Boston Roller Derby

Boston Roller Derby, (BRD), is a flat-track roller derby league based in Boston, Massachusetts. The league was founded as Boston Derby Dames in May 2005, and is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).[1][2] The league's all-star team, the Boston Massacre, was one of the top 25 WFTDA Division 1 teams in the world through most of the duration of the divisional ranking system introduced in early 2013, and as of December 31, 2015, the Massacre was ranked at 21.[3] Boston won the WFTDA Division 2 Championship in 2017 and the North America East Continental Cup in 2018.

Boston Roller Derby
Metro areaBoston, MA
CountryUnited States
Founded2005
TeamsBoston Massacre (A team)
Boston B Party (B team)
Train Wrecks (interleague rec)
Arkham Horrors
Cosmonaughties
Nutcrackers
Wicked Pissahs
Track type(s)Flat
VenueAleppo Shriners Auditorium, Simoni Ice Rink
AffiliationsWFTDA
Websitewww.bostonrollerderby.com

Boston Roller Derby is skater-owned and -operated, sporting more than 70 full-time skaters who both skate and work as part of their duties.[4] BRD plays at Aleppo Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington for all home team games and Simoni Ice Rink in Cambridge for its all-star match-ups against rival teams from around the world.

In late October 2015, Boston Roller Derby announced its new name as part of a rebrand "to better reflect the diversity of our community."[5][6]

Early history
Original Boston Derby Dames logo

Boston Roller Derby was founded by Sarah Doom[7] and Ivana Clobber in 2005 after Doom helped found Providence Roller Derby. The league was formally established as an LLC in the state of Massachusetts by the founding executive board members Andrea Lenco, Sarah Kingan, Alison McAlear, Carroll Cunningham, Eva McCloskey, Lindsay Crudele, and Rebecca Allen the same year. The league began with a travel team called The Boston Massacre (Boston's all-star travel team) and was followed by the addition of three home teams: the Cosmonaughties, Nutcrackers, and Wicked Pissahs. The Boston Massacre had its first game in December 2005, against the Sin City Rollergirls.[8] The home teams began competing the following year (March 2006).[9] In 2008 Boston added the Boston B Party, to allow home team skaters to play against neighboring leagues without having to be at the all-star level;[10] in 2012, the B Party became the Massacre's official farm team.[11]

Boston Roller Derby's Training and Recreation program was also founded in 2012.[12] The program offers newer skaters a place to learn and grow on the league, and allows transfer skaters from other leagues to become acclimated to Boston's skating style and requirements before being placed on a home team.

Teams

Boston Roller Derby is composed of four home teams, the Harbor Horrors, Cosmonaughties, Nutcrackers, and Wicked Pissahs; an all-star travel team, the Boston Massacre; an interleague B-team, the Boston B Party; and an interleague training team, the Common.[13]

In addition, Boston offers a Training and Recreation program (TRT), for new and transferring skaters who wish to learn how to play roller derby.[14] It is divided up into two levels—non-contact and contact—each named after a line of Boston's MBTA service. Once skaters graduate from the TRT program, they're eligible to be drafted to a home team and to skate with the Train Wrecks. The TRT program accepts new trainees and transfers on a three-month cycle;[15] the application period is approximately one month before the cycle begins.

Boston also provides a training program for those looking to become roller derby officials.[16]

WFTDA competition
2006 map showing the first 30 WFTDA member leagues

Early years

In 2005, The Boston Massacre had its first sanctioned WFTDA bout against the Sin City Rollergirls.[8] In 2006, as a newly formed team, The Boston Massacre played just two sanctioned WFTDA bouts and competed in their first unsanctioned round-robin tournament (Bumberbout) in Seattle.[8] They ended the season ranked #13 nationally by the WFTDA.[17]

East Region era

In 2007, the Boston Massacre earned a berth at the first WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament. The tournament was a single-elimination tournament and The Boston Massacre was defeated by the Detroit Derby Girls by 5 points in an overtime jam. The tournament had no final ranking structure. They ended the season ranked #14 Nationally by the WFTDA.[18]

In 2008, the Boston Massacre earned their second trip to the Eastern Regional Tournament. The Boston Massacre finished the tournament winning three of their four bouts, losing the final Championship-qualifying bout by 2 points to the Carolina Rollergirls. The tournament had no final ranking structure.[19] They ended the season ranked third in the East Region.[20]

Boston Massacre began competing as a separate team at the start of 2009, rather than as collective members of players from each of the separate home teams.[21][22] The Boston Massacre finished third in the 2009 Eastern Regional Tournament, qualifying them to compete in the 2009 WFTDA Championships,[23] as of 2016 Boston's only Championships appearance. Boston defeated the Mad Rollin' Dolls (Madison) in their first-round bout, 104-98.[24] In the second round, quarter finals, Boston was defeated by the Texas Rollergirls (Austin) 111-72, eliminating them from the tournament.[25] Boston finished the season ranked third in the East[26] and in the Top 12 of the WFTDA nationally.

In 2010, the team finished the season placing fourth at the Eastern Regional Tournament.[27]

In 2011, The Boston Massacre and The Boston "B Party" began to train together. In 2012, the league officially combined the two teams to create the Boston Travel Teams and the "B Party" became the official farm team to the Boston Massacre. The team finished the season in seventh place at the Eastern Regional Tournament in both 2011[28] and 2012.[29]

Divisional era

In 2013, WFTDA abolished the regional ranking system and switched to an international rankings system. Boston finished the tournament season placing seventh in their first Division 1 tournament.[30] At the end of 2013, Boston was ranked 16th in the WFTDA.[31]

In 2014, Boston again qualified for Division 1 Playoffs, entering the Charleston tournament as the sixth seed, and finishing in seventh place.[32] In 2015, Boston returned to Division 1 Playoffs, this time as the sixth seed in Omaha, where they finished in fifth place.[33] At 2016 Division 1 Playoff in Montreal, Boston finished in the position in which they started, as the sixth place team.[34]

In 2017, Boston competed at Division 2 Playoffs for the first time, and was the seventh seed at the combined 2017 Division 2 Playoffs and Championships in Pittsburgh, winning the title with a 166-150 victory over Paris Rollergirls.[35]

In 2018, Boston qualified for the WFTDA North American East Continental Cup held in Kalamazoo, Michigan as the first seed, and went unbeaten in capturing first place.[36]

Rankings
Season Final ranking[37] Playoffs Championship
2006 13 WFTDA[38] — N/A
2007 14 WFTDA [39][40] R1 E[41] DNQ
2008 3 E[20] QF E[19] DNQ
2009 3 E[26] 3 E[42] R2[43]
2010 4 E[44] 4 E[27] DNQ
2011 7 E[45] 7 E[28] DNQ
2012 7 E[46] 7 E[29] DNQ
2013 16 WFTDA[31] 7 D1[30] DNQ
2014 25 WFTDA[47] 7 D1[32] DNQ
2015 21 WFTDA[48] 5 D1[33] DNQ
2016 25 WFTDA[49] 6 D1 [34] DNQ
2017 30 WFTDA[50] N/A 1 D2[35]
2018 34 WFTDA[51] 1 CC NA East[36] NA
gollark: brb, going to spoil a mangma
gollark: I mostly don't *do* anything, so don't worry.
gollark: Not the same thing as actual lax rules.
gollark: That would be strict rules but in the wrong areas.
gollark: There's no real standard for "right" we can use, which is harder.

References
  1. Joulwan, Melissa. Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track. Simon and Schuster. p. 267. ISBN 9781416538554. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  2. Boston Derby Dames (WFTDA)
  3. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  4. About the Dames
  5. Ducharme, Jamie (28 October 2015). "The Boston Derby Dames Are Re-Branding". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  6. Cassel, Emily (5 February 2016). "Aggressive, Abrasive, Inclusive. Boston Roller Derby Not Just for Dames. | Scout Somerville". scoutsomerville.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  7. "Kingan | Royce Fellowship". www.brown.edu. Brown University. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  8. Flattrackstats.com
  9. Nick Sherman Past Calendar. Retrieved January 13, 2016
  10. flattrackstats.com
  11. "Boston B Party". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  12. "The Training and Recreation Program". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  13. "Teams". Boston Roller Derby. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  14. "Training and Recreation Team". Boston Derby Dames. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  15. Join the Boston Derby Dames
  16. Boston Derby Dames Officials
  17. WFTDA National Rankings
  18. Womens Sport Report
  19. Marshall, Justice Feelgood (10 October 2008). "Eastern Regionals: Complete Capsule Recaps | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  20. "WFTDA Releases 2008 Fourth-Quarter Rankings | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  21. "Featured Skater: Shellby Shattered". Archived from the original on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  22. "Featured League: Boston Derby Dames". Archived from the original on 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  23. Feelgood, Justice (2009-09-16). "Boston Upsets Charm City To Qualify For Nationals, 156-142". Derby News Network. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  24. Feelgood, Justice (2009-11-22). "2009 Nationals: Capsule Recaps". Derby News Network. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  25. Feelgood, Justice (2009-11-22). "2009 Nationals: Capsule Recaps". Derby News Network. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  26. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  27. "Derby in the Burbs 2010 East Region Playoffs", WFTDA
  28. "Nightmare on 95WFTDA 2011 East Region Playoffs - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  29. Marshall, Justice Feelgood (30 September 2012). "East 7th Place: 7E Boston Bests 8E Carolina, 156-128 | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  30. "September 27-29, 2013: Salem, Oregon - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  31. "Rankings: December 31, 2013". WFTDA. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  32. "Oct. 3-5: Charleston, West Virginia, USA - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". www.wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  33. Fristoe, Chelsea (4 October 2015). "5th Place Game, Boston leads No Coast Roller Derby, 203-139". Derby Central. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  34. Castro, Mishel (4 September 2016). "D1M 5th: #5 Dallas protects ranking against #6 Boston, 245-79". Derby Central. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  35. Deadwards, Lisa (21 August 2017). "#7 Boston repeats victory against #3 Paris, 166-150". Derby Central. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  36. "Boston Roller Derby Wins 2018 WFTDA Continental Cup – North America East – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  37. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
  38. "12/8/2006 WFTDA National Rankings", WFTDA [version of 23 February 2007]
  39. "Current WFTDA Rankings", Derby News Network, October 2007
  40. Womens Sport Report
  41. "Heartland Havoc Archived 2012-05-16 at the Wayback Machine", Ohio Rollergirls
  42. "Wicked Wheels of the East 2009 Eastern Regionals", WFTDA
  43. "Declaration of Derby", WFTDA
  44. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  45. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  46. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  47. "Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  48. "Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  49. "Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  50. "Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  51. "Rankings: December 31, 2018 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
Preceded by
Blue Ridge Rollergirls		 WFTDA Division 2 Championship winners
2017		 Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
event created		 WFTDA Continental Cup North America East winners
2018		 Succeeded by
incumbent
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