ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROLLERGIRLS BEST DENVER FOR TICKET TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS; DENVER STILL HAS A CHANCE TO GO

DENVER, OCT. 3, 2009 - The eighth-seeded Rocky Mountain Rollergirls beat the second-seeded Denver Roller Dolls in the 2009 Women's Flat Track Derby Association's Western Regional Tournament on Saturday night.

The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club has won three bouts this weekend and clinched a ticket to the WFTDA 2009 National Championship in Philadelphia Nov. 13 to Nov. 15. They beat ninth-seeded Tucson and third-seeded Portland on Friday. The tournament brackets matched Denver's two leagues in the semi-finals for the first time in their shared history.

RMRG won 122 to Denver's 107 in a bout in which the well-matched teams kept the score close in the semifinal match to a sold-out and rowdy crowd at the Bladium Sports Club. DRD kept the lead through most of the bout until the final few dramatic minutes, during which Rocky Mountain came from behind for the win. Rocky Mountain will play Olympia, Wash.'s Oly Rollers in the regional championship game at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Bladium.

The Denver Roller Dolls, however, can still take a trip to the national tournament. They are scheduled to play Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls Sunday at 3 p.m. The winner of the consolation bout will move on to the national tournament where the top three teams from each of four WFTDA regions will meet for the championship.

RMRG's run at the tournament that they are co-hosting in Denver has been nothing short of a Cinderella run. Three mid-season acquisitions from the Pikes Peak Derby Dames added depth to the RMRG roster and it proved the difference against the consistently strong and strategic play that the Denver Roller Dolls have shown all season.

Tickets are still available at the door and online at www.derbyontherocks.com. Doors open at 10 a.m. and consolation bouts begin at 11 a.m.

Denver Post Coverage: Roller derby is belle on wheels (Oct 3, 2009)

Oct 3, 2009

DENVER ROLLER DOLLS AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROLLERGIRLS WILL BOUT FOR FIRST TIME IN TOURNAMENT THEY ARE CO-HOSTING

DENVER - Tournament brackets will bring Denver's two flat-track roller derby leagues together to bout for the first time in their shared history at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.

The two leagues worked together for nearly a year to host the 2009 Women's Flat Track Derby Association Western Regional Tournament, but have never bouted against one another in sanctioned play. DRD was seeded second in the tournament and Rocky Mountain was seeded eighth. With the top ten teams in the 23-state region in house to witness the historic match up, both leagues will still have a chance to go to the national tournament in Philadelphia Nov. 13-15 no matter which league wins.

Here's how it happened:
RMRG opened the tourney with a bout against ninth-seeded Tucson and bested the Arizona team 319-27. RMRG then moved up in the brackets to face Portland's Rose City Rollers, who were seeded third.

RMRG won over the Oregonians in a 101 to 81 bout, which lined the team up for the 10 p.m. on Saturday bout.

The Denver Roller Dolls made their tournament debut at 7 p.m. on Friday against Angel City Roller Derby of Los Angeles. DRD handily won the bout over the California team 305 to 32. The DRD Mile High Club's pack defense was nearly impenetrable, while their five-jammer rotation was unstoppable. They put more than 100 points up before Los Angeles scored at all.

Founded in 2004, the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls were Colorado's first women's flat track roller derby league. They were founding members of the Womens Flat Track Derby Association.

The Denver Roller Dolls were founded in 2005 and quickly and definitively made their mark on national play.

Both leagues have been ranked nationally, but game play never brought them together even as Colorado strongly supported the leagues. Last year, they joined forces to bid to host the Western Regional Tournament and won the honor. Now they will meet for the first time on their home turf with the region on hand to watch.

The top three teams of the tournament will go to nationals. The loser of the DRD-RMRG bout will have one more bout to determine who places third and who will place fourth. The winner of the last consolation round will also go to nationals, making it possible that both leagues will compete in the national championship.

CONTACT
PJ Shields, AKA Dangerous Leigh A'zon, 303-601-7086
pr@derbyontherocks.com

July 17, 2009

Denver to Host Regional Women's Flat-Track Roller Derby Tournament

DENVER - The Denver Roller Dolls and Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are hosting the 2009 Women's Flat Track Derby Association Regional Tournament Oct. 2 through Oct. 4 at the Bladium Sports Club, 2400 Central Park Boulevard.

The tournament will bring some of the nation's top derby athletes to Denver for the chance to compete in the national championship Nov. 13 to Nov. 15 in Philadelphia. New York's Gotham Girls are the 2008 national champions. The Kansas City Warriors reigned in 2007.

Both host leagues are nationally ranked, highly competitive, and are expected to compete in regionals. Twenty three leagues from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California, Washington and Oregon are eligible for the tournament and will be seeded according to ranking.

The events will be open to the public and will be Colorado's largest roller derby event to date, bringing hundreds of skaters and team support staff to the Mile High City.

The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls and Denver Roller Dolls are both based in Denver and are owned and operated by skaters. The leagues are collaborating for the first time to showcase Colorado's large roller derby community, which includes nine leagues.

For more information about the Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Association, visit: http://www.wftda.com.

For information about tickets, tournament structure, and updated information about teams competing, visit www.derbyontherocks.com.