2017 WFTDA June Rankings and Tournament Seeding

2017 WFTDA June Rankings and Tournament Seeding Photo credit: Preflash Gordon.
July 14, 2017

The 2017 WFTDA Tournament placement day is here, and with it came a few surprises. When WFTDA released the locations and dates for this year’s tournaments, they also announced a new structure to Playoffs and Championships. This is the first time we get to see brackets for the new arrangement, and with some teams missing out on the action this season, five teams below the cutoff got invites to participate at Playoffs. Read on to see how the WFTDA sorting hat placed teams this year, and where to catch your favorites.

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2018 World Cup: Team Canada

2018 World Cup: Team Canada Photo credit: Marc-Antoine Vachon Photography. facebook.com/mavachonphotography
July 12, 2017

Team Canada released their roster early last November with the anticipation of a 2017 World Cup date since the previous two Cups took place in December of 2011 and 2014. With the Roller Derby World Cup announcement that the tournament will take place February 1-4 of 2018, they will have a bit more time to organize and train, as will the 39 other teams attending.

Canada has been a big contender at past World Cup tournaments, taking second place to the USA in 2011, and then placing fourth in 2014 after falling to Australia on the final day, 197-128. The roster for 2018 looks a lot different than 2014, and with a vision to build a sustainable national team, Team Canada will be laying strong groundwork over the next year to prepare for the World Cup and beyond.

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Top 10 Things to Do While Waiting for the WFTDA Playoff Announcement

Top 10 Things to Do While Waiting for the WFTDA Playoff Announcement Photo credit: Sean Hale
July 11, 2017

This Friday WFTDA will release the rankings for June which will also include seeding for the 2017 Playoff tournaments. This year things are a little different with only three Division 1 Playoff locations, dual tracks for Division 2 Playoffs with their Champs being played on the same weekend, and only 54 spots for teams in the postseason this year. It will also be the first time a WFTDA tournament is being held outside North America with the Crime City Rollers hosting a D1 Playoff in Malmö, Sweden.

It’s safe to say the anticipation is even greater this year with a higher bar to reach and likely a different set of teams needing to make overseas travel plans. After a stress-inducing fight to the Hydra last year and some interesting competition so far in 2017, it seems as if there’s no shoo-in for Champs this year. If you need help passing the time until Friday, Sean Hale has got a few things to keep you busy.

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June 23-25, 2017: The Final Rankings Push

June 23-25, 2017: The Final Rankings Push Photo credit: Regularman Photography - regularmanphotography.com
June 23, 2017

This last weekend in June is the final big stretch of games before the rankings are tallied and teams are lined up for WFTDA’s Playoff tournaments this fall. Three big events are happening in different regions of the United States with a few single games sprinkled in.

In Portland, Oregon, the #3 Rose City Rollers are hosting Hometown Throwdown and have invited #4 Angel City, #5 Texas, and #6 London to join them. In the Midwest, Arch Rival and the GateKeepers organized the second year of Sibling Rivalry in St. Louis, Missouri with men’s and women’s teams joining them for the three day event. East Coast Derby Extravaganza is taking place in Feasterville, Pennsylvania with three different tracks, A and B WFTDA teams, as well as men’s and junior teams.

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When a Community Grieves: Suggestions for Support

When a Community Grieves: Suggestions for Support
June 9, 2017

Within the tight knit derby community, any loss of a community member has a deep impact on us all. However, death – even using the word “death”, instead of a euphemism – is a hard subject. As a general rule we seem to think that if we don’t think about it, we won’t have to deal with it.

What this winds up meaning is that when tragedy does occur we are left scrambling to figure out what to do, what to say, and how to process.

Having thought through how to care for people beforehand won’t make the pain of grief less, but it will allow your league to come together more readily and let fewer people go through this alone.

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