Maine Roller Derby (MRD) is

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

’s first women’s flat track roller derby league, which is a member league 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), joining in December 2007. As a member of WFTDA, the league adheres to the organization's governing philosophy: "by the skaters, for the skaters". The skaters are primary owners, managers, and operators of the league. Operational tasks include organizing home bouts, organizing fundraising events to offset the cost for operating the league, promoting the sport of roller derby, recruiting and training skaters and volunteers, among other tasks necessary to run a business. The league comprises four teams: an all-star team called The Port Authorities, and a B-team called The Old Port Brigade, and two home teams: The Ship Wreckers and R.I.P. Tides.Teams
, The home season occurs February through May, as well as September through December, with bouts occurring at both the Portland Exposition Building and Happy Wheels Skate Center. The Port Authorities and The Old Port Brigade also travel throughout the states and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to bout other leagues and participate in annual tournaments. MRD regularly recruits new skaters and volunteers. MRD started in March 2006 after two Portland women were inspired by the A&E reality show ''

Rollergirls ''Rollergirls'' is a 2006 A&E Network reality show examining the personalities, antics and motivations of the women involved with the Austin, Texas, Lonestar Rollergirls roller derby league. According to their website, the league was founded i ...

''. By June 2006 a group of twenty women began holding weekly practices at Roller World in Topsham. Determination and hard work (along with advice and support from skaters within the roller derby community) resulted in the launching of the Sneak Peek, the introduction of modern roller derby to Maine in November 2006. A year later MRD played its first home season at the Portland Expo. Since then, the league has hosted a season each year, inviting teams from all over

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

, Canada and as far as

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

to play at the Expo. Bouts at the Expo average a crowd of 600-700 fans.

WFTDA rankings

* ''DNP = qualified but did not play''

References

External links

Maine Roller Derby website
{{Maine Sports Roller derby leagues established in 2006 Events in Portland, Maine Sports competitions in Maine Sports in Portland, Maine Roller derby leagues in Maine 2006 establishments in Maine