Detroit Derby Girls Prepare for National Championships
Posted on September 25, 2007
Detroit, Michigan—September 25, 2007. The Detroit Derby Girls travel team is gearing up to take on the number one ranked league in the nation, the Rat City Rollergirls (Seattle, WA), at the 2007 national championships of the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association. The championship tournament–called “Texas Shootout”–is scheduled for September 29-30, 2007 in Austin, TX. Hosted by the Texas Rollergirls, more information on the tournament and scheduling can be found at their website, <www.txrollergirls.com>.
The DDG qualified for nationals after emerging as the Cinderella story of the eastern regional tournament, “Heartland Havoc,” hosted by the Ohio Rollergirls in Columbus, OH on August 17-19, 2007. The DDG entered the tournament ranked 19th in the nation (9th in the east) according to the latest WFTDA rankings (compiled in June 2007). After a nail-biting overtime win against the Boston Derby Dames (Boston, MA - ranked 18th in the nation, 8th in the east), the DDG proceeded to pull off a stunning and decisive upset against the powerhouse Minnesota Rollergirls (Minneapolis, MN - ranked 6th in the nation, 2nd in the east), securing their slot for the 2007 national championships, which pits the top four teams from the eastern and western regional tournaments against one another. The DDG did suffer losses to their eastern counterparts, the Carolina Rollergirls (Raleigh, NC - ranked 7th in the nation, 3rd in the east) and Gotham Girls Roller Derby (New York, NY - ranked 10th in the nation, 5th in the east) at Heartland Havoc. These two teams will join Detroit, along with Chicago’s Windy City Rollers (ranked 14th in the nation, 7th in the east), in representing the east in Austin. Not only did the DDG help to turn the WFTDA rankings on their head in Columbus, but the DDG’s own Racer McChaseHer was voted MVP of the tournament by her fellow skaters.
Racer will be joined by a team of DDG all-stars who distinguished themselves at Heartland Havoc as some of the best blockers and jammers in the east. Players like Cookie Rumble, Black Eyed Skeez, Rock Candy, Honey Suckit, KillBox, Vega Vendetta, and Elle McFearsome are well-known to spectators here in Detroit, where they’ve honed their derby skills on the track at the Masonic Temple. These athletes are about to make names for themselves on a national level in Austin. Fans in Detroit will have an opportunity to see the DDG travel team in action after they return from the national championships, when they play the Sin City Neanderdolls (Las Vegas, NV - ranked 15th in the nation) on Friday, October 12, 2007 at the Masonic Temple (500 Temple Street, Detroit, MI). Doors open at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $15.00 and are available now at any Michigan Meijer store or at <www.starticketsplus.com>. This is the last interleague bout before the start of the 2007-2008 DDG home season in November, when the four Detroit teams–the Devil’s Night Dames, the Detroit Pistoffs, the D-Funk All-Stars, and the Pistolwhippers–begin their race for the 2008 DDG intraleague championship. For additional information about tickets and events, please see the DDG website at <www.detroitderbygirls.com>.
The Detroit Derby Girls, established in early 2005, is an all-female owned and operated flat track roller derby league. Over 60 skaters strong, the Detroit Derby Girls are part of the national rebirth of roller derby that began in 2001. Currently, over 40 leagues have formed throughout the US and are joined together by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA, <www.wftda.org>). The WFTDA is the national organizing body that has equal representation from all active flat track leagues in which women skaters are primary owners, managers and operators.
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