Jet City Roller Derby (JCRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Everett, Washington . Founded in 2006, Jet City is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
88-656: Jet City was founded as Jet City Rollergirls in July 2006 by four friends, who were inspired after watching the Rat City Rollergirls , who held an exhibition game at the Everett Events Center in March of that year in front of 5000 people. By mid-2007, when they held their first exhibition bout, they already had around 60 skaters. They played their first full season in 2008, and became a full member of
176-539: A social media forum (phBB) to structure their organizational and social interactions. The home teams for play within the Rat City league are: The travel teams are: In July, 2007 a junior league was established, the Seattle Derby Brats. The Seattle Derby Brats are an independent organization that rents practice space from Rat City. They were the second junior league to start and the first to have
264-759: A former navy hangar in Magnuson Park , as the Derby Liberation Front defeated the Throttle Rockets 52-32. The Rat City Rollergirls hosted the 2006 Roller Derby "Bumberbout" Flat Track Invitational on Saturday, September 2, 2006, in the KeyArena at Seattle Center . The Texas Rollergirls won the championship, retaining undefeated status. The Rat City Rollergirls finished second. Within the Rat City Rollergirl league,
352-470: A lawsuit in an attempt to keep the Sonics from leaving before the end of their lease in 2010. In the midst of the lawsuit, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer offered to pay half of a $ 300 million renovation of KeyArena; the rest to be provided by the city and county. However, when the state legislature did not give approval for the county to provide funds by an April 10 deadline, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said that
440-724: A loss to Brandywine eliminated top-seeded Jet City from eligibility for Division 2 Championships, but they secured third place at Wichita with a 132–118 victory over Nashville Rollergirls . Jet City again qualified for the Division 2 Playoffs and Championship in 2017 as the fourth seed in Pittsburgh , and finished the weekend in sixth place. In 2018, Jet City qualified for the WFTDA North American West Continental Cup held in Omaha , Nebraska as
528-649: A newer, more modern arena. After failing to reach an agreement with the city of Seattle over a publicly funded $ 220 million expansion of KeyArena, the Basketball Club of Seattle, led by Schultz, put the SuperSonics and its sister team, the WNBA's Seattle Storm up for sale. After failing to find a local ownership group to sell the team to, Schultz talked to ownership groups from Kansas City , St. Louis , Las Vegas , San Jose and Anaheim before agreeing to sell
616-417: A parking garage on 1st Avenue N, a new team store, and a tunnel connecting the store to the arena brought the total cost to nearly $ 127.3 million. New amenities would include 22 concession stands, 8 portable stands with vending in the seating, three private sports clubs, and a public sports bar and restaurant. Club-level seating with 1,100 seats would also offer exclusive club, concession, and lounge areas, and
704-482: A private concourse with 58 luxury suites would also be added. A mandate of the project was that no taxpayer funds could be used to pay for it. This brought concern from the Ackerleys, but after nearly a year of negotiations a revenue sharing plan was developed. The city and the team would split revenues from suites, concessions, and other items all within the arena to service the debt for the city and provide income to
792-730: A public bout. The first inter-league junior bout was the Tuscan Derby Brats vs The Seattle Derby Brats at the 2007 WFTDA Nationals. They were the fourth team to be part of the JRDA, the Junior Roller Derby Association but are no longer affiliated. At the 2007 National Tournament, the Seattle Derby Brats skated against Tucson's junior team between the tournament games. The Seattle Derby Brats were founded and coached by Krista Lafontaine Williams ("Betty Ford Galaxy") formerly of Rat City and currently skating with
880-463: A secured $ 5 million line of credit in case the league had to take over ownership of the team at any point. Ackerley would not sacrifice Sonics revenues for a hockey team in which he would be a minority investor. In June 1991, nearly a year after the city agreed to the arena deal, Ackerley announced that the project would not move forward. Increasing project costs, legal disputes, and inability to secure construction financing were cited as reasons to drop
968-494: A stance that the Sonics were expected to stay in Seattle until their lease expired in 2010 and said the city did not intend to make it easy for Bennett to move the team early. Over concerns the city would accept a buyout of the lease, a grassroots group filed a citywide initiative that sought to prevent the city from accepting such an offer from Bennett's group. Seattle City Council later unanimously passed an ordinance modeled after
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#17327972612521056-716: A two-year term ending December 31, 2010, at an annual fee of $ 300,000. In 2009, the Seattle University Redhawks men's basketball team began playing their home games at KeyArena for the first time since 1980. In February 2009, the Seattle City Council approved a new 10-year lease that would keep the WNBA's Storm at KeyArena. In 2009, the arena hosted the WWE No Way Out pay-per-view event. The WWE returned on March 9, 2010, to tape
1144-405: Is located north of Downtown Seattle in the 74-acre (30 ha) entertainment complex known as Seattle Center , the site of the 1962 World's Fair , for which it was originally developed. After opening in 1962, it was subsequently bought and converted by the city of Seattle for entertainment purposes. From 2018 to 2021, the arena underwent a $ 1.15 billion redevelopment; the renovation preserved
1232-673: Is made up of four teams:Poison Skid'les, Evil Angels, Battle Axles, and Stunflowers. Division I plays positional roller derby with more in-depth strategy. Division II (ages 11 to 17) features full-contact play. The teams in Division II are in three tiers, listed in order of skill: the Toxic AvengHers/Mighty Rollers, the Ultra Violets, and the all star travel team, the Galaxy Girls. PFM Roller Derby
1320-952: The Gotham Girls Roller Derby , the Tucson Roller Derby , the Detroit Derby Girls , and the Windy City Rollers . Sweeping the WFTDA Western Regional Tournament , the Tucson Dust Devil, in an upset of the formerly top ranked Texas Texecutioners, the Rat City All-Stars rose to first in the national roller derby rankings, up from third, and rose to the first seed for the championships. In November 2008, Rat City Rollergirls and
1408-737: The Rose City Rollers co-hosted the Northwest Knockdown national championships at the Portland Expo Center. Entering the competition ranked third in the nation, the Rat City Rollergirls were defeated in the first round of competition by the Windy City Rollers . Climate Pledge Arena Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington , United States. It
1496-464: The Rose City Rollers ' Axles of Annihilation to win the tournament. In 2009, the Rat City Rollergirls announced a change of venue from the hangars at Magnuson Park to the KeyArena at Seattle Center and ShoWare Center in Kent . Ticket sales for the first bout of the season vastly exceeded expectations of KeyArena management, filling more than 4,000 of the 5,500 seat capacity in what is referred to as
1584-511: The U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle to protest the proposed relocation of the team. The rally was held on the first day of the city of Seattle's lawsuit against the PBC to enforce the remaining two years on the KeyArena lease. On July 2, 2008, two hours before a ruling in the city's lawsuit was to be given, it was announced that the team and the city had reached a settlement where PBC would pay
1672-625: The Washington Bullets and SuperSonics. The Bullets won in 1978, prevailing in game 7 in Seattle. The Sonics retaliated the following year, winning in Game 5 on the Bullets' home court, thus capturing the franchise's only championship. Upon the opening of the new Kingdome in 1976, which first hosted the NFL 's Seahawks and NASL 's Sounders followed by MLB 's expansion Mariners in 1977,
1760-730: The Washington State Pavilion for the Century 21 Exposition , the work of architect Paul Thiry . After the close of the Exposition, the Pavilion was purchased by the city of Seattle for $ 2.9 million and underwent an 18-month conversion into the Washington State Coliseum , one of the centerpieces of the new Seattle Center on the former Exposition grounds. When the newly renovated Coliseum opened,
1848-593: The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and has achieved success on the WFTDA stage, qualifying for WFTDA Playoffs every season, including a second-place finish in the 2007 WFTDA Championships . The league was founded as Rat City Rollergirls in 2004 by "Dixie Dragstrip", Lilly "Hurricane Lilly" Warner and Rahel "Rae's Hell" Cook. Nearly 2000 fans attended the first league home team championship in October 2005 at
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#17327972612521936-517: The Women's Flat Track Derby Association the following year. The league initially played in a 900-seat venue at Everett Community College , but moved to its larger 2,000-seat venue in 2011, which they regularly sold out. As of 2017, Jet City hosted games at Shoreline Derby Center in Shoreline and the league consisted of four home teams, as well as an all-star team which competed against teams from other leagues in WFTDA competition. In January 2018
2024-837: The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Seattle University Redhawks men's basketball team, and the Rat City Roller Derby league of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association . It has also played host to the Pac-12 Conference 's women's basketball tournament . The arena was previously most notable as the long-time former home of the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The SuperSonics first played at
2112-586: The three-point contest , and Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan won the slam-dunk competition . The NBA All-Star Game itself for 1987 in Seattle was held at the Kingdome . The arena hosted the basketball competitions of the Goodwill Games in 1990 . In 1983, Barry Ackerley , head of the Washington, D.C.-based television, radio, and billboard company Ackerley Communications Inc. , purchased
2200-496: The 'lower bowl'. That season, Rat City averaged 4100 fans per event. On March 6, 2010, Rat City Rollergirls had a turnout of 5,185 in KeyArena. According to announcements that evening this was record attendance for both Rat City Rollergirls and the largest attendance to women's roller derby in history. On June 5, 2010, the Sockit Wenches defeated Grave Danger to win the season 6 championship. The lower bowl at KeyArena
2288-559: The 1976–77 season. The NHL briefly flirted with relocating the Pittsburgh Penguins to Seattle (and the California Golden Seals to Denver) to address a troubled market and fill the expansion commitment, but ultimately kept the team there. Eventually, the Seattle franchise award was rescinded altogether when the potential ownership group was unable to secure the funds for the expansion fee. In July 1990,
2376-647: The 2007 national champions the Kansas City Roller Warriors . In the qualifying round, they beat the 2006 and 2005 national champions, the Texas Rollergirls , who placed third. Eight teams went to Austin to compete in the 2007 Texas Shootout National Championships, four from the eastern regional division and four from the western regional division, these notable teams included: the Carolina Rollergirls (fourth place),
2464-577: The Ackerley application already submitted, the two groups would merge with Larson and MacFarland being primary points of contact with the NHL. Then owner of the Seattle Thunderbirds, Bill Yuill, also joined the group. Larson and MacFarland, along with Barry Ackerley and Bill Lear, Ackerley's financial advisor, were set to make a presentation to the NHL's Board of Governors on December 5, 1990. At
2552-514: The Coliseum by excavating the floor to lower it and build a new bowl with more seating. The Ackerleys turned down the renovation concept in favor of building their own arena in SoDo. Though the city preferred the renovation, they would reluctantly agree to the new arena plan. After the SoDo proposal fell through, the Ackerleys attempted to find other investors to no avail. Barry Ackerley would return to
2640-898: The March 9 episode of NXT and March 12 episode of SmackDown . They would return a year later to host the WWE Over the Limit pay-per-view on May 22, 2011. In April 2011, the Professional Bull Riders brought the Built Ford Tough Series to KeyArena for the first time. Between June 28 and 30, 2011, the arena hosted the Seattle audition stages in the first season of the Fox singer search program The X Factor . On January 21, 2011, Seattle Center announced that KeyCorp would not renew its agreement for naming rights of KeyArena, after 15 years of sponsorship. However,
2728-590: The Mariners' home, T-Mobile Park . Ackerley approached the city about a public contribution to the new arena, but the city was reluctant over fears the city-owned Coliseum would become obsolete. They offered to help finance a renovation of the Coliseum, but the team owner declined. To sweeten the offer, Ackerley sold city leaders on the idea that the new arena in SoDo could also attract a National Hockey League club. The city, along with Denver, had been conditionally granted an expansion NHL franchise in 1974 to begin play in
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2816-582: The Mariners' regular season home schedule. They would continue to play occasional games at the Kingdome through the late 1980s and early 1990s. The arena hosted the NBA All-Star Game once, in 1974 ; the 1987 game had included NBA All-Star Saturday festivities on February 7, where former Sonics star "Downtown Freddie" Brown was the MVP of the legends game , Boston Celtics star Larry Bird won
2904-582: The NHL approved the sale of the Coyotes to an investment group that would keep the Coyotes in the Phoenix area, eliminating the possibility that the Coyotes could move to Seattle. Conversely, in February 2012, SB Nation columnist Travis Hughes said that while it made "too much sense" for the NHL not to put a team in Seattle in the future, KeyArena was completely unsuitable even as a temporary facility due to
2992-420: The NHL could not negotiate a new lease for the Coyotes with the city of Glendale, Arizona , by July 2, the league would sell the team to a private investment group which would then be given permission to relocate the team to Seattle prior to the 2013–2014 season and use KeyArena as a temporary home. On July 2, the city of Glendale, Arizona approved a new lease for the Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena , and soon after,
3080-831: The Rainier Roller Girls, the Dockyard Derby Dames, the Jet City Rollergirls, and the Tilted Thunder Rail Birds. Since 2018, PFM has held practices and scrimmages at Magnuson Community Center. The 2007 documentary, Blood On The Flat Track : The Rise of the Rat City Rollergirls , was directed by Lainy Bagwell and Lacey Leavitt. It played at 14 film festivals around the world, including screenings in Brisbane and Sydney , Australia , as well as Aarhus , Denmark . It
3168-588: The Rainier Roller Girls. Betty Ford Galaxy retired from coaching junior derby at the end of the 2014 season. Many other local skaters have helped coach and hold board positions. The Seattle Derby Brats has teams for multiple levels of play. The youngest group of skaters (ages 8 to 11), known as the Tootsy Rollers, play a positional-blocking version of roller derby with little contact. The Tootsy Rollers are split into four teams: Lemon Drops, Acid Pops, Orange Crush and Turquoise Terrors. Division I (ages 11 to 17)
3256-703: The Seattle University men's basketball team became the arena's first major tenant. In 1964, the facility was renamed the Seattle Center Coliseum . That same year, the Seattle Totems moved into the Coliseum. The Coliseum became home to its most famous resident, the Seattle SuperSonics , beginning with their inaugural season in 1967 and remaining as host throughout most of the team's lifetime. The Coliseum in this incarnation hosted two NBA Finals , in 1978 and 1979 , both between
3344-399: The Seattle fan base and follow through on his plan to move the team to Oklahoma City ... Making this move now continues the current ownership's insulting behavior toward the Sonics' dedicated fans and the citizens of the city." Bennett also reiterated that the team was not for sale and dismissed attempts by local groups to repurchase the team. On September 23, 2007, the City of Seattle filed
3432-417: The Sockit Wenches won the season championship at Sand Point on October 21, 2006. They beat the formerly undefeated Derby Liberation Front, scoring the decisive points in the final seconds of the match, and of the season. In February 2008 Rat City first hosted the Rust Riot Pacific Northwest Tournament, predominantly featuring B-teams from Washington , Oregon and Idaho . Rat City's Rain of Terror defeated
3520-437: The Sonics from long-time owner Sam Schulman . In the mid-to-late 1980s, the team's on-court success would decline. This was coupled with a sub-par home court experience at the Coliseum, which included the NBA's lone rain delayed game on January 5, 1986, when rain water leaked from the roof onto the court as the Sonics played the Phoenix Suns . Timeouts were called so ball boys armed with towels could do their best to wipe up
3608-416: The Sonics would begin playing a small number of home games at the stadium. For the championship 1978-79 season , the basketball club moved into the Kingdome full-time. They would call it home through the 1984–85 season, after which the team returned to the Coliseum. During those 7 years, the Sonics would occasionally play home playoff games at the Coliseum or Hec Edmundson Pavilion so as to not interfere with
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3696-405: The Sonics. The game was mostly played to celebrate its moments with the NBA and ended up being its final event as the KeyArena before the arena closed down for redevelopment. In October 2016, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced that the city would seek proposals to redevelop KeyArena into an NBA and NHL ready venue, issuing a full request for proposal in January. This came after the rejection of
3784-417: The Starbucks logo and the Rat City Rollergirls "skater portrait in a circle" logo. After casual observers noted the absence of similarity, the matter was dropped in September 2008 without further legal action. The Rat City Rollergirls logo artwork was designed by local Seattle artist, Ego. The Rat City All-Stars competed in the 2007 WFTDA National Championships in Austin, Texas. They placed second, to
3872-433: The SuperSonics lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. In 2001, ownership of the Seattle SuperSonics (who had called KeyArena home on-and-off since their establishment in 1967) transferred from Barry Ackerley to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz . Schultz claimed that in the five years he owned the SuperSonics, the team suffered heavy financial losses, which led him to seek funding from the Washington State Legislature for
3960-399: The architectural integrity of the original roofline by using the existing steel trusses in combination with four new main diagonal trusses. The wood, steel and concrete from the demolition was either reused in construction of the new arena or sold to recyclers. The original acoustical panels, the panels attached to the roof that keep the space from echoing, were refurbished and reused. The court
4048-529: The arena, combined with earlier losses under recent ownership groups, "likely doomed the Sonics' future in the city". On February 12, 2007, Bennett proposed using tax money to pay for a new $ 500 million arena in Renton , a suburb of Seattle. After failing to reach a deal by the end of the legislative session, Bennett gave up his attempt in April 2007. On November 2, 2007, the team announced it would move to Oklahoma City as soon as it could get out of its KeyArena lease. Seattle's mayor, Greg Nickels , maintained
4136-439: The city $ 45 million immediately in exchange for breaking the lease, and an additional $ 30 million if Seattle was not given a replacement team in five years. According to the conditions of the settlement, the Sonics' name and colors could not be used by the team in Oklahoma City, but could be taken by a future team in Seattle, although no promises for a replacement team were given. The newly renamed Oklahoma City Thunder would retain
4224-450: The city council approved a deal for a privately owned $ 100 million facility to be built on the Ackerley land in SoDo, despite objections over traffic and parking by the Seahawks and Mariners in the neighboring Kingdome. The city's contribution would be to waive about $ 31 million in tax revenues (about $ 1 million per year) to potentially be collected on admissions fees at the new arena. It would also pay $ 2 million for street improvements around
4312-421: The city hinged on the ability to sell the 70 proposed luxury suites. Ackerley also committed to submitting an expansion application to the NHL by a September 15, 1990, deadline as part of the arena deal. His son Bill would head the expansion effort, while a competing group led by Microsoft executive Chris Larson and former Seattle Totems player then coach Bill MacFarland was preparing their own application. With
4400-415: The city to ask if they would still consider renovating the Coliseum. With renewed interest on all sides, including the city council, the city spent $ 250,000 studying if it was even environmentally and engineeringly feasible to dig into the ground beneath the building. The plan proved possible and it was found that the compression ring holding the roof could be preserved, saving $ 15 million in cost and keeping
4488-459: The council ahead of their final vote. During negotiations, Ackerley had asked for a provision to reduce the seating at the Coliseum by 9,000 seats so the older arena could not compete with the new building, but the city would not agree. Another selling point of the new arena were luxury suites, a means to attract corporate money and sponsorship that was then an emerging new revenue stream for sports team owners. Ackerley's financing and agreement with
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#17327972612524576-418: The effort had failed and the city's hopes rested in its lawsuit. The last SuperSonics game played at KeyArena was on April 13, 2008 , a 99–95 win over the Dallas Mavericks . The NBA Board of Governors approved the relocation of the Sonics on April 18, 2008. On June 16, 2008, the grassroots organization "Save Our Sonics" organized a well-publicized rally, which reportedly drew over 3,000 participants, at
4664-407: The end of 2010, but the building maintained the KeyArena name until its 2018 closure for the redevelopment. Amazon bought the naming rights to the arena in June 2020, dedicating the arena name to bringing attention to climate change , specifically the pledge promoted by the advocacy group Global Optimism for businesses to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040. The arena opened in 1962 as
4752-404: The facility seismically sound against earthquakes. The original cable-suspended roof would be replaced by a conventional fixed roof with steel trusses that would preserve the well-known shape. The project had an estimated cost of $ 73.4 million, considerably less than other new arenas of the time in Portland and Vancouver, to be paid with the city's bond capacity. A new kitchen and support building,
4840-435: The facility, then known as the Seattle Center Coliseum , from their founding in 1967 to 1978 . After a seven-season stint in the higher capacity Kingdome , they returned to the arena in 1985 . The facility underwent an extensive renovation after the 1993–94 season, which necessitated the relocation of SuperSonics home games to the Tacoma Dome for the 1994–95 season, and it was renamed KeyArena after KeyCorp bought
4928-401: The family was always committed to keeping the team in Seattle, and that "[...] in each case, we stood on our principles that this is a Seattle community asset." In 1990, the Ackerleys talked about building an arena east of Lake Washington near Bellevue Square . They would eventually purchase land in the SoDo district near the Kingdome, some of which includes the site that would later become
5016-443: The first a doubles match pitting Roger Federer and Bill Gates against John Isner and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam , and a singles match featuring Federer and Isner. More than $ 2 million was raised for the Roger Federer Foundation from the match's proceeds. On October 5, 2018, the Golden State Warriors played against the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game at KeyArena, the same arena where Kevin Durant played previously with
5104-414: The first time. At Championships, Jet City defeated Santa Cruz Derby Girls 195-194 to claim the first Division 2 title. In 2014, Jet City moved up to Division 1 Playoffs as the eighth seed and finished in ninth, finishing with a 183–133 win over SoCal Derby . Jet City returned to Division 2 in 2015 at Cleveland as the eighth seed and finished in seventh by beating Oklahoma Victory Dolls 179–137. In 2016,
5192-403: The franchise history of the SuperSonics, which could be "shared" with any future NBA team in Seattle. The team moved to Oklahoma City immediately and announced it would begin play in the 2008–09 season. Once KeyArena lost the SuperSonics and the Thunderbirds, there was speculation that KeyBank may try to amend the naming rights deal. In March 2009, the city and KeyCorp signed a new deal for
5280-448: The ice could not be seen at all, forcing them to curtain off several thousand seats in the upper level. League officials later hinted that a new arena would have to be in place before a new or relocated NHL team came to Seattle. During the 2012 All-Star Weekend, Bettman said that while Seattle was a good fit for the NHL, "there's no building." Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that KeyArena would be "a difficult arena for hockey" due to
5368-410: The initiative. On August 13, 2007, Aubrey McClendon , a minor partner of Bennett's ownership group, said in an interview with The Journal Record (an Oklahoma City newspaper) that the team was not purchased to keep it in Seattle but to relocate it to Oklahoma City. Bennett later denied such intentions, saying McClendon "was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group". Due to his comments, McClendon
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#17327972612525456-467: The large number of obstructed-view seats. In February 2012, KING 5 reporter Chris Daniels said an NBA team could also use KeyArena as a temporary home. In July 2012, at a public town hall meeting debating Chris Hansen's proposed NBA/NHL arena in downtown Seattle , anti-arena proponents wanted to "re-explore" using KeyArena instead of the proposed site downtown. From 2014 to 2017, American video game developer Valve hosted The International ,
5544-414: The league announced it was rebranding as Jet City Roller Derby, and coalescing its home teams into two B teams. Jet City first qualified for WFTDA Playoffs in 2010, as the seventh seed at that year's WFTDA Western Regional Tournament , where they finished in seventh place, capped by a 149–95 victory over Tucson Roller Derby . In 2011, Jet City was the eighth seed at the Western Regional and again played in
5632-419: The meeting, Ackerley and Lear asked to meet with the board first, promptly withdrew their application, and left. Larson and MacFarland were stunned to learn of the development but were unable to pursue any recourse as their names were never on the submitted application. Thought to play a factor in Ackerley's decision were the significant demands by the NHL for an expansion team: a $ 50 million expansion fee that
5720-413: The multi-purpose Tacoma Dome in Tacoma , about thirty miles (50 km) south. On April 11, 1995, the city sold the naming rights to Cleveland -based KeyCorp, the parent of KeyBank , which renamed the Coliseum as KeyArena. The renovation cost the city of Seattle $ 74.5 million and the SuperSonics approximately $ 21 million. The naming rights cost KeyCorp $ 15.1 million. The remodeled arena maintained
5808-428: The naming rights in 1995. The SuperSonics left KeyArena in 2008 amid a controversial relocation to Oklahoma City . The arena was also known for hosting minor professional hockey teams, first as home to the Seattle Totems of the original Western Hockey League and the Central Hockey League from 1964 to 1975, followed by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the current Western Hockey League from 1989 to 2008. The arena
5896-406: The original exterior and roof, which was declared a Seattle Landmark in 2017 and was listed on the Washington Heritage Register as well as the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The renovated venue has a capacity of 17,151 for ice hockey and 18,300 for basketball. The arena is currently the home to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Seattle Storm of
5984-413: The project loomed. Newly elected Seattle mayor Norm Rice was concerned over a loss of concerts and events to cities with larger, more modern facilities, and the strong possibility the city could lose the Sonics. The mayor believed that sports unite a community and that Seattle Center would continue to serve as a valuable hub for tourism. At his insistence, a Center commission developed a plan to renovate
6072-474: The project. Only around 30 of the 70 luxury suites were sold and the Ackerleys were unable to find a corporate buyer for naming rights. Ackerley Communications profits were down, which also contributed to the financing difficulties. A state Supreme Court case brought by Seattle Center employees challenged the constitutionality of the arena deal, while potential lawsuits from the Mariners and trade show organizers and possible legal challenges to environmental review of
6160-463: The proposed site, including a pedestrian walkway over South Royal Brougham Way. Ackerley also agreed to sign a 30-year lease for the Sonics and to build an 1,800-stall parking garage. Ackerley appeased the Seahawks' concerns, noting the arena would be empty during any NFL games. The Mariners unsuccessfully continued to object, even enlisting then-Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent and then-American League president Bobby Brown to speak before
6248-526: The puddles, but even so, two players slipped and fell on the wet surface. Early in the second quarter, referee Mike Mathis called the game with the Suns up by eleven points. The game was resumed from that point the following night, and Phoenix won by seventeen . Ackerley began exploring new options for an arena. Heavy relocation rumors began to circulate, amongst them a potential move to San Diego or possible sales to groups in other markets like Milwaukee or Toronto. In 2018, Ackerley's son Chris would say that
6336-444: The sale required the new ownership group to "use good faith best efforts" for a term of 12 months in securing a new arena lease or venue in the Seattle metropolitan area . In 2006, 74% of voters in Seattle voted to pass Initiative 91, a measure that prohibited use of tax dollars on arena projects in the city unless it could be shown the city would turn a profit on their investment. The limitation of tax dollars that could be spent on
6424-498: The same problems with sight lines that ultimately forced the Thunderbirds to move out. Hughes wrote that even one year of NHL hockey in an arena where half the lower bowl sat unused would be "just unacceptable." He argued that the situation would be even worse than what the Coyotes faced at America West Arena , their original home in Phoenix. When the Coyotes played there from 1996 to 2003, they had to deal with seats where part of
6512-604: The seventh place game, this time losing 140-105 to Sacred City Derby Girls to finish in eighth place. After missing Playoffs in 2012, Jet City returned to the new Division 2 Playoffs in 2013 in Des Moines, Iowa, entering the weekend as the fifth seed. After victories over DC Rollergirls and Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls , Jet City took first place in the tournament with a 208–113 win against Blue Ridge Rollergirls and also qualified for WFTDA Championships for
6600-402: The seventh seed, and after losing their opening game finished in the consolation round. Rat City Rollergirls Rat City Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Seattle , Washington. Founded in 2004 as Rat City Rollergirls, LLC, the league has incorporated alternative cultural influences, and has inspired and mentored other leagues. Rat City is a founding member of
6688-486: The team on July 18, 2006 to an ownership group from Oklahoma City , who was pursuing an NBA franchise after hosting the New Orleans Hornets franchise successfully for two seasons as the city of New Orleans rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina . The sale to Clay Bennett 's ownership group, Professional Basketball Club LLC (PBC) for $ 350 million was approved by NBA owners on October 24, 2006. Terms of
6776-491: The team. The arena would be the first to finance itself by use of the arena. In May 1993, the city council voted 7–2 in favor of the deal with the Sonics signing a 15-year lease agreement and a guaranteed income of $ 7 million per year during the lease. The agreement was initially turned down in council committee in the hopes of negotiating a 20-year lease with an increased guaranteed income of $ 9 million per year starting in year 15. The Ackerleys declined these changes. The Coliseum
6864-474: The venue retained the KeyArena name until its redevelopment, despite the fact that the naming right had expired. In January 2012, ESPN.com reporter Scott Burnside said KeyArena "would be entirely acceptable", as a temporary venue for an NHL franchise, depending on a future arena plan. The Phoenix Coyotes were often speculated to be a likely candidate for relocation and in June 2013, reports circulated that if
6952-617: The world championship for Dota 2 eSports , at the venue, which featured prize pools of over $ 20 million in 2016 and 2017. TI returned to the venue in 2023. KeyArena hosted early rounds of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1999 and 2015 . On September 16, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions. Roger Federer organized a tennis exhibition match at KeyArena with Match for Africa 4 , held on April 29, 2017. Two matches were played,
7040-479: Was curtained off for T-Birds games. The new scoreboard was significantly off-center in the ice hockey configuration, hanging over one blue line instead of the center-ice faceoff circle. The first regular season game for the SuperSonics at the rechristened KeyArena was played on November 4, 1995 , against the Los Angeles Lakers . The renovated arena hosted the 1996 NBA Finals in its first season, when
7128-468: Was fined $ 250,000 by the NBA. On October 31, 2007, Bennett informed NBA commissioner David Stern that the ownership group intended to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City as soon as it was legally possible. The timing of the announcement, one day after the Sonics' home opener, drew critical comments from Tom Carr, Seattle's attorney, who said "Mr. Bennett's announcement today is a transparent attempt to alienate
7216-412: Was formed as a practice group for skaters wishing to try out for Rat City, and for many years rented track space from Rat City, however the organization, a registered non-profit, has always been independent from Rat City. Composed of skaters in training, as well as recreational derby players who do not wish to commit at the level of league play, PFM alumnae go on to league play with the Rat City Rollergirls,
7304-400: Was lowered 35 feet (11 m) below street level to allow for 3,000 more seats. The doors opened to the newly renovated arena on October 26, 1995. The sightlines, however, benefitted the SuperSonics at the expense of the junior Thunderbirds. The floor was just barely large enough to fit a regulation ice rink. Many seats in the lower level were so badly obstructed that almost half the lower level
7392-526: Was more than any NHL club was valued at the time; a $ 5 million down payment that would be forfeited if 10,000 season tickets were not sold in the first year – the Sonics had never sold more than 9,000 season tickets; season tickets needed to produce at least $ 9 million annually, which would've made the tickets the second most expensive for a team in the area at the time; a 20-year lease with a "substantial" share of arena revenues from concessions, parking, and ad signage; priority status for postseason arena dates; and
7480-404: Was rebuilt between 1994 and 1995, bringing the arena up to the NBA standards of the day. The local Seattle office of NBBJ , the second largest architectural firm in the country, was chosen as the architects. In an unusual move, the Coliseum would be closed for a year during the renovation. Construction began on June 16, 1994. During the 1994–95 season, the SuperSonics played their home games at
7568-591: Was released on DVD in Canada in October 2009 and in the United States in February 2010. Several of the members of the Rat City Rollergirls were profiled in an article on MSNBC. In 2008, the Rat City Rollergirls were a featured league in a video game developed by Frozen Codebase and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. In May 2008, Starbucks initiated an inquiry as to trademark infringement between
7656-405: Was sold out, with over 6000 fans in attendance and 6885 tickets sold. In late 2017, Rat City rebranded as Rat City Roller Derby. As a business enterprise, the league is registered as a non-profit corporation, Rat City Roller Derby, which is owned by the skaters. Although stakeholders in the enterprise, the skaters are not currently paid for their participation. The RCRG make extensive use of
7744-451: Was the first publicly financed one in the area that was fully supported by earned income from the building. Arena finances were bolstered for several years by a payment following the settlement with the SuperSonics in 2008, but the lower level of activity and revenue during the time between the departure of the team and the arrival of the NHL left little reserve beyond basic building maintenance. The naming rights deal with KeyCorp concluded at
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