Jacksonville Roller Derby

Jacksonville Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Jacksonville, Florida, (USA). Originally formed as the First Coast Fatales,[1] the league became Jacksonville RollerGirls in 2007, and changed to its current name in 2018. The league has been a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) since December 2010.[2]

Jacksonville Roller Derby
League logo
Metro areaJacksonville, Florida
CountryUnited States
Founded2006
TeamsNew Jax City Rollers (A team)
River City Rat Pack (B team)
J-Villains (C team)
Bold City Bombshells
Duval Derby Dames
First Coast Fatales
Track type(s)Flat
VenueSkate Station Funworks
AffiliationsWFTDA
Websitewww.jacksonvillerollerderby.com

Jacksonville hosted a WFTDA Division 1 Playoff tournament in 2015,[3] at which they finished in 2nd place.[4]

League structure

First organized in 2006,[5] Jacksonville Roller Derby consists of six teams, 3 travel teams and 3 home teams.[6] The teams play one another at home, and the teams travel to compete against other teams. All travel team skaters also compete on a home team while some skaters choose to play only on a home team. In 2014, the league began a structured training program designed to maximize each beginning skaters’ abilities toward passing the WFTDA minimum skills test as a requirement towards play in roller derby. New skaters are recruited three times per year and taken through a curriculum from basic skills to game play. A skater is allowed to repeat the program until they pass, if required.

The league welcomes referees, non-skating officials, and other volunteer staff to join the league at any time.

Travel teams

The league's top travel team, the all-star New Jax City Rollers, represents Jacksonville internationally as the WFTDA charter team.[6] The team includes among its members Erin Jackson, a competitive inline speed skater, who won a silver medal for the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games.[7] Jackson was tournament MVP at the 2014 WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Evansville, Indiana.[8]

River City Rat Pack is the league's B-Team. They play other WFTDA league B-Teams as well as lower-ranked WFTDA charter teams and travel throughout the southeast. Many Rat Pack skaters are working their way up toward a position on New Jax and are invited to their practices to acclimate them to the higher level of play.

J-Villains are a C-Level Team and play primarily in Florida against local non-WFTDA teams. The J-Villains are usually a skater's first travel team after completing their training and, sometimes, are the first team to receive incoming transferring skaters until the next round of tryouts.

Home teams

The league's home teams are the Bold City Bombshells, Duval Derby Dames, and the First Coast Fatales. They play each other at home with their season culminating in a championship finale. In 2014, the inaugural championship title went to the Bold City Bombshells. Skaters are drafted to a home team as part of their graduation from Fresh Meat and stay with that team until their retirement.

Community involvement

Jacksonville Roller Derby supports local charities and community organizations by making public appearances at local events, volunteering time, and donating money. During each home game, a local organization is invited to host a table to raise both money and awareness and a portion of the game's proceeds are donated on behalf of the league. In recent years, the league has partnered with The Arc Jacksonville[9] for an annual Running of the Bulls 5k where the skaters serve as the bulls, chasing down and marking the runners.[10]

WFTDA competition

The all-star team, New Jax City Rollers, plays at the highest level of competition. Their rank has steadily climbed from 24th in 2013,[11] 15th in 2014,[12] to 8th in 2015.[13]

For the first time in league history, the team ended their 2015 season at the WFTDA Championships tournament, earning their place with a 2nd-place finish at WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs at home in Jacksonville.[4] In 2016, Jacksonville returned to WFTDA Championships after finishing 3rd at the 2016 Division 1 Playoff in Columbia, South Carolina.[6] After winning their first game against Minnesota Rollergirls,[14] Jacksonville lost to the eventual 3rd-place team, Victorian Roller Derby League, 231–98.[15] As the third seed at the 2017 Seattle Division 1 Playoff, Jacksonville suffered a rankings upset in the quarterfinals to Rat City Rollergirls, 186–170,[16] and finished their weekend with a consolation bracket victory over Charlottesville Derby Dames, 318–161.[17]

As the third seed at the 2018 Playoff in Atlanta, Jacksonville finished in second place, losing the gold medal game 172–155 to Texas Rollergirls.[18] At Championships in New Orleans, Jacksonville lost their opening round game to Angel City Derby 248–85,[19] and then lost their consolation round game to Crime City Rollers, 173–160.[20]

Rankings
Season Final ranking[21] Playoffs Championship
2010 NR[22] N/A N/A
2011 11 SC[23] DNQ DNQ
2012 9 SC[24] 10 SC[25] DNQ
2013 24 WFTDA[11] 6 D1[26] DNQ
2014 15 WFTDA[12] 4 D1[27] DNQ
2015 8 WFTDA[13] 2 D1[3] QF D1[28]
2016 9 WFTDA[29] 3 D1[30] QF D1[15]
2017 12 WFTDA[31] CR D1[17] DNQ
2018 9 WFTDA[32] 2[18] CR[20]
  • CR = consolation round

Local television

Jacksonville Roller Derby previously had a television program which began airing weekly on CW17 September 25, 2010, with some games being available for viewing in their entirety online.[33] The league is included in the station's promotional appearances as local celebrities.

References
  1. Newman, Jordan (15 November 2006). "Roller derby rolls in Jax". Spinnaker - The Official Newspaper of University of Northwest Florida. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  2. "WFTDA Welcomes SevenNew Full Member Leagues - LatestNews - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  3. "London Rollergirls win D1 Playoffs in Jacksonville - LatestNews - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  4. Deadwards, Lisa (20 September 2015). "D1J 1st Place: #1 London controls #3 Jacksonville, 272-126". Derby Central. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  5. Strickland, Sandy (20 May 2010). "Roller derby teams play rough while on the track". jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  6. Friedman, Ann (19 October 2016). "Tough and tenacious, Jacksonville RollerGirls skate toward championship". jacksonville.com. The Florida Time-Union. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  7. Frye, Andy (4 November 2015). "How A World-Class Inline Skater Is Shaking Up The Roller Derby Scene". espnW. ESPN. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  8. "May 2016 Featured Skater:Erin Jackson - Featured Skaterof the Month - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". www.wftda.org. WFTDA. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  9. "Intuition Ale Works presents Running of the Bulls 5K 2016". www.arcjacksonville.org. The ARC Jacksonville. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  10. "3rd Annual Running of the Bulls - Jacksonville Magazine". www.jacksonvillemag.com. Jacksonville Magazine. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  11. "Rankings: December 31, 2013". WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  12. "Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  13. "Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  14. Gardiner, Kelley (5 November 2016). "WFTDA Champs: Day One Roller Derby Recap". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  15. Deadwards, Lisa (5 November 2016). "WFTDA D1 Champs: Victoria takes down Jacksonville, 231-98". Derby Central. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  16. "D1S: #6 Rat City squeaks past #3 Jacksonville, 186-170". Derby Central. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  17. "D1S: #3 Jacksonville avalanches #12 Charlottesville, 318-161". Derby Central. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  18. "2018 Playoffs Atlanta Game 16: Texas vs. Jacksonville – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  19. "2018 Championships New Orleans Game 2: Angel City vs. Jacksonville – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  20. "2018 Championships New Orleans Game 7: Crime City v. Jacksonville – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  21. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
  22. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  23. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  24. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  25. "2012 WFTDA South Central Region Playoffs - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  26. "September 13-15, 2013: Richmond, Virginia - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  27. "Sept. 19-21 – Evansville, Indiana, USA - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  28. "WFTDA Championships Saint Paul, MN Nov 6-8". WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  29. "Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  30. "Columbia – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  31. "Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  32. "Rankings: December 31, 2018 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  33. "RollerGirls | YourJax | WCWJ and BCWJ". www.yourjax.com. WCWJ. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
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