The Kansas City Roller Warriors (KCRW) is a 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

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

that was founded in 2004. The members of the league are split into four home teams that play within the league and two travel teams that represent KCRW in competition with other leagues. KCRW is a founding 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), and the Kansas City Roller Warriors All Star travel team was the winner of the 2007

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 ...

, the "Texas Shootout", which took place in Austin, Texas.

History

KCRW was founded in 2004 by Brooke Leavitt and Mandy Durham, who worked together as

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s. Inspired by the

Texas Rollergirls Texas Rollergirls is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Austin, Texas. Founded in early 2003 and widely credited as the league that started the modern roller derby movement, the Texas Rollergirls were the first flat-track league in ...

, the KCRW

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was solidified by June 2004. That summer, the two and a group of other women began practicing in a parking lot, forming the first practice of the Kansas City Roller Warriors. John Hernandez, a friend of the founders from

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

, became the team's first

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and the small contingent of team members distributed hand fliers to promote women to try out for the team. By the fall of 2004 the team was practicing at a local community center, on a

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. Since its formation, the group consists of more than 80 players and three at-home teams: the Midtown Misfits, the Strawberry Hellions, and the 18th and Vines. KCRW originally held their bouts at the Winnwood Skate Center and Hale Arena in Kansas City before moving to the

Kansas City Municipal Auditorium Municipal Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility located in Kansas City, Missouri. It opened in 1935 and features Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architecture and architectural details. Background Municipal Auditorium was the first building b ...

, where they skated through 2015. KCRW now plays home games and practices at

Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas) Memorial Hall, or Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, is a multi-purpose auditorium located in Kansas City, Kansas. The 3,500-seat auditorium, which has a permanent stage, is used for public assemblies, concerts and sporting events. It was l ...

. Approximately 30 people provide volunteer assistance for each at-home event, including referees, announcers, score keepers and other support staff.

Teams

The league has three home teams: the Midtown Misfits, the Strawberry Hellions, and the 18th and Vines. The three home teams were introduced for KCRW's 2022-2023 mini home team season. KCRW's original home teams, the Black Eye Susans, the Dreadnought Dorothys, the Knockouts and the Victory Vixens, were retired following the COVID-19 pandemic. The new home town teams reflect KCRW's commitment to creating an inclusive roller derby environment for all athletes. The teams' names also tie in KCRW's hometown pride as Kansas City's premier flat track roller derby league. The teams are named after Kansas City's Midtown and Strawberry Hill neighborhoods and historic jazz district, 18th & Vine. The Roller Warriors held their first official season from January through June 2005 at Winnwood Skate Center. The founding season for KCRW drew 800 attendees. Through 2016, average bout attendance has been 2,000.

Travel teams

The All Star team, founded in 2005, is composed of members of the four home teams of the Kansas City Roller Warriors. They compete at a national and international level. In 2007, the KCRW All Stars won the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships against the

Rat City Rollergirls Rat City Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2004 as Rat City Rollergirls, LLC, the league has incorporated alternative cultural influences, and has inspired and mentored other leagues. Rat C ...

. The All Stars won the 2010 WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament and the league hosted the WFTDA 2011 South Central Regional Tournament. The All Stars placed first in the 2015 WFTDA International Division 2 Tournament held in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio. Plan B is KCRW's second travel team, with members from all home teams who travel regionally. The team made its debut in 2011.

Junior derby

In 2010, Ami Geddon and Bomb Pop, both Kansas City Roller Warrior's, worked to grow a

junior roller derby Junior roller derby is the sport of roller derby, modified for children and adolescents up to 18 years of age. The sport is played in both modified-contact, known as "positional blocking," and full-contact approaches, to facilitate safety across m ...

league in Kansas City. They recruited other skaters with experience in coaching and teaching children. Along with Ami Geddon and Bomb Pop, Connie Magic, Jade Lightning, PDQ, Maiden Hell, Damsel of D'tension and Murphy's Law were the team's first coaches. After the first year Ami Geddon left the league and Bomb pop took over until 2014. They had two older teams and two younger teams, plus a travel team. The two teams names were Rolling Thunder (purple) and Starry Fright (green), The travel team was red. Madam McBomb took on the head coach role in 2014, at the time there were 16 active skaters. The following year the number of skaters grew to 34 and by 2017 the league had 50 Junior skaters. In 2014, McBomb transitioned the Juniors program from a summer program to a year-round program. About 10 percent of the youth skaters go on to play for the adult league after turning 18. The league is open to youth skaters ages 8 –17.

WFTDA competition

In February 2006, KCRW sent their All Star travel team to play in the first National

in Tucson, Arizona. KCRW placed sixth in the nation out of twenty participating leagues. In 2007, Kansas City finished in fourth place at the first WFTDA Western Regional Tournament after a 111-62 loss to

. The KCRW All Stars returned to Championships, that year known as the "Texas Shootout", and defeated the

for the title by a score of 89 to 85. All Star Xcelerator was awarded MVP for the tournament. In 2008, Kansas City was the top seed at the Western Regional but was upset in their opening game by Duke City Roller Derby, and ultimately finished in fifth place by defeating

Pikes Peak Derby Dames Pikes Peak Derby Dames is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2005, Pike's Peak is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). League history and organization Pikes P ...

159-71. Ahead of the 2009 season, the WFTDA adjusted its structure, and Kansas City was placed in the

South Central Region In Vietnam, South Central Coast () and South Central Region () are two terms which can refer to the same region or two regions that do not correspond to each other. South Central Coast (sometimes called "South Central Region") consists of the i ...

. At that year's WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament, the KCRW All Stars finished in second place after a 150-73 loss to Texas. At that year's Championships, Kansas City lost their opening round match to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

175-89 and was eliminated. Kansas City took first place at the 2010 South Central Regional, defeating Texas 157-127. At the 2010 Championships, Kansas City lost in the quarterfinals 147-126 to

Philly Roller Girls Philly Roller Derby (PRD) is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005, Philly Roller Derby is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). League history First organi ...

. At the 2011 South Central Regional, Kansas City finished in second place, losing the title game 132-92 to Texas. At Championships, Kansas City finished fourth, matching up again against Texas and losing the third-place game 136-122. Kansas City skater Kelley Young was named MVP for the tournament. In 2012, Kansas City took third place at the final South Central Regional with a 209-169 victory over

Tampa Roller Derby Tampa Roller Derby (TRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in the Tampa Bay Area. Founded in 2005, Tampa Roller Derby is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and league organization Tampa Roller Derby was ...

. At Championships that year, Kansas City was eliminated in the opening round by

Minnesota Rollergirls Minnesota Roller Derby (MNRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. Founded in August 2004 as Minnesota RollerGirls by the Donnelly sisters, MNRD was one of the first 30 members of the Women's Fl ...

244-168. In 2013, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association replaced the geography-based regions with three competitive divisions. With their ranking at 21 on June 30, the KCRW All Star team qualified for the

Division 1 Division 1 or Division One may refer to: Association football * Azadegan League, the second-tier professional football league in Iran * Brisbane Premier League Division 1, the second-tier professional football league in Brisbane, Queensland, Austr ...

playoffs, and competed in the tournament held in Richmond, Virginia, where they placed fifth by defeating

Jacksonville RollerGirls Jacksonville Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Jacksonville, Florida, (USA). Originally formed as the First Coast Fatales, the league became Jacksonville RollerGirls in 2007, and changed to its current name in 2018 ...

199-171. Kansas City finished in eighth place at the 2014 Sacramento Division 1 tournament, losing to Santa Cruz Derby Girls 171-122. The All Stars placed first at the 2015 WFTDA International Division 2 Playoff Tournament held in Cleveland, defeating Demolition City Roller Derby 171-142. Kansas City skater Bruz-Her was named MVP for the tournament. At the Division 2 Championships in St. Paul that year, Kansas City finished in fourth place, losing their rematch to Demolition City 149-139. At the 2016 Wichita Division 2 Playoff, Kansas City finished in eighth place after a 223-119 loss to

Tucson Roller Derby Tucson Roller Derby (TRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league located in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in late 2003, Tucson Roller Derby is a skater-run non-profit organization and hosts monthly roller derby competitions showcasing bouts invol ...

Rankings

Community work

A portion of the proceeds from the league's home bouts are donated to local charities including the Kansas City Police Activities/Athletic League,

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

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, the Rose Brooks Center, and many more. KCRW has partnered with the Mid America Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

References

{{Kansas Sports Roller derby leagues established in 2004 Roller Warriors Roller derby leagues in Kansas Women's sports in Kansas 2004 establishments in Kansas