MRDA Preview: Puget Sound Hosts YMMD
19ShareBREMERTON, WA – In recent years, the West Coast has dominated in the women’s flat track roller derby. Puget Sound Outcast Derby (PSOD), ranked #4 in the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) hope to bring the same pain when they host recent MRDA addition YMMD from Des Moines, Iowa, at Born to Skate! on July 2nd. This event will be streamed live on Derby News Network at 6pm courtesy of Blaze Streaming Media.
PSOD has been around the block a few times and are a very seasoned team. They work well together on the track and have some real powerhouse players. Quadzilla will dazzle the crowd with his fancy footwork and his ability to seemingly be in the front and back of the pack at the same time is legendary. Hollywood “Chuck” Bury is the veteran with a speed skating background and is the core of the jammer rotation. The PSOD jammer rotation also includes Scott Slamilton, known to use his acrobatic skills to land well-timed and effective jumps.
Puget Sound is coming off a 2-2 record at Spring Roll, having lost to the current #1 and #2 teams in the MRDA, the St. Louis Gatekeepers and the New York Shock Exchange.
YMMD is a very recent addition to the MRDA and this is their first MRDA sanctioned bout. However, they’re far from inexperienced and seem likely to give Puget Sound a tough fight. YMMD boasts several world champion speed skaters including the famous Muse brothers Tony and Dante, and have previously beaten the #1 St. Louis Gatekeepers. PSOD will have their work cut out for them as YMMD makes their run to qualify for MRDA Championships in New York, October 22.
Born to Skate! Is preceded with a Boot Camp open to all and takes place on July 2nd at the Kitsap Sun Pavilion. For those attending in person, doors open at 5:30 and kicks off with PSOD sister leagues bouting as the Dockyard Derby Dames take on Oly’s b-team, the DropKick Donnas.
11 Thunderstruck // 13 G No-Evil // 14 Ryrod // 16 Sass Squash // 19 Cory Pain // 23 Quadzilla L.K. // 35 Radillac // 55 Corporal Punishment // 68 Buster Fuzz // 71 Grim Streeper //100 Scott Slamilton // 50 Barry Manletoe // 247 Hollywood “Chuck” Bury // 808 MAXIMUS OVERDRIVE
YMMD: Tinkerbell 9er // Peter Pan 3 // Vjjay 23 // Mikey 11 // Tallerina 50 // Sugar Boots // Bubbles 01 // Lilly Pad 4hir // Snowflake 10-4 // Twinkle Toes 5 // Seahorses Forever 7
Skatie is a former Rose City Roller and current coach for the Portland Men’s Roller Derby League. She runs the wildly popular blog Hot Men On Wheels, a blog dedicated to the promotion of men’s roller derby. She can be reached at portlandgrl@gmail.com.
StL GateKeepers Take Down New York Shock Exchange!!
by Evan Exempt on Monday, May 16, 2011 at 9:07pmAfter a year of intense training and careful planning, the GateKeepers returned to Spring Roll in 2011 to earn the #1 spot in the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) official rankings!
Spring Roll 2011 was not an actual tournament, but simply a chance for ten of the eleven (and growing!) MRDA member teams to come together and play three or four bouts a piece in order to establish national rankings. These rankings will be used to seed the tournament for the MRDA 2011 Championship in Long Island, New York, this October. The GateKeepers’ #1 seed will afford us a first-round bye in the tournament (assuming no one beats us by very many points between now and then).
The GateKeepers’ three-bout sweep of Spring Roll included a 201-78 victory over last year’s Spring Roll champion Puget Sound Outcast Derby (Seattle, WA), a 261-56 victory over lower-ranked Harm City Homicide Roller Derby (Baltimore, MD), and a hard-earned 158-138 victory over the previously UNDEFEATED New York Shock Exchange (NYC)!!
Beating the New York Shock Exchange cements the GateKeepers’ name into the ranks of the most respected derby clubs on the planet. The Shock Exchange was founded in 2007, and was the first modern rules men’s flat-track derby club in the world. Since 2007, the Shock Exchange had maintained an untarnished record of 24-0; this reign came to an end last Sunday when the year-and-a-half old St. Louis GateKeepers dethroned the Shock Exchange in one of the most epic bouts the derby world has ever set eyes upon.
Yes, we killed the King!
Read all about it:
http://derbynewsnetwork.com/2011/05/spring_roll_mrda_recaps
St. Louis Gatekeepers 158, New York Shock Exchange 138 — After winning 24 straight games and almost losing their first one against Puget Sound on Saturday night, the very experienced New York Shock Exchange finally met their match in the younger St. Louis Gatekeepers. Just 13 months after their first public bout, the Gatekeepers got a 158-138 win over the team that had won the first modern-rules men’s game in April 2007 and had never lost since.
The Gatekeepers came off the blocks on fire in this one; after four jams (the last a 13-0 powerjam for Bat Wing behind sparkling offense), it was 30-0 about 8 minutes into the game. When NYSE finally got on the board there, it was only a 2-0 win for Rinkworm, and more jammer penalty trouble for NYSE led to a 17-0 powerjam win for Short Knox; St. Louis was up 48-2 on the Shock Exchange after just ten minutes. Fortunately for NYSE, things started turning around at that point. A 3-1 to Jonathan R was NYSE’s first jam win of the game at 17:50, and New York took advantage when St. Louis lost their jammer Debaucherous Prime on the next jam; Rinkworm tripled the STL score with a 15-0 for a new score of 49-20 and Jonathan R added a 19-0 to follow that. Suddenly, the Shock Exchange was right back in the game at 49-39, inspiring St. Louis to take their first timeout of the game.
STL’s Gnat King Kill landed a 4-0 after the timeout; Short Knox kept the momentum in the Gatekeepers’ favor with a 5-0, lapping Rinkworm. New York called a timeout of their own in response with the score 58-39 and 11:05 in the half. However, following that timeout, NYSE jammer Ladies Knight was boxed and quickly followed by Filthy McNasty and Jefferee; Bat Wing had a clear path to a 15-0 and ended the jam with a little jammer action on the returning Ladies Knight. With 8:29 in the half, it was 73-39 St. Louis. The margin stayed about the same to the half — at break, the score was 90-55 St. Louis.
NYSE dropped shutdown jams on the first three frames of the second half, 5-0, 1-0 and 3-0, to cut a little bit off the lead at 90-64. For the first ten minutes of the half, every jam was either an NYSE win or a tie, and once again, New York was crawling back into a game that St. Louis was threatening to run away with — 95-73 St. Louis with 20:15 left in the game. During a lengthy timeout there, St. Louis’ Percy Controll was ejected on a gross misconduct call for an intentional kick.
Debaucherous Prime finally got the Gatekeepers back to their first half form behind a swarming pack of High Pains Drifter, Juke Blocks Hero and Wrecking Bill; the 18-0 jam put St. Louis up 113-75 with 17 to play. NYSE got their next big opportunity with the score 121-80 and 13 minutes left; St. Louis had their box totally full, but a badly timed forearm call on NYSE jammer Ladies Knight on Zombie Jesus ended the NYSE powerjam. Still, though, Ladies Knight got out of it with a 18-5 win to make it 126-98 with 10:58 left. Key NYSE blocker Vader fouled out following that jam to a rousing goodbye serenade from the St. Louis fans in the bleachers. The next jam ended awkwardly when NYSE blocker Wolfgang Von Stomp went down on injury, but Gnat King Kill had already picked up 12-0 before the call and the game entered its last 10 minutes with St. Louis holding a solid but not insurmountable lead, 138-98.
From that point on, St. Louis seemed to play more conservatively with an emphasis on avoiding box time, and it led to six jams worth of small ball jams that only increased their lead by 9 points but drained precious comeback time for New York. The score was 150-105 with about 3:15 minutes to play when STL’s lead jammer Bat Wing was perfectly willing to let NYSE score points on a long 8-4 STL win to kill some clock.
Two jams later, New York called a timeout with 33 seconds on the clock and a score of 158-114. Final NYSE jammer Rinkworm did his best to close that gap when STL’s Bat Wing was boxed early in the going and was able to put up 24 unanswered points in a herculean full-length effort, but the margin was just too large, and St. Louis took the historic win by 20 points, 158-138. — Justice Feelgood Marshall
Evan “Bat Wing” Exempt
Co-Founder, GateKeepers Roller Derby
SIOUX CITY – Roller derby became an equal opportunity sport in the city this year, with an addition that reverses the typical path for team creation.
In this case, a roller derby team of women, the Roller Dames, had been spinning and blocking since February 2008, and the men were the Johnny Come Latelys. The Kornstalker men’s team is drawn largely from guys who had refereed the Roller Dames or were dating or married to team members.
The Roller Dames are nearing the end of a more than dozen-bout season, with only a road contest remaining in May. When at home, they circle a track set up at the Long Lines Family Rec Center. They travel to other cities in Iowa, as well as Norfolk, Neb., for bouts that draw people ranging from the inquisitive to highly supportive.
Andea Buckley, an attorney by day who skates under the name The Annihilatrix, said a big bunch for schoolgirls from third to eighth grades have embraced the Roller Dames, for the chance to see a rare full-contact female sport. Buckley has been on the team since late 2008, and is pleased with how the team has improved over time.
“It has really been obvious, starting at the end of last season and the beginning of this season, that we have really come together as a team. We’ve really matured and I think we’re at a point where we’re going to be playing more competitive teams,” Buckley said.
“We’ve really improved and have come together, and I think a lot of that is because we’ve had a consistent group of girls who are really dedicated and we are really learning about our sport. It’s not just – we go out and play and have fun – we sit and we study other teams, and we study what is going to make us better. We’re a different team than what people may have seen two years ago or last year.”
Four women have been with Roller Dames the whole time – Crystal Huls, Melissa Dittberner, Libby Claeys and Kris Harlow – while others have come and gone over the three years. Through it all, the team has fielded the required roster number of 14 members, and at times the team has grown to 25. The Roller Dames is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, from professionals to waitresses to school workers.
Five skaters from each team are on the track at a time, as jammers try to pass the blockers to score points. Buckley is the pivot blocker, who serves as a sort of coach on the track, calling out plays and setting the pace of the blocking group.
Buckley joined the team to meet people after moving to Sioux City from Lincoln, Neb., in 2007. She figured she wouldn’t be that good, and might not make it more than a few months, but she’s really picked up the intricacies of derby.
“Playing derby is stressful. During an active season, we are practicing a minimum of six hours a week,” Buckley said. “Then you have your own time working out and skating.”
Buckley said she’s glad to have the Kornstalkers as colleagues of sorts.
“They are part of us, even though we are separate entities. If it brings more people to want to watch derby, that’s great,” she said.
The roughly dozen men who comprise the Kornstalkers hail from as far away as Omaha and Sioux Falls, and their first bout was Feb. 19 in Des Moines, the nearest city to field a men’s team in the growing sport. In May, they’ll travel to Indianapolis to take on the Race City Rebels.
Player Rod “The Rodster” Reinsdorph, the longtime Dames’ ref credited with starting the team, along with other ref/players like Joey “Skitch” Prefera, said they picked the name Kornstalkers because they wanted one that went with the three Siouxland states.
“I originally started reffing for the girls, and I’ve been doing it for about three years now,” Reinsdorph said. “We finally got enough guys interested in starting a men’s team. So we decided to do it.”
The team’s strength? Skating skills.
Ryan “Camel Joe” McClennen said he grew up playing hockey.
“So it’s pretty much natural to be on skates. And it’s fun,” he said.
MANarchy in the UK
What is your derby name?
Marty McDie
how did you come up with it?
im big fan of the BTTF film series and driving home one evening, possably 18mph over the uk speed limit it just hit me, like my grandfathers car…
Tell me about your league
i skate for manchester roller derby (MRD) its such an inclusive league, i didnt want to ref derby, and MRD found me (ranting on the internet DOES yield results!) not only can i be part of the league but MRD are activly forming a mens team
How long have you been with them?
i hvae been with MRD since about september 2010
How has men’s derby been received in the UK?
mens derby has a mostly possitive reeption in the uk, there are some who still see us as the “sideshow” but we men embrace that and put on a good “show” however the women really behind mens derby DAMN they love it some even more so than the men on the track!
How many leagues are there?
to best of my knowledge) the leagues are scattered, the main focus up until recently was southern discomfort and N.E.R.D (north england roller dudes) basicly refs from the north vs south, but MRD wanted a “team” team rather than mixed ref’s and other leagues have followed suit
How did you come to derby?
id like to be elitist… but no it was because of whip it… well actually ellen paige… ahem, but my path was :S i found that men couldnt play, so shelved i.. then saw that RCRG (rainy city roller girls) had a local bout coming up, couldnt resist a watch so dragged along two friends (one of which is now MRD’s head NSO) and i was bitten by the bug i HAD to play… somehow…
what position do you play?
i usualy play 3 or 4 someware at the back where i make the jammer earn that first point, but im happy anyware in the pack
what what your most exciting moment playing?
my most exciting moment is deffinatly the tarzan and pain event put on by sheffield steel roller girls, a double header and my first ever full on merby bout, every moment, the warm up, the screams when my name was announced at skate out, the fact my parents came to see what the “fuss was” and winning 253 to 86, when everyone had our team down as “underdogs, but might pull it off” whenever derby gets me down, i think of this day and everything goes back in focus
most frightening moment?
the most frightening moment… there has been a few the one that scared me the most was when we doing a drill of sorts where we hit someone on inside line, and a friend of mine misheard what we were doing, and insted of just reciving the hit, threw a massive counter block, that i really wasnt ready for and floored me… only it was the back of my head that hit teh gound first…, i remember thinking i cant see! i need to get off the track.. and trying to roll into a ball, and not being able to becuase i was shaking.. what actually happned was me curle half in a ball shaking like crazy…. took a moment but i was fine just a smash and a bit of a brain reset moment, but im such a helmet nazi now when we skate, i know for a fact without mine i would be dead now or still in hospital right now… “CHIN STRAPP!!!!!!!!!!!”
what do you do when you are not playing derby?
when im not playing derby im either complaining that im injured so cant play derby, leaving mess all over my awsome girlfriends flat, or geeking out with friends
Anything else you’d like to share?
id like to thank all the awsome people at MRD, specially psycho, mooks n sui for each of them grabbing me and pulling me further into derby, my wonderful teammate and girlfriend, and all MA BOYS! for being as tapped as i am thinking this whole merby thing might be worth a shot.
McDie xx
OX! From Boise’s Capital City Skull Crushers
What is your derby name?
Ox (simple, I know)
how did you come up with it?
I got the name in middle school because I was the only one of my friends that could carry a full keg on his own. It just stuck.
How did you come to derby?
I was actually looking for a wrestling promotion to go work for after moving from Waikiki to Boise. I quickly discovered there are none here, or in Idaho for that matter but there is roller derby. Honestly, I saw it as a chance to keep being physical until I returned to wrestling. I had no idea I would fall in love with derby. It definitively has changed my life forever.
How long have you been with your league?
6 Months
what position do you play?
Blocker
what what your most exciting moment playing?
I’m still waiting for that moment I think lol. So far the most exciting moments for me have been while scrimmaging with my team. Anytime I can jam and trick out our regular jammers I get excited. We big guys got some moves too lol.
most frightening moment?
Going full blast into a steal garage door. It knocked me out for just a second. It’s a bit scary to look over and see your teammates and friends taking a knee, jaws dropped, and bug eyed. Really those are the scariest moment for me, when I physically can’t get up. Luckily I came out with just a banged up wrist.
what do you do when you are not playing derby?
Pro wrestling, college, spending time with my beautiful lil girl, Tessie. I’m also a team member of The Boise River Volunteers, keeping our rivers clean and helping people out whenever they need it. I love hitting downtown Boise! Great place to go wild and have a good time. And anything involving tom foolery, I’m there.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m the newest member Capital City Skull Crushers in Boise, Idaho. We are a new team and always looking for new skaters to join us. I hope the derby world can see how hard all of us are trying and show us your support. Sometimes it can be hard to find.
I’d like to take this chance to say thanks to everyone who has supported me personally.
Capital City Skull Crushers, Shank, Robo, Havok, Obie Quad, Stiltz, Panamaniac, Skippy, PD, Kat, Hazard and KT
The Treasure Valley Roller Girls - You lady’s are my hero’s
Need to Bead - Love you Bump
Action Zone Wrestling - Thank you all for making me a man
American Extrema Wrestling - Thanks for letting me come down
And all my friends and family. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING A PART OF MY LIFE! 
Editor’s Note: As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been swamped the past couple of weeks but I’m happy to share my work on this development has finally paid off. –Speed Bump
IFC, the Independent Film Channel, has signed a limited term contract to begin production of a new roller derby documentary/reality series. The series will be an IFC original production directed by Brutal Beauty producer/director Chip Mabry and will be based in Portland, Oregon.
Says IFC Spokesman Anton Levitz, “Roller Derby is a hot subject these days. Several of our producers have been watching the movement develop for years and Mabry’s film has proven that it doesn’t just play out well as a sport, the passion and emotions are carried to the screen. We’re excited to take that story beyond the seeds that Whip It planted in the American audience and show what these skaters really endure on and off the track.”
Brutal Beauty inspired IFC to move forward with a new series about roller derby.
“Brutal Beauty: Tales of the Rose City Rollers,” released in early 2010, follows Portland’s Rose City Rollers telling the story of the women who participate in modern roller derby and their ambitions & struggles in competition. The film has received accolades on its tour of American film festivals and has received high praises from film critics around the country (see their reviews).
But IFC’s latest project, Brutal Beauty, Whip It, and the number of independent films & projects documenting modern roller derby aren’t new to the market by any means. In 2006 A&E Network produced the reality show “Rollergirls” following Austin, Texas’ Lonestar Rollergirls. The show’s 13-episode run was cancelled just shy of 4 months into airing due to low ratings. Now five years later another cable-based network is hoping to make a go with a similar project. What makes IFC think a roller derby documentary series will work this time around?
“The roller derby market has seen explosive growth in the past five years,” Levitz says, “The grassroots movement of flat track roller derby has brought the sport to more people around the world and the popularity isn’t just limited to those who participate. The “Rollergirls” series was premature in its attempt to reach viewers who just weren’t ready for roller derby and the audience didn’t develop. We can confidently says that these days an audience exists and the behind-the-scenes of roller derby is ready for another chance at television distribution. Plus Portland, Oregon has achieved national interest for its arts and lifestyles attractions so to find a thriving derby scene and a great director all in a place with national recognition, it was like kismet.”
But despite that audience, Brutal Beauty and other films chronicling modern roller derby have yet to see major underwriting or distribution. Roller derby still isn’t accepted into the mainstream sports culture and the major television & sports networks aren’t airing coverage of the sport.
“We learned a lot about roller derby and its perception on tour with Brutal Beauty,” Mabry said, when asked about how he plans to make this latest project survive in a market that has yet to embrace modern roller derby. “People want to see roller derby. They’re really interested and excited about it. But there are a bunch of roadblocks for anyone trying to get into it. So we’re trying something new with IFC and we think the largest hurdle for roller derby mainstream acceptance has been overcome.”
That hurdle? It’s not the erratic schedule or hard-to-find bout tickets most derby clubs offer through poor marketing. It’s not the fast pace of play or extreme difference in mechanics from most mainstream “ball” sports. In fact, it’s not even the overly complex rule set or the amount of impact officials have on gameplay. The real roadblock for most potential fans? Mabry says it’s the characters.
“Rollergirls and Brutal Beauty are both great documentaries in their own right,” Levitz says, “and there are a lot of differences between the two projects and subject matter. But when it comes down to it, there was one common denominator that audiences couldn’t embrace. We asked what we could change and Chip [Mabry] seemed to put his finger right on the issue.”
“I think it’s the brutality,” Mabry posited in response about his plans for character development. “The American audience seems gung-ho about watching roller derby and the spirit and the empowerment and the outfits. But once they see that girl laying on the ground in pain with a broke [sic] ankle or their daughter hauled off the track in a stretcher, that mood changes. The characters- the subjects- are fantastic, but the audience feels too much pain for them.”
The solution? Rose City Rollers wont be the primary focus of IFC & Mabry’s new project. This time they’re turning the lens on Portland’s other roller derby league: Portland Men’s Roller Derby.
“Audiences want to see roller derby and they want to see brutality,” Levitz comments on the new angle, “but they want to see it the same way they’ve been watching it since the dawn of mankind- the brutality we’re genetically programmed to appreciate.”
“It’s different with the guys,” Mabry says, “You watch some big guy get knocked across the room and it gets your blood going. Nobody’s maternal instinct kicks in and nobody cares whether he’ll get up from the fall. It’s like gladiators in the Coliseum- if he bleeds, so much the better. The audience loves it.”
Portland Men’s Roller Derby is a recent addition to the growing movement of male roller derby. They’re faced with many challenges as they work to build a strong core of competitive skaters while simultaneously working to gain entry into the Men’s Derby Coalition. Meanwhile, according to IFC, the Portland men’s league faces obstacles to their growth such as sexism from women’s derby supporters and conflicts with the local women’s derby organization (RCR).
“The American audience is used to seeing guys compete in sports,” Mabry says, “and we’re gonna [sic] offer plenty of that. But we’re still holding true to our documentary roots and building on what we saw in Brutal Beauty. These guys work hard and they get emotional just like the women and we think we’re going to bring that to the surface- that emotional depth of a male athlete that audiences don’t get to see in mainstream sports.”
“We needed a new angle,” says Levitz, “without losing the spirit of the sport of roller derby. We also needed something that would sell and so far women’s derby hasn’t done that. After seeing Brutal Beauty we weren’t sure it could fly but once we caught a glimpse of This is How I Roll, we knew we had our product.”
The project- tentatively titled “Rollerguys”- is still in early pre-production stages but an agreement has been struck between IFC and Portland Men’s Roller Derby. Filming is slated to begin in early May 2011.
“We welcome this project to the family of IFC Original Series,” Levitz says. “In addition to the recent, wildly popular Portlandia also filmed on location in Portland, we think our audience will find what they’ve come to expect of IFC programming in Rollerguys. We think that fans who enjoyed The Henry Rollins Show, Z Rock, and The Whitest Kids U’ Know will find a similar appreciation for the the testosterone fueled, man-on-man action and emotion of Rollerguys.”
“I’m pretty happy with the decision to go with guy’s derby,” Mayberry adds. “Even if it doesn’t fly on IFC and doesn’t reach the general sports audience, I’m pretty sure I know a few other markets that might go for this kind of thing.” Chip refused to make further comment on where he might sell a show about sweaty, grunting men being physical with each other.
Things are guaranteed to get nasty when the South Grand Slammers open up the GateKeepers’ inaugural season against the Riverfront Crimes at the Midwest Sports Hockey Complex located in Queeny Park.
The St. Lunachix are looking to start off the evening’s festivities by laying the smackdown on the Rockford Rage. The Lunachix are coming off a major win in which they eclipsed the 200 point mark in a 206 to 40 win over the Como Derby Dames in January and are looking to continue their winning ways against a talented Rockford Rage squad.
In our main event the Crimes and the Slammers will be looking to make a statement and take an early lead in the standings. Many people believe the Dogtown Rockets are the early favorites to take the Turf War crown but the Crimes and the Slammers simply aren’t buying into the hype.
The Riverfront Crimes are certainly aiming to misbehave. With the potent one-two jamming threat of Debaucherous Prime and Short Knocks coupled with developing jammers The Saint and No Gus No Glory this team has no shortage of point scorers. Add to that a solid blocking corps anchored by Juke Blocks Hero and Holden U’Backs and you can see why this is a team to be feared.
The South Grand Slammers fear no one however and are sure to be a hit when they take the track. With Bat Wing and Gnat King Kill the Slammers are poised to make a lot of teams’ blockers have a really bad day, while co-captains Percy Controll and Double Excel deliver punishing hits on opposing jammers and blockers.
I expect this to be a very tight game with neither team being able to establish dominance. This game will probably come down to the wire. You don’t want to miss this as once that first whistle blows these two teams will be at each other’s throats for a grueling 60 minutes.
Be sure to chime in below and let me know your predictions.
- Star-Spangled Hammer
Portland Men’s Roller Derby makes the sports section of the Oregonian! HELL YEAH! Way to go boys! And the picture is from our first win at Wild West Show Down against Uinta Madness.
Portland Men’s Roller Derby does a little stretching after practice. My co-coach Susan B Anarchy and I are looking on in the background. But not in a creepy way. No, not at all.
New York To Host 2011 MRDA Championships!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2011 - On Saturday, Oct 22nd, the NY Shock Exchange will be hosting the 2011 Men’s Roller Derby Association Championships at Skate Safe America in Old Bethpage, New York
The Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) is the premiere men’s roller derby organization in the world. As part of its mission to encourage the growth and development of men’s roller derby, the MRDA hosts the annual championships.
The MRDA’s membership currently includes the most outstanding teams from across the United States. With only the top 6 teams from the MRDA competing for the title in the 2011 Championships, this tournament looks to be one of the greatest competitions of the year. Only one team will skate away with the Athletic Cup Championship trophy.
More information about the Men’s Roller Derby Association: http://www.mensrollerderbyassociation.com
The New York Shock Exchange is a modern men’s roller derby league based in New York City. Inspired by the flat-track roller derby revolution, NYSE was organized in 2006 and made its public debut in 2007 in a doubleheader bout in Kendall Park, NJ. NYSE is a founding member of the Men’s Derby Coalition (now the MRDA), the largest men’s roller derby association in the world with 11 current member teams across the country.
More information about the NY Shock Exchange: http://www.nyshockexchange.com/
Wrecking Bill from the St. Lewis Gate Keepers!
What is your derby name?
WRECKING BILL
how did you come up with it?
ACTUALLY MY TEAMMATES KEPT SAYING I WAS LIKE A WRECKING BALL THE WAY I KNOCKED DOWN WALLS, SO I MODIFIED IT A LITTLE.
Tell me about your league
I PLAY ON THE ST. LOUIS GATEKEEPERS TRAVEL TEAM AND ON THE LOCAL TEAM THE DOGTOWN RED ROCKETS. WE WERE ABLE TO SPLIT INTO 3 TEAMS WITH ALL OF THE NEW PLAYERS WE HAVE RECRUITED. WE JOINED THE MRDA IN NOVEMBER. WE ARE TRYING TO BRING A HARD NOSED, HARD WORKING TEAM ORIENTED ASPECT TO EACH AND EVERY BOUT WE PARTICIPATE IN. EVEN IF WE LOSE WE WANT THE OTHER TEAM TO KNOW THEY WERE IN A BATTLE.
How long have you been with them?
17 MONTHS
How did you come to derby?
I ACTUALLY HEARD A RADIO AD THEY WERE RUNNING LOOKING FOR GUY’S…I CAME OUT TO SEE IF I COULD DO IT AND THEN DECIDED TO STAY !
what position do you play?
BLOCKER / CLEANER
what what your most exciting moment playing?
WHEN IN OUR FIRST TOURNAMENT WE BEAT TWO VETERAN TEAMS THEN WE WENT INTO THE FINAL JAM OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT AGAINST AN ESTABLISHED TEAM AND ALMOST PULLED OUT THE WIN.
most frightening moment?
WHEN I SEVERLY PULLED A GROIN MUSCLE TAKING A HIT FROM MEGASORASS.
what do you do when you are not playing derby?
I AM A MACHINIST FOR CONOCOPHILLIPS WOOD RIVER REFINERY.
Anything else you’d like to share?
COMING FROM A FOOTBALL AND CHECKING HOCKEY BACKGROUND I WAS REALLY THINKING I COULD USE MY STRENGTH AND ABILITY TO HIT HARD TO ADVANCE IN THIS SPORT AND I AM REALLY ENJOYING LEARNING THE STRATEGY THAT IS ROLLER DERBY AND APPLYING IT TO MY GAME.
FINAL FROM ST. LOUIS
YOUR MOM Men’s Roller Derby shoots to 3-1 on the year with a 116-105 win over the St. Louis Gatekeepers!
Awesome write up from a champion speed skater turned derby hottie!
