Weekend Highlights: 31 August 2019
This weekend has a particularly large event in Australia (Australia's largest Mixed Teams tournament), but no less exciting tournaments in France, and in Poland, where Poznań hosts a 6 team Roller Derby Sevens tournament. There's also a bunch of open scrimmages across the world, especially in the UK; and in Chile there's an open-subscription variant rules event which looks quite interesting (and tiring...)
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 ;) )
We've bent the rules a bit this time, because it's important to highlight derby in regions which need more attention, and because it's quiet enough that we have the space.
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: Christchurch, New Zealand
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2] [FTS LINK 3]
Dead End Derby host a triple-header round robin of Roller Derby against Dunedin and Whenua Fatales
- Death Stars (Dead End Derby | Christchurch) versus Gallow Lasses (Dunedin Derby)
- Gallow Lasses versus Whenua Fatales (Horowhenua)
- Death Stars versus Whenua Fatales
Event starts: 1300 Saturday (first game)
Venue: Pioneer Leisure Center, 75 Lyttleton Street, Christchurch, New Zealand
Sun: Gladstone, QLD, Australia
Gladstone PCYC Roller Derby (link to Facebook) host a bootcamp coached by Wizards of Aus' Sausarge Rolls. Open to all genders, adult mins-skills passed skaters.
Event starts: 1000 Sunday
Venue: PCYC Gladstone, 53 Yarroon St, Gladstone, QLD, Australia
Fri-Sun: Keysborough, VIC, Australia
Kingston City Rollers host the 2019 edition of the United Roller Derby Playoffs , "Australia's Biggest Mixed-Gender Tournament". This is a two-division tournament, in order to distribute competitive games easily, with two tracks in use throughout.
- Division 1:
- The Whole Package (Brisbane City Rollers)
- Light City Sabres (Light City Derby)
- The Smackademics (Varsity Derby League)
- The Valkyries (Victorian Men's Derby)
- Division 2:
- Kingston City Rollers
- Rough Seas (Diamond Valley Roller Derby + South Sea Roller Derby)
- Berserkers (Victorian Men's B)
- Ballarat Prospectors (Ballarat Roller Derby League)
- Mystery Rollers ()
- South Island Sirens ()
- Rockabellas (Rockabellas Roller Derby League)
- Steel City Rollers (WIRD)
- The Mixed Package (Brisbane City Rollers)
- Warriors (North Brisbane Warriors)
- Mixed Nuts (Perth Men's Derby)
- Maitland Junkyard Jerks (Murder City Roller Girls)
Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10SHLrivWfD2tbboV3q8cuRNeF8GUytZDcd2qm6m20_s/edit
Event starts: 1730 Friday (first games)
Venue: Springers Leisure Centre, 400 Cheltenham Road, Keysborough, VIC, Australia
Fri + Sun: Durban, South Africa
[FACEBOOK LINK 1] [FACEBOOK LINK 2]
Durban Roller Derby host not one, but two events this weekend: on Friday, they host a GLOW themed home-teams game, raising funds to attend the South African National Derby Fest at the end of the year; on Sunday, they're holding their regular monthly Social Beach Skate for everyone on wheels.
- Liberty ReBelles versus Mother Rushers (home teams, Friday)
Event starts: 1830 Friday, 0900 Sunday
Venue (1): 5 Wright Place, Carrington Heights, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Venue (2): Afro's (South Beach), 2 OR Thambo Parade, South Beach, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa
Sat-Sun: Poznań, Poland
Bad Rangers Poznań are the home league for an exciting Polish roller derby tournament as part of the Bike Show Trade Fair. This is a two-day, single-track tournament with six teams competing. This is a double-elimination tournament, using Roller Derby Sevens rules.
- Teams:
- Bad Rangers Poznań
- Breslau Rebels Roller Derby (Wrocław/Breslau)
- Vratislavia MadChix Roller Squad (Wrocław/Breslau)
- Smokin' Wheels Krakow
- Worst Warsaw Derby Team
- Chrome Sirens Roller Derby (Gdańsk)
Event starts: 1140 Saturday (skateouts game 1)
Venue: Pavilion 3, Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie, ul. Głogowska 14, Poznan, Poland
Sat: Erfurt, Germany
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK 1] [FTS LINK 2] [FTS LINK (Bundesliga)]
Roller Derby Erfurt host a triple header of German roller derby on Saturday, including a Bundesliga Division 2 game.
- Prussian Fat Cats (Potsdam) versus Rolling Rat Pack (Regensburg)
- Meatgrinders (Bremen) versus Bavarian Battle Beasts
- Riot Rocketz (Leipzig) versus Gargörlz (Erfurt) [2. Bundesliga]
Event starts: 1030 Saturday (doors open)
Venue: Gunda Neimann-Stirnemann, Erfurt, Germany
Sat: Paris, France
Paris Rollergirls host "The Paris Rollergirls Greatest Show", an evening of entertainments including a blind music quiz, Tarot readings, "Wheel of Misfortune", raffles and auctions, and more!
Event starts: 1730 Saturday
Venue: Le Pavillon des Canaux, 39 quai de Loire, Paris, France
Sat-Sun: Saint-Gratien, France
[FACEBOOK LINK] [FTS LINK (tournament)]
Roller Derby Panthers host the third edition of their 4 teams international tournament with a Harry Potter theme: The Tri-Wizard Tournament! As always, this is a round-robin, for 6 full length games over 2 days.
- Teams:
- Roller Derby Panthers (Saint-Gratien)
- Bloody Skulls (Marseille)
- Parliament of Pain (The Hague)
- Velvet Owls (Dijon)
Event starts: 1100 Saturday (first game)
Venue: Gymnase Picol, 28 rue du Picolo, Saint-Gratien, France
Friday: Dundee, Scotland
Dundee Roller Derby host another of their open scrims, this one being WFTDA-gender policy.
Event starts: 2000 Friday
Venue: Dundee International Sports Centre, Mains Loan, Dundee, Scotland
Sun: East Calder, Scotland
New Town Roller Derby are getting in a bit of extra polish before facing Fair City in 2 weeks, and they're holding an open-scrimmage as part of this. Open to WFTDA-gender conforming, "C level" skaters.
Event starts: 1500 Sunday
Venue: XCite East Calder, East Calder, West Lothian, Scotland
Sat: Penzance, UK
Cornwall Roller Derby host an Open To All genders "Summer Scrim". Maximally inclusive (if enough people need them, women-only jams can be held as part of the scrim cycle). Beach party promised afterwards!
Event starts: 1500 Saturday
Venue: Penzance Leisure Centre, St Clare, Penzance, UK
Sun: Miramar, Argentina
Atlantico Sur Roller Derby host a double-header of scrimmages, one "feminino" (and we hope WFTDA-gender) and one OTA policy.
Event starts: 1500 Sunday
Venue: Defensores de Miramar, 23 N° 2250, Miramar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sat: Mar del Plata, Argentina
Cobra Quads host a Bingo night, raising funds for the league, and promoting Roller Derby.
Event starts: 1700 Saturday
Venue: Biblioteca Popular Juventud Moderna, Diag. Pueyrredon 3324, Mar del Plata, Argentina
Fri: Santiago, Chile
Terror S-Quad Roller Derby host a variant-rules double header (40 minute games with no half-time, maximum 3 penalties per player, foul-outs require the player to serve as a referee (and that referee to become a player)!).
- Alternate rules WFTDA-gender game
- Alternate rules OTA-gender game
Event starts: 2000 Friday
Venue: Velodromo, Parque Peñalolen, Volcan Antuco 8074, Santiago, Chile
Sun: Valdivia, Chile
Roller Derby Valdivia return with a second edition of their Patin a Luka events, with fun and games on skates. These events raise money for the league to participate in the Chilean national tournament (Torneo X), and other events in Latin America.
Event starts: 1500 Sunday
Venue: Escuela Alemania, Los Pelues, Valdivia, Chile
Sat: Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
Ovejas Negras host a friendly game against León's Freyjas! Venue still to be confirmed, as this seems to be a bit of a last minute thing.
- Ovejas Negras (Michoacán) versus Freyjas (León)
Event starts: 1200 Saturday
Venue: ??
