Roller skating is traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sidewalks, and bike paths.
Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States.
USA Roller Sports (USARS), formerly the United States Amateur Confederation of Roller Skating, is the national governing body of competitive roller sports in the United States. It is recognized by the International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS) and the United States Olympic Committee.
Windy City Rollers is a women's flat-track roller derby league located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Juanna Rumbel and Sister Sledgehammer in 2004, Windy City is the first flat-track roller derby league established in Chicago, and is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby, and association of leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition (ULC), but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501(c)(6) business league organization, a type of nonprofit organization.
Kezar Pavilion, located adjacent to Kezar Stadium, is an indoor arena in the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, United States (US). Built in 1924, the Pavilion seats 4,000 people and is owned and operated by the City of San Francisco. The San Francisco Rumble, of the American Basketball Association, and the Academy of Art Urban Knights, an NCAA Division II school, call Kezar Pavilion their home court.
Tim Patten is a former roller derby athlete now a self-published author having seven books under his name.
Joan Weston or Joanie Weston, known as the "Blonde Bomber", "Blonde Amazon", "Golden Girl", and "Roller Derby Queen", was an American athlete and was the most famous personality in the original Roller Derby.
Roller Games was the name of a sports entertainment spectacle created in the early 1960s in Los Angeles, California as a rival to the Jerry Seltzer-owned Roller Derby league, which had enjoyed a monopoly on the sport of roller derby — and its name — since its inception in 1935. Roller Games provided a mostly televised, increasingly theatrical version of the sport. Roller Games and its flagship team, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds (T-Birds) has endured several boom and bust cycles, including a roller derby attendance record in 1972, a major reorganization in 1975, appearances on ESPN in 1986, a TV series called RollerGames in 1989–1990, and a small number of untelevised exhibition matches in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, and the early and mid-2000s.
Roller Game was a variation of the sport of roller derby that was played in Japan by the Roller Game League, established in 1990. Roller Game was played on either a flat or banked track, and on either traditional (quad) roller skates or inline skates. Although its name is similar to that of the relatively theatrical Roller Games, Roller Game was, according to its promotional videos, inspired more by the original Roller Derby—it is a full-contact athletic competition with strictly enforced rules and no staged fighting.
RollerJam is an American television series featuring roller derby that aired on The Nashville Network from 1999 to 2001. It was the first attempt to bring roller derby to TV since RollerGames.
The history of roller derby traces the evolution of roller skating races into a unique sport which underwent several boom-and-bust cycles throughout the 20th century. Although it was a form of sports entertainment for much of its existence, a grassroots, early 21st century revival spearheaded by women has restored an emphasis on athleticism.
The National Roller Derby League (NRDL), also once promoted as Roller Derby 2000, Roller Blazing Derby League and Roller Derby USA, is a professional roller derby league. The NRDL consists of teams that train and compete on banked tracks in the coastal cities of Southern California. The NRDL is incorporated in the State of California under the name Roller Derby Inc..
The American Roller Skating Derby (ARSD) was a professional roller derby league. As of 2012, the ARSD consisted of six teams: the San Francisco Bay Bombers, the Los Angeles Firebirds, the Chicago Pioneers, the Brooklyn Red Devils, the Eastern Chiefs and the Orlando Thunder. Most trained and competed in the East Bay area, but one team, the Firebirds, was based in Escondido, near San Diego.
Fox Cities Roller Derby, formerly known as The Fox City Foxz, is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 2007, the league consists of two travel teams which compete against teams from other leagues. Fox Cities is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
The Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 2011, the league is made up of a range of dedicated skaters, officials and volunteers. The bolts team wear blue and white with lightning-patterned pants. ARDL play teams from other leagues and across the globe, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Mo Sanders, known as Quadzilla L.K. or simply Quadzilla, is an American roller skater, who has competed at international level in roller derby and aggressive inline skating, and national level in jam skating.
The Salisbury Roller Girls (SRG) is a flat track roller derby league based in Salisbury, Maryland. Founded in 2010, the league consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues. Salisbury is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Bay State Brawlers Roller Derby, (BSB), is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in the twin cities of Fitchburg and Leominster, Massachusetts. Founded in 2008, Bay State is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
