Calgary Roller Derby is a not-for-profit women's flat-track

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

league based in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada. Calgary Roller Derby is a member of the

Women's Flat Track Derby Association The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby. It sets the international standards for rankings, rules, and competition in the sport, and provides guidance and ...

(WFTDA).

History and structure

Calgary Roller Derby was originally formed as the Sandstone City Roller Girls in 2006, and restructured as the Calgary Roller Derby Association the following year. The league is skater-owned and skater-operated and is a non-profit organization. In April 2018 the league announced a rebrand and dropped the "Association" from its name, and introduced an updated logo. Currently, there are three home teams within the league: The Cut-Throat Car Hops, the Thrashin' Lassies, the B-52 Bellas. There are two travel teams: the Jane Deere (B team) and the All Stars (WFTDA charter travel team). The Hellion Rebellion were renamed the All Stars in 2012. The Jane Deere was defunct as of summer 2009 and reformed in 2016. Each of these teams has a roster of 14-20 skaters. There is also a Fresh Meat team of new skaters. The league skates from April until September, at Triwood Arena, with charity and invitational scrimmages during the off-season. Skaters also frequently travel throughout the province to participate in invitational bouts. The league was accepted into the

WFTDA Apprentice Program The Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice was the program affiliate of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). In operation from 2009 until early 2019, the Apprentice Program served to onboard new member leagues into the WFTDA ...

in January 2013.WFTDA Accepts 16 Apprentice Members
, WFTDA, 31 January 2013 CRD achieved full member status in the

(WFTDA) in December 2013, becoming the first full WFTDA member league in Alberta. Calgary Junior Roller Derby is the league's JRDA-aligned junior roller derby league.

WFTDA competition

Calgary first qualified for WFTDA Playoffs in 2016, entering the Division 2 tournament in Lansing, Michigan as the fifth seed. At Lansing, Calgary upset higher-seeded

Cincinnati Rollergirls The Cincinnati Rollergirls is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 2005, the league currently consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Trac ...

, Charm City Roller Girls (Baltimore) and ultimately defeated the seventh-seeded Charlottesville Derby Dames 189–165 to take first place in the tournament. The victory qualified Calgary for the Division 2 side of

WFTDA Championships The International Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships ("WFTDA Championships" or "Champs" for short) are the leading competition for roller derby leagues. The Championships are organized by the Women's Flat Track Derby Associatio ...

. At Championships in Portland, Calgary lost their opening game against the Blue Ridge Rollergirls 225–183, but then won a rematch against Charlottesville 252–197 to take third place in Division 2. In 2017, Calgary made their first appearance at Division 1 Playoffs at

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

, but lost to both

Rainy City Roller Derby Rainy City Roller Derby (RCRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Manchester, England. Founded as Rainy City Roller Girls in 2008, the league consists of three teams that compete against teams from other leagues, and a development te ...

and

Helsinki Roller Derby Helsinki Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Helsinki in Finland. Founded in 2009, the league currently consists of three travel teams who compete against teams from other leagues. Helsinki Roller Derby is a member o ...

to finish out of the medal round.

Rankings

* ''CR = consolation round''

External links

FFWD Magazine, August 23rd, 2007 - Women's hack n' slash

References

{{Alberta Sports 2006 establishments in Alberta Non-profit organizations based in Alberta Roller derby leagues established in 2006 Roller derby leagues in Canada Women's sports in Calgary Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 1