Canberra Roller Derby League
Encyclopedia
The Canberra Roller Derby League (CRDL) is a Canberra
-based all-women's roller derby
league. It was created in 2008, with the first bouts occurring in 2009. Skaters joined the league during "Fresh Meat" and "Boot Camp" intakes, where they learn skating and derby skills before appearing in bouts nine to twelve months later.
Originally there were two teams: the Black N Blue Belles and the Surly Griffins. In 2010, the league expanded to four teams with the addition of the Red Bellied Black Hearts and the Brindabelters. In addition, there is an all-star team called the Vice City Rollers that competes in interstate bouts against teams from Sydney
, Brisbane
, Melbourne
and Adelaide
.
At home bouts, the league has attendances as high as 5,000, and has its own stable of male referees who officiate the league and interstate bouts. The 2009 season was won by Surly Griffins and the 2010 season by the Black N Blue Belles. The 2011 season had six bouts scheduled, with the league championship to occur in October 2011. The league's bouts are aired on ChannelVision, and they have had media coverage from 666 ABC Canberra
.
, women's health
and sport in the Australian Capital Territory
(ACT). The league was created by Bullseye Betty (Kate Murphy) and Dr Hell (Helen Doyle). Other early members include Roulette Rough (Lucy Quinn) and Peachy Keen. The league was intended to resemble the burlesque, and was the first roller derby league in the ACT.
The league's first practices took place in parking lots around the Territory. Dr Hell and Bullseye Betty helped get a screening of the Roller Derby Dolls on 28 July 2008 at The Front Cafe and Gallery in Lyneham
in order to generate membership in the new league. At the start of its first season, the league had 26 skaters. The first public bout in 2009 was took place at Southern Cross Stadium
, Tuggeranong
, before a sell out crowd. At the end of the 2009 season, additional information nights were held at The Front Cafe and Gallery on 25 August 2009 and The Hush Lounge in Phillip
on 30 August 2009, and the league held a demonstration at the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships. On 21 November 2009, it held a roller derby rodeo at the Southern Cross Stadium with tickets being sold at Smith's Bookshop. By 2011, tickets for the league's events would be sold through Ticketek
.
The presence of the league in Canberra has helped change the perception of the sport in the capital from an entertaining sideshow to a mainstream women's participation sport. The popularity of roller derby in Canberra has meant that the CRDL cannot accommodate all the women in Canberra who want to participate. To address this issue, in 2011, some roller derby enthusiasts worked on starting a new league
as a student organisation at Australian National University
.
The CRDL stepped up to help other leagues in the country. In 2009, members of the Canberra Roller Derby League competed as substitutes for the Sydney Roller Derby League
's Screaming Assault Sirens in its grand final, after one member of the Sirens was quarantined with swine flu, and several other skaters were out injured.
The league is structured to protect the safety of its skaters. New roller derby competitors advance through tiers. At each level, they learn and perfect specific derby skills, experience and general fitness. This helps to avoid injury and improve the quality of the competition. The time between joining and getting to compete in a bout is generally nine to twelve months. Skaters practice for roughly eight total hours a week, mostly during two weekly practices that last around three hours.
The Vice City Rollers competed in their first interstate bout in June 2010 in the Great Southern Slam hosted by the Adelaide Roller Derby
. They lost to Adelaide in the pool stage, but beat the Van Diemen Rollers; their record was insufficient for the team to advance to the quarter finals.
In 2010, the team also played in bouts in Wollongong, Sydney
and Melbourne
. The October 2010 match in Sydney against the SydneyCity Assassins featured a Star Wars
theme. On 11 December 2010, the Vice City Rollers competed against the Sydney Roller Derby League's all-star team, the Assassins, in a bout at AIS Arena
billed as the "Lord of the Rink: The Two Towers", in their first home interstate bout. In the previous meeting in Sydney between the two teams, Canberra lost by four points. The 2010 squad members were managed by Anne Thrax and Belly Up. The captain was Bambi Von Smash'er, and the vice-captain was Dr Hell. Squad members included Amykazee, Faunacat, King Cam, Melicious Damage, Ova Bearing, Aunty Aggro, Cassatrophic, Dee Nature, The Dutachass, Pink Mist, Roulette Rouge and Short Stop.
The Vice City Rollers competed in several bouts in 2011, including a 19 March 2011 bout against the Victorian Roller Derby League
All Stars, a 9 July bout against the NBR Brawl Stars of the Brisbane Roller Derby League in Brisbane
, and a 9 August bout against the SSRG Fancy Pants at AIS Arena. They competed at the Eastern Region Roller Derby Tournament Finals on 1 and 2 October in Penrith, New South Wales
, where they came in first place. When the Vice City Rollers competed against the Victorian Roller Derby League team, Canberra was competing against the current national champions. The Canberrans lost to the Victorian squad in front of a crowd of 3,500 spectators. In August the Vice City Rollers lost to the Sun State Roller Girls' Fancy Pants. At half time, the Fancy Pants were leading by fifty-five points. Queensland had the advantage of player size going into the bout, and were the number two ranked team in the nation at the time. Shaggle Frock was Canberra's leading jammer, scoring twenty of Canberra's forty-eight points. The Vice City Rollers are scheduled to have a 5 November 2011 bout in Geelong, Victoria
against the Bloody Marys of the Geelong Roller Derby League
.
Blood and Thunder Roller Derby World Cup
is the major international roller derby event, with nations sending representative teams, and Vice City Rollers Amykazee, Bambi von Smash'er, King Cam, and Short Stop were chosen to represent Australia.
. The team is known inside the league for its fast skating and hard hits, and were the 2010 season champions. The team had eight new skaters in the 2011 squad, which was captained by ShortStop and Melicious Damage. The squad's 2011 sponsors include Allsports Mouthguards, and Cactus – Tattoo Artist North Lyneham.
, located in the ACT. The team had a number of new skaters join the competition squad for the 2011 season.
. The squad is known for their good looks and their willingness to pick fights. The 2011 squad was captained by Roulette Rouge. The Vice Captain was Bambi von Smash'er. The team had a number of new skaters join the competition squad for the 2011 bout season. The Red Bellied Black Hearts lost the opening bout of the 2011 season when they were defeated by the Surly Griffins.
, who designed Canberra. Seven new skaters joined the 2011 squad, which was captained by Dr. Hell; the vice captains were Annethrax and Rainbow Spite. The team's sponsors for 2011 include Jake's Performance and CJ's Style. The Surly Griffins won their first bout in the 2011 season when they defeated the Red Bellied Black Hearts.
The major sponsors for the 2011 season were Allsports Mouthguards, CJ's Style, Can Print, Jake's Performance, Bridges Canberra, Tattoo artist – North Lyneham, Impact Comics, Atlas Sports Physiotherapy, Stryking Signs, GXO, SkaterHQ, Elite Physique, Scope – Mount Stromlo, The Blue Olive, Fitsistas, and Jordo's Chop Shop. Bouts included live music being played during the half time intermission. Musical acts that performed during the season included Knight-Hammer, a medieval-Viking-lyrical themed-fusion 80s metal progressive parody band that wears Viking costumes while performing, and Mudpie Princess, a Canberra based indie rock
band. In 2011, the CDRL hosted official after parties after each league and interstate bout, which were held at the Hellenic Club in Tuggeranong.
sent journalists to a practice to cover and report on the league. In 2009, Bullseye Betty and Roulette Rouge joined Greg Bayliss in 666 ABC's studio to teach him how to block. The pair also discussed the Canberra Roller Derby League on his show. The league was one of several Australian based teams to appear in the movie, "This is Roller Derby."
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
-based all-women's roller derby
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. It was created in 2008, with the first bouts occurring in 2009. Skaters joined the league during "Fresh Meat" and "Boot Camp" intakes, where they learn skating and derby skills before appearing in bouts nine to twelve months later.
Originally there were two teams: the Black N Blue Belles and the Surly Griffins. In 2010, the league expanded to four teams with the addition of the Red Bellied Black Hearts and the Brindabelters. In addition, there is an all-star team called the Vice City Rollers that competes in interstate bouts against teams from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
At home bouts, the league has attendances as high as 5,000, and has its own stable of male referees who officiate the league and interstate bouts. The 2009 season was won by Surly Griffins and the 2010 season by the Black N Blue Belles. The 2011 season had six bouts scheduled, with the league championship to occur in October 2011. The league's bouts are aired on ChannelVision, and they have had media coverage from 666 ABC Canberra
666 ABC Canberra
666 ABC Canberra is an ABC Local Radio station based in Canberra and broadcasting to the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding New South Wales region. This includes the cities and towns of Queanbeyan, Yass and Bungendore....
.
History
The Canberra Roller Derby League (CRDL) was established in 2008 as a volunteer organisation intended to promote roller derbyRoller 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...
, women's health
Women's health
Women's health refers to health issues specific to human female anatomy. These often relate to structures such as female genitalia and breasts or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, females. Women's health issues include menstruation, contraception, maternal health,...
and sport in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
(ACT). The league was created by Bullseye Betty (Kate Murphy) and Dr Hell (Helen Doyle). Other early members include Roulette Rough (Lucy Quinn) and Peachy Keen. The league was intended to resemble the burlesque, and was the first roller derby league in the ACT.
The league's first practices took place in parking lots around the Territory. Dr Hell and Bullseye Betty helped get a screening of the Roller Derby Dolls on 28 July 2008 at The Front Cafe and Gallery in Lyneham
Lyneham, Australian Capital Territory
Lyneham is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district. It is named after Sir William Lyne, premier of the Australian state of New South Wales from 1899 to 1901. The suburb name was gazetted in 1928, but development did not commence until 1958. The streets of Lyneham are named...
in order to generate membership in the new league. At the start of its first season, the league had 26 skaters. The first public bout in 2009 was took place at Southern Cross Stadium
Southern Cross Stadium, Tuggeranong
-External links:*...
, Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
, before a sell out crowd. At the end of the 2009 season, additional information nights were held at The Front Cafe and Gallery on 25 August 2009 and The Hush Lounge in Phillip
Phillip, Australian Capital Territory
Phillip is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the district of Woden Valley. It is located in the centre of the district and contains the district's main commercial centre, Woden Town Centre. The suburb is named after Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales. The suburb name was...
on 30 August 2009, and the league held a demonstration at the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships. On 21 November 2009, it held a roller derby rodeo at the Southern Cross Stadium with tickets being sold at Smith's Bookshop. By 2011, tickets for the league's events would be sold through Ticketek
Ticketek
Ticketek is an Australian event ticketing company. Formed in 1979, the company is owned by Nine Entertainment Co. and operates ticketing operations for entertainment and sporting events in Australia, and New Zealand....
.
The presence of the league in Canberra has helped change the perception of the sport in the capital from an entertaining sideshow to a mainstream women's participation sport. The popularity of roller derby in Canberra has meant that the CRDL cannot accommodate all the women in Canberra who want to participate. To address this issue, in 2011, some roller derby enthusiasts worked on starting a new league
Varsity Roller Derby League
Varsity Derby League is a roller derby league based at the Australian National University in the Australian Capital Territory.-History:...
as a student organisation at Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
.
The CRDL stepped up to help other leagues in the country. In 2009, members of the Canberra Roller Derby League competed as substitutes for the Sydney Roller Derby League
Sydney Roller Derby League
Sydney Roller Derby League is a roller derby league based in the New South Wales city of Sydney.-History:Sydney Roller Derby League was established in late 2007, by a handful of women interested in creating a league in which to play roller derby. The league has been steadily growing ever since....
's Screaming Assault Sirens in its grand final, after one member of the Sirens was quarantined with swine flu, and several other skaters were out injured.
Organisation and structure
Bullseye Bettie was the league president from 2008 to 2009, followed by Cherry Axe-Wound from 2010 onwards. The league only allows female skaters to participate, and there is no comparable men's or mixed league in the Territory. Members of the league are drawn from many backgrounds, and include women who are medical doctors, mothers, finance works, electricians and tradies. The CRDL is considered the most professional league in the country.The league is structured to protect the safety of its skaters. New roller derby competitors advance through tiers. At each level, they learn and perfect specific derby skills, experience and general fitness. This helps to avoid injury and improve the quality of the competition. The time between joining and getting to compete in a bout is generally nine to twelve months. Skaters practice for roughly eight total hours a week, mostly during two weekly practices that last around three hours.
Vice City Rollers
The 2011 all star-squad is composed of members of the teams of the Canberra Roller Derby League, who compete as a team in interstate bouts as the "Vice City Rollers" The name is a play on the fact that Canberra has a legal 'adult' industry. The 2011 squad was composed of:| Name | Number | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Bambi von Smash'er | 411 | Jammer, blocker & pivot |
| King Cam | 1 | Blocker |
| Pink Mist | 22 | Blocker |
| Rainbow Spite | 10 | Blocker |
| Ova Bearing | 327 | Blocker & pivot |
| Amykazee | 308 | Blocker & pivot |
| AnneThrax | 89 | Blocker |
| Roulette Rouge | 16 | Jammer, blocker & pivot |
| Shaggle Frock | 77 | Jammer, blocker & pivot |
| Short Stop | 6 | Jammer & blocker |
| Aunty Aggro | 1080 | Blocker |
| Cassatrophic | 3 | Jammer & blocker |
| Dr Hell | 7 | Jammer, blocker & pivot |
| The DutchAss | 21 | Blocker |
| FaunaCat | 12 | Blocker |
| Melicious Damage | 35 | Blocker |
The Vice City Rollers competed in their first interstate bout in June 2010 in the Great Southern Slam hosted by the Adelaide Roller Derby
Adelaide Roller Derby
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.-History:Adelaide Roller Derby was...
. They lost to Adelaide in the pool stage, but beat the Van Diemen Rollers; their record was insufficient for the team to advance to the quarter finals.
In 2010, the team also played in bouts in Wollongong, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. The October 2010 match in Sydney against the SydneyCity Assassins featured a Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
theme. On 11 December 2010, the Vice City Rollers competed against the Sydney Roller Derby League's all-star team, the Assassins, in a bout at AIS Arena
AIS Arena
AIS Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Canberra, Australia. The capacity is 5,200 and was built in 1980. The arena was opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser, on 26 January 1981 and was originally named the National Indoor Sports Centre and was the inaugural home of the...
billed as the "Lord of the Rink: The Two Towers", in their first home interstate bout. In the previous meeting in Sydney between the two teams, Canberra lost by four points. The 2010 squad members were managed by Anne Thrax and Belly Up. The captain was Bambi Von Smash'er, and the vice-captain was Dr Hell. Squad members included Amykazee, Faunacat, King Cam, Melicious Damage, Ova Bearing, Aunty Aggro, Cassatrophic, Dee Nature, The Dutachass, Pink Mist, Roulette Rouge and Short Stop.
The Vice City Rollers competed in several bouts in 2011, including a 19 March 2011 bout against the Victorian Roller Derby League
Victorian 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...
All Stars, a 9 July bout against the NBR Brawl Stars of the Brisbane Roller Derby League in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, and a 9 August bout against the SSRG Fancy Pants at AIS Arena. They competed at the Eastern Region Roller Derby Tournament Finals on 1 and 2 October in Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
, where they came in first place. When the Vice City Rollers competed against the Victorian Roller Derby League team, Canberra was competing against the current national champions. The Canberrans lost to the Victorian squad in front of a crowd of 3,500 spectators. In August the Vice City Rollers lost to the Sun State Roller Girls' Fancy Pants. At half time, the Fancy Pants were leading by fifty-five points. Queensland had the advantage of player size going into the bout, and were the number two ranked team in the nation at the time. Shaggle Frock was Canberra's leading jammer, scoring twenty of Canberra's forty-eight points. The Vice City Rollers are scheduled to have a 5 November 2011 bout in Geelong, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
against the Bloody Marys of the Geelong Roller Derby League
Geelong Roller Derby League
Geelong Roller Derby League is a roller derby league based in the Victorian city of Geelong. Founded in 2008, the GRDL has two teams that compete in the league and a combined team that competes in interleague bouts...
.
Blood and Thunder Roller Derby World Cup
Roller Derby World Cup
The Roller Derby World Cup is an international women's roller derby tournament organized by Blood & Thunder magazine. Teams of amateur skaters from around the world are fielded to compete for their respective nations. The inaugural 2011 event is being hosted by Toronto Roller Derby, and is being...
is the major international roller derby event, with nations sending representative teams, and Vice City Rollers Amykazee, Bambi von Smash'er, King Cam, and Short Stop were chosen to represent Australia.
Black N Blue Belles
The Black N Blue Belles were created in 2009. The team's name is a play on the ACT floral emblem, the Canberra BluebellWahlenbergia gloriosa
Wahlenbergia gloriosa, or Royal Bluebell, is an Australian wildflower from the Campanulaceae family. It grows in high rainfall areas in the Australian Alps, in environs ranging from shady roadside cuttings on Mount Hotham to full sun herbfields on the main range.W. gloriosa has small dark green...
. The team is known inside the league for its fast skating and hard hits, and were the 2010 season champions. The team had eight new skaters in the 2011 squad, which was captained by ShortStop and Melicious Damage. The squad's 2011 sponsors include Allsports Mouthguards, and Cactus – Tattoo Artist North Lyneham.
Brindabelters
The Brindabelters were formed at the start of 2010 season. The team's name is a play on Brindabella RangesBrindabella Ranges
The Brindabella Range is a mountain range located on the border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The ranges rise to the west of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and include the Namadgi National Park in the A.C.T. and Bimberi Nature Reserve and...
, located in the ACT. The team had a number of new skaters join the competition squad for the 2011 season.
Red Bellied Black Hearts
The Red Bellied Black Hearts were formed at the start of 2010 season. The name is a play on the name of a local snake, the Red-bellied Black SnakeRed-bellied Black Snake
The Red-bellied Black Snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus, is a species of elapid snake native to eastern Australia. Though its venom is capable of causing significant morbidity, it is not generally fatal and less venomous than other deadly Australian snakes. It is common in woodlands, forests and...
. The squad is known for their good looks and their willingness to pick fights. The 2011 squad was captained by Roulette Rouge. The Vice Captain was Bambi von Smash'er. The team had a number of new skaters join the competition squad for the 2011 bout season. The Red Bellied Black Hearts lost the opening bout of the 2011 season when they were defeated by the Surly Griffins.
Surly Griffins
The Surly Griffins were the 2009 season champions, and 2010 runners up in 2010. The team's name is a play on Walter Burley GriffinWalter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
, who designed Canberra. Seven new skaters joined the 2011 squad, which was captained by Dr. Hell; the vice captains were Annethrax and Rainbow Spite. The team's sponsors for 2011 include Jake's Performance and CJ's Style. The Surly Griffins won their first bout in the 2011 season when they defeated the Red Bellied Black Hearts.
Referees
The Canberra Roller Derby League has its own referee squad known as Team Zulu. For the 2011 season, the referees were Magic Strat, Refucious, J Ref. K, Fair-as Bueller, Sin Bin Laden, and Major Dyck. Canberra Roller Derby League referees have been involved with interstate bouts, and Refucious, John Ref Kennedy and Magic Strat were part of the squad that refereed the Sydney City Assassins versus Vice City Rollers bout on 12 December 2010. John Ref Kennedy, Fair-as Bueller and Major Dyck were part of the referee squad for the Vice City Rollers bout against the Sunstate Roller Girls Fancy Pants on 6 August 2011.2009
There were only two teams in the league in 2009, the Black N Blue Belles and the Surly Griffins. At the start of the season, there were 20 skaters. The first public bout of the league's history had over 1,000 spectators in attendance and sold out within twenty-four hours of tickets going on sale. Including the finale, the season featured three bouts, the second of which were sold out within days. The Surly Griffins were the inaugural season Champions. The season's finale was played at the Southern Cross Stadium with tickets selling for .2010
The Canberra Roller Derby League had an intake more than 90 skaters at the start of the 2010 season during the Fresh Meat and Boot Camp intakes. The 2010 season saw the creation of two new teams, the Red Bellied Black Hearts and the Brindabelters. Canberra became only the second city and league in Australia to have four or more teams in their league when the teams were added at the start of the season, which kicked off on 11 September, with Brindabelters competing against The Black ‘n’ Blue Belles. The championship was held on 13 November 2010. The Black N Blue Belles were season champions in 2010, with the Surly Griffins as runners up. At bouts in 2010 and 2011, attendance was as high as 5,000 people per bout and the league had its own training venue. Tickets continued to sell out within 24 hours of going on sale during the 2010 season.2011
Four hundred women signed up for the 2011 Fresh Meat intake, and many potential derby players were wait listed. The 2011 season had six scheduled bouts, all of which were held at the Southern Cross Stadium. The first was on 2 April when the Surly Griffins competed against the Black N Blue Belles (Griffins win). The second was on 20 April when the Red Bellied Black Hearts competed against the Brindabelters (Black Hearts win). The third was on 28 May when the Surly Griffins competed against the Brindabelters (Brindabelters win). The fourth was on 18 June when the Black Bellied Black Hearts competed against the Black N Blue Belles (Belles win). The fifth was on 27 August when the Red Bellied Black Hearts competed against the Surly Griffins (Black Hearts win). The sixth was on 24 September when the Brindabelters competed against the Black N Blue Belles. The 2011 Derby Darby Cup, dubbed Skate-Icus, was held on 22 October, and was a double header at AIS Arena featuring all four all teams. The Canberra Weekly Magazine ran a contest with prizes incling entrance to the bouts and league related merchandise. The opening bout saw Surly Griffins compete against the Brindabelters for third place, the Griffins winning 142 to 130. The grand final bout pitted the Black n Blues and the Red Bellied Black Hearts. Teamwork, tactics and effective blocking eventually won a close bout for the Black Hearts, 138 to 134.| Abbreviation and Color Key: Black N Blue Belles - BNBB • Surly Griffins - SG Brindabelters - BL • Red Bellied Black Hearts - RBBH Win Loss |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Round | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Finals | Refs | |||||
| Black N Blue Belles | SG | |Bye | |Bye | RBBH | Bye | |BL | RBBH | |||||
| 132-150 | Bye | Bye | 160-104 | Bye | 230-99 | 134-138 | ||||||
| Surly Griffins | BNBB | |Bye | |BL | Bye | RBBH | |Bye | BL | |||||
| 150-132 | Bye | 131-137 | Bye | 87-144 | Bye | 142-130 | ||||||
| Brindabelters | Bye | |RBBH | |SG | Bye | Bye | |BNBB | SG | |||||
| Bye | 14-21 | 137-131 | Bye | Bye | 99-230 | 130-142 | ||||||
| Red Bellied Black Hearts | Bye | |BL | |Bye | BNBB | SG | |Bye | BNBB | |||||
| Bye | 21-14 | Bye | 104-160 | 144-87 | Bye | 138-134 | ||||||
The major sponsors for the 2011 season were Allsports Mouthguards, CJ's Style, Can Print, Jake's Performance, Bridges Canberra, Tattoo artist – North Lyneham, Impact Comics, Atlas Sports Physiotherapy, Stryking Signs, GXO, SkaterHQ, Elite Physique, Scope – Mount Stromlo, The Blue Olive, Fitsistas, and Jordo's Chop Shop. Bouts included live music being played during the half time intermission. Musical acts that performed during the season included Knight-Hammer, a medieval-Viking-lyrical themed-fusion 80s metal progressive parody band that wears Viking costumes while performing, and Mudpie Princess, a Canberra based indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band. In 2011, the CDRL hosted official after parties after each league and interstate bout, which were held at the Hellenic Club in Tuggeranong.
Media
Bouts are filmed and are aired on television on Channelvision at a later date. ChannelVision also creates highlight films that appear on the network. 666 ABC Canberra666 ABC Canberra
666 ABC Canberra is an ABC Local Radio station based in Canberra and broadcasting to the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding New South Wales region. This includes the cities and towns of Queanbeyan, Yass and Bungendore....
sent journalists to a practice to cover and report on the league. In 2009, Bullseye Betty and Roulette Rouge joined Greg Bayliss in 666 ABC's studio to teach him how to block. The pair also discussed the Canberra Roller Derby League on his show. The league was one of several Australian based teams to appear in the movie, "This is Roller Derby."
See also
- List of roller derby leagues
- Roller derby in AustraliaRoller derby in AustraliaThere are over sixty-eight roller derby leagues in Australia.-Governance:Skate Australia provides a minimal level of insurance for some roller derby leagues in Australia. It receives funding from the Australian Sports Commission to help with the development of roller sports in Australia...
External links
- Canberra Roller Derby League: Official
- Vice City Rollers: FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Canberra Roller Derby League: TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...