Boston Roller Derby

Boston Roller Derby
League logo
Metro area Boston, MA
Country United States
Founded 2005
Teams Boston Massacre (All-Stars)
Boston B Party (Interleague)
Train Wrecks (Interleague Rec)
Arkham Horrors
Cosmonaughties
Nutcrackers
Wicked Pissahs
Track type(s) Flat
Venue Aleppo Shriners Auditorium, Simoni Ice Rink
Affiliations WFTDA
Website www.bostonrollerderby.com

Boston Roller Derby, (BRD), is a flat-track roller derby league based in Boston, Massachusetts. The league was founded in May 2005[1] as "Boston Derby Dames",[2] and was also a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).[3] The league's All-Stars, the "Boston Massacre", have been one of the top 25 WFTDA Division 1 teams in the world since the divisional ranking system was introduced in early 2013, and as of December 31, 2015 the Massacre is ranked at 21.[4]

Like most WFTDA leagues, the program is skater-owned and -operated, sporting more than 70 full-time skaters who both skate and work as part of their duties.[5] BRD currently plays at Aleppo Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington for all home team games and Simoni Ice Rink in Cambridge for its all-star matchups against rival teams from around the world.

In late October 2015, Boston Roller Derby announced its new name via press release, as part of a rebrand "to better reflect the diversity of our community".[2]

Early history

Original Boston Derby Dames logo

Boston Roller Derby was founded by Sarah Doom and Ivana Clobber in 2005 after Doom helped found Providence Roller Derby.[6] The league was formally established as an LLC in the state of Massachusetts by the founding executive board members Andrea Lenco, Sarah Kingan, Alison McAlear, Carroll Cunningham, Eva McClosky, Lindsay Crudele & Rebecca Allen the same year. The league began with a travel team called The Boston Massacre (Boston's all-star travel team) and was followed by the addition of three home teams: The Cosmonaughties, Nutcrackers, and Wicked Pissahs. The Boston Massacre had its first game in December 2005, against the Sin City Rollergirls.[7] The home teams began competing the following year (March 2006).[8] In 2008 Boston added the Boston "B Party", to allow home team skaters to play against neighboring leagues without having to be at the all-star level;[9] in 2012, the B Party became the Massacre's official farm team.[10]

Boston Roller Derby's Training and Recreation program was also founded in 2012.[11] The program offers newer skaters a place to learn and grow on the league, and allows transfer skaters from other leagues to become acclimated to Boston's skating style and requirements before being placed on a home team.

Teams

Boston Roller Derby is composed of four home teams, The Arkham Horrors, The Cosmonaughties, The Nutcrackers, and The Wicked Pissahs; an All-Star travel team, The Boston Massacre; an interleague B-team, The Boston B Party; and an interleague training team, the Train Wrecks.[12]

In addition, Boston offers a Training and Recreation program called TRT, for new and transferring skaters who wish to learn how to play roller derby.[13] It is divided up into two levels—non-contact and contact—each named after a line of Boston's MBTA service. Once skaters graduate from the TRT program, they're eligible to be drafted to a home team and to skate with the Train Wrecks. The TRT program accepts new trainees and transfers on a three-month cycle;[14] the application period is approximately one month before the cycle begins.

Boston also provides a training program for those looking to become roller derby officials;[15] current Boston officials have traveled the world[16] representing BRD and the WFTDA.

WFTDA competitive history

2005

In 2005, The Boston Massacre had its first sanctioned WFTDA bout against the Sin City Rollergirls.[7]

2006

In 2006, as a newly formed team, The Boston Massacre played just 2 sanctioned WFTDA bouts and competed in their first unsanctioned round-robin tournament (Bumberbout) in Seattle, Washington.[7] They ended the season ranked #13 Nationally by the WFTDA.[17]

2007

In 2007, the Boston Massacre earned a berth to the first official WFTDA regional tournament. The tournament was divided into two regions, the East and the West. The tournament was a single-elimination tournament and The Boston Massacre was defeated by the Detroit Derby Girls by 5 points in an overtime jam. The tournament had no final ranking structure. They ended the season ranked #14 Nationally by the WFTDA [18]

2008

In 2008, the Boston Massacre earned their second trip to a WFTDA regional tournament. This time, the tournament was broken up into four regions: East, West, North Central, & South Central. The Boston Massacre finished the tournament winning 3 of their 4 bouts, losing the final Championship-qualifying bout by 2 points to the Carolina Rollergirls. The tournament had no final ranking structure.[19] They ended the season ranked #3 in the East and #11 Nationally by the WFTDA.[20]

2009

Boston Massacre began competing as a separate team at the start of 2009, rather than as collective members of players from each of the separate home teams.[21][22]

The Boston Massacre finished third in the 2009 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament, qualifying them to compete in the 2009 National Tournament.[23]

At the 2009 WFTDA National Championships, Boston defeated the Mad Rollin' Dolls (Madison) in their first-round bout, 104-98.[24] In the second round, quarter finals, Boston was defeated by the Texas Rollergirls (Austin) 111-72, eliminating them from the tournament.[25]

Boston finished the season ranked #3 in the East and in the Top 12 of the WFTDA Nationally.

2010

In 2010, the team finished the season placing 4th at the WFTDA East Coast regional tournament.

2011-2012

In 2011, The Boston Massacre and The Boston "B Party" began to train together. In 2012, the league officially combined the two teams to create the Boston Travel Teams and the "B Party" became the official farm team to the Boston Massacre. The league spent these few years experimenting with the best way to train under this new structure and the team finished the season in 7th place at the WFTDA East Coast regional tournaments in both 2011 and 2012.

2013

In 2013, WFTDA abolished the regional ranking system and switched to an international rankings system. Tournaments were no longer divided into regions and instead based on international rankings. Boston finished the tournament season placing 7th in their division 1 tournament. At the end of 2013, Boston was ranked 16th in the WFTDA.[26]

Rankings

Season Final ranking[4] Playoffs Championship
2006 13 WFTDA[27] — N/A
2007 14 WFTDA[28][29] R1 E[30] DNQ
2008 11 WFTDA 3 E[31] DNQ
2009 3 E 3 E[32] R2[33]
2010 4 E 4 E[34] DNQ
2011 7 E 7 E[35] DNQ
2012 7 E 7 E[36] DNQ
2013 16 WFTDA[26] 7 D1[37] DNQ
2014 25 WFTDA[38] 7 D1[39] DNQ

References

  1. ↑ "About". Boston Derby Dames. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  2. 1 2 "Boston Roller Derby Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary with Gender-Neutral Rebranding". Boston Roller Derby. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Boston Derby Dames (WFTDA)
  4. 1 2 "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. ↑ About the Dames
  6. ↑ February 2010: Massacre vs Providence
  7. 1 2 3 Flattrackstats.com
  8. ↑ Nick Sherman Past Calendar. Retrieved January 13, 2016
  9. ↑ flattrackstats.com
  10. ↑ Boston B Party
  11. ↑ The Training and Recreation Program
  12. ↑ "Teams". Boston Derby Dames. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Training and Recreation Team". Boston Derby Dames. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  14. ↑ Join the Boston Derby Dames
  15. ↑ Boston Derby Dames Officials
  16. ↑ Featured Skater: Intejill
  17. ↑ WFTDA National Rankings
  18. ↑ Womens Sport Report
  19. ↑ Flattrackstats.com
  20. ↑ Wftda.com
  21. ↑ Featured Skater: Shellby Shattered
  22. ↑ Featured League: Boston Derby Dames
  23. ↑ Feelgood, Justice (2009-09-16). "Boston Upsets Charm City To Qualify For Nationals, 156-142". Derby News Network. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  24. ↑ Feelgood, Justice (2009-11-22). "2009 Nationals: Capsule Recaps". Derby News Network. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  25. ↑ Feelgood, Justice (2009-11-22). "2009 Nationals: Capsule Recaps". Derby News Network. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  26. 1 2 "2013 Rankings". WFTDA. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "12/8/2006 WFTDA National Rankings", WFTDA [version of 23 February 2007]
  28. ↑ "Current WFTDA Rankings", Derby News Network, October 2007
  29. ↑ Womens Sport Report
  30. ↑ "Heartland Havoc", Ohio Rollergirls
  31. ↑ "Derby in Dairyland", Flat Track Stats
  32. ↑ "Wicked Wheels of the East 2009 Eastern Regionals", WFTDA
  33. ↑ "Declaration of Derby", WFTDA
  34. ↑ "Derby in the Burbs 2010 East Region Playoffs", WFTDA
  35. ↑ Nightmare on 95
  36. ↑ WFTDA 2012 East Region 7th Place Game
  37. ↑ "D1 Playoffs: Salem", WFTDA
  38. ↑ "2014 Rankings". WFTDA. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  39. ↑ "Rose City Wins WFTDA Playoffs in Charleston". WFTDA. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
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