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40-639: Since 2005, the league has played and practiced at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, with capacity for up to 4,000 spectators for roller derby, and average attendance ranging between 1,800 and 3,000 fans at MNRG events. MNRG claims to be the first league in the country to have a professional space for practices and bouts. Minnesota Roller Derby is a limited liability company composed of volunteer skaters aged 18 years and older and other volunteers. No skater or volunteer associated with

80-424: A documentary following six of the players. This film premiered April 15, 2023. Minnesota Roller Derby is sponsored by a variety of local and national companies, including: The Onion , Minnesota Public Radio 89.3: The Current , Ultra Creative, Archetype Design, Saint Paul Athletic Club, Fiant Dental, and Pizza Lucé , among others. Minnesota All-Stars Lynn "Juke Boxx" Klass and Melissa "Medusa" Arnold represented

120-482: A half-time lead, 84 points to the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls ' 49, principally due to Atomatrix 's power jams. Although she ultimately scored 101 points for Oly, Rocky Mountain were able to fight back in the second half. With one jam remaining, Oly retained an eight-point lead, but, jamming for the third time in a row, Rocky Mountain's Frida Beater scored nine unopposed points before calling off

160-471: A new trophy for the winner of the third-place game was unveiled. The inaugural Bronze Bearing Trophy was won for the first time by the Garda Belts. The Minnesota All-Stars are the league's charter all-star interleague team. This team of elite skaters, drawn from the home teams, trains together year-round and travels for sanctioned WFTDA bouts throughout the year. The Minnesota Nice are the other half of

200-742: A potential overtime jam which ordinarily would have settled the score. In the 2013 revision of the Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby, it was specified that the score at the time the game-ending whistle is blown, once confirmed by the officials at the end of game time, is official and that scorekeeping errors must stand if any are discovered after the official final score is recorded. In 2013, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association realigned its competitive divisions to emphasize teams' win–loss record and difficulty of opponents rather than organizing by regions. The Minnesota All-Stars competed at Division 1 Playoffs during

240-618: A statement from WFTDA President "Crackerjack" on page 5 of the program for this event confirms that at the time it was considered the "first WFTDA Championship Tournament." On November 16, 2008, the Gotham Girls Roller Derby (GGRD All-Stars) beat the Windy City Rollers 134–66 in the championship bout. The Philly Rollergirls (Liberty Belles) beat the Texas Rollergirls (Texecutioners) 114–95 in

280-857: Is composed of four home teams: the Bodies of Water, the Maul Rats, the Roller Vortex, and the Wednesday Warnings. These teams were created during a complete re-draft of the league following a missed Season 17 and a shortened Season 18 in which the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic fielded a pair of adult and a pair of junior teams. From 2005 to 2020, the league's home teams were the Atomic Bombshells, Dagger Dolls, Garda Belts, and Rockits. The Silver Bullets, which competed only in

320-742: The Kansas City Roller Warriors beat the Rat City Rollergirls 89–85 in the final match of the Texas Shootout to become the first WFTDA National Champions. The Texas Rollergirls placed third. Eight teams competed in the tournament, four from the eastern regional division and four from the western regional division. These teams included Carolina Rollergirls (fourth place), Gotham Girls Roller Derby , Tucson Roller Derby , Detroit Derby Girls , and Windy City Rollers . Several marketing materials as well as

360-792: The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). They originated in 2007 as the Inaugural National WFTDA Championship "Texas Shootout" held in Austin, Texas. Previously the "Dust Devil" tournament in 2006 featured teams from across the US, was held in front of several thousand fans in Tucson, Arizona . This was the first multi-league flat track roller derby tournament. In 2019, the Championships were hosted outside

400-818: The "Big 5". From 2013 through 2016, full WFTDA members were eligible for ranking in one of the association's three divisions. Division 1 comprised the top 40-ranked teams in the WFTDA, and the top 40 teams that met eligibility requirements based on the June 30 rankings of that year were invited to Division 1 Playoffs, and were divided into four playoff tournaments (10 per tournament) using an S-curve for seeding . Participants in Division 1 Playoffs were not required to be current members of Division 1, as long as they meet ranking and other requirements. The teams that finished first through third at each Division 1 Tournament then moved on to

440-533: The 2009 North Central Regional Tournament, the "Brawl of America", at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, at which they came in ninth place. Minnesota has a long-standing rivalry with Chicago's Windy City Rollers , and in June 2012 the two teams played to a rare tie in WFTDA-sanctioned play. The tie (later upheld upon review by the WFTDA) resulted from a scorekeeping correction made well after the end of play, avoiding

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480-593: The All-Stars program. The league's B-team are both a pool of dedicated B-team skaters and a backup personnel pool that the Minnesota All-Stars can draw from in the event of an injury or a skater leaving the program due to pregnancy or employment opportunities outside the Twin Cities. The Nice also travel to tournaments and plays in national- and international-level B-team competitions. Separate from

520-625: The DebuTaunts program, which rebranded as Windchill during that season, was re-envisioned as a primary "on-ramp" into Minnesota Roller Derby. In 2018, the league launched a junior roller derby program, the Minnesota Frostbite, bringing its training resources in line with other top-tier roller derby leagues. The program is open to skaters of all genders aged 6–17. In November, 2015, the Minnesota RollerGirls were

560-515: The DebuTaunts training and recreation program as a way to bring additional skaters into the league. By 2015, almost all new skaters in the league had spent at least one session in the recreation and training program. In 2016, the DebuTaunts began regularly bouting against regional opponents including Chippewa Valley Roller Derby ( Eau Claire, Wisconsin ) and the Roller Underground Dirty Ores ( Eveleth, Minnesota ), and by 2019

600-492: The Division 2 champion. Through 2014, Division 3 comprised all ranked teams from 101 on, and there are no Division 3 Playoffs. Starting with the 2017 season, the top 36 teams compete in three Division 1 Playoff Tournaments, and the top four finishers from each tournament go on to the WFTDA Championship Tournament. The next 16 eligible teams compete in a single Division 2 Playoff Tournament, with

640-524: The Minnesota Roller Derby is paid, nor do they profit based upon level of involvement or upon team wins. Proceeds raised by the league pay for practice space rental, legal and promotional fees, as well as traveling costs to play other WFTDA members in other states and in other countries. The remainder of the revenues are donated to a variety of local charities, with a general focus on organizations that benefit women. In 2011, Minnesota began

680-699: The United States for the first time, in Montreal , Canada. In 2007, Western and Eastern Region Tournaments were held in order to determine qualifiers for the "Texas Shootout" National Championship, held in Austin, Texas . By 2010, with leagues in Canada and the United Kingdom also enjoying membership of the WFTDA, "National" was dropped from the title of the contest. Through the 2012 WFTDA season,

720-496: The United States in a tournament. Round-robin bouts were instituted to determine seeding for a single-elimination tournament . Four pools were created, titled Scorpion, Tarantula, Black Widow and Rattlesnake, with each pool consisting of 5 teams. On Friday, February 24, 2006, each team played four ten-minute bouts in each pool. Point differential was used to determine the ranking and placement of each team within its pool. With this information in hand, tournament officials selected

760-525: The United States on Team USA at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup . In 2014, Juke Boxx returned to the Team USA roster, joined by Dana "Second Hand Smoke" Noss, for the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup . Roy Wilkins Auditorium Roy Wilkins Auditorium (nicknamed The Roy ) is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in St. Paul , Minnesota . Designed by the renowned municipal architect Clarence W. Wigington , it

800-478: The WFTDA Championship tournament. Division 2 comprised the teams ranked 41 through 100, and the next 20 teams overall that meet requirements after the 40 confirmed Division 1 playoff participants were then invited to Division 2 Playoffs, divided into two playoff tournaments. The top 2 teams of each Division 2 Tournament then played each other at the WFTDA Championship Tournament, with the winner crowned

840-773: The WFTDA National Championship Bout to be between Texas and Tucson. The 3rd-place bout was played out with the Tent City Terrors upsetting 3rd-seeded Minnesota 115–88. The Championship bout was finalized later in the evening, with the Texecutioners defeating the Saddletramps 129–96. The tournament also saw the first collaboration between roller derby announcers. Following the event, announcer Bob Noxious founded "Voices of Reason", an announcers' association. On September 30, 2007,

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880-463: The WFTDA was divided into regions based on geography. Each region held a tournament contested by its top ten leagues: the Eastern (2007–2012), North Central (2009–2012), South Central (2009–2012) and Western (2007–2012) Regional Tournaments. The top three leagues from each of these four tournaments qualified for the Championships. Together, the qualifying tournaments and Championships were termed

920-436: The WFTDA's 2022-23 return to regionalized play, they became a part of the WFTDA's North America West Region, along with traditional rivals like Rose City Rollers , Denver Roller Derby , Arch Rival Roller Derby , Windy City Rollers , and Madison Roller Derby . In August 2019, the league adopted its current name as Minnesota Roller Derby, "to better reflect the organization’s membership and community". Minnesota Roller Derby

960-691: The arena as one of its home rinks from 1932 until 1950. The Minneapolis Lakers used the Auditorium when their regular home, the Minneapolis Auditorium , was not available. The Minnesota State Boys' High School Hockey Tournament was held at the Auditorium from 1945 to 1968. It was home to the Minnesota Fighting Saints ice hockey team of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in fall 1972, before

1000-698: The charter program, the Minnesota Windchill recreation and training program maintains a bouting-ready team which plays smaller leagues and B-teams throughout the Upper Midwest. Minnesota was one of the pioneers of the "wall" technique of blocking, where blockers engage the jammer as a unit rather than individually. Their tenacious defence has earned the nickname "the Great Wall of Saint Paul." The Minnesota All-Stars have qualified for WFTDA Playoffs and/or WFTDA Championships every year since

1040-761: The consolation bout to take third place. The Denver Roller Dolls pioneered the "slow derby" style of play, utilizing slow and stopped packs and backwards skating, which proved effective against most opposition, but unpopular with crowds. They were finally defeated 178–91 in the semi-finals by the Oly Rollers were regarded as a largely unknown force, although they had gone undefeated through the whole season. Rocky Mountain Rollergirls had unexpectedly sailed through their qualifying tournament, and beat Philly Rollergirls in an overtime jam in their quarter final, but they lost to defending champions Texas Rollergirls 139–82 in

1080-754: The era of the Divisional system. When the Second Regional Era begins in 2023, Minnesota will compete in the North America East region along with rivals Madison Roller Derby , Windy City Rollers , and Arch Rival Roller Derby . In 2018 the league declined invitation to the WFTDA Playoffs in A Coruña, Spain , citing the cost of air travel to the city. Although the Minnesota home teams occasionally play against other leagues,

1120-745: The first Championship, the Dust Devil tournament, in 2006, at which they placed fourth overall. In 2007 and 2008, as members of the WFTDA's East Region , the All-Stars competed at the annual WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament without advancing to the Championship. Starting with 2009, MNRG qualified for the WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament for all four years, advancing to compete in the WFTDA Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012. MNRG hosted

1160-525: The first bout, the Texecutioners defeated the Tent City Terrors in a full three-period bout, 114 to 81, sending the Texas to the championship bout and Arizona to the 3rd-place bout. A second full three-period semi-final bout was played between Tucson and the Minnesota Rollergirls. Tucson defeated Minnesota 136–75. This pitted the Tent City Terrors against Minnesota for the 3rd-place bout, and set

1200-402: The first round of the single elimination tournament played the top four seeds in the second round. Bout winners advanced to the semi-finals and bout losers were eliminated. On Sunday February 26, 2006, four teams ( Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners, Tucson Roller Derby Saddletramps, Minnesota Rollergirls All-Stars and Arizona Roller Derby Tent City Terrors) played in the semi-final bouts. In

1240-408: The format was changed, with the Division 2 Championship occurring earlier in the year, and the Division 1 championship game scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2 , marking the first time contemporary women's flat track roller derby will be aired live on American network television. In Tucson , Arizona , over the weekend of February 24–26, 2006, Tucson Roller Derby hosted 20 WFTDA leagues from around

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1280-414: The founding members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The WFTDA held the 2015 WFTDA Championships at Roy Wilkins Auditorium November 6–8, 2015. WFTDA Championships The International Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships (" WFTDA Championships " or " Champs " for short) are the leading competition for roller derby leagues. The Championships are organized by

1320-587: The host league for the 2015 International WFTDA Championships at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and in May 2016, Visit Saint Paul named the Championships as their 2015 Event of the Year. The Minnesota All-Stars also competed at the tournament, losing their sole opening round game, 185-173 to Texas Rollergirls of Austin. The Minnesota RollerGirls were ranked ninth in the world, as of September 25, 2016. In

1360-473: The league's inaugural season, were reorganized and re-themed as the Rockits for the 2005-06 season and remained the Rockits until the pandemic dissolved the original home teams. The four teams play against each other at home, with these games comprising the home season. Every MNRD home season concludes with a championship game, with the winner receiving the championship trophy, known as The Golden Skate. In 2018

1400-568: The majority of their bouts are played by their all-star interleague team. Minnesota Roller Derby has been featured in numerous local media outlets, such as the Star Tribune , the Pulse of the Twin Cities , vita.mn, Minnesota Public Radio , and the City Pages , and were briefly featured in a Coca-Cola / NASCAR national ad campaign. Emergence Pictures produced the film Minnesota Mean,

1440-427: The semi-final, in a bout which saw Rocky skater DeRanged ejected from the tournament after apparently punching Angie-Christ from Texas. Denver defeated Rocky 151–103 in the third place bout, greatly aided by forty-four points to nil scored in the later section of the first half. Oly dominated Texas in the championship bout, taking the title 178–100. The final was particularly hard-fought. The Oly Rollers built up

1480-573: The team moved to the St. Paul Civic Center . The St. Paul Slam of the International Basketball Association played at Wilkins for two seasons, 1996–97 and 1997–98. The Minnesota Ripknees also played at the auditorium for their 2007–08 season. In 2000 it hosted ECW 's pay-per-view Anarchy Rulz . Since 2005, Roy Wilkins Auditorium has hosted games for the Minnesota Roller Derby league, one of

1520-426: The top three teams of each pool and seeded them according to the point differential of each team for the single-elimination tournament. The single-elimination tournament started on Saturday, February 25, 2006 with 12 of the previous day's 20 teams. Scheduling of the bouts allowed for the top four seeded teams to receive a bye in the first round of play. Teams seeded 5 through 12 played in the first round. The winners of

1560-603: The winner crowned the Division 2 champion. Since 2008, the winner of the Championships has been awarded the Hydra Trophy . The tournament is broadcast on the WFTDA online service WFTDA.tv on a pay-per-view basis; starting in 2015 the WFTDA entered into a partnership with ESPN whereby the Sunday games of the tournament – the Division 1 and Division 2 championship and 3rd place games – are carried on ESPN3 . For 2017

1600-641: Was built in 1932 as an arena extension to the existing St. Paul Auditorium (built 1906–1907). When the old auditorium wing was demolished in 1982, Wigington's arena wing remained. It was renamed for Roy Wilkins in 1985. It is part of the RiverCentre complex, down the hall from the Xcel Energy Center , home of the National Hockey League 's Minnesota Wild . The University of Minnesota 's Golden Gophers ice hockey team used

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