Gem City Roller Derby Explained

Gem City Roller Derby
Founded:	2006
Metro Area:	Dayton, OH
Country:	United States
Teams:	The Purple Reign (A team) The Violet Femmes (B team) The Lavender Haze (C team) Bully Frogs Murder Squad Snark Attack
Tracks:	Flat
Venue:	Skateworld of Vandalia
Affiliations:	WFTDA

Gem City Roller Derby (GCRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 2006, the league features two teams that compete against teams from other leagues, plus three home league teams that play each other. Gem City is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).^[1]

History and organization

GCRD was founded as Gem City Rollergirls in January 2006 by Ginger Clark and Andrea Moore, known as "Helen of DesTroy" and "Cyn Vicious". The league initially formed two teams, the Queens of Hearts and the Aces of Spades, that later became the Rude Girls and Damage Inc. After a decrease in league membership, the two teams became one for several years. Steady growth led to a return of the two-team structure for the 2014 season. The new team names are The Purple Reign and The Violet Femmes.

Gem City rebranded in June 2016 as Gem City Roller Derby, and further expanded to include three intraleague home teams, who play one another during the travel team off season: Bully Frogs, Snark Attack, and Murder Squad.^[2] The Bully Frogs were the initial home season champion, with a 174–154 victory over the Murder Squad in March 2017.^[3]

WFTDA

GCRD initially joined the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in December 2007.^{[4] [5]} However, after struggling to maintain a sufficient number of eligible skaters, GCRD was unable to play any fully sanctioned bouts during the 2008 season. During 2009 several long-standing skaters left the league, which also incurred increases in rink costs; however the league survived.^[6] In 2010, the league reverted to the status of apprentice members of the WFTDA. The league grew each year following and, during the 2013 boot camp, nearly doubled in size to a total of over fifty skaters. Gem City earned its full WFTDA status back for the 2014 season.^[7]

Rankings

Season	Final ranking^[8]	Playoffs	Championship
2008	NR NC^[9]	DNQ	DNQ
2009	18 NC^[10]	DNQ	DNQ
2014	181 WFTDA^[11]	DNQ	DNQ
2015	123 WFTDA^[12]	DNQ	DNQ
2016	104 WFTDA^[13]	DNQ	DNQ
2017	78 WFTDA^[14]	DNQ	DNQ

• league did not receive WFTDA final rankings 2010-2013

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gem City Roller Derby – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 3 December 2017.
2. Web site: Gem City Roller Derby Game: Bully Frogs vs Murder Squad at Orbit Fun Center - March 12, 2017 - Journal News. thingstodo.journal-news.com. Journal-News. 3 December 2017. en.
3. Web site: Taylor-Lehman. Dylan. Derby takes the rink to the brink. The Yellow Springs News. 3 December 2017. 30 March 2017.
4. Web site: The WFTDA Newsletter - December 2007. WFTDA. 9 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20080513183136/http://www.wftda.com/newsletters/12_2007.html. 13 May 2008. December 2007.
5. "Gem City Rollergirls", Flat Track Stats
6. Amelia Robinson, "Rollergirls keep rollin' on", Dayton Daily News, 26 March 2010
7. Web site: WFTDA Welcomes 22 New Full Member Leagues - LatestNews - Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. wftda.org. WFTDA. 3 December 2017. 23 December 2013.
8. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
9. Web site: Rankings – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 3 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20090202070211/http://wftda.com/rankings. 2 February 2009.
10. Web site: Current Rankings. WFTDA. 3 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20100430194525/http://wftda.com/rankings. 30 April 2010.
11. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 3 December 2017.
12. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 3 December 2017.
13. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 3 December 2017.
14. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 25 January 2018.