The Des Moines Derby Dames (D3) was a women's 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

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

. The league was founded in 2009 and was the second roller derby league in the Des Moines area. The Des Moines Derby Dames was 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). The league ceased operations at the end of 2014.

History and organization

Des Moines Derby Dames was composed of two teams: the Des Moines Derby Dames and the Crash Test Dolls. The Des Moines Derby Dames team was considered the all-star travel team for the league. The Des Moines Derby Dames skated their first competitive bout on April 3, 2010 in a loss to Iowa City's Old Capitol City Roller Girls. D3 played their first home bout in front of a sold-out crowd at the Val Air Ballroom in

West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the ...

. After consideration for their fans, D3 decided to move to the 7 Flags Event Center in

Clive, Iowa Clive is a city in Dallas and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 18,601. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clive is known for its Greenbelt Park and ...

. The Dames highlighted their season with a victory at home over the Omaha Rollergirls AAA, the "B" team for the

Omaha Rollergirls Omaha Roller Derby is a flat-track roller derby sports-league based in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 2006 as Omaha Rollergirls, the league is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and structure Omaha Rollergirls wa ...

. On October 5, 2010, the Des Moines Derby Dames joined 9 other leagues around the world as a

Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice The Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice is 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. ...

League. On September 1, 2011, the Des Moines Derby Dames graduated from Apprentice status to become the first full WFTDA league in the state of Iowa. The Des Moines Derby Dames league experienced rapid growth after the completion of their first competitive season. In order to get more skaters actively bouting, a second home team was created. The team was named the Crash Test Dolls in a fan voting contest. The Crash Test Dolls were officially formed in late 2010 and began competition in the 2011 season. The first bout of the 2011 campaign was played at the Jacobson Exhibition Center at the

Iowa State Fairgrounds The Iowa State Fairgrounds is located on the east side of Des Moines, Iowa. It annually hosts the Iowa State Fair in late summer. The state fair was begun in Iowa in 1854 and the current fairgrounds were established in 1886. The fairgrounds wer ...

. In that bout, the largest crowd to ever watch roller derby in Iowa saw the Des Moines Derby Dames defeat the Quad City Rollers, 187-67. This bout also featured the debut of the first men's roller derby team in Des Moines: Your Mom Men's Derby. The Des Moines Derby Dames continued to sell out games and build their fan base in the Des Moines area. The 2011 season was highlighted by a win over the Kansas City Roller Warriors Plan B and a win over the

Babe City Rollers The Babe City Rollers is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded in 2009, Babe City is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and organization The league was founded in 2009 b ...

, D3's first win over a WFTDA league. The Des Moines Derby Dames entered their first full season as a WFTDA league in February 2012. The team scheduled games against

and the Chicago Outfit Shade Brigade, among others. A bout was also staged against the

Mid Iowa Rollers The Mid Iowa Rollers is a roller derby league based in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded in 2006, the league currently consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues. The league was founded by Jamie "Dangerous" Daugharthy, after s ...

, marking the first time the two Des Moines leagues had met. Mid Iowa defeated the Des Moines Derby Dames, 206-99. The Des Moines Derby Dames record in 2012 was 6-7. The Crash Test Dolls finished the year with a record of 8-3. In August 2012, the Des Moines Derby Dames were granted full non-profit status and were designated a 501 (c)(3) organization. The Des Moines Derby Dames often gave portions of profits from home bouts to area charities such as the

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...

, Youth Emergency Services and Shelter, and

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...

. In 2013, the Des Moines Derby Dames looked to rebuild after the retirements of key players. The team posted a 4-4 record in the spring season, including a win over the

, 182-152. The Crash Test Dolls won six games in a row to finish the spring season with a 6-2 record. In March 2013, the WFTDA announced that the Des Moines Derby Dames had been selected to host the first of two inaugural Division 2 Playoffs. The tournament was held August 16–18 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Ten teams from around the United States participated in the tournament for the opportunity to play for the Division 2 championship at the WFTDA Championships in Milwaukee in November 2013.

WFTDA rankings

League dissolution and merger

Due to dwindling numbers of skaters and financial restrictions, the Des Moines Derby Dames Board of Directors voted to dissolve the teams and league at the end of 2014. With the hopes of building a larger, more competitive team in Des Moines, the Des Moines Derby Dames league members were absorbed by former rival league,

Team United Roller Derby 'Des Moines Roller Derby (DMRD)'', formerly known as Team United Roller Derby (TURD), is a flat track roller derby league located in Des Moines, Iowa. It consists of two travel teams: a WFTDA charter team, and an Open Division all gender team. DM ...

. In late 2015, the newly merged team would go on to become the first Iowa women's roller derby team participate in the WFTDA playoffs.

References

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External links

Des Moines Derby Dames Official Website (No longer active)Des Moines Derby Dames Facebook page
Former Women's Flat Track Derby Association leagues Roller derby leagues established in 2009 Roller derby leagues in Iowa Sports in Des Moines, Iowa 2009 establishments in Iowa 2015 disestablishments in Iowa Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 2015