Victorian Roller Derby League

Victorian Roller Derby League
League logo
Metro area Melbourne, Victoria
Country Australia
Founded 2007
Teams Dead Ringer Rosies
Dolls of Hazzard (formerly Dolls Au-Go-Go)
The Toxic Avengers
Rock Mobsters
VRDL All Stars (interleague A)
Queen Bees (interleague B)
Track type(s) Flat
Venue Darebin Community Sports Stadium]
Affiliations Skate Victoria WFTDA
Org. type NPO
Website http://vrdl.org

The Victorian Roller Derby League (VRDL or Victoria) is a roller derby league based in Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 2007, the VRDL contains four teams: the Dead Ringer Rosies, The Dolls of Hazzard (formally Dolls Au-Go-Go), the Toxic Avengers and the newest team Rock Mobsters. They also feature two teams, the VRDL All Stars, and Queen Bees, who compete in interleague competitions within Australia and internationally. They are the current first place title holders of The Great Southern Slam, and 'A-Team of the Year' for Women's Health's 'I Support Women In Sport' campaign.[1] VDRL is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), having gained membership in December 2011.[2]

History

Founded in March 2007,[3][4] the Victorian Roller Derby League was started by Cherry Rockette (Mandar Nelson), Betty Bamalam, Toxic Judy, Denim Destructor and Hidden Magenta. By the end of the year the VRDL had 40 members, playing their first invite-only bout for friends and family at the Dandenong Showgrounds,[5] and by 2009 the three teams were competing at 'Puckhandlers' in the suburb of Reservoir.[5][6]

In 2008, the first interleague bout in Australia, Skate of Origin, was held. The VRDL travelled to Adelaide to compete against the Adelaide Roller Derby league. The Victorians won at the end of a close bout.[7] Other interleague bouts over the years have included Skate of Origin 2 in Melbourne, where the Adelaide team defeated the Victorians;[7] the Great Southern Slam in 2010, in which the VRDL won the largest roller derby competition that had been held outside of the United States;[8] and the Canberra Roller Derby League at the AIS Arena in Canberra in 2011.[9]

In 2010 bouts were moved to the Melbourne Showgrounds,[5] and in 2011 the VRDL was both accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice program and gained a new training ground in Preston. The VRDL was the first league in Australia to be accepted into the WFTDA Apprentice program, and in December 2011, they graduated from the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice program and became full members of the WFTDA[2] - the first Australian member, as well as the first member league in the Southern Hemisphere at the time.[10] This has created opportunities to compete in Europe and the United States.[11] In 2011 the VRDL played their first international match against the Hotrod Honeys from the Texas Rollergirls, losing out to the more experienced side.[5][12] In November 2011 the VRDL played their second international match against the Rat City All Stars from the Rat City Rollergirls, again losing to the more experienced team, but gaining a lot of skills in the process.[13]

In 2012 the league expanded to four home teams and two levels of skater development within their recreational league.[14] In April the travel team competed in their first international tournament in Tucson, Arizona. The Dust Devil Tournament is an invite only event, which is in its 5th year. The VRDL went into the tournament seeded 10th and came out with 5th place.[15]

In the community

The VRDL won the Women's Health Magazine inaugural Women in Sport Award for best 'A' team of the year in August 2011,[16] citing the general groundswell of support from the Australia-wide roller derby community for this people's choice award.[13]

They contribute to the wider roller derby community in Australia by holding Master Classes and bootcamps[17] on a regular basis, their coaches visit fledgling leagues all over Australia and are actively involved in the Australia Roller Derby Coalition (ARDC).[18]

WFTDA competition

The VDRL All-Stars represent the Victorian Roller Derby League in WFTDA competition. In July 2013, VDRL was ranked at 31,[19] earning them their first appearance in a WFTDA Division 1 playoff tournament, held in Salem, Oregon September 27 through 29, 2013.[20] VDRL entered the tournament with the 8th seed out of 10 teams.[20] This marked the first appearance in the WFTDA playoffs by an Australian and southern hemisphere-based league. With victories over the Chicago Outfit, Sacred City Derby Girls and Toronto Roller Derby, VDRL finished the tournament in 5th place.[21]

Rankings

Season Final ranking[22] Playoffs Championship
2012 11 W[23] DNQ DNQ
2013 21 WFTDA 5 D1[24] DNQ
2014 4 WFTDA [25] 2 D1[26] QF D1[27]
2015 2 WFTDA[28] 1 D1[29] 3 D1[30]
2016 1 D1[31] 3 D1[32]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "I Support Women In Sport - Women's Health Magazine Australia - Yahoo!7 Lifestyle". Au.lifestyle.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  2. 1 2 "WFTDA Adds Six Member Leagues". WFTDA. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  3. ↑ Brown, Terry (10 November 2007). "Training starts for Victorian Roller Derby League". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  4. ↑ Bailey, John (20 May 2007). "It's a bruising sport, but every day is derby day for the rink and file girls". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Elder, John (31 July 2011). "Bigger than Texas? Not quite, but this derby is on a roll". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  6. ↑ Fonseca, Allyson (24 October 2009). "New fad has girl power on a roll". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  7. 1 2 Wise, Beck (6 September 2009). "Adelaide Squeaks By Victorian Roller Derby, 136-134". Derby News Network. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "Victorian Roller Derby League". Hit & Miss (2): 18. 2001.
  9. ↑ Trail, Jim (25 March 2011). "The Big Reveal: Roller Derby". 666 ABC Canberra. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "Victorian Roller Derby League". WFTDA. Austin, Texas. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Procter, Gabrielle (25 January 2011). "Roller derby league no longer just spinning its wheels". Melbourne Times Weekly. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  12. ↑ Whittaker, Richard (5 August 2011). "ATX Roller Derby". The Austin Chronicle. Austin, Texas. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "VRDL Recreational Class". Melbourne, Australia. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  14. ↑ "All Stars take 5th place at Dust Devil!". Melbourne, Australia. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  15. ↑ "I Support Women in Sport Awards winners". Women's Health (magazine). Sydney, Australia. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  16. ↑ "VRDL Masterclasses". Melbourne, Australia. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "Leagues". Roller Derby AU. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "WFTDA Releases June 30 Rankings, Tournament Brackets". WFTDA. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  19. 1 2 Tallionis, Lex (12 July 2013). "WFTDA Brackets 2013 Playoffs". Derby News Network. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  20. ↑ Wise, Beck. "D1S 5th: (8) Victoria Bounds By (10) Toronto, 208-124". Derby News Network. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Current Rankings", WFTDA
  22. ↑ "Current Rankings - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  23. ↑ "September 27-29, 2013: Salem, Oregon". WFTDA. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "2014 WFTDA Rankings". WFTDA. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  25. ↑ "October 3-5, 2014: Charleston, West Virginia". WFTDA. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  26. ↑ "October 31-November 2, 2014:Nashville, Tennessee". WFTDA. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  28. ↑ Deadwards, Lisa (7 September 2015). "D1T 1st Place: #1 Victoria Takes Gold From #2 Bay Area, 151-107". Derby Central. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "D1 Champs 3rd Place: Victoria Unsettles London, 122-99.". Derby Central. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  30. ↑ Defiance, Brooklyn (19 September 2016). "D1V: #1 Victoria vanquishes #2 Angel City, 143-140". Derby Central. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  31. ↑ "Rollers repeat as roller derby champions". Portland Tribune. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
Preceded by
New tournament		 Great Southern Slam Champions
2010 – 2016 		Succeeded by
Current champions
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