Adelaide Roller Derby
Encyclopedia
Adelaide Roller Derby is a roller derby
league based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 2007, the league has four competitive teams who compete at the Adelaide Showgrounds, and a combined team that competes with other Australian and New Zealand
leagues.
. Their first local competition started in 2008 and featured two teams, the Mile Die Club and the Salty Dolls, with the Salty Dolls winning the three-match series.
The second year of competition in the league saw the introduction of a new team, the Road Train Rollers, but it was the Mile Die Club who took out the series, winning undefeated. The same year also saw the second interstate bout between Adelaide and Melbourne. Skate of Origin 2 was hosted in Melbourne, but the Adelaidies were able to come out on top in a close match. This was followed by a three-state competition hosted in Adelaide between two Adelaide teams created for the event, the Phantoms and the Tornado, and teams from Brisbane and Sydney – the Brawl Stars and the Assassins. Once again, the two Adelaide teams were successful.
2010, the third year of competition for the Adelaide Roller Derby league, saw the introduction of a fourth team in the form of Wild Hearses. This brought the registrations for the league up to 120 per year, and 2010 saw over 100 people trying out for positions at the annual "Fresh Meat" program. The season started with an appearance leading the Adelaide Fringe Festival
parade, and ended in a double-header with a win to the Road Train Rollers. The same year saw Adelaide Roller Derby hosting the Great Southern Slam – the largest roller derby competition to be held outside of the United States, with 500 competitors from Australia and New Zealand.
In 2011 four teams competed over six bouts, with a double-header grand final won by the Salty Dolls. In additional to the local season, at least three interstate/international competitions were planned. The first was with Bunbury
and Perth
teams at Arena Joondalup, followed by travelling to Newcastle
to compete with the local league there, and finally a trip to New Zealand
to compete against the Pirate City Rollers
in Auckland
.
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 2007, the league has four competitive teams who compete at the Adelaide Showgrounds, and a combined team that competes with other Australian and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
leagues.
History
Adelaide Roller Derby was founded in 2007, with their inaugural season launching in July 2008. Between the club's formation and the start of their first season, the club hosted the first interstate roller derby competition in Australia, Skate of Origin, against the Victorian Roller Derby LeagueVictorian Roller Derby League
The Victorian Roller Derby League is a roller derby league based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2007, the VRDL contains three teams: the Dead Ringer Rosies, Dolls Au-Go-Go and The Toxic Avengers. They also feature two teams, the VRDL All Stars, and Queen Bees, who compete in interleague...
. Their first local competition started in 2008 and featured two teams, the Mile Die Club and the Salty Dolls, with the Salty Dolls winning the three-match series.
The second year of competition in the league saw the introduction of a new team, the Road Train Rollers, but it was the Mile Die Club who took out the series, winning undefeated. The same year also saw the second interstate bout between Adelaide and Melbourne. Skate of Origin 2 was hosted in Melbourne, but the Adelaidies were able to come out on top in a close match. This was followed by a three-state competition hosted in Adelaide between two Adelaide teams created for the event, the Phantoms and the Tornado, and teams from Brisbane and Sydney – the Brawl Stars and the Assassins. Once again, the two Adelaide teams were successful.
2010, the third year of competition for the Adelaide Roller Derby league, saw the introduction of a fourth team in the form of Wild Hearses. This brought the registrations for the league up to 120 per year, and 2010 saw over 100 people trying out for positions at the annual "Fresh Meat" program. The season started with an appearance leading the Adelaide Fringe Festival
Adelaide Fringe Festival
The Adelaide Fringe Festival is an arts festival held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The event is the Southern Hemisphere's largest arts event and the second-largest fringe festival in the world, second in size only to the Edinburgh Fringe...
parade, and ended in a double-header with a win to the Road Train Rollers. The same year saw Adelaide Roller Derby hosting the Great Southern Slam – the largest roller derby competition to be held outside of the United States, with 500 competitors from Australia and New Zealand.
In 2011 four teams competed over six bouts, with a double-header grand final won by the Salty Dolls. In additional to the local season, at least three interstate/international competitions were planned. The first was with Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
teams at Arena Joondalup, followed by travelling to Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
to compete with the local league there, and finally a trip to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to compete against the Pirate City Rollers
Pirate City Rollers
Pirate City Rollers is a roller derby league based in Auckland. Founded in 2006, the league currently consists of three teams, and a mixed team which competes against teams from other leagues....
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
Further reading
- Royal, Simon (15 February 2008) Roller Derby Rules! (Trancript) StatelineStatelineState Line or Stateline may refer to:* borderSpecific places:* Stateline, California, near Lake Tahoe* State Line, California, former settlement in Mono County* State Line, Idaho* Stateline, Kansas* State Line, Mississippi* Stateline, Nevada...
, Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
External links
- Adelaide Roller Derby
- Lil Adelaide Rollers (Junior roller derby league)
- This is Roller Derby (documentary)