Kalamazoo Roller Derby
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Metro area | Kalamazoo, MI |
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Country | United States |
Founded | 2006 |
Teams | Kill Stars (A team) Killa Crew (B team) |
Track type(s) | Flat |
Venue | Wings Stadium |
Affiliations | WFTDA |
Website | www |
Kalamazoo Roller Derby (KRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 2006, the league consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).[1]
History and organization[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2a/Killamazoo.png/150px-Killamazoo.png)
The league was founded in early 2006 as the Kalamazoo Kamikazes, and played its first bout the following year.[2]
By 2008 they had rebranded as the Killmazoo Derby Darlins and moved from the RollerWorld roller rink to Wings Stadium where they sold out all 800 advance tickets for a June game.[3] It doubled its membership in 2009, following the release of the movie Whip It!.[4]
Killamazoo was accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice Program in October 2009,[5] and became a full member of the WFTDA in September 2010.[6]
The league plays its bouts at the Wings Stadium, and aims in particular to attract families to watch.[7]
In January 2018 the league announced a rebrand as Kalamazoo Derby Darlins.[8]
In December 2020, the league announced a rebrand as Kalamazoo Roller Derby in a move to embrace diversity and inclusion.
WFTDA competition[]
In 2013, Killamazoo qualified for WFTDA Playoffs for the first time, participating at the Division 2 tournament they hosted at Wings Stadium.[9] Killamazoo was the third seed and finished the tournament in third place with a 250-219 victory over NEO Roller Derby (Akron, Ohio).[10] In 2014, KDD again qualified for Division 2 Playoffs, and were the fourth seed at Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, and won the third place game 180-162 over Gold Coast Derby Grrls of Fort Lauderdale.[11]
Season | Final ranking[12] | Playoffs | Championship |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | 20 NC[13] | DNQ | DNQ |
2012 | 13 NC[14] | DNQ | DNQ |
2013 | 45 WFTDA[15] | 3 D2[10] | DNQ |
2014 | 61 WFTDA[16] | 3 D2[11] | DNQ |
2015 | 80 WFTDA[17] | DNQ | DNQ |
2016 | 94 WFTDA[18] | DNQ | DNQ |
2017 | 99 WFTDA[19] | DNQ | DNQ |
References[]
- ^ "Kalamazoo Derby Darlins – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ Cleary, Shawano (12 July 2007). "Local roller derby team is ready to ride in debut". MLive.com. Michigan Live. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ Wedel, Mark (29 June 2008). "Roller Derby at Kalamazoo's Wings Stadium: Hockey meets NASCAR". MLive.com. Michigan Live. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Graham Couch column: Skilled and sometimes brutal, Killamazoo roller derby club is worthy of Kalamazoo's attention", Kalamazoo Gazette, July 15, 2011
- ^ "Apprentice Leagues", WFTDA [version of 16 November 2009]
- ^ "9 Leagues Join WFTDA for Full Membership Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine", WFTDA, 1 September 2010
- ^ Andy Fitzpatrick, "Get ready to roll", , April 8, 2010
- ^ "New Year, Big Changes, Same Derby". Kalamazoo Derby Darlins. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "August 23-25, 2013: Kalamazoo, Michigan - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ a b Wise, Beck (25 August 2013). "D2K 3rd: Killamazoo Rebuffs NEO, 250-219 | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Killamazoo Overwhelms Gold Coast, 180-162 | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Current Rankings", WFTDA
- ^ "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Rankings: December 31, 2013". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Rankings: December 31, 2014". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Rankings: December 31, 2015". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- Sports in Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Roller derby leagues established in 2006
- Roller derby leagues in Michigan
- 2006 establishments in Michigan