sell units after they were printed); my derby wife, who thought it was hilarious and who arranged sponsorship from my league; my photographer for obvious reasons; and one other skater because I needed to borrow a garter belt. :p
We got to see a video of the moment that the finished product was revealed to Team NZ, and that more than made up for the effort and the 6 months of secrecy. It was priceless. The finished calendar is incredible, too; Pieces of Hate, the head coach of the team, is an art director in real life and put in over 1000 hours of photography, editing, and putting it all together into awesomeness. Everyone who has seen it has not only laughed at the photos, but admired all the little design touches and vintage flair.
And of course everyone thinks Miss-ter Novermber is pretty sexy. 😉
Oh, and you can get your copy from me if you want one. But you’ll have to act quick, cuz only 2000 copies exist in the whole world, and they’re getting snapped up fast.