Welcome back Jammers, Blockers and Pivots of the roller derby world to another addition of Men in Derby.
I wanted to track back for this month’s column. If you’ve been following along, you know we have had a bunch of wonderful points of view from our fellow men’s teams across the United States.
But I thought to myself, when did men’s derby really start to take place? I mean women have been beating on each other, throwing elbows, tripping, etc. on skates since my mom was a kid. When did the men have the chance to do the same?
I came across the Men in Derby Coalition’s history page and found it quite interesting. So this month, I’d like to share with you how men’s derby came to be.
A brief history of men's flat track roller derby:
• January 2006 - Pioneer Valley Roller Derby is founded - featuring both men and women skaters
• September 17, 2006 - PVRD's Dirty Dozen travel to Baltimore to scrimmage male and female refs for Charm City Roller Girl's Championship Bout halftime entertainment.
• April 29, 2007 - First Men's Flat Track Roller Derby Bout ever. Double header with PVRD's Dirty Dozen vs. NY Shock Exchange, and PVRD's Western Mass Destruction vs. New Jersey Dirty Dames (hosted by NJDD).
• Mid-2007 - Old School Derby Association (OSDA) founded.
• September 2007 - Providence Roller Derby invites PVRD, HCH, and NYSE to play their first mixed team scrimmage during PRD's championship bout.
• November 7, 2007 - HCH, NYSE, and PVRD found the Men's Derby Coalition
• March, 8 2008 - Puget Sound Outcast Derby hosts the Throwdown in the Sound - a one day men's roller derby Tournament
• April 5, 2008 - Men's Derby Coalition host the first Men's Derby Conference to help other start-up men's derby leagues.
• June 29, 2008 - First Men's 60 minute bout featuring New York Shock Exchange and Harm City Homicide. First ladies halftime entertainment by the Garden State Roller Girls.
• July 29 - August 5, 2008 - First fully co-ed RollerCon. Men are invited to scrimmage in an all-male challenge bout at Freemont street. Bout featured male skaters from all over the country.
• August 19, 2008 - Hot off the heels of RollerCon, Men's UK Roller Derby Association (MURDA) announces its presence as the first international men's derby league.
• October 3-5, 2008 - Men are invited to play a public challenge at WFTDA Western Regional Tournament. Bout featured male skaters from all over the country.
• October 5, 2008 - MDC and Harrisburg Area Men's Roller Derby (HAMRD) host their first joint recruiting effort for a men's derby league.
• November 14-16, 2008 - Male skaters from all over the country are asked to play at WFTDA Nationals - the most important WFTDA event of the year.
• December 7, 2008 - Men's Derby Coalition host the Second Men's Derby Conference (MDC2)
Who’s Who in Men’s Roller Derby:
MDC Affiliated Leagues
Men's Derby Coalition Leagues are confirmed to be skater owned and operated, feature male-only teams, actively bout/scrimmage as a team and train/play by the most up-to-date WFTDA rules (with masculine pronouns).
• Pioneer Valley Roller Derby (The Dirty Dozen) - Northampton, MA
• New York Shock Exchange - NYC, NY
• Harm City Homicide - Baltimore, MD
• Connecticut Death Quads - Waterbury, CT
Non-Affiliated Men's Roller Derby Leagues
The following leagues are either not actively bouting, don't train and play by WFTDA rules, aren't skater owned and operated, or haven't been confirmed by MDC organizers.
• Midwest Men's Roller Derby - Cincinnati, OH; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN
• Twin City Terrors - Minneapolis, MN
• Puget Sound Derby Outcasts - WA
• Dallas Deception - Dallas, TX
• Dry Heat Militia - Tuscon, AZ
• Diamond City Death Kings - Wilkes Barre, PA
• Harrisburg Area Men's Roller Derby - Harrisburg, PA
• Men's UK Roller Derby Association - London, UK
• Melbourne Men's Roller Derby League - Melbourne, Australia
• Worcester County Roller Derby - Worcester, MA
• Biloxi Roller Derby - Biloxi, MS
• The Quadfathers - Utica, NY
• Southern Middle Tennessee Roller Derby - Tullahoma, TN
• Quad Balls - Hudson Valley, NY
OSDA Leagues
Leagues do not play by WFTDA rules, and are not explicitly endorsed by the MDC.
• Hell City Hooligans, NJ
Source: Men’s Derby Coalition
Do you have some interesting and fun Men’s derby stories? I’d love to hear ‘em. Email me at celtic.thunder21@yahoo.com
Till next time!
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