Des Moines Roller Derby (DMRD), formerly known as Team United Roller Derby (TURD), is a flat track

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

league located in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. It consists of two travel teams: a WFTDA charter team, and an Open Division all gender team. DMRD 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. It sets the international standards for rankings, rules, and competition in the sport, and provides guidance and ...

(WFTDA).

History

The league was founded in early 2013, with most of its founders being former skaters for the Mid Iowa Rollers. It was coached by Mark Muse, also the coach of nearby Your Mom Men's Derby. The All Stars team saw rapid success, 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 ...

' All Stars in December. The league affiliated with the

(WFTDA), completing its Apprentice Program in 2014. The following year, it began taking on WFTDA Division 1 teams, nearly beating the

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 ...

.Team United Makes a Splash in the Rockies
, ''Derby Central'', 2 March 2015 In December 2019, the league underwent a complete rebrand, changing its name, logo, coaching, and leadership structure (including Board of Directors/Executive Board) to better suit its mission. The league is currently skater-coached.

WFTDA Competition

By 2015, Team United had absorbed most of the skaters from the

Des Moines Derby Dames The Des Moines Derby Dames (D3) was a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Des Moines, Iowa. 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 W ...

. Later that year, Team United qualified for the WFTDA

Division 1 Division 1 or Division One may refer to: Association football * Azadegan League, the second-tier professional football league in Iran * Brisbane Premier League Division 1, the second-tier professional football league in Brisbane, Queensland, Austr ...

Playoff in Tucson, and took seventh place, with a 191–165 victory over

Charm City Roller Girls Charm City Roller Derby (CCRD), was a flat track roller derby league in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 2005, Charm City is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and league structure The league was established in ...

. For the 2016 Madison Division 1 Playoff Team United came in as the fifth seed,Gotham wins Madison Playoffs, Championships seeding set
, 25 September 2016 and finished in fifth place by defeating

Helsinki Roller Derby Helsinki Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Helsinki in Finland. Founded in 2009, the league currently consists of three travel teams who compete against teams from other leagues. Helsinki Roller Derby is a member o ...

206–155. In 2017, Team United did not meet the required minimum of sanctioned gameplay to be eligible for WFTDA Playoffs, although they were ranked at 26th overall at the time, and were declared ineligible for Division 1. In 2018, Team United competed at the first WFTDA Continental Cup - North America East post-season tournament in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The team took home third place in the tournament, with a 195–131 victory over

Mad Rollin' Dolls Madison Roller Derby (MRD), founded as "Mad Rollin' Dolls", is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 2004, Madison is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and was the fou ...

. In 2019, Team United competed at the WFTDA Continental Cup - North America West post-season tournament in Orem, Utah. Team United lost to top-seeded Calgary Roller Derby in the team's second game, and finished the tournament in the consolation bracket.

Rankings

*''NR'' = ''no final ranking assigned this year'' *''DNQ = did not qualify'' * ''CR = consolation round''

References

{{Iowa Sports Sports in Des Moines, Iowa Roller derby leagues established in 2013 Roller derby leagues in Iowa 2013 establishments in Iowa