Officials are seen and not heard for the most part. Despite this when we heard that Dr. Vroom of Windy City was retiring, we couldn't resist getting some of her vast derby knowledge on the record before she was gone.
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The WFTDA rankings measure are not a precise ranking of relative strength. Instead, it tracks teams with a record of winning or narrowly losing against very the best of the WFTDA.
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Some people call it "Patient Offense." Others call it "Passive Offense." Still others call it bull$#it.
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Whoa, a post on Roller Derby Inside Track? While we aren’t posting as much as we used to and I am living off my lucrative roller derby announcer retirement package, every once in a while something happens in the world of roller derby that makes me blow the dust off my keyboard and start click clacking away. A few months ago Derby News Network wrote their first editorial in the history of their website, which focused on their distaste for WFTDA’s pay per view model (I wonder how awkward things are around the Derby Life office right now). We here at Roller Derby Inside Track know a bit about editorials and opinion pieces, they have been the foundation of our website since its inception. DNN’s editorial took aim at tearing down WFTDA.TV’s pay per view model, while at the same time trying to endorse their own brand, which is focused on a fundraising model. There are a few things that DNN does well, such as score updates, their Power Rankings, and Justice Feelgood Marshall’s writing (seriously, dude could write a book on how to properly dust antique furniture and I would read it). But two things that they haven’t done well in the past is doing business that benefits both parties equally and creating a quality, dependable place to watch games.
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It finally happened. An NSO [broke a high-level, sanctioned bout][1] in probably the most visible way ever, denying us a clear winner for Minnesota’s run at ending Windy City’s undefeated North Central streak. The secret is that this sort of thing was bound to happen eventually. In fact, what better time than the year I’ve claimed the “[Year of the NSO][2].” 2012 is already an interesting year filled with [record bout scores][3], discussion of [No Minors][4] and competing rulesets and tournaments on the horizon. This is the year that we all learn just how much NSOs matter.
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This got me thinking about the idea of legacy, and what it might mean when flat track roller derby itself is so young. Can there be legacy if there is scarcely any past in roller derby?
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It’s time for the [Roller Derby World Cup][1]. You’ve likely been watching most of the day. We picked these over the past few days but I’m just not getting them online….and now back to watching Stars vs. Stripes.
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The biggest post season in the world of roller derby since the first Dust Devil has come and gone. WFTDA, after years of self-instituted hands-off approach to running tournaments, has finally taken more control of their playoffs than ever before. This includes retaining their video rights and not outsourcing to another network (MavTV) or website (DNN). Also a new emphasis on fan interaction happened as well with the bracket series and the #talk2wftda hash tag which a certain RDIT columnist originally suggested (hint: you are currently reading his column). To call this Big 5 a new chapter is an understatement. WFTDA is writing a whole new book, and let’s pray it’s as good as from the transition of The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
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The Big 5 is over, most roller derby action in the USA has all but ground to a halt, and we have ranted and raved about a whole lot of things in 2011. But, it’s Turkey Day, a day to reflect on all that is good and positive and hopeful. Despite our ongoing criticisms of the sport, the rules, the business and all that, we are thankful about many things in modern roller derby. Here’s a few more thoughts from our contributors and readers on that.
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All eyes will be on Chicago this weekend as 4 of the top roller derby teams take it to the bank in an [invitational tournament][1] where $10K is on the line. Quad went rogue with his RMRG pick, otherwise, we are all in agreement.
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[Championships][1] are upon us in Broomfield, CO as [Continental Divide and Conquer][2], hosted by the [Denver Roller Dolls][3] starts on Friday afternoon at 2pm mountain standard time. [Our take on the big event][4] by several RDIT writers highlights what we are most excited about.
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“It’s the biggest three days of the roller derby year and I am excited to hear what you think is going to happen or will happen or could happen and I am sure our readers will be as well.” -Tank
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The teams we typically choose for the weekly picks have the weekend off so we had some fun and picked the winner in the [Gotham Girls Roller Derby][1] 2011 Championships.
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A while back, I wrote a piece for RDIT called “[One Whistle to Rule Them All][1].” The basic idea was that there should be one starting whistle for flat-track roller derby, instead of two (pack start and jammer start). The idea seemed to have some support. As the WFTDA Regional tournaments have just ended, ’tis the season for rules discussion.
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With the craziness of regional tournaments behind us we are happy to shake things up with our weekly picks once again. There isn’t much going on in the land of WFTDA as most teams are on hiatus or prepping for Championships. However, MRDA is in full swing with a big weekend of playoffs and ending with a championship game.
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Regionals continue this weekend in Kansas City, Missouri as the South Central Regional Tournament, “Show Me Der-B-Q“, hosted by the Kansas City Roller Warriors starts rolling on Friday morning at 12 noon central standard time (1PM Eastern). [Our preview of the teams and the event by Vince Hannity][1] suggests that like other regions, the top two spots are probably all but locked in, but there could be a bitter fight for that third seed to the championship rounds. Tune in to the live streaming broadcast here!
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In barely seven months of being a full-fledged WFTDA member league, the Gold Coast Derby Grrls accomplished an incredible feat by making the Top Ten of the South Central Region and being invited to playoffs at “Show Me Der-B-Q” in Kansas City. The league has come a long way from 2008, back when they were known as the Broward County Derby Grrls. While the roster has changed significantly (as it does for many derby leagues over time), the talent has been undeniable.
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Regionals continue this weekend- once again Portland is the site of a major roller derby tournament as Bridgetown Brawl starts rolling Friday at 10:30 AM Pacific (1:30 PM Eastern). Last weekend London answered the doubters showing that they belong among the top teams in the world. We also saw that the top three teams are virtually untouchable in the region- and that Gotham is quite literally untouchable. Who in the West will surprise us? What insanity will ensure? Will all games that are scheduled to be played in fact be played? Tune in to the live streaming broadcast to find out! Also on tap this weekend is one North Central game with possible rankings implications for early next year, and that could be a preview of a match up two weeks from now in Indianapolis, as Cincinnati and Ohio face off in a private game in Columbus.
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Before September 16, 2011, here is what I knew about them. They wore orange and black...now they were the team that forfeited.
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