Kansas City Roller Warriors

History

KCRW was founded in 2004 by Brooke Leavitt and Mandy Durham, who worked together as librarians. Inspired by the Texas Rollergirls, the KCRW LLC was solidified by June 2004. That summer, the two and a group of other women began practicing in a parking lot, forming the first practice of the Kansas City Roller Warriors. John Hernandez, a friend of the founders from college, became the team's first coach and the small contingent of team members distributed hand fliers to promote women to try out for the team. By the fall of 2004 the team was practicing at a local community center, on a basketball court.

Since its formation, the group consists of more than 80 players and four at-home teams: The Black Eye Susans, the Dreadnought Dorothys, the Knockouts and the Victory Vixens. KCRW originally held their bouts at the Winnwood Skate Center and Hale Arena in Kansas City before moving to the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium, where they skated through 2015. KCRW now plays home games and practices at Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas) in Kansas City, Kansas. Approximately 30 people provide volunteer assistance for each at-home event, including referees, announcers, score keepers and other support staff.

Charity

A portion of the proceeds from the league's home bouts are donated to local charities including the Kansas City Police Activities/Athletic League, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Human Rights Campaign, the Rose Brooks Center, and many more. KCRW has partnered with the Mid America Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

KCRW All Stars

The All Star team, founded in 2005, is composed of members of the four home teams of the Kansas City Roller Warriors. They compete at a national and international level. In 2007, the KCRW All Stars won the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships against the Rat City Rollergirls. The All Stars won the 2010 WFTDA South Central Regional Tournament and the league hosted the WFTDA 2011 South Central Regional Tournament. The All Stars placed first in the 2015 WFTDA International Division 2 Tournament held in Cleveland, Ohio.

Plan B

Plan B is KCRW's second travel team, with members from all home teams who travel regionally. The team made its debut in 2011.

Home teams

The league has four home teams: the Black Eye Susans, the Dreadnought Dorothys, the Knockouts and the Victory Vixens. The Victory Vixens hold the KCRW home championship title for 2015, having won against the Dreadnought Dorothys.

Junior derby

In 2010, Ami Geddon, a Kansas City Roller Warrior, worked to grow a junior derby league in Kansas City. She recruited other skaters with experience in coaching and teaching children. Along with Ami Geddon, Connie Magic, Jade Lightning, Bomb Pop, PDQ, Maiden Hell, Damsel of D'tension and Murphy's Law were the team's first coaches. The league is open to girls ages 10–18 and is broken into four teams. The advanced teams are Sonic Boom and Wicked Twisters while the intermediate teams are Rolling Thunder and Starry Fright.

Home team seasons

The Roller Warriors held their first official season from January through June 2005 at Winnwood Skate Center. The founding season for KCRW drew 800 attendees. Through 2016, average bout attendance has been 2,000.

The Victory Vixens hold the KCRW home championship title for 2015, having won against the Dreadnought Dorothys.

All Star seasons

In February 2006, KCRW sent their All Star travel team to play in the first National WFTDA Championship in Tucson, Arizona. KCRW placed 6th in the nation out of twenty participating leagues. In 2007, the KCRW All Stars returned to the Texas Shootout WFTDA National Championships, fighting for the title against the Rat City Rollergirls. KCRW beat Rat City with a score of 89 to 85 and Xcelerator was voted one of two MVPs for the tournament.

The KCRW All Stars completed the 2009 season with a 2nd-place finish in the South Central Region. They ended the second quarter of the 2010 season in the South Central region in 3rd place. In 2011, they placed fourth in the nation at the WFTDA Championships and Kelley Young was named MVP for the tournament.

In 2013, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association replaced the geography-based regions with three competitive divisions. In order to qualify for playoffs, in addition to rankings the WFTDA introduced a new set of regular season game play requirements. Regional playoffs were replaced by four Division 1 playoff tournaments and two Division 2 playoffs. With their ranking at 45 on June 30, the KCRW All Star team qualified for the Division 2 playoffs, and competed in the tournament held in Richmond, VA, where they placed 5th.

The All Stars placed first in the 2015 WFTDA International D2 Playoff Tournament held in Cleveland, OH and Bruz-Her was named MVP for the tournament. They placed fourth in the 2015 WFTDA International D2 Championship Tournament held in St. Paul, MN.