Texas Rollergirls 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
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. 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 nation to play a version of roller derby using new standardized rules and a track design based on the dimensions of the old banked tracks.
[Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track, by Melissa Joulwan](_blank)
/ref> As flat-track derby caught on in other American cities, the Texas Rollergirls' rulebook and track design eventually evolved into the specifications that were adopted and ratified upon formation 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) in 2005, of which Texas is a founding member.
The league consists of four home teams that play within the league and sometimes compete with member teams from other WFTDA leagues. The Texas Rollergirls all-star travel team, the Texecutioners, represents the league in WFTDA competitions and tournaments with other leagues. The Texas Rollergirls were the first winners of the 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 ( ...
in 2006.
Early history
The founding skaters of the Texas Rollergirls were originally affiliated with an Austin, Texas, roller derby organization known as Bad Girl Good Woman Productions (BGGW), which formed after an aborted attempt by Daniel Eduardo "Devil Dan" Policarpo, an Austin-based musician, to start a modern roller derby-themed enterprise. BGGW formed as the first all-female roller derby organization.
The first public exhibition was held at Playland Skate Center in Austin on June 23, 2002, in front of 350 fans, with a follow-up event held in August before double the number of people. The final event of 2002 sold out at 1200 tickets, and hundreds of people had to be turned away. A March 2003 doubleheader at the Austin Music Hall during South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
featured the band Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Initially called Hell's Half-Acre, the band's name comes from Ted Nugent's introduction to "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" on the ''Double Live Gonzo'' album.
Following the initial 1 ...
for entertainment.
By April, approximately 80% of the skaters left BGGW, taking three of the extant four teams with them, to form Texas Rollergirls Rock-n-Rollerderby, while the remaining skaters recruited new members to found the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls
Texas Roller Derby (TXRD), formerly known as Texas Lonestar Rollergirls, is a banked-track roller derby league based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2001, TXRD is one of several leagues considered responsible for the modern roller derby revival. ...
. The nascent Texas Rollergirls announced their first bout in April 2003 at Playland Skate Center, and in July of that year surpassed attendance levels previously under the BGGW name.
The Texas Rollergirls continued to develop and play a flat track game that spread to other cities and became the basis of the game now fostered by WFTDA, while the Lonestar Rollergirls developed their own version of a roller derby game played on a banked track. The reasons and events leading up to the departure of the founding members of Texas Rollergirls are documented in the 2007 film ''Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the First transcontinental railroad in 186 ...
''.
In November 2004, Texas took part in the first true interleague games of the modern era, taking on Arizona Roller Derby
Arizona Roller Derby is Arizona's first all female roller derby league. It was founded in 2003 making it one of the oldest resurgence roller derby leagues in America. Arizona Roller Derby, abbreviated as AZRD, is one of the founding members of th ...
and 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 ...
(Tucson and Arizona had a loose affiliation at the time). Texas defeated Tucson's Saddletramps 110-70.
In 2007, Texas hosted the second 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 ( ...
at the Austin Convention Center
The Neal Kocurek Memorial Austin Convention Center is a multi-purpose convention center located in Austin, Texas. The building is the home of the Texas Rollergirls, and was also home to the Austin Toros basketball team, until their move to the Ce ...
, at which they placed third, while the Kansas City Roller Warriors
The Kansas City Roller Warriors (KCRW) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Kansas City, Kansas 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 th ...
won.
Influence on the derby revival and WFTDA
Texas Rollergirls, the first flat-track roller derby league, has had major influence on the evolution and growth of the sport. Texas is credited with directly inspiring the formation of WFTDA-founding member leagues in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
, and Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, among countless others. The track and rules used by the WFTDA were originally defined by the Texas Rollergirls, and even the Hydra Trophy
The Hydra Trophy is the trophy awarded to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) team that wins the WFTDA Championship Tournament at the conclusion of every WFTDA roller derby season.
Named in honor of Hydra, founding member of the WF ...
, awarded annually to the winner of the 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 ( ...
, is named after founding member (and the first WFTDA president) Jennifer "Hydra" Wilson.
Teams
The home teams of the Texas Rollergirls are the Hell Marys, the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers, the Hotrod Honeys, and the Hustlers.
In 2007, Texas Rollergirls began supporting and training additional skaters who were interested in playing flat track derby more informally and recreationally. In addition to the main WFTDA league, the Texas Rollergirls Rec 'n' Rollerderby league consists of over 50 recreational skaters who compete with one another in informal flat-track games in Austin.
During 2018, the league announced it was renaming its travel B teams as the Texas Chainsaws.
WFTDA competition
Texas Rollergirls, represented by the Texecutioners, won the first 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 ( ...
, the "Dust Devil" tournament, in 2006.
In 2007, the WFTDA began hosting regional playoffs to qualify for championships, and at the first WFTDA Western Regional Tournament
The WFTDA Western Regional Tournament or WFTDA West Region Playoffs was one of four roller derby qualifying tournaments for the WFTDA Championships.
The Tournament was organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Full WFTDA memb ...
, Texas came in third place with a 111-62 victory over the Kansas City Roller Warriors
The Kansas City Roller Warriors (KCRW) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Kansas City, Kansas 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 th ...
after losing to 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 ...
of Seattle. At the 2007 championships in Austin, Texas again was knocked to the third-place game by Rat City, and defeated Carolina Rollergirls
Carolina Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Raleigh, North Carolina. Operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and founded in January 2004, Carolina is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association ...
110-46 to claim third place. Texas won the 2008 Western Regional with a 135-49 victory against Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
.
At 2008's championships in Portland, Texas defeated Carolina in their first game, but then lost to Windy City Rollers
Windy City Rollers is a women's flat-track roller derby league located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons) in 2004, Windy City is the first flat-track roller derby league establ ...
of Chicago in the semifinals 110-97 (in overtime), dropping them to the third place bout, which they lost 114-95 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 ...
to finish in fourth place.
Ahead of the 2009 season, the WFTDA adjusted its structure, and Texas was placed in the South Central Region. Texas won the first 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 ...
with a 150-73 victory over Kansas City. At the 2009 championships in Philadelphia, Texas beat Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
Rocky Mountain Roller Derby (RMRD) is a flat-track roller derby league based in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 2004, Rocky Mountain is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and has qualified for WFTDA Playoffs every ...
in the opening rounds, but then fell 178-100 to the Oly Rollers
The Oly Rollers are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Olympia, Washington. Founded in February 2006, the Oly Rollers have won both the WFTDA Championship and the USARS National Championship. The Oly Rollers are a member of the Wom ...
to finish in second place.
Texas came in second at the 2010 South Central Regionals in Lincoln, Nebraska following a 157-127 loss to Kansas City. Texas then won their opening game at Championships against Bay Area, but lost in the quarterfinals 151-52 to Gotham Girls Roller Derby
Gotham Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league based in New York City, New York (state), New York. Founded in late 2003, Gotham is the first flat track roller derby league in the metropolitan New York area and a founding member league of ...
to end their tournament.
In 2011, Texas gained revenge against Kansas City by beating them 132-92 to take first place at regionals in October. Championships that year brought yet another rematch against Kansas City in the third place game, which Texas won 136-112.
At the final South Central Regional in 2012, Texas opened with strong victories against Omaha
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 city ...
and Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
, and then defeated 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 ...
144-124 to win their second straight regional. For the second straight year, Texas also made the third place game at championships; however, this time they lost, 210-199 to Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
to finish fourth.
In 2013 the WFTDA restructured playoffs again, and under the new divisional model Texas qualified as a Division 1 team for the tournament in Richmond, Virginia, which they won with a 253-210 victory against Philly. Texas then returned to the championship game at championships for the first time since 2009, coming close but ultimately falling to Gotham 199-173. Texecutioner Bloody Mary was named tournament MVP.
At the Evansville D1 tournament in 2014, an upset loss to Windy City put Texas in the third-place game, which they won over 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 201 ...
335-221 to finish in third. At championships in Milwaukee, Texas beat Angel City Derby Girls
Angel City Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2006 by a collective of skaters, the league is composed of nearly 200 members divided into four teams who skate on a flat track and compete ...
in their opening game but then lost in the quarterfinals to Gotham 163-117 to be eliminated.
At the 2015 Dallas D1 Playoff, Texas knocked off Philly in the semifinals and then fell to Rose City Rollers
The Rose City Rollers is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Portland, Oregon, operating as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Established in 2004, the Ro ...
257-223 to finish in second. After narrowly beating 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 ...
in the opening round, Texas lost in the quarterfinals to Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
181-85 to end their run.
In 2016 Texas came close to upsetting London Rollergirls
London Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The league were founding members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA).
The league has four travel teams ...
at Division 1 Playoffs in Montreal, ultimately falling 146-135 to finish second. At the 2016 championships, Texas knocked out Rat City in their first game but then lost their third-straight champs quarterfinal 186-172 to Rose City.
At the 2017 Division 1 tournament in Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas won their quarterfinal against Dallas Derby Devils
The Dallas Derby Devils (DDD) is a flat track roller derby league in Dallas, Texas and surrounding area of Ft. Worth, Texas. Founded in November 2004, the Dallas Derby Devils is the original North Texas roller derby league with a current roster ...
248-89 and their semifinal against Arch Rival Roller Derby
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 "Ar ...
209-119, but lost the final game to Victoria 193-50 to finish in second place. At the 2017 championships, Texas won their opening game against Rat City 254-128 but lost their quarterfinal to Gotham in a last-jam comeback 148-145. Texas finished their weekend with a consolation round win over Minnesota, 280-153.
In 2018, Texas was the top seed at the WFTDA Playoff in Atlanta and took first place with a 172-155 victory over Jacksonville; Texecutioner jammer Freight Train was named the tournament MVP. At Championships in New Orleans, Texas lost their quarterfinal to Gotham, and their consolation round game to Arch Rival.
Rankings
* ''CR = consolation round''
In media
An August 2004 appearance on ''Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' featured an interview with Whiskey L'Armour and members of the Texas Rollergirls demonstrating moves with host Robin Roberts, who donned skates for the segment. Founding member Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan wrote ''Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track'', published by Simon and Schuster in 2007, as a memoir and history of the early days of roller derby in Texas.
The Texas Rollergirls are featured in the 2012 Australian documentary film ''This Is Roller Derby
''This Is Roller Derby'' is a 2011 Australian documentary film by Daniel Hayward on four Australian roller derby teams over the course of a season.
The film features members from roller derby associations from Australia and the United States, p ...
''. Photographer Felicia Graham published ''Rollergirls: The Story of Flat Track Derby'' in 2018, as a chronicle of the league's history and people.
References
External links
Texas Rollergirls Official Website
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
{{Texas sports
Roller derby leagues established in 2003
Roller derby leagues in Texas
Sports in Austin, Texas
Women's sports in Texas
Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 1
2003 establishments in Texas