National Roller Derby League
Encyclopedia
The National Roller Derby League (NRDL), also once promoted as Roller Derby 2000, Roller Blazing Derby League (RBDL, or just Roller Blazing Derby) and Roller Derby USA, is a professional
roller derby
league. The NRDL consists of teams that train and compete on banked tracks in the coastal cities of Southern California
. The NRDL is incorporated in the State of California
under the name Roller Derby Inc..
skater known for his underhanded, violent tactics while playing for the Texas Outlaws in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from skating, he managed various teams in different roller derby revivals.
The NRDL began with two teams, the Los Angeles Aztecs and the San Francisco Bay Bombers, skating in exhibition matches in mid-1995.
Potential investors were sought to fund the founding teams plus two more, the L.A. Thunderbirds and the New York Chiefs, in an enterprise to be promoted as Roller Derby 2000, but nothing materialized.
As of 2006, one of the NRDL teams, the L.A. Stars, is sometimes billed as the L.A. T'Birds, and the Texas Outlaws are sometimes billed as just the Outlaws.
In May 2006, the NRDL announced it was forming two Las Vegas
-based teams, the Las Vegas Royal Rollergirls (all female) and the Las Vegas High-Rollers (mixed gender).
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league. The NRDL consists of teams that train and compete on banked tracks in the coastal cities of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The NRDL is incorporated in the State of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
under the name Roller Derby Inc..
History
The NRDL was established in 1995 by Lou Sanchez, Sr.. Sanchez is a former Roller GamesRoller Games
Roller Games was the name of a sports entertainment spectacle created in the early 1960s in Los Angeles, California as a rival to the Jerry Seltzer-owned Roller Derby league, which had enjoyed a monopoly on the sport of roller derby — and its name — since its inception in 1935. Roller Games...
skater known for his underhanded, violent tactics while playing for the Texas Outlaws in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from skating, he managed various teams in different roller derby revivals.
The NRDL began with two teams, the Los Angeles Aztecs and the San Francisco Bay Bombers, skating in exhibition matches in mid-1995.
Potential investors were sought to fund the founding teams plus two more, the L.A. Thunderbirds and the New York Chiefs, in an enterprise to be promoted as Roller Derby 2000, but nothing materialized.
As of 2006, one of the NRDL teams, the L.A. Stars, is sometimes billed as the L.A. T'Birds, and the Texas Outlaws are sometimes billed as just the Outlaws.
In May 2006, the NRDL announced it was forming two Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
-based teams, the Las Vegas Royal Rollergirls (all female) and the Las Vegas High-Rollers (mixed gender).
Matches
Recent games include the following:- On March 22, 2003, Roller Blazing Derby held a pair of matches at the Grand Olympic AuditoriumGrand Olympic AuditoriumThe Grand Olympic Auditorium is the former name of a sports venue in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located at 1801 S. Grand Avenue, the venue was built in 1924 specifically for the 1932 Summer Olympics, which saw the boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling events held there. At the time it...
, featuring the LA T'Birds vs the San Francisco Bay Bombers, and the L.A. Stars vs the Red Devils. - On November 13, 2004, a "Ralphie Memorial" game, held in honor of the late Ralphie Valladares, and featuring the L.A. Stars vs the Outlaws was held at Pacific Palms Conference Resort's Grand Arena in the Los Angeles suburb City of Industry.
- On June 4, 2005, the same two teams faced off at the same venue in a game billed as "Ralphie's Revenge".
- On July 30, 2005, the LA Stars competed against the Red Devils in "Ralphie's Roller Action" at the same venue.
External links
- National Roller Derby League - Official web site