Derby Notes: September 2011

News at a Glance

Seven New Leagues Gain WFTDA Sanctioning — And the hits just keep on coming: With these new leagues, the WFTDA can now boast that they have 124 sanctioned leagues. Here are the latest crop of em’, including the WFTDA regions they will land in:

• Auld Reekie Roller Girls – Edinburgh, Scotland (East)
• Des Moines Derby Dames – Des Moines, Iowa (South Central)
• Ithaca League of Women Rollers – Ithaca, New York (East)
• Jersey Shore Roller Girls – Jackson, New Jersey (East)
• Little City Roller Girls –  Johnson City, Tennessee (East)
• Roc City Roller Derby – Rochester, New York (East)
• Treasure Valley Rollergirls – Boise, Idaho (West)

Notably, Auld Reekie’s entry into the WFTDA proper gives the organization a second league across the Atlantic, making it easier for Auld Reekie and London to meet their two-game-per-quarter minimum for WFTDA eligibility; they can just play each other over and over again until more leagues in Europe graduate from the WFTDA Apprentice Program. Once that happens, European leagues will eventually spin-off into the previously-announced WFTDA Europe region.

MRDA Adds Two More Leagues — Not to be outdone by their female counterparts, the Men’s Roller Derby Association has added two more member leagues to their tally:

• Cowtown Butchers – Kansas City, Mo.
• Sioux City Kornstalkers – Sioux City, Ia.

This brings the total number of fully-sanctioned MRDA leagues to 14. Don’t forget that MRDA will release updated rankings by the end of this month, and the top six teams on that list will qualify for the MRDA Championships to be held in October.

Upcoming Events and Top-25 Action

Single games between those in the WFTDA top 25 are sparse this month…but that’s because it’s tournament season, baby!  The top 10 teams from each region as ranked by WFTDA members will be headed for their respective regional playoff tournaments, starting this month.

However, three of the top four regional seeds are taking advantage of the weekend before the post-season begins by playing in tune-up games. In what may be a championships weekend preview, Kansas City (#1 in the South Central) and Windy City (#1 in the North Central) will duke it for the unofficial title of the #1 Central team in the country. Meanwhile, Cincinnati will try their luck in the pacific northwest against the western powerhouses.

WRDN will have full previews of all four regional WFTDA tournament during the week leading up to each event.

Derby Notes: August 2011

The Rankings

WFTDA has released the all-important 2nd quarter team rankings. The top ten teams from each of the four WFTDA regions–40 in total–will be invited to their respective WFTDA regional tournaments. Those outside the top ten still have a small chance at playoff derby this year, but only if one of the teams receiving an invitation decides to decline it. In that case, the next-highest ranked team from within that region gets an invite.

Of note, the London Rollergirls have put on a good enough showing (…or did they?) to be ranked #10 in the East region, thereby punching their ticket to the East Regional later this year. Should London accept their invitation, it will mark the second international participant into the Championships, or the first if you consider Canada the 51st state. Which we all do, really.

Note about rankings: Numbers in parenthesis indicate the WFTDA regional ranking (N1) or DNN Top-25 ranking (10) for that team. For WFTDA regional rankings, a team not ranked in the DNN Top-25 is marked as (NR).

DNN Power Rankings Top Ten – August 2011

1. Oly (W1)
2. Gotham (E1)
3. Rocky Mountain (W2)
4. Denver (W3)
5. Rose City (W4)
6. Bay Area (W5)
7. Philly (E2)
8. Kansas City (S1)
9. Rat City (W6)
10. Windy City (N1)

WFTDA West – Q2 2011
34 sanctioned leagues (+2 from Q1)
26 regionally ranked teams (+3 from Q1)
6 DNN Top-25 Teams (unchanged from July)

West Region Top 5:

1. Oly (1)
2. Rocky Mountain (3)
3. Denver (4)
4. Rose City (5)
5. Bay Area (6)

Also qualifying for West region playoffs:
Rat City, Sacred City, Jet City, Tuscon, Angel City

WFTDA North Central – Q2 2011
28 sanctioned leagues (+2 from Q1)
25 regionally ranked teams (+4 from Q1)
5 DNN Top-25 Teams (-1 from July)

North Central Region Top 5:

1. Windy City (10)
2. Detroit (13)
3. Minnesota (16)
4. Naptown (17)
5. Cincinnati (18)

Also qualifying for the North Central region playoffs:
Madison, Brewcity, Arch Rival, Chicago Outfit, Ohio

WFTDA South Central – Q2 2011
27 sanctioned leagues (+1 from Q1)
26 regionally ranked teams (+2 from Q1)
5 DNN Top-25 Teams (+1 from July)

South Central Region Top 5:

1. Kansas City (8)
2. Texas (11)
3. Nashville (25)
4. Atlanta (NR)
5. Houston (22)

Also qualifying for South Central region playoffs:
Tampa Bay, No Coast, Green Country, Gold Coast, Omaha

WFTDA East – Q2 2011
28 sanctioned leagues (+2 from Q1)
25 regionally ranked teams (+6 from Q1)
9 DNN Top-25 Teams (unchanged from July)

East Region Top 5:

1. Gotham (2)
2. Philly (7)
3. Charm City (12)
4. Steel City (15)
5. Montreal (14)

Also qualifying for East region playoffs:
Boston, Carolina, Dutchland, Maine, London

MRDA National Rankings – Mid-Season 2011
14 sanctioned leagues
11 ranked teams

1. St. Louis
2. New York
3. Magic City
4. Puget Sound
5. Pioneer Valley
6. Dallas
7. Twin Cities
8. Harm City
9. Connecticut
10. Race City
11. Central Mass

Unofficial DNN national Power Rankings are updated monthly, official WFTDA regional rankings are updated quarterly, and official MRDA national rankings will be next updated in September. For full WFTDA regional rankings for all four regions, go to the WFTDA Rankings page. For DNN’s full national Top-25 rankings, go to the DNN Power Rankings page.

News at a Glance

“The Big 5” Tournament Season Details Revealed – With the Q2 rankings revealing the 40 teams headed to the WFTDA playoffs, it only makes sense for WFTDA to reveal the details for “The Big 5,” the four regional tournaments and one championship tournament that will comprise the playoffs later this year.

The schedule and official names of the events are as follows:

WRDN Game of the Month: August 2011

Before we get into my pick for the most interesting bout of the month, let’s play a quick little game.

The game is simple. I’ll list the results of in-region games during the second quarter rankings period for two teams from the same WFTDA region. It’ll be your job to pick which of the teams would be the most deserving of going to the regional WFTDA tournament later this year.

I won’t tell you the names of these teams until after you pick one or the other (and you can only pick one). You’ll only have the points differentials and the regional rankings of the teams they played against at the time of the game to work with.

Ready? Here we go.

Team 1:

• 251 point loss over #2 ranked team
• 199 point loss over #7 ranked team
• 42 point win over #10 ranked team
• 18 point win over #10 ranked team
• 8 point loss over #12 ranked team
• 53 point win over #14 ranked team
• 228 point win over #18 ranked team

Team 2:

• 92 point loss over #3 ranked team
• 80 point loss over #5 ranked team
• 40 point loss over #6 ranked team

Team 1 went 4-3, with two wins over the #10 ranked team, but also has some big losses over teams ranked high in the region. Team 2 went 0-3 against tough competition, but has no other results with which they are directly involved to help with triangulation.

Based on these performance statistics alone, which one of these two teams is more deserving of a spot at WFTDA Regionals? Is this a tough call, or a no-brainer to you? Either way, I’m going to put you on the spot for an answer. Team 1, or Team 2?

Got it? Write it down if you do, I don’t want any cheating or changing your mind before the answers are revealed. Drumroll, please…

Derby Notes: July 2011

News at a Glance

MRDA Announces New Staff, Teams, Rankings – Since making themselves the Men’s Roller Derby Assocation a few months ago, the national sanctioning body for men’s amateur flat-track roller derby has been extra-busy.

First off, MRDA has released a list of national team rankings, based off of the results of games played during Spring Roll in May.  Unlike WFTDA, which has over 100 sanctioned leagues separated into four different regions, since MRDA only has 14 sanctioned leagues they can only list their rankings on the national scale.  The final rankings for 2011 will be released in September, andthe top six ranked teams at that time will move on to play in the first-ever MRDA Championships in October.

Of those 14 leagues, three are brand new, having gained MRDA sanctioning within the past week:

• Your Mom Men’s Derby – Des Moines, Iowa
• Quadfathers Men’s Roller Derby – Utica, N.Y.
• Rock City Riot – Fargo, N.D

As of June 1, the MRDA is accepting new requests for league membership. Interested parties can view the MRDA membership requirements here.

In addition, MRDA has announced its Executive Board of Directors. The new president of MRDA is Erich Bennar (Dr. Spankenstein, Pioneer Valley) and the new vice president, Scott Meyer (Magnum P.I.M.P., St. Louis).  Four other positions have been filled, with two outstanding.  The board’s first orders of business will include new member registration and membership information, league marketing, and finalizing policy for game and tournament sanctioning.

Derby News Network Starts 2011 Fund Drive – Love roller derby? Got a few extra bucks lying around?  Head on over to DNN’s 2011 Spring Fund Drive page and give them the dollars they need to make it possible to bring roller derby coverage to the masses over the Internet.  Every little bit helps, and if you give them more than a little bit, you’ll get some nice swag in return.  What are you waiting for?  DO IT.

WRDN Game of the Month

(4) Denver at (11) Texas

Remember the Denver Roller Dolls?  You know, that really good roller derby team in Denver that isn’t the WFTDA Champion Rocky Mountain Rollergirls? You may have forgotten about them, especially since they failed to qualify for the championship tournament last year after getting upset in the first round of the 2010 Western WFTDA Regional.

Derby Notes: June 2011

News at a Glance

WFTDA Expands Staff – WFTDA has announced an expansion of its paid staff. Janis Kelley, who has previously worked with the Minnesota Rollergirls, has been named WFTDA Tournament Director. In a full-time position, Kelley will help the WFTDA create a “growth-oriented, centralized model” for the year-ending The Big Five tournament season, as well as explore the possibility of adding more tournaments and events throughout the rest of the year.

WFTDA has also created and filled two additional positions. Sarah Hipel has been named Referee Training and Certification Coordinator, and Niki Gallo Hammond as Membership Data Manager. Hipel will be responsible for evaluating referees and making the training/certification process more efficient. Hammond will assist with analyzing and accessing demographic data about modern roller derby. Both will work with the WFTDA on a part-time basis.

ROOT Sports Televises WFTDA Game – In a major coup for modern roller derby, ROOT Sports Northwest, the regional sports network formerly owned by FOX Sports, has broadcast a roller derby game between Bay Area and Rat City to televisions across the pacific northwest. The April 16 game, which was recorded and later broadcast on May 14 and May 26, featured a professional production crew, high definition cameras, and Dumptruck on the mic. (The more things change, the more they stay the same.) The TV commercial for the game offers a taste of what it was like to watch…

WRDN Game of the Month: June 2011

Angel City vs. Silicon Valley

Even though the biggest game in June is the highly-anticipated rematch between (2) Oly and (1) Rocky Mountain, it’s not the most important game of the month.  Since both teams are going to regionals later this year, there’s nothing of significance on the line in that match-up.  Instead, the most significant game of the month—another rematch—has a spot in the playoffs on the line.

In the WFTDA west region, Angel City is ranked #W10, and Silicon Valley is ranked #W11. The top ten teams will be invited to the regional tournament in September, which means Silicon Valley is currently on the outside looking in. To make matters worse, they recently lost to L.A. at Dust Devil, 143-118.  Not only are the ladies of SVRG behind in the rankings, they’re also behind in the season standings.

The girls from San Jose may be on the ropes, but don’t count them out just yet. The game from Dust Devil two months ago was more evenly matched than the score would indicate. Silicon Valley was also without the services of veteran jammer Pia Mess, so the team that lost didn’t have a full roster. This month’s rematch is a home game for Silicon Valley, so the crowd could also play a factor. If Silicon Valley can win big at home, there’s every chance they can overcome their loss earlier in the rankings period and make it into the regional playoff tournament.

On the other hand, Angel City controls their own destiny.  With a win, they will punch their ticket to Portland, OR for west regionals in September.  Even a close loss should still have them come out ahead of Silicon Valley on aggregate.

However, Angel City has one more game to play after their tilt in San Jose, a home game against #W18 Central Coast.  Should SVRG comfortably beat ACDG, the Scarlets will be under pressure to win big against a weaker opponent.  An Angel City loss coupled with a relatively weak showing against Central Coast will more than likely send the Dot.Kamikazes to regionals in their place.

The WFTDA tournament season may not officially start until September, but for all intents and purposes, the playoffs start this month between Angel City and Silicon Valley. The game will take place on June 11 at 8 p.m. PT, at San Jose Skate in San Jose, CA.

Derby Notes: May 2011

Every month here on WRDN, I’ll be putting together a monthly glance at the latest derby news, upcoming action among DNN’s Top 25 teams, and a glance at DNN and WFTDA rankings.  I’ll also pick the WRDN Game of the Month, a match-up between teams that I think will be the best or most interesting to see.  This way, everyone can get a quick summary of what to look forward to in the month ahead, without needing to go all over the place to get it.  (You’re welcome.)

News at a Glance

WFTDA Creates Gender Policy – Finally addressing the concerns of transgendered women in roller derby, the WFTDA has created a gender policy to define exactly what a female is, and how one can get the necessary paperwork in place to make sure everything is kosher on that front.  As this will only affect a sanctioned league’s all-star travel team (the one that plays for rankings and tournament eligibility), home/local teams or unsanctioned leagues will not be affected by it.  The policy will officially come into affect in the new year.

MRDA Championships Announced – In case you missed it last month, the body formerly known as the Men’s Derby Coalition (MDC) has, in their words, “grown up” and rechristened themselves the Men’s Roller Derby Association, or MRDA.  MRDA is now the true male equivalent of the WFTDA, in that they will sanction leagues, oversee all-star travel teams, and organize tournaments.

Speaking of tournaments, the organization has announced that the 2011 MRDA Championships will be held in New York on October 22, hosted by men’s powerhouse New York Shock Exchange. It will feature the top six MRDA teams, with the winner receiving the Athletic Cup Trophy. This conveniently places it between the last WFTDA regional and national tournament weekends, providing a good time to showcase what men’s derby is all about.

If you don’t want to wait that long, you’ll have the multi-game Spring Roll weekend to look forward to this month, which will feature an astounding 17 games between MRDA teams.  Last year’s Spring Roll had an even split between men’s and women’s games; this year, there aren’t even 10 women’s games.

Upcoming Top-25 Action

With the critical Q2 WFTDA rankings season upon us, teams are continually playing other teams within their own regions so they can try to improve their seeding or get invited to the regional championships later this year.  However, one team this month is doing quite the opposite.