Kalamazoo Roller Derby Explained

Kalamazoo Roller Derby
Founded:	2006
Metro Area:	Kalamazoo, MI
Country:	United States
Teams:	Kill Stars (A team) Killa Crew (B team)
Tracks:	Flat
Venue:	Wings Stadium
Affiliations:	WFTDA

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

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	DNQ
2014	61 WFTDA^[16]	3 D2	DNQ
2015	80 WFTDA^[17]	DNQ	DNQ
2016	94 WFTDA^[18]	DNQ	DNQ
2017	99 WFTDA^[19]	DNQ	DNQ

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kalamazoo Derby Darlins – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 4 March 2018.
2. Web site: Cleary. Shawano. Local roller derby team is ready to ride in debut. MLive.com. Michigan Live. 3 January 2017. 12 July 2007.
3. Web site: Wedel. Mark. Roller Derby at Kalamazoo's Wings Stadium: Hockey meets NASCAR. MLive.com. Michigan Live. 3 January 2017. 29 June 2008.
4. "Graham Couch column: Skilled and sometimes brutal, Killamazoo roller derby club is worthy of Kalamazoo's attention", Kalamazoo Gazette, July 15, 2011
5. "Apprentice Leagues", WFTDA [version of 16 November 2009]
6. "9 Leagues Join WFTDA for Full Membership ", WFTDA, 1 September 2010
7. Andy Fitzpatrick, "Get ready to roll", Battle Creek Gazette, April 8, 2010
8. Web site: New Year, Big Changes, Same Derby. Kalamazoo Derby Darlins. 4 March 2018. en. 30 January 2018.
9. Web site: August 23-25, 2013: Kalamazoo, Michigan - Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. wftda.org. WFTDA. 3 January 2017.
10. Web site: Wise. Beck. D2K 3rd: Killamazoo Rebuffs NEO, 250-219 Derby News Network. Derby News Network. 3 January 2017. 25 August 2013.
11. Web site: Killamazoo Overwhelms Gold Coast, 180-162 Derby News Network. Derby News Network. 3 January 2017. 24 August 2014.
12. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
13. Web site: Current Rankings. WFTDA. 3 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125085842/http://wftda.com/rankings. 25 January 2012.
14. Web site: Current Rankings. WFTDA. 3 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20130320122723/http://www.wftda.com/rankings. 20 March 2013.
15. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2013. WFTDA. 3 January 2017.
16. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2014. WFTDA. 3 January 2017.
17. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2015. WFTDA. 3 January 2017.
18. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 4 March 2018.
19. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 4 March 2018.