Bear City Roller Derby (BCRD) is a flat track

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

league based in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Founded in 2008, Bear City 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, and association of leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Co ...

(WFTDA).

History

The league was founded as the Berlin Bombshells, although it now reserves that name for its interleague bouting team. It was the second roller derby league in Germany, and was assisted in its early development by the first league, the Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz. In its early days, it was thrown out of its practice hall by Berlin's sports department; the team decided to take legal action to regain access to a public practice space.Marta Popowska, "A short history of roller derby in Europe", ''Blood and Thunder'' #15, pp.18-23 The league was given a boost when Diane Rott transferred from the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls. It competed in the first roller derby bout between two German leagues, against the Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz in 2009. In the same year, it competed in "Roll Britannia", the first roller derby tournament in Europe, while in December it hosted the first European Roller Derby Organisational Conference (EROC).About
, Bear City Roller Derby Bear City hosted the first German Roller Derby Championship, held in December 2010, losing 124-128 to Stuttgart in the final. In July 2016, the league announced it had officially changed the name of the organization to Bear City Roller Derby.

WFTDA competition

In October 2010, the league was accepted as an apprentice member of the WFTDA. By May 2011, it had more than 60 skaters. In March 2012, Bear City Roller Derby became the WFTDA’s first full member league in

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. In 2014, Bear City competed at the

WFTDA Division 2 The Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 2 (WFTDA Division 2) was the second-highest level of play in women's flat track roller derby from 2013 through 2017. Comprising different structures over that time, in early 2018 the Women's Flat Tr ...

Playoffs in

Kitchener-Waterloo The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumf ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, where they placed second to Rideau Valley Roller Girls. This playoff appearance was the first in WFTDA history by a team from continental Europe. Later that year they made their debut at the 2014

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 organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association ...

, where they placed third in Division 2. In 2015, Bear City returned to Division 2 Playoffs in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, entering as the tenth seed and finishing in sixth place. In 2016 Bear City again qualified for Division 2 Playoffs as the eighth seed in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

, and finished in fifth place with a 177-153 victory over

Tri-City Roller Derby Tri-City Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Kitchener, Ontario. On December 1, 2010, Tri-City became the third Canadian roller derby league to be granted membership in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, Having only ...

. Bear City again qualified for the Division 2 Playoffs and Championship in 2017 as the #14 seed in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, losing their opening game to

Paris Rollergirls Paris Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Paris, France. Founded in February 2010, the league currently consists of a single team which competes against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat ...

205-152. Bear City rebounded with a 275-253 win in overtime against

Pirate City Rollers Pirate City Rollers is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Auckland. Founded in 2006, the league is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and organization Pirate City founded by Black Dahlia, who had ...

, followed by a 207-187 loss to

E-Ville Roller Derby E-Ville Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 2006, E-Ville is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and organization E-Ville Roller Derby was fo ...

. On day 3 Bear City fell 176-155 to

Ohio Roller Derby Ohio Roller Derby (OHRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 2005, the league currently consists of two mixed teams which compete against teams from other leagues. Ohio Roller Derby is a founding membe ...

to finish in tenth place. At the 2018 WFTDA Playoffs in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Bear City was the twelfth seed and ended their weekend with a tight consolation round victory over

Queen City Roller Girls Queen City Roller Derby or QCRD, is the flat-track roller derby league based in Buffalo, New York. Founded as Queen City Roller Derby in 2006, the league is scheduled to play its fourteenth season in 2020. QCRD is a member of the Women's Flat ...

, 218-212.

Rankings

* ''CR = consolation round''

References

External links

* * * {{WFTDA Division 2 Roller derby leagues in Germany Sport in Berlin Roller derby leagues established in 2008 Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 2 2008 establishments in Germany Women in Berlin