History of Roller Derby
1932 – Roller Derby is created by Leo Seltzer on a napkin at Johnny Ricketts in Chicago. He was inspired by an article he saw on the popularity of roller skating in America. August 13, 1935 –1st Transcontinental Roller Derby is played in Chicago. 25 teams skate 3,000 miles around the track, a distance equal to that between San Diego and New York City. The winners would be the team to cover that distance in the shortest time. Each team had to travel a given number of miles in every 11 1/2 hour daily skating session. During the entire time allotted for the race, one of the two members had to skate or else the team risked disqualification. A large electronic map measured the distance covered by the skaters. The skaters practically lived at the Coliseum. When not skating, the contestants slept on cots in the middle of the rink. Along with meals provided by Seltzer, the skaters received free medical attention. On Sunday, September 22, teammates Clarice Martin and Bernie McKay won the first Roller Derby. Martin and McKay held the lead from September 11 on and were one of only 9 teams out of the original 25 to finish the month-long event.
1937 - Increase of physical contact is suggested to Seltzer by sportswriter Damon Runyon suggested and the game evolves into what we know today. 1937 - The governing body was named the International Roller Derby League (IRDL) and owned by Leo Seltzer. During the reign of IRDL, skaters took pride in their skating and athletic ability and visibly bristled when anyone tried to cast a shadow over Roller Derby as not being a real sport. "It bothered them a lot," said one former skating employee who preferred not to be identified because of his current position with another sports group. "They really cared about what people thought and got angry at not being considered athletes.” At times there was a lot of showmanship involved, but the skating was always fast and furious. The veteran skaters learned quickly how to sell themselves to the crowd." The skaters were said to get very defensive anytime anyone would knock their game, but at the same time they realized the need to be showy in order to draw fans. 1937 - Roller Games was started parallel to the IRDL, and had nothing to do with the Seltzers. This outfit played up the antics, showmanship and violence of the sport to almost ridiculous proportions.
1950 – Leo’s son, Jerry, takes over for his father and moves the hq from the East cost to California.
1973 - IRDL holds its last official game. Transportation costs (during the gas shortage in the 70s) and low attendance were blamed for this first death. April 1977 - International Roller Skating League (IRSL) is formed with David Lipschultz at the helm. Dec. 12, 1987 - IRSL plays its last game in Madison Square Garden in New York.
1984 – RollerJam was an attempt to make derby like pro wrestling. Joanie Weston's passing in 1997 inspired Knoxville television producer Stephen Land to revive the game with RollerJam. New additions included a figure 8 track, inlines instead of quads and an actual alligator pit. "Its ultimate failure helped poison TV to any kind of roller skating," said Lipschultz. It lasts for 2 years on TNN, which is now SPIKE TV.
2001 - Bad Girl/Good Woman productions (BGGW) is created in Austin when girls working at four different bars decide to put together an interesting athletic event, and come up with all-girl Roller Derby.They form 4 teams and start training. They train for over a year before planning their first game. This first league flattened the sloped track and played “flat track format”
2003 - Derby takes off - Phoenix then New York, Los Angeles, Tucson, North Carolina start training. Flat track format provides less setup and maintenance so the popularity spreads fast and furious due to the reduced overhead.
June 2004 – The Kansas City Roller Warriors are formed. Early 2004 Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (formerly United Leagues Coalition) is formalized Acting as the “WNBA” or “NFL” of the all-girl flat track Roller Derby sport, the new governing body formalized a number of requirements and bout (or game) dates in an effort to formally unite leagues across the nation and to elevate the image of member leagues as women who are world-class athletes and business owners, focused on the advancement of flat track Roller Derby.
July, 2005 - ULC Convention in Chicago 55 skaters, representing 20 of the new flat-track leagues, meet to form a national governing body for all-girl, flat track Roller Derby, in order to create a more cohesive sport with shared rules and requirements for game play.
August, 2005 - GGRD vs. Dairyland Dolls (of Madison, WI) game in NYC the first Inter-state Roller Derby bout east of the Mississippi in over 20 years.
2005 – KCRW holds their first public bouts at Winnwood Skate Center. They soon sell out the rink’s 700- person capacity.
Feb 2006 – Dust Devil Invitational, hosted by Tucson Roller Derby 20 of WFTDA’s 30 member leagues competed in the first ever all-girl Roller Derby tournament in Tucson, AZ. Three days of hard skating produced the first national derby champions, the Texas Rollergirls. KCRW lost to Texas but just one point in an early round of the tournament, placing sixth overall.
2007 – KCRW moves to Hale Arena and holds their home team season and All-Star bouts to ever increasing crowds.
2007 – First WFTDA National Tournament - KCRW turns into the Cinderella team, battling their way to win the WFTDA national championship.
2008 – KCRW moves to Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City entertaining a growing # of fans in the Midwest.
2010 – KCRW places first in the WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament in a nailbiter against the Texas Rollergirls. KCRW placed in the top 12 in the nation @ the WFTDA Championship Tournament in Chicago.
2011 – WFTDA expands and the first International leagues become part of the association making it a worldwide ranking championship. Blood & Thunder Magazine hosts the 1st World Cup in Toronto, Canada. 5 KCRW skaters tryout for Team USA.
KCRW hosts the WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament with great success and places second against the Texas Rollergirls. KCRW goes on to place fourth in the world at the WFTDA Championships.
2012 - KCRW places third @ the WFTDA South Central Tournament, and finishes in the top 12 of the world rankings in the WFTDA Championships.
1937 - Increase of physical contact is suggested to Seltzer by sportswriter Damon Runyon suggested and the game evolves into what we know today. 1937 - The governing body was named the International Roller Derby League (IRDL) and owned by Leo Seltzer. During the reign of IRDL, skaters took pride in their skating and athletic ability and visibly bristled when anyone tried to cast a shadow over Roller Derby as not being a real sport. "It bothered them a lot," said one former skating employee who preferred not to be identified because of his current position with another sports group. "They really cared about what people thought and got angry at not being considered athletes.” At times there was a lot of showmanship involved, but the skating was always fast and furious. The veteran skaters learned quickly how to sell themselves to the crowd." The skaters were said to get very defensive anytime anyone would knock their game, but at the same time they realized the need to be showy in order to draw fans. 1937 - Roller Games was started parallel to the IRDL, and had nothing to do with the Seltzers. This outfit played up the antics, showmanship and violence of the sport to almost ridiculous proportions.
1950 – Leo’s son, Jerry, takes over for his father and moves the hq from the East cost to California.
1973 - IRDL holds its last official game. Transportation costs (during the gas shortage in the 70s) and low attendance were blamed for this first death. April 1977 - International Roller Skating League (IRSL) is formed with David Lipschultz at the helm. Dec. 12, 1987 - IRSL plays its last game in Madison Square Garden in New York.
1984 – RollerJam was an attempt to make derby like pro wrestling. Joanie Weston's passing in 1997 inspired Knoxville television producer Stephen Land to revive the game with RollerJam. New additions included a figure 8 track, inlines instead of quads and an actual alligator pit. "Its ultimate failure helped poison TV to any kind of roller skating," said Lipschultz. It lasts for 2 years on TNN, which is now SPIKE TV.
2001 - Bad Girl/Good Woman productions (BGGW) is created in Austin when girls working at four different bars decide to put together an interesting athletic event, and come up with all-girl Roller Derby.They form 4 teams and start training. They train for over a year before planning their first game. This first league flattened the sloped track and played “flat track format”
2003 - Derby takes off - Phoenix then New York, Los Angeles, Tucson, North Carolina start training. Flat track format provides less setup and maintenance so the popularity spreads fast and furious due to the reduced overhead.
June 2004 – The Kansas City Roller Warriors are formed. Early 2004 Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (formerly United Leagues Coalition) is formalized Acting as the “WNBA” or “NFL” of the all-girl flat track Roller Derby sport, the new governing body formalized a number of requirements and bout (or game) dates in an effort to formally unite leagues across the nation and to elevate the image of member leagues as women who are world-class athletes and business owners, focused on the advancement of flat track Roller Derby.
July, 2005 - ULC Convention in Chicago 55 skaters, representing 20 of the new flat-track leagues, meet to form a national governing body for all-girl, flat track Roller Derby, in order to create a more cohesive sport with shared rules and requirements for game play.
August, 2005 - GGRD vs. Dairyland Dolls (of Madison, WI) game in NYC the first Inter-state Roller Derby bout east of the Mississippi in over 20 years.
2005 – KCRW holds their first public bouts at Winnwood Skate Center. They soon sell out the rink’s 700- person capacity.
Feb 2006 – Dust Devil Invitational, hosted by Tucson Roller Derby 20 of WFTDA’s 30 member leagues competed in the first ever all-girl Roller Derby tournament in Tucson, AZ. Three days of hard skating produced the first national derby champions, the Texas Rollergirls. KCRW lost to Texas but just one point in an early round of the tournament, placing sixth overall.
2007 – KCRW moves to Hale Arena and holds their home team season and All-Star bouts to ever increasing crowds.
2007 – First WFTDA National Tournament - KCRW turns into the Cinderella team, battling their way to win the WFTDA national championship.
2008 – KCRW moves to Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City entertaining a growing # of fans in the Midwest.
2010 – KCRW places first in the WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament in a nailbiter against the Texas Rollergirls. KCRW placed in the top 12 in the nation @ the WFTDA Championship Tournament in Chicago.
2011 – WFTDA expands and the first International leagues become part of the association making it a worldwide ranking championship. Blood & Thunder Magazine hosts the 1st World Cup in Toronto, Canada. 5 KCRW skaters tryout for Team USA.
KCRW hosts the WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament with great success and places second against the Texas Rollergirls. KCRW goes on to place fourth in the world at the WFTDA Championships.
2012 - KCRW places third @ the WFTDA South Central Tournament, and finishes in the top 12 of the world rankings in the WFTDA Championships.
