Roller derby in Australia | |
---|---|
Governing body | Skate Australia |
There are over eighty-nine roller derby leagues in Australia. [1] in women's, men's, co-ed and junior categories.
Skate Australia provides a minimal level of insurance for some roller derby leagues in Australia. According to Skate Australia's 2009–2013 strategic plan, the governance of roller derby is different from other sports affiliated with the organisation. Roller derby lacks state committees, with leagues going straight to the Development Officer and Sport Services Administrator. [3] In 2006, there were no roller derby memberships in Skate Australia. By 2008, three percent of all members were from the roller derby community. [3]
Name | League | Position | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
Amykazee | Canberra Roller Derby League | [4] | |
Bambi von Smash'er | Canberra Roller Derby League | Jammer, blocker & pivot | [4] [5] |
Blockidile Dundee | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
Cookie Cutter | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
Fang Fiend | Brisbane City Rollers | [4] | |
Dodge & Bolt | Coastal Assassins Roller Derby | [4] | |
Haterade | Sydney Roller Derby League | [4] | |
Juke Nukem | Brisbane City Rollers | [4] | |
King Cam | Canberra Roller Derby League | Blocker | [4] [5] |
Ladykiller | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
Muzzarati | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
Rose Ruin | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
Ruby Ribcrusher | Victorian Roller Derby League | [4] | |
Sculley | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
Short Stop | Canberra Roller Derby League | Jammer & blocker | [4] [5] |
Slawta Dawta | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] | |
U Sooz U Lose | Victorian Roller Derby League | [4] | |
Susy Pow | Newcastle Roller Derby League | [4] | |
Tricksey Beltem | Adelaide Roller Derby | [4] | |
XL | Sun State Roller Girls | [4] |
Between the Adelaide Roller Derby's 2007 formation [6] and the start of their first season, [7] the club hosted the first interstate roller derby competition in Australia, Skate of Origin, against the Victorian Roller Derby League. [8] [9]
2010 saw Adelaide Roller Derby hosting the Great Southern Slam – the largest roller derby competition to be held outside of the United States, with 650 competitors from Australia and New Zealand.
Adelaide Roller Derby again hosted The Great Southern Slam in the June long weekend of 2012 and this time boasted over 1000 participants in the main tournament, match play for less experience leagues, and a series of challenge bouts. The main tournament consisted of 18 leagues including two from New Zealand with Victorian Roller Derby League taking out top honours in a repeat performance from 2010 over Sun State Roller Girls. [10]
As of March 2013, there are 31 Roller Derby Leagues in NSW. There are several Sydney, New South Wales based teams including South Side Derby Dolls (S2D2), [11] Sydney Roller Derby League, [12] Western Sydney Rollers (WSR), [13] South West Sydney Rockets Roller Derby League, [14] Hawkesbury/Hills Area Roller Derby, Inner West Roller Derby League, Northern Beaches Roller Girls, and a University league, University of Sydney Roller Derby League. Roller derby is played outside the capital with leagues based in Coffs Harbour (Coffs Coast Derby Dolls), [15] Illawarra (Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby), [16] Blue Mountains (Blue Mountains Roller Derby and Blue Mountains Junior Roller Derby), [17] and Newcastle (Newcastle Roller Derby League). [18]
In March 2012, fifteen women, led by Michael Frawley, started working on creating a league in Wagga Wagga. [19]
There are several Melbourne based roller derby leagues, including Diamond Valley Roller Derby Club, [20] East Vic Roller Derby, [21] Kingston City Rollers, [22] Melbourne Northside Rollers, [23] South Sea Roller Derby, [24] Victorian Roller Derby League [25] and WestSide Derby Dollz. [26] Roller derby is also played in regional areas including Ballarat (Ballarat Roller Derby League), [27] Bendigo (Dragon City Derby Dolls), [28] Geelong (Geelong Roller Derby League), [29] and Sale (Sale City Rollers). [30]
There are at least three Brisbane, Queensland-based roller derby leagues including the Northern Brisbane Rollers, [31] the Sun State Roller Girls [32] and the Brisbane City Rollers. [33] Roller derby leagues also exist in regional parts of Queensland including in Blackwater (Blackwater Roll-Her Derby), [34] [ non-primary source needed ] Bundaberg (Rum City Derby Dolls) Archived 8 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine , [35] Mackay (Mackay City Roller Maidens), Townsville (Towns Villains Roller Derby), Cairns (Reef City Rollergirls), [36] Gladstone (Gladstone Roller Derby), [37] Gold Coast (Gold Coast Roller Derby), [38] Rockhampton (Rocky Roller Derby), [39] [ non-primary source needed ] Toowoomba (Toowoomba City Rollers), [40] and Hervey Bay Rollerz
There are various leagues in Western Australia. Western Australia Roller Derby (WARD), [41] North West Roller Derby (NWRD), [42] the Bunbury Roller Derby, [43] Margaret River Roller Derby, [44] [ non-primary source needed ] Perth Roller Derby, [45] Dread Pirate Rollers (DPR), [46] and Perth Mens Derby (PMD), [47] Swan City Derby (SCD), [48] Perth Junior Roller Derby (PJRD), [49] [ non-primary source needed ] Albany Roller Derby League (ARDC), [50] and Geraldton Roller Derby.
There are five roller derby leagues located in South Australia. Adelaide Roller Derby (ADRD) [51] and Murder City Roller Derby (MCRD) (formerly known as Murder City Roller Girls) are Women's+ leagues playing under the WTFDA rule set. [52] Light City Derby (LCD) and Rockabellas Roller Derby League (RRDL) are both mixed gender leagues, with the latter also having dedicated junior teams for skaters under 18. [53] [54] Lil' Adelaide Rollers (LAR) is a mixed gender junior league. [55]
Roller derby is played in Tasmania, with two leagues based in Hobart, the Convict City Roller Derby League. [56] and South Island Sirens. and Two leagues in Launceston; Devil State Derby League and Van Diemen Rollers.
There are two roller derby leagues in the Australian Capital Territory: The Canberra Roller Derby League [57] and the Varsity Derby League. [58] The sport was introduced to Canberra in 2008. [59] by Bullseye Betty, Dr Hell, Roulette Rough and Peachy Keen. [60] The league had its first bouting season in 2009, and tickets were quickly bought out. [61] By June 2010, the Canberra Roller Derby League was competing in interstate bouts. [62]
In the early years of roller derby in the ACT, the presence of the Canberra Roller Derby League helped change the perception of the sport in the capital from an entertaining sideshow to a mainstream women's participation sport. [60] In 2011, to accommodate the growing interest in the sport, a student organisation expanded roller derby into the Australian National University. [63] In late 2011, this organisation unaffiliated from the University and became Varsity Derby League. Varsity has a strong focus on inclusiveness and in 2014 established Canberra's first (and currently only) men's roller derby team.
Roller derby is played in the Northern Territory. Darwin Rollergirls, [64] based in Darwin were the first league established in the NT. There is a league based in Alice Springs called the Malice Springs Roller Derby League [65] The first modern roller derby bout between these two leagues in October 2011 was entitled Highway to Roll and drew a sell-out crowd. [66]
London Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The league were founding members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA).
Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league, based in Lincoln, England. Lincolnshire is a member of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association's (WFTDA) West Region was formed in 2006. In 2009, teams from the eastern part of the region were moved into the North Central and South Central Regions.
The Dolly Rockit Rollers (DRR) are a flat track roller derby league based in Leicestershire, England.
Adelaide Roller Derby (ADRD) is a roller derby league based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 2007, the league has four competitive home teams; The Mile Die Club, The Good Ship Salty, The Road Train Rollers and The Wild Hearses, and an officiating 'Team Zebra'. There are also two combined representative teams, the "Ads" and the “Rads” that compete against other leagues and are currently ranked 4th and 18th respectively in the Oceania region. Adelaide Roller Derby's home season is held at the Adelaide Showgrounds, and the league is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
The Victorian Roller Derby League is a flat track roller derby league based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2007, VRDL provides opportunities for all ages and at all levels to participate and compete in Roller Derby. VRDL is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), having gained membership in December 2011. In November 2017, VRDL became the first non-American team to win the WFTDA Championships. Since 2019, VRDL is the 2nd-ranked team in the WFTDA.
The Canberra Roller Derby League (CRDL) is a Canberra-based roller derby league. It was created in 2008, with the first bouts occurring in 2009. Canberra is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
This annotated bibliography is intended to list both notable and not so notable works of English language, non-fiction and fiction related to the sport of roller derby listed by topic and format, and then year. Although 100% of any book listed is not necessarily devoted to roller derby, all these titles have significant roller skating and roller derby content. Included in this bibliography is a list of classic texts, roller derby history texts and roller derby local league created materials devoted to roller derby.
Ballarat Roller Derby (BRD) is a roller derby league based in the Victorian city of Ballarat. Founded in 2008, the league has three competitive co-ed home teams, two junior roller derby teams, an all-female away/travel team and a referee team.
Sydney Roller Derby League (SRDL) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in the New South Wales city of Sydney. Founded in 2007, Sydney is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Sun State Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby based in Brisbane, in the Australian state of Queensland. Suns State was established in 2007 and has been a member of the international Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) since 2013.
The growing popularity of roller skating in the United States led to the formation of organized multi-day endurance races for cash prizes as early as the mid-1880s. Speed and endurance races continued to be held on both flat and banked tracks in the century's first three decades and spectators enjoyed the spills and falls of the skaters. The term "roller derby" was used to refer to such races by 1922.
Canadian roller derby leagues at one point were welcomed to join the Canadian Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Association, which in January 2012 renamed itself the Roller Derby Association of Canada. The Toronto Roller Derby League is the largest flat-track derby league in Canada. Many roller derby leagues enjoy support from their national skate federations, including Roller Sports Canada.
Sioux Falls Roller Dollz (SFRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Founded in 2006, the league currently consists of two teams, and two mixed teams which compete against teams from other leagues. Sioux Falls is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Twister City Roller Derby (TCRD) is a flat-track roller derby league based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Founded in 2007, the league currently consists of two competitive teams which compete internationally against teams from other leagues, as well as home teams.
Copenhagen Roller Derby (CRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 2009, the league consists of two teams, which compete against teams from other leagues. Copenhagen Roller Derby is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby (WIRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in New South Wales, Australia. Founded by the referee Sintax in January 2009, it consisted of two home teams, the Vipers and Vixens, plus a mixed travel team. From January 2013 the league pared back to two teams, an A- and B-level travel team known as the Steel City Derby Dolls.
South Sea Roller Derby (SSRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in south-eastern Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. South Sea has two travel teams that play teams from other leagues. South Sea is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
This Is Roller Derby is a 2011 Australian documentary film by Daniel Hayward on four Australian roller derby teams over the course of a season.