Windy City Rollers
Encyclopedia
The Windy City Rollers are an all-female flat-track Roller Derby
league located in Chicago
, the city where roller derby
first emerged as a sport in 1937. The Windy City Rollers, founded by Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons), and trained by Coach/Trainer, Susan Sabin (Bettina von Brickhaus) are the first flat-track Roller Derby league established in Chicago. This all female league comprises members of four league teams for play within the league and an all-star travel team in competition with other leagues.
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In early 2006, the Windy City Rollers began inter-league bouting. After suffering defeat at Dust Devil 2006, the league realized it needed to regroup. They moved to a bouting venue that allowed them to play on a regulation sized track, and increased the number of league practices. After completing another season of intra-league bouting, the All-Stars team was reformed. In early 2007, the league resumed inter-league play.
The Windy City Rollers All-Stars entered the competition at the 2007 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament
in Columbus (the Heartland Havoc) ranked 14th in the nation (7th in their region). After defeating 20th-ranked Atlanta on day one, they achieved what many considered a stunning victory on day 2, defeating Madison, Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls, ranked fourth nationally and first in the Eastern region. They went on to claim second place in the tournament, defeating the Carolina Rollergirls before falling to New York's Gotham Girls. At the 2007 WFTDA National Championships (the Texas Shootout) in Austin, TX, the Windy City Rollers All-Stars were defeated in the first round by the home favorite Texas Rollergirls, finishing in seventh position in the nation.
At the 2008 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Madison, WI (Derby in Dairyland) the Windy City Rollers All-Stars defeated Baltimore's Charm City Rollergirls and the Carolina Rollergirls from Raleigh, NC to advance to the final match. They were defeated by New York's Gotham Girls and placed second in the region, advancing them to the 2008 national championship (the Northwest Knockdown) in Portland, OR. There the Windy City Rollers All-Stars advanced to the final match after winning games against Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls and Austin's Texas Rollergirls. In a third tournament championship match-up the Gotham Girls again defeated the Windy City Rollers All-Stars.
At the 2009 WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament
in St. Paul, MN (Brawl of America) the Windy City Rollers All-Stars beat the Minnesota Rollergirls
(St. Paul, MN), Cincinnati Rollergirls Black Sheep (Cincinnati, OH) and Mad Rollin' Dolls Dairyland Dolls to become the North Central regional champions. They had a bye in the preliminary round and were defeated by Denver Roller Dolls' Mile High Club at WFTDA 2009 Nationals (Declaration of Derby). The Windy City Rollers continued their domination of the North Central Region by once again claiming the Regional Championship title in 2010.
In November of 2010, the Windy City Rollers earned even more prestige in the derby world by hosting and participating in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships, Uproar on the Lakeshore.
In intra-league play, Windy City Rollers hold an annual championship game named after Chicago derby legend, Ivy King. The Fury won the Ivy King Cup Championship games in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 the trophy was claimed by the Double Crossers. In 2008 the Ivy King Cup was won by the Hell's Belles. In 2009 the Manic Attackers beat out the Hell's Belles to win the Ivy King Cup.
On August 25, 2007, Chicago attorney Tahirah Johnson, skating as "Tequila Mockingbird," for The Fury, was injured in the most serious accident of the current roller derby revival. She injured her spinal cord during a bout, and was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. She has since returned home and through physical therapy has regained some movement in all of her limbs.
The Windy City Rollers are currently in their sixth intra-league season.
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 located in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the city where 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...
first emerged as a sport in 1937. The Windy City Rollers, founded by Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons), and trained by Coach/Trainer, Susan Sabin (Bettina von Brickhaus) are the first flat-track Roller Derby league established in Chicago. This all female league comprises members of four league teams for play within the league and an all-star travel team in competition with other leagues.
Member Teams
- Double Crossers - 2007 Season Champions; An elite team of silent assassins on wheels with the motto "Skate and let die, but leave a really HOT corpse."
- The Fury - 2005, 2006, & 2010 Season Champions; Named after the goddesses of vengeance in Greek mythology.
- Haymarket Rioters - The Windy City Rollers' farm teamFarm teamIn sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
. - Hell's Belles 2008 Season Champions. Ladies who busted out of finishing school to become the femme fatales of the flat track.
- Manic Attackers 2009 Season Champions. Escaped mental patients who will steal your meds and eat your babies.
- Second Wind - Windy City Rollers' B Team
- Windy City Rollers All-Stars - The all star travel team for competition with other leagues in the Women's Flat Track Derby AssociationWomen's Flat Track Derby AssociationThe Women's Flat Track Derby Association is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues in the United States. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501 business...
. Currently ranked 1st in the North Central Region.
League History
In Chicago 2004, Simmons and Gomez organized the four-team league and on the initial recruitment nearly 100 women appeared. In 2006 hundreds showed up to recruitment parties showing interest in joining the league. In 2005, they played in Chicago's Congress Theatre, but moved to the Cicero Stadium to accommodate for a regulation track size in early 2006. The Windy City Rollers changed venues again in October 2008 and currently play at the University of Illinois Chicago PavilionUIC Pavilion
The UIC Pavilion is a 6,958-seat multi-purpose arena, located at 525 S. Racine Street on the West Side in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which opened in 1982. It is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames basketball team and the former home of the Chicago Sky WNBA team...
.
In early 2006, the Windy City Rollers began inter-league bouting. After suffering defeat at Dust Devil 2006, the league realized it needed to regroup. They moved to a bouting venue that allowed them to play on a regulation sized track, and increased the number of league practices. After completing another season of intra-league bouting, the All-Stars team was reformed. In early 2007, the league resumed inter-league play.
The Windy City Rollers All-Stars entered the competition at the 2007 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament
WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament
The WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament or WFTDA East Region Playoffs is one of four roller derby qualifying tournaments for the WFTDA Championships....
in Columbus (the Heartland Havoc) ranked 14th in the nation (7th in their region). After defeating 20th-ranked Atlanta on day one, they achieved what many considered a stunning victory on day 2, defeating Madison, Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls, ranked fourth nationally and first in the Eastern region. They went on to claim second place in the tournament, defeating the Carolina Rollergirls before falling to New York's Gotham Girls. At the 2007 WFTDA National Championships (the Texas Shootout) in Austin, TX, the Windy City Rollers All-Stars were defeated in the first round by the home favorite Texas Rollergirls, finishing in seventh position in the nation.
At the 2008 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Madison, WI (Derby in Dairyland) the Windy City Rollers All-Stars defeated Baltimore's Charm City Rollergirls and the Carolina Rollergirls from Raleigh, NC to advance to the final match. They were defeated by New York's Gotham Girls and placed second in the region, advancing them to the 2008 national championship (the Northwest Knockdown) in Portland, OR. There the Windy City Rollers All-Stars advanced to the final match after winning games against Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls and Austin's Texas Rollergirls. In a third tournament championship match-up the Gotham Girls again defeated the Windy City Rollers All-Stars.
At the 2009 WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament
WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament
The WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament or WFTDA North Central Region Playoffs is one of four roller derby qualifying tournaments for the WFTDA Championships.The Tournament is organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association...
in St. Paul, MN (Brawl of America) the Windy City Rollers All-Stars beat the Minnesota Rollergirls
Minnesota RollerGirls
Minnesota RollerGirls is an all-women amateur flat-track roller derby league based in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area of the U.S. state of Minnesota...
(St. Paul, MN), Cincinnati Rollergirls Black Sheep (Cincinnati, OH) and Mad Rollin' Dolls Dairyland Dolls to become the North Central regional champions. They had a bye in the preliminary round and were defeated by Denver Roller Dolls' Mile High Club at WFTDA 2009 Nationals (Declaration of Derby). The Windy City Rollers continued their domination of the North Central Region by once again claiming the Regional Championship title in 2010.
In November of 2010, the Windy City Rollers earned even more prestige in the derby world by hosting and participating in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships, Uproar on the Lakeshore.
In intra-league play, Windy City Rollers hold an annual championship game named after Chicago derby legend, Ivy King. The Fury won the Ivy King Cup Championship games in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 the trophy was claimed by the Double Crossers. In 2008 the Ivy King Cup was won by the Hell's Belles. In 2009 the Manic Attackers beat out the Hell's Belles to win the Ivy King Cup.
On August 25, 2007, Chicago attorney Tahirah Johnson, skating as "Tequila Mockingbird," for The Fury, was injured in the most serious accident of the current roller derby revival. She injured her spinal cord during a bout, and was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. She has since returned home and through physical therapy has regained some movement in all of her limbs.
The Windy City Rollers are currently in their sixth intra-league season.