Tri-City Roller Derby

Tri-City Roller Derby

Metro area	Kitchener, Ontario
Country	Canada
Founded	2008
Teams	Tri-City Thunder (A team) Plan B (B team) Venus Fly Tramps Vicious Dishes Total Knock-Outs
Track type(s)	Flat
Venue	Various
Affiliations	Women's Flat Track Derby Association
Org. type	Skater Owned
Website	http://www.tricityrd.com/

Tri-City Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Kitchener, Ontario. On December 1, 2010, Tri-City became the third Canadian roller derby league to be granted membership in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association,[1][2] Having only completed two full home seasons, Tri-City gained membership status with WFTDA ahead of their Toronto-based sisters at Toronto Roller Derby.[3]

History and league structure

Tri-City has three house teams, the Vicious Dishes, the Venus Fly Tramps, and the Total Knock Outs, which play each other at home, as well as against other leagues' house teams. Then-league member Motorhead Molly played for Team Canada at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup.[4]

In December 2013 it was announced that Tri-City would be hosting a Division 2 tournament in 2014,[5] August 22–24 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.[6][7] This was the first time a WFTDA playoff tournament was held outside the United States,[7] and the tournament was won by Ottawa's Rideau Valley Roller Girls.[8]

Originally known as Tri-City Roller Girls, in March 2014 the organization rebranded as Tri-City Roller Derby.[9] Beginning in 2015, Tri-City hosts an annual invitational tournament called "Beaver Fever" at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.[10][11]

Tri-City home games are regularly broadcast on Rogers TV in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.[12]

The league run a junior roller derby program, Tri-City Junior Roller Derby, for children aged 9-17 years old to learn skating skills, and play games according to the Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA) ruleset.[13]

WFTDA competition

The All-Star team, or Travel Team, The Tri-City Thunder, plays other leagues' All-Star/Travel Teams, and qualifies for WFTDA ranking. Plan B plays other leagues' B All-Star/Travel Teams but does not qualify for WFTDA rankings.

Tri-City originally skated in the North Central region, making them one of three Canadian leagues in that region; the others being Toronto and the Hammer City Roller Girls.[14] Partway through 2013 WFTDA changed ranking systems removing the regions,[15] and Tri-City made its first WFTDA Playoff appearance as a member of WFTDA Division 2 in August 2013, placing fifth in the tournament held in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[16] Tri-City finished the 2013 season ranked 44th, placing them in the upper rankings of Division 2 for the 2014 season.[17]

In 2014, Tri-City, while hosting a Division 2 Playoff, qualified for Division 1 Playoffs in Salt Lake City, as the tenth seed. After losing their first two games to Arch Rival Roller Girls[18] and Montreal Roller Derby,[19] Tri-City defeated the Oklahoma Victory Dolls 190-185 in overtime to claim ninth place.[20]

Tri-City returned to D1 Playoffs in 2015 at Tucson as the tenth seed, losing to Terminal City Rollergirls,[21] Charm City Roller Girls,[22] and finally 239-170 to Arizona Roller Derby to finish in tenth place.[23]

In 2016, Tri-City dropped into Division 2 Playoffs as the ninth seed in Lansing, Michigan, losing their opening game to Bear City Roller Derby 235-140.[24] Tri-City then bounced back with victories over higher-seeded Nidaros Roller Derby[25] and Sac City Rollers,[26] before losing a rematch against Bear City in the fifth place game 177-153 to finish in sixth place.[27]

Rankings

Season	Final ranking[28]	Playoffs	Championship
2011	16 NC[29]	DNQ	DNQ
2012	12 NC[30]	DNQ	DNQ
2013	44 WFTDA[17]	5 D2[31]	DNQ
2014	46 WFTDA[32]	9 D1[20]	DNQ
2015	51 WFTDA[33]	10 D1[23]	DNQ
2016	58 WFTDA[34]	6 D2[27]	DNQ

See also

• Roller derby
• History of roller derby
• List of roller derby leagues

References

1. "Congratulations to Tri City Thunder – full WFTDA status". Midnight Matinee. 1 Dec 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
2. "WFTDA Welcomes Seven New Full Member Leagues". WFTDA. 1 Dec 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
3. "WFTDA APRRENTICE MATCHUP: Thunder looks to switch off the Power". Derby Nerd. 13 Oct 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
4. Less, Mercy (5 August 2011). "Team Canada Roster Announced". Derby News Network. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
5. Talionis, Lex (17 December 2013). "Nashville Hosting WFTDA Champs 2014". Derby News Network. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
6. "August 22–24: Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada". WFTDA. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
7. Brown, Josh (13 August 2014). "Top roller derby ladies tussle in Waterloo". Retrieved 13 August 2014.
8. "Roller derby tournament in Waterloo won by Ottawa women". CBC. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
9. Creces, Aaron (7 April 2014). "Roller girls? It's anyone's roller derby now". Spoke Online. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
10. Latif, Anam (10 May 2015). "Roller derby girls not what they used to be". www.therecord.com. Metroland News. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
11. "Beaver Fever Tournament - Women's Flat Track Derby Returns to Waterloo! - Explore Waterloo Region". Explore Waterloo Region. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
12. "Tri-City Roller Derby". Rogers TV / TV Rogers. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
13. "Tri-City Junior Roller Derby – Tri-City Roller Derby". Retrieved 2022-07-12.
14. "Member Leagues". WFTDA. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
15. Talionis, Lex (5 January 2013). "F***ing Rankings and Divisions. How Do They Work?". Derby News Network. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
16. "August 23-25, 2013: Kalamazoo, Michigan". WFTDA. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
17. "Rankings: December 31, 2013 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
18. Jennings, Hannah (26 September 2014). "D1SLC: Arch Rival Roller Girls Curve Tri-City Roller Girls". Derby Central. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
19. Jennings, Hannah (27 September 2014). "D1SLC: Montreal Roller Derby Blasts Tri-City, 366-145". Derby Central. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
20. Deadwards, Lisa (28 September 2014). "D1SLC 9th: Tri-City (#40) Finds Victory in Overtime over Oklahoma (#32), 190-185". Derby Central. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
21. "D1T: #7 Terminal City Terminates #10 Tri-City, 328-90". Derby Central. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
22. "D1T: #5 Charm City sneaks past #10 Tri-City, 218-180". Derby Central. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
23. Defiance, Brooklyn (6 September 2015). "D1T 9th Place: #8 Arizona Terrorizes #10 Tri-City, 239-170". Derby Central. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
24. "D2L: #8 Bear City rocks #9 Tri-City Thunder, 235-140". Derby Central. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
25. "D2L: #9 Tri-City Thunder brings the boom to #6 Nidaros, 167-164". Derby Central. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
26. "D2L: #9 Tri-City lethally 'ejects' #2 Sac City, 223-164". Derby Central. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
27. "D2L 5th Place: #8 Bear City wins rematch against #9 Tri-City, 177-153". Derby Central. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
28. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
29. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
30. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
31. "August 23-25, 2013: Kalamazoo, Michigan". WFTDA. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
32. "Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
33. "Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
34. "Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.

External links

• Official website