Gainesville Roller Rebels (GRR) is 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
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
. Founded in 2007, the league consists of a home team and an all star team which competes against teams from other leagues. Gainesville is a member of the
Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
History
The league was founded in late 2007 by Catherine Seemann, known as "Ms. Rebel". She recruited skaters using a variety of methods, including
flyering, posting on
MySpace, and talking to friends.
By late 2009, the league was playing regularly to crowds of around 400 people, and beat the
Tallahassee Rollergirls in an upset.
The league was accepted into the
Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice Program in January 2012, and it graduated to full membership in December 2012.
[WFTDA Welcomes 14 New Members]
", December 3, 2012
In March 2013, the league debuted in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association's rankings at 51, the highest entry by a previously unranked team and the first to debut within the top 100.
[Lex Talionis,]
WFTDA Release Rankings; Gotham Shock #1
", '' Derby News Network'', March 15, 2013
WFTDA rankings
References
{{Florida Sports
Roller derby leagues established in 2007
Roller derby leagues in Florida
Sports in Gainesville, Florida
Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 3
2007 establishments in Florida