Weekend Highlights: 09 Nov 2019
This is another exceptionally busy weekend - with no less than two single-event national tournaments (Australia and South Africa), as well as fixtures from the Swedish, Finnish, French and German national series!
Quite apart from those, there are also international events in Newcastle (as Newcastle Roller Girls celebrate 10 years), Vienna, and Vicenza; Short Track Roller Derby and referee clinics in Buenos Aires; and a National Meeting of minds in Manizales, Colombia!
(Plus, more that we've not got space to summarise up here, and you'll have to read down for!)
The rules are, as usual: highlights limited to 1 event per country, with an "extra" event allowed for a different kind of fixture (so, 1 tournament and 1 bootcamp), or if they involve Scottish leagues (since we are the Scottish Roller Derby Blog). Other notability might also allow the extra event - great posters, notable teams, etc. (League birthdays may count as "special" enough, at our discretion ;) )
In a bid to make this list as useful as possible, we've avoided links to Facebook except where noted. (Links to Teams are to non-Facebook resources - Instagram, or actual team pages - we'd strongly recommend that Teams get themselves an actual webpage [we can help host one if you need help]).
Locations are roughly organised East-West (with things before the weekend out sequence at the start).
Sat: Wellington, New Zealand
Richter City Roller Derby host a double header, with Juniors interleague, and then the Final of the Richter City home teams season for 2019!
- Rolling Dead (Christchurch J) versus Sk8PUNKS (Wellington J)
- Comic Slams versus Brutal Pageant [Richter City Home Teams Final]
Event starts: 1600 Saturday (doors open)
Venue: Kilbirnie Recreation Centre, 101 Kilbirnie Crescent, Wellington, New Zealand
Fri-Sun: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
[FACEBOOK LINK (ANRDC)] [FACEBOOK LINK (AMRDC)] [FTS LINK (AMRDC)]
Brisbane City Rollers and the Scartel host, respectively, the co-located Australian National Roller Derby Championships and the Australian Men's Roller Derby Championships. The co-location is new this year, and we have an article with more details in the works, publishing soon this week.
- Australian Nationals:
- WFTDA-gender State teams: (double elimination bracket)
- Australian Capital Territory
- First Nations
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- Juniors State teams (round robin into placements)
- New South Wales + Australian Capital Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- WFTDA-gender State teams: (double elimination bracket)
- Australian Men's Champs: (single elimination bracket with consolation bracket)
- Bass Strait Brawlers (Tasmania M)
- NSW Rural Raptors (rural NSW)
- Perth Men's Roller Derby
- the Scartel (Brisbane M)
- Sydney City Smash
- Varsity Derby League (Canberra M)
- Victorian Vanguard (VIC state, but Darebin/Yarra centered )
- New Zealand Men's Roller Derby team (!)
Australian Nationals are not listed in FTS, as they're composite State-level teams existing only for this event
Event starts: 1200 Friday (first whistle, AMRDC)
Venue: Mt Warren Sports Centre, 2 Milne Street, Mount Warren Park, Brisbane, QLD Australia
Sat: Kuopio, Finland
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK (elite)] [FTS LINK (division 1)]
Kuopio Roller Derby host the next Suomi Cup fixtures, following the usual mix of Division 1 and Elite series bouts.
- Kuopio Roller Derby versus Riverdale Rollers (Ylivieska) [Division 1]
- Jyväskylä Roller Derby versus Kallio Rolling Rainbow B (Helsinki B) [Elite]
- White Night Furies (St Petersburg, Russia) versus Ruined River Rollers (Seinäjoki) [Division 1]
Event starts: 1000 Saturday (doors open)
Venue: Blominkatu 2, Kuopio, Finland
Sat: Johannesburg, South Africa
Golden City Rollers host the 2019 edition of South Africa's National Tournament - the National Roller Derby Festival. We've written more about this very important event for the South African roller derby community here . The event is structured as a double round robin (each team plays each other twice) with 2x15 minute periods; the top two teams will then play in the Grand Final in a WFTDA-regulation game.
- Teams:
- Golden City Rollers (Johannesburg)
- Cape Town Rollergirls
- Durban Roller Derby
Event starts: 0930 Saturday
Venue: Uniao Portuguesa, 4 Eastwood street Turffontein, Johannesburg, South Africa
Sat: Vienna, Austria
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2]
Vienna Roller Derby host an international Roller Derby double header for their A and B teams!
- Oysters (Vienna A) versus Leicestershire Dolly Rockit Rollers A
- Beasts (Vienna B) versus Leicestershire Dolly Rockit Rollers B
Event starts: 1430 Saturday
Venue: HAKOAH, Wehlistraße 326, Vienna, Austria
Sat-Sun: Farsta, Sweden
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK Elite] [FTS LINK Div 1] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2] [FTS LINK 3] [FTS LINK 4] [FTS LINK 5]
Stockholm Roller Derby host a full two-day tournament, for all their teams. This 8 bout event includes Swedish National tournament fixtures for the Elite series and Division 1, but also international bouts for Stockholm A!
- Norrköping Roller Derby B versus Ume Radical Rollers [Division 1]
- Stockholm Allstars versus Lomme Roller Girls
- BSTRDS (Stockholm B) versus Dock City Plan B (Gothenburg B)
- C-Stars (Stockholm C) versus Linköping Go-Rullaz
- Lomme Roller Girls versus Nörrkoping Roller Derby A
- BSTRDS versus The Royal Swedish Roller Derby [Eliteseries]
- Västerås Roller Derby versus Gothenburg Roller Derby A [Division 1]
- Stockholm Allstars versus Norrköping Roller Derby A
Event starts: 1000 Saturday
Venue: Farsta sim- och idrottshall, Farstaängsvägen 3, Farsta, Sweden
Sat-Sun: Berlin, Germany
Bear City Roller Derby host a Bootcamp for Beginner/Intermediate level skaters, coached by their A team skaters! The Beginner level bootcamp will run with WFTDA-gender policy and Open To All genders groups, whilst the Intermediate level bootcamp will be WFTDA-gender policy only. (In this case "Beginners" means "pre-mins"). All groups will be run in parallel, with both off and on skates sessions.
- Saturday:
- Bootcamp (parallel sessions)
- Watch and learn: Bear City A versus Bear City C scrimmage
- Sunday:
- Bootcamp (parallel sessions)
- Scrimmage (intermediates only)
Event starts: 1000 Saturday
Venue: "the heart of Kreuzberg", Berlin, Germany
Sat: Vicenza, Italy
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2] [FTS LINK 3]
The Anguanas (link to Facebook) host an international triple header round robin, with guests from Switzerland and France!
- Roller Derby Caen versus Zürich City Roller Derby
- The Anguanas (Vicenza) versus Zürich City Roller Derby
- The Anguanas versus Roller Derby Caen
Event starts: 1300 Saturday (first whistle)
Venue: Pattinodromo Diavoli Vicenza Hockey in Line, Viale Arturo Ferrarin 67, Vicenza, Italy
Sat: Kassel, Germany
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK (Bundesliga D3)]
Kassel Roller Derby host a Bundesliga D3 game against Freiburg.
- Bashlorettes (Kassel) versus Blockforest Roller Derby (Freiburg)
Event starts: 1400 Saturday
Venue: Sportkomplex Baunatal, Stettiner-Str. 9, Baunatal, Germany
Sat: The Hague, Netherlands
The Parliament of Pain host a double header of Dutch derby, including some Open To All action, as the Aces of Pain (The Hague O) take on Nijmegen's Roadkill Rollers.
- Aces of Pain (The Hague O) versus Roadkill Rollers (Nijmegen O)
- Queens of PoP (The Hague) versus ??
Event starts: 1400 Saturday
Venue: Oranjeplein (Den Haag) Slicherstraat, 11, 2515GE The Hague, Netherlands
Sat-Sun: Brussels, Belgium
Brussels Roller Derby League are returning to the International Brussels Tattoo Convention for a co-hosted two-day extravangaza. At the time of writing, there is still no public confirmation of the details, other than that the Sunday session will be an all-day Open To All genders tournament. There are no details in public for the Saturday session.
- Saturday:
- Atomium Kittens (Brussels B) versus All Stars (Metz)
- "Fun Game"
- Pixies (Brussels) versus Switchblades (Lille)
- Sunday: Open To All genders tournament 1300 to 1800
- 6 games probably Sevens rules given timings.
- 3rd and 1st place games.
Event starts: 1000 Saturday ??
Venue: Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port, 86c, Brussels, Belgium
Fri: Gent, Belgium
GO-GO Gent Roller Derby host another of their monthly "Fun Fridays", open training sessions for anyone who wants to turn up!
Event starts: 2000 Friday
Venue: BuSO Sint-Gregorius, Jules Destréelaan 67, Gent, Belgium
Sat: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Newcastle Roller Girls host the return of The Hassle in Newcastle, their original tournament format from 2013. As part of Newcastle's 10 birthday celebrations, they're hosting B (and 1 C) teams from across the UK for a day of games. At present, the schedule has not been published, but we'll update the link for an FTS page when it has.
- Teams:
- Auld Reekie Roller Derby Reserves (Edinburgh B)
- Bear City Roller Derby Wallbreakers (Berlin B)
- Central City Roller Derby B (Birmingham B)
- Newcastle Roller Girls Whippin' Hinnies (Newcastle B)
- Rainy City Roller Derby Revolution (Oldham C)
Event starts: 0830 Saturday
Venue: Benfield Sports Centre, Benfield Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Sat: Dundee, Scotland
Dundee Roller Derby host the return of their Home Teams tournament for 2019, a single-header to close out their season.
Event starts: 1300 Saturday
Venue: Dundee International Sports Centre, Mains Loan, Dundee, Scotland
Fri & Sun: Livingston, Scotland
[FACEBOOK LINK 1] [FACEBOOK LINK 2]
New Town Roller Derby host two events: a celebration of their 8th Anniversary on Friday, including a nostalgic showing of classic Roller Derby coming of age movie, "Whip It"; and an open scrimmage on Sunday (rescheduled from last weekend).
Both events raise funds for New Town's travel to Lucerne for their first ever international bout!
Event starts: 1900 Friday & 1400 Sunday
Venue: Livingston Cricket Club, Livingston & Craigswood Sports Centre, Livingston
Sat-Sun: Dijon & Brest, France
[FACEBOOK LINK (Dijon)] [FACEBOOK LINK (Brest)] [FTS LINK (Nationale 2)]
B.M.O Roller Derby Girls and Les Flèches Revêches each host two-day Championnat de France Nationale 2 fixtures (zones 5 & 6).
- Brest (Zone 5) games:
- Les Divines Machines (Nantes) versus Les Bomb'Hard (Quimper)
- Toutes Etoiles (Brest) versus Les Morues (Lorient)
- Missfeet (Le Mans) versus Les Pétroleuses (Caen)
- Les Bomb'Hard versus Les Morues
- Toutes Etoiles versus Les Pétroleuses
- Dijon (Zone 6) games:
- Reaper's Crew (Epinal) versus Voodoo Vixens (Grand Besançon)
- Bloody Angels (Melun) versus Wheel Spirit (Nancy)
- Les P'tites Frappes (Lutèce Destroyeuses B | Paris) versus Les Flèches Revêches (AMSports Dijon)
- Phoenix Roller Derby ( ) versus Voodoo Vixens
- Les Flèches Revêches versus Bloody Angels
- Wheel Spirit versus Reaper's Crew
- Phoenix Roller Derby versus Les P'tites Frappes
Event starts: 1130 Saturday (Dijon) & 1230 Saturday (Brest)
Venue: Gymnase Boivin, 22, rue de la Côte d'Or à Dijon & Gymnase Pen Ar Streat Rue du 8 Mai 1945, Brest
Sat: Dublin, Ireland
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2]
Dublin Roller Derby host a bit of a celtic clash, as they invite Glasgow Roller Derby's A and B teams over for a double-header.
- Dublin Roller Derby B versus Irn Bruisers (Glasgow A)
- Dublin Roller Derby C versus Maiden Grrders (Glasgow B)
Event starts: 1200 Saturday (doors open)
Venue: Shoreline Leisure Greystones, Mill Road, Greystones, Ireland
Wed (13): Lisbon, Portugal
Lisboa Roller Derby Troopers are hosting an open training session for all interested attendees, including roast chestnuts?
Event starts: 2030 Wednesday (13)
Venue: Clube de Futebol Varejense, Lisbon, Portugal
Sat: São Paulo, Brazil
Gray City Rebels host an evening Drag Show event, as part of their fundraising to attend the 8th Brasileirão in Blumenau next weekend, as well as to support the local LGBT community.
Event starts: 2200 Saturday (till 6am!)
Venue: Skorpios bar drinks, Rua Nestor pestana 231, São Paulo, Brazil
Sun: La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chat Noir Roller Derby , along with LP Deportes en Patín , host a test of the Rolla Skate Club Short Track Roller Derby ruleset, which has been spreading interest throughout Argentina since the first public test a few weeks ago. Short Track Derby solves several of the problems of training space, and other issues, that are prevalent in South America; and the new Spanish rules translation makes it super accessible.
Event starts: 1400 Sunday
Venue: Club Estrella del Sur, Calle 135 69 y 70, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sun: Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Indias Roller Derby host a Refereeing clinic, with both theory and practical components, run by Primavera #73.
Event starts: 1500 Sunday
Venue: El polideportivo de quilmes, Av. Vicente López y Lafinur, Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sat-Mon?: Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
Valkyrias Roller Derby host a two-day Colombian roller derby event: Ragnarok! This looks, from the timetable, to be more of a "bootcamp & tournament" than anything else, with training sessions (including training with Team Colombia), Officiating clinics, and what looks like a discussion on "If Professional Roller Derby is possible". In addition, there's space for bouts in the evening slots.
Event starts: 0800 Saturday
Venue: ??, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia
