The Great Southern Slam (TGSS) is the largest competitive roller derby event in the world,[1] contested by teams from New Zealand and Australia.[1] It is held biennially in Adelaide in South Australia. TGSS was created and continues to be both hosted and run by volunteers from Adelaide Roller Derby.[2] Initially held in 2010, it was the first flat track roller derby tournament to be held in the southern hemisphere.[3]
The first round of the tournament sees teams divided into groups, which play on a round robin basis. Each group includes one of the most experienced teams from Australia or New Zealand, a middle-ranking team, and one less experienced team. The group winners and other teams with the highest point difference qualify for the quarter-finals, and the tournament then continues on a knockout basis.[3][4] The 2012 tournament introduced additional bouts between twelve other teams, and some themed bouts with mixed teams, but these were separate from the main competition.[3]
2010 tournament
The 2010 tournament included fifteen teams. Geelong and Ballarat formed a joint team, while Team Pot Luck included skaters from a number of otherwise unrepresented leagues.[4] More than five hundred skaters were involved in the event.[5]
The 2014 TGSS was held at the Adelaide Showgrounds on 7-9 June 2014. The tournament was expanded again to 45 teams from Australia and New Zealand, playing in two divisions.
The 2018 TGSS was held from 9-11 June, with 48 teams competing over three divisions. 2018 was the first year that a third division was added.
Finals Results
Division
Team
Score
Team
Score
1
Canberra Roller Derby
185
Victorian Roller Derby (B)
138
2
Victoria Roller Derby League (C)
205
Brisbane City Rollers
138
3
Westside Derby Dolls
137
South Sea Roller Derby
113
2020 Tournament
TGSS was planned to be held in 2020 from 6-8 June at the Adelaide Showgrounds but was cancelled due to COVID-19.
2022 Tournament
In 2022 TGSS was held from 11-13 June at the Adelaide Showgrounds. 30 teams competed across three divisions.[8] It was the first roller derby tournament to be held globally since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Division
Team
Score
Team
Score
1
Victoria Roller Derby League (A)
248
Adelaide Roller Derby (A)
66
2
Convict City Rollers
196
WestSide Roller Derby
101
3
Light City Derby
251
Nerdy Dragons
50
2024 Tournament
2024's TGSS was held at the Adelaide Showground and included 45 teams from Australia and New Zealand playing across 65 games over three divisions. Three additional challenge bouts were also played.
For the first time ever TGSS doubled as the WFTDA Oceania Regional Championships, which meant that the first and second place winners of Division 1 will earned a place in the 2024 WFTDA World Championships to be held in Portland, Oregon. Victorian Roller Derby and Adelaide Roller Derby were the first and second placed teams for the WFTDA Oceania Regional Championships.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.