Omaha Roller Derby is a flat-track roller derby sports-league based in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Founded in 2006 as Omaha Rollergirls, the league 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 and structure

Omaha Rollergirls was founded in January 2006 by Erica Tremblay with fourteen initial members, which had reached 30 by the following year. Initially holding home events at SkateDaze in Omaha, the league gained WFTDA membership in 2008. In 2011, The Omaha Rollergirls began leasing their own dedicated practice space called "The Bunker". The league currently consists of two teams, the Omaha All-Stars and the B team, "AAA" ("Attendance, Attitude, and Ability"). The league at one time featured two home teams, which played each other locally, called Victoria's Secret Service and the Low Down Lucys. They have also run 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 ...

league, Omaha Junior Roller Derby, since 2011. OJRD consists of two teams: Cadets and Commanders. The Cadets are JRDA level 1 and 2 skaters. In 2019, to better represent the diversity of their members, the league changed from Omaha Rollergirls to Omaha Roller Derby.

WFTDA competition

In 2010, Omaha qualified for the

WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament The WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament or WFTDA North Central Region Playoffs was one of four annual roller derby regional qualifying tournaments for the WFTDA Championships. The Tournament was organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Assoc ...

for the first time, placing ninth in the tournament with a 169–122 victory over

Arch Rival Roller Girls Arch Rival Roller Derby, or ARCH, is a women's flat-track roller derby league in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 2005, Arch Rival is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History Arch Rival Roller Derby was founded as "A ...

. In 2011, they were moved to the South Central Region, and qualified for the

WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament The WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament or WFTDA South Central Region Playoffs was one of four annual roller derby regional qualifying tournaments for the WFTDA Championships. The Tournament was organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Assoc ...

at their first attempt, although they lost all their bouts to finish in tenth place. In 2012, Omaha was the eighth seed at the regional playoff, and finished in seventh place with a 132–118 victory over the Tallahassee RollerGirls. In 2013, the WFTDA restructured its playoffs and Omaha qualified for the Division 2 Playoff 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, ...

as the seventh seed, finishing in eighth place following a 212–189 loss to

Duke City Roller Derby Duke City Roller Derby (DCRD) is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2005, Duke City is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History Founded in 2005, Duke City is ...

. Omaha returned to Division 2 Playoffs in 2014 in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

as the seventh seed, but finished in ninth place, winning their final game 184–138 over

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 invo ...

. Omaha missed Playoffs in 2015, but served as the host league for a Division 1 Playoff at the

Ralston Arena The Liberty First Credit Union Arena, formerly known as Ralston Arena and sometimes as Ralston Sports and Event Center, is an arena located in Ralston, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. It serves as the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States ...

in October of the year. Omaha Rollergirls did not qualify for the post-season in 2018, but served as the host league for the inaugural North America West Continental Cup in late August.

In the community

The Omaha Rollergirls appear at community events and raise funds for charity, including appearances at the "Polar Plunge" to raise money for the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...

, Color-Run, putting on Poker Run's for area charities, Beer Olympics, playing at Septemberfest, Heartland Pride Festival, Community Day Sale, Relay for Life and other events and causes. Omaha Rollergirls was the "Featured League" on the WFTDA website in March 2013, and was voted one of Omaha Magazine's "Best Sports Team" in 2015 and 2016.

References

{{Nebraska Sports Sports in Omaha, Nebraska Roller derby leagues established in 2006 Roller derby leagues in Nebraska 2006 establishments in Nebraska Women's sports in Nebraska