MRDA Now Expands to 25 Leagues

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 25,2012 – The Men’s Roller Derby Association is proud to announce the addition of five new member leagues. Arizona Men’s Derby, Carolina Wreckingballs, Deep Valley Belligerents, Green Bay Smackers, and Tampa Bay Men’s Roller Derby have all passed the application process and were approved by MRDA’s member leagues. MRDA now boasts 25 teams as it continues in its mission to grow men’s roller derby.

The new teams provide MRDA representation in key areas of the country:

Arizona Men’s Derby is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in April of 2011, Arizona, under the name Phoenix Rattleskates, has competed all over the Southwest from Los Angeles to Dallas.

The Carolina Wreckingballs were established in July of 2011. Located in Columbia, South Carolina, they will be a welcome addition to the Southeast.

The Deep Valley Belligerents of Mendocino County, California are a force to be reckoned with. Founded in March of 2011, they already have victories over current MRDA leagues.

The Green Bay Smackers have been around since November of 2010. They have shown solid performances against MRDA leagues Race City and Rock City. The Smackers are Wisconsin’s first team.

Tampa Bay Men’s Roller Derby has come a long way in a short time. Established in September of last year, Tampa Bay has already developed a good-natured rivalry with fellow new MRDA league Carolina

Wreckingballs.

These new leagues represent the biggest jump in MRDA membership since it’s inception in 2007. As member leagues, they will have full voting rights within the MRDA and will shape the future of men’s roller derby. Member leagues also have access to MRDA insurance and are eligible to compete for a spot at the MRDA Championships, men’s roller derby’s top tournament.

Congratulations to all the newest leagues!

For more information on MRDA’s new members, visit their websites:

Arizona Men’s Derby: http://www.phxderby.com/

Carolina Wreckingballs: http://carolinawreckingballs.com/

Deep Valley Belligerents: http://www.facebook.com/DeepVallyBelligerents

Green Bay Smackers: http://www.gbsmackers.com/

Tampa Bay Men’s Roller Derby: http://www.tbmrd.com/

Your MOM Men’s Derby Tops Mid Season MRDA Rankings

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 22nd, 2012 – MRDA has released its mid-season rankings for 2012 featuring the biggest shake-up in MRDA history. Every team moved in the rankings, and five teams qualified for the first time. One of the biggest movers was Your Mom Men’s Derby, who jumped from #7 to the top spot after beating former #1 New York Shock Exchange 199-148 at Spring Roll. The Shock Exchange fell to #3 with #2 Magic City Misfits, who also had a stand-out performance at Spring Roll, just ahead of them. The previous rankings are available here.

As it continues to expand as part of its mission, MRDA welcomed five new teams to the rankings. These teams qualified by competing in four sanctioned bouts since the beginning of 2011. Teams making their debut are Portland Men’s Roller Derby at #6, Mass Maelstrom Roller Derby at #10, Rock City Riot #11, Sioux City Korn Stalkers #15, and the Quadfathers at #16.

The Top 8 teams will earn an invite to the 2012 MRDA Championships. “Gateway to the Best” will be hosted by the St. Louis GateKeepers and takes place October 20th and 21st in Ballwin, Missouri.

There are still plenty of opportunities for teams to crack the Top 8, including the Mohawk Valley Cup. Taking place August 18th and 19th in Rome, NY, this bracket-style tournament hosted by the Quadfathers will feature eight MRDA teams.

The final 2012 rankings to determine who will attend Championships will be released in September.

2012 MRDA Mid Season Rankings

Your Mom Men’s Derby – Des Moines, Iowa

Magic City Misfits – Jacksonville, FL

New York Shock Exchange – NYC, NY

Puget Sound Outcast Derby – Tacoma, WA

St. Louis GateKeepers – St. Louis, MO

Portland Men’s Roller Derby – Portland, OR

Race City Rebels – Indianapolis, IN

Dallas Deception – Dallas, TX

Twin Cities Terrors – Minneapolis/St Paul, MN

Mass Maelstrom Roller Derby – Lancaster, MA

Rock City Riot – Fargo, ND

Pioneer Valley Dirty Dozen – Northampton, MA

Connecticut Death Quads – Waterbury, CT

Harm City Homicide – Baltimore, MD

Sioux City Korn Stalkers – Sioux City, IA

Quadfathers – Utica, NY

Unranked (In Alphabetical Order)

Burlington Bombers Roller Derby (The Bomb Quads) – Burlington, VT

Capital District Trauma Authority – Albany, NY

Cowtown Butchers Mens Roller Derby – Kansas City, MO

Lane County Concussion – Eugene, OR

Officiating Opportunities Abound as MRDA Tournaments Approach

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31th, 2012 – The officiating application process is in full swing for two upcoming MRDA tournaments. The Mohawk Valley Cup and MRDA Championships are seeking referees and NSOs looking for an opportunity to officiate men’s roller derby.

The Mohawk Valley Cup is an eight-team, bracket-style tournament taking place in Rome, New York August 18-19. The Mohawk Valley Cup, hosted by The Quadfathers, is billed as “the first ever regular season all-male MRDA Regulation roller derby tournament.” The Tournament Head Referee is Miss Trial, and the Tournament Head NSO is Danger Prone Daphne. Those who are interested in officiating can fill out this form. For more information, visit http://mohawkvalleycup.blogspot.com/ or contact [email protected].

The Mohawk Valley Cup will be the last opportunity for many MRDA teams to earn a top-eight ranking, qualifying them for the MRDA Championships. The 2012 MRDA Championships, “Gateway to the Best,” takes place October 20-21 in Ballwin, Missouri and is hosted by the St. Louis Gatekeepers. To referee or NSO men’s roller derby’s most exciting event, apply here. If you have any questions, contact [email protected] or visit http://mrdachampionships.com/.

MRDA Celebrates Another Successful Spring Roll Tournament

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2012 – FORT WAYNE, IN – Men’s Roller Derby Association celebrates the success of another Spring Roll tournament. MRDA’s largest tournament, hosted by the Fort Wayne Derby Girls, featured 13 teams playing 20 MRDA-sanctioned bouts on two tracks over the course of two days. With seven victories by underdogs, the MRDA rankings are sure to change.

#7 Your Mom Men’s Derby upset #1 New York Shock Exchange in the most talked about game of the weekend. This was only the second loss for the Shock Exchange since their creation in 2007. Your Mom finished 3-0 on the weekend and also upset #6 Pioneer Valley Roller Derby. In a bout characterized by its bone-crushing blocking and never- ending waterfalls, the Shock Exchange survived another memorable bout against #4 St. Louis GateKeepers. #3 Magic City Misfits joined Your Mom Men’s Derby as the only teams to go undefeated on the weekend.

Two unranked teams defeated ranked teams to qualify for the next rankings voting. Unranked Portland Men’s Roller Derby defeated #10 Connecticut Death Quads and #11 Race City Rebels. And, unranked Rock City Riot defeated #9 Harm City Homicide. Other upsets from the weekend were #8 Twin City Terrors beating #6 Pioneer Valley Roller Derby and #11 Race City Rebels handling #8 Twin City Terrors.

If you missed any of the exciting action or would like to relive your favorite bouts, DVDs are available at Hinckley Design and Production.

With all of the jockeying among the unranked and #11 through #6 teams, it will be interesting to see who earns a spot in the top 8 guaranteeing a trip to the MRDA Championships Gateway to the Best October 20-21 in St. Louis.

You can catch more MRDA invitational action at Throwdown in the Sound June 9 and 10 hosted by #2 Puget Sound Outcast Derby and also featuring Portland and Lane County Concussion.

For a listing of all the scores from Spring Roll visit: Derby News Network

MRDA to Promote This Is How I Roll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

5/8/2012  – Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) proudly supports the documentary This Is How I Roll. For the past four years, the This Is How I Roll production team followed the growth of men’s derby and the birth of MRDA. And now, MRDA is excited for the May 10th premiere of the story of men’s roller derby.

This Is How I Roll follows men’s roller derby from its rocky beginnings with the first bout between the New York Shock Exchange and Pioneer Valley Roller Derby in front of jeers from fans to its present day (still sometimes reluctant) acceptance within the roller derby community. As the film’s website says, there are 25,000+ roller derby players in the world. 98% of those are women. This Is How I Roll is about the other 2%.

MRDA is proud to have so many of its members play starring roles in This Is How I Roll. MRDA President Erich “Dr. Spankenstein” Bennar, world-renowned men’s derby skater Mo “Quadzilla” Sanders, Shock Exchange’s “Jonathan R” Rockey, and others who were instrumental in the development of men’s flat track roller derby describe the apprehension and mistrust among members of the more-established women’s derby community.

Through its accessibility to filmgoers with no roller derby experience and its honesty in portraying men’s roller derby, This Is How I Roll aligns itself with MRDA’s mission to enhance the roller derby community and grow the sport no matter what the gender of the participants.

Thus, it is with great honor that MRDA strongly recommends This Is How I Roll to roller derby fans and to people who know nothing about the sport. MRDA encourages all to attend the world premiere at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival on May 10th. Also, keep an eye on the This Is How I Roll Facebook page for future screenings.

This Is How I Roll website: http://www.thisishowirollmovie.com/

This Is How I Roll Facebook page:http://facebook.com/thisishowirollmovie

For ticket info for the May 10th premiere in Seattle visit: http://thisishowiroll-eorg.eventbrite.com

MRDA Announces Creation of Certification Committee

For Immediate Release

5/5/2012 – The Men’s Roller Derby Association is proud to announce the creation of the MRDA Certification Committee. This Committee has skating official, non-skating official and skater representation, and was formed to develop the MRDA Certification Program. This program will acknowledge excellence in officiating and provide officials with opportunities for structured advancement within the MRDA. The MRDA Certification Program is currently being finalized and will be available soon.

The MRDA Certification Committee is comprised of the following individuals: Anne Persand, Bambi Lance, Danger Prone Daphne, Grambo, Miss Trial, Oh Grr, Punk You, Silken Tofu and Three Day Bender.

The announcement of the formation of the Certification Committee comes on the heels of the news that there are now 51 MRDA officials. This provides yet another example of how MRDA Officiating is supporting MRDA’s guiding principles of developing and enhancing the men’s roller derby community. In the coming months, stay tuned for the finalized Certification Program as well as training systems for aspiring MRDA officials and for those officials looking to gain more experience.

For more information on MRDA Officiating, go to http://www.mrda.org/officiating/ or email Miss Trial at [email protected].