Diamond State Roller Derby Explained

Diamond State Roller Derby
Founded:	2006
Metro Area:	Wilmington, Delaware
Country:	United States
Teams:	All-Stars Back Alley Brawlers Black Eyed Bombshells Hardwood Heartbreakers
Tracks:	Flat
Venue:	Christiana Skating Center
Affiliations:	WFTDA

Diamond State Roller Derby (DSRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 2006, the league has since grown to include four teams: one travel team and three home teams. Diamond State is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).^[1]

History

The league was formed in March 2006 as the "Wilmington City Ruff Rollers", by four local women: Naughty Nikki Napalm, WitchBlade, Will O' the Whip, and Lolli Dagger,^[2] two of whom had unsuccessfully tried out for a Philadelphia-based league.^[3] They soon recruited more skaters, bringing the league up to twenty, and remained around this strength for several years, but the release of the movie Whip It rapidly drew additional interest.^[4]

The organization was accepted into the WFTDA Apprentice Program in January 2010,^[5] and adopted the name "Diamond State Roller Girls" soon after. It became a full member of the WFTDA in December 2012,^[6] becoming eligible to obtain regional ranking. DSRG is the first roller derby league in the state of Delaware to obtain WFTDA membership.

At the beginning of 2012, DSRG underwent an enormous restructuring to make the league more competitive, including a more regimented training program for new skaters, a new board of directors, and new coaching staff. Due to all the changes made, Diamond State Roller Girls had greater growth and skater retention during the 2012 season than all other previous seasons. The three home teams are the Back Alley Brawlers, The Black Eyed Bombshells, and the Hardwood Heartbreakers.

In January 2016, the league changed its name to Diamond State Roller Derby.^[7]

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the closure and restrictions around gatherings in the United States, the WFTDA canceled many of the events scheduled and DSRD has chosen to take time off to comply ^[8]

WFTDA rankings

Season	Final ranking^[9]	Playoffs	Championship
2014	198 WFTDA^[10]	DNQ	DNQ
2015	269 WFTDA^[11]	DNQ	DNQ
2016	311 WFTDA^[12]	DNQ	DNQ
2017	332 WFTDA^[13]	DNQ	DNQ
2018	338 WFTDA^[14]	DNQ	DNQ
2019	342 WFTDA^[15]	DNQ	DNQ

Notes and References

1. Web site: Diamond State Roller Derby – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 17 October 2017.
2. "About the League, DSRG
3. Web site: RECREATION: Roller derby experiences rebirth. Niagara Gazette. 17 October 2017. https://archive.today/20120715193837/http://niagara-gazette.com/sports/x681258819/RECREATION-Roller-derby-experiences-rebirth?keyword=secondarystory. 15 July 2012. 13 November 2006. live.
4. Justin Williams, "Anything Once: Bruising day on the job courtesy of roller girls", The News Journal, April 10, 2010
5. "Apprentice Leagues", WFTDA [version of 23 March 2010]
6. "WFTDA Welcomes 14 New Members ", 3 December 2012
7. Web site: Simmons. Karie. Roller derby league a 'second family' for skaters. Newark Post. 17 October 2017. en. 11 April 2016.
8. Web site: COVID-19 Updates and Recommendations » WFTDA Roller Derby Resources.
9. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
10. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA. wftda.com. January 2015. WFTDA. 17 October 2017.
11. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA. wftda.com. January 2016. WFTDA. 17 October 2017.
12. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA. wftda.com. 6 January 2017. WFTDA. 17 October 2017.
13. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA. wftda.com. 5 January 2018. WFTDA. 6 January 2018.
14. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2018 – WFTDA. wftda.com. 7 January 2019. WFTDA. 7 January 2019.
15. Web site: Rankings: May 31, 2019 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 7 January 2019.