By: Jammit Dim

August is an unusually quiet month for men’s roller derby this year, but the games that have been played may have some serious post-season ramifications. As most teams are winding down their regular season campaigns and tuning up for MRDA Championships in October, the push for late season positioning and the fall rankings saw some potential shuffle in the top-of-the-table results.

The MRDA #2, Your Mom Men’s Roller Derby, traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota for matchups against a six-skater roster BisMan Bomberz, and host team Twin Cities Terrors. Playing in back to back games on Saturday, Your Mom came out 2-0 on the day with a 484-55 win over the Bomberz and 297-23 against the Terrors. The Terrors and the shorthanded Bomberz took to the track the following day with the Terrors putting one in the W column, 302-103.

The Philadelphia Hooligans hosted a two-day, 4-team mini tournament on August 20th-21st, which featured the #16 PJRD Hooligans, #4 New York Shock Exchange, #10 Massachusetts and #7 Bridgetown Menace of Portland, Oregon. Starting off the action big on the weekend was a highly anticipated matchup of #4 vs. #7, New York against Bridgetown, which found the visitors from the West Coast victorious in a defensive showcase, Menace over the Shock Exchange 152-107. That same night, another top 10 tilt for the Menace, facing a resurgent Mass Maelstrom, but Menace proved worthy of the task, finding another victory on the day, 263-54. The final MRDA game of the weekend was Sunday afternoon, with Portland taking on the hosts, #16 Philadelphia Hooligans. At the final whistle, Bridgetown had completed the weekend sweep with another victory, 205-108 to finish 3-0 on the weekend. Hooligans also had an additional 4 MRDA games in August at the O-Town Throwdown in Ottawa, Ontario. A more detailed review of those games can be found in the MRDA August recap – Canada.

Other games around the country saw a short staffed Race City Rebels, missing all but one of their regular jammers, top the Carolina Wreckingballs by 15 points in sanctioned play, 132-117 the final score from Charleston, South Carolina. Baltimore’s Harm City Havoc finds victory over the Cleveland Guardians 263-123 in Baltimore, each of those teams fielding less than 10 players each in their final games of the 2016 season; and the Denver Ground Control hosted the Tulsa Derby Militia at the Glitterdome in Denver, Colorado late in August. Ground Control finds themselves on top in that matchup with a convincing performance, 429-27 only a few weeks ahead of their traveling to Des Moines, Iowa in mid-September for late season games against the Sioux City Kornstalkers and Your Mom Men’s Derby.

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) are happy to announce that the organizations have elected the inaugural Oversight Panel of the new unified Officiating Certification Program.

Please join us in congratulating the following officials who were selected to overhaul, streamline and implement this joint certification program that will promote excellence and consistency in officiating across the sport.

2-year terms, up for re-election in May 2018

Nine Inch Wheels – Chair
Sir Osis
Kat A Killzem
Laddie

1-year terms, up for re-election in May 2017

Strong Female Character
Danger Muffin
Skabarella

WFTDA, MRDA Announce Plans for Unified Officiating Certification Program

The Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association (WFTDA) and the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) are happy to announce that the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations has generated a concept for a unified officiating certification program. Having a single standard of excellence for roller derby officiating was one of the long-term goals the organizations set when they first signed a collaborative agreement in mid-2014.

Members of both associations have approved the concept of unifying the WFTDA and MRDA officiating certification programs. The organizations are electing a new certification oversight panel that will include representation from both organizations. The joint certification program will continue to promote excellence and consistency in officiating, and will help to streamline the certification process for officials who work in both organizations.

“The WFTDA has been reviewing its certification process for some time. Collaborating with our partners in the MRDA offers a perfect opportunity to update the program and strengthen the working relationship between the organizations,” said Grace Killy, the Ex Officio member of the WFTDA Board of Directors.

“This felt like an inevitable positive next step in the evolution of the partnership between MRDA and WFTDA, and will serve to help recruit, develop, certify and advance our collective officiating population,” said Miss Trial, MRDA’s Director of Officiating.

Additional details will be released as the new program is developed.