Minnesota Roller Derby (MNRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. Founded in August 2004 as Minnesota RollerGirls by the Donnelly sisters, MNRD was one of the first 30 members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) by early 2006. Today the league has over 80 skaters playing on four home teams as well as their All-Star team, which has qualified for WFTDA Playoffs every year since its inception.
League and business structure
Since 2005, the league has played and practiced at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, with capacity for up to 4,000 spectators for roller derby, and average attendance ranging between 1,800 and 3,000 fans at MNRD events. MNRD claims to be the first league in the country to have a professional space for practices and bouts.
Minnesota Roller Derby is a limited liability company composed of volunteer skaters aged 18 years and older and other volunteers. No skater or volunteer associated with the Minnesota Roller Derby is paid, nor do they profit based upon level of involvement or upon team wins. Proceeds raised by the league pay for practice space rental, legal and promotional fees, as well as traveling costs to play other WFTDA members in other states and in other countries. The remainder of the revenues are donated to a variety of local charities, with a general focus on organizations that benefit women.
In 2011, Minnesota began the DebuTaunts training and recreation program as a way to bring additional skaters into the league. By 2015, almost all new skaters in the league had spent at least one session in the recreation and training program. In 2016, the DebuTaunts began regularly bouting against regional opponents including Chippewa Valley Roller Derby (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) and the Roller Underground Dirty Ores (Eveleth, Minnesota), and by 2019 the DebuTaunts program, which rebranded as Windchill during that season, was re-envisioned as a primary "on-ramp" into Minnesota Roller Derby.
In 2018, the league launched a junior roller derby program, the Minnesota Frostbite, bringing its training resources in line with other top-tier roller derby leagues. The program is open to skaters of all genders aged 6–17.
In November, 2015, the Minnesota RollerGirls were the host league for the 2015 International WFTDA Championships at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and in May 2016, Visit Saint Paul named the Championships as their 2015 Event of the Year. The Minnesota All-Stars also competed at the tournament, losing their sole opening round game, 185-173 to Texas Rollergirls of Austin.
The Minnesota RollerGirls were ranked ninth in the world, as of September 25, 2016. In the WFTDA's 2022-23 return to regionalized play, they became a part of the WFTDA's North America West Region, along with traditional rivals like Rose City Rollers, Denver Roller Derby, Arch Rival Roller Derby, Windy City Rollers, and Madison Roller Derby.
In August 2019, the league adopted its current name as Minnesota Roller Derby, "to better reflect the organization’s membership and community".
Home Teams
Minnesota Roller Derby is composed of four home teams: the Bodies of Water, the Maul Rats, the Roller Vortex, and the Wednesday Warnings. These teams were created during a complete re-draft of the league following a missed Season 17 and a shortened Season 18 in which the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic fielded a pair of adult and a pair of junior teams. From 2005 to 2020, the league's home teams were the Atomic Bombshells, Dagger Dolls, Garda Belts, and Rockits. The Silver Bullets, which competed only in the league's inaugural season, were reorganized and re-themed as the Rockits for the 2005-06 season and remained the Rockits until the pandemic dissolved the original home teams. The four teams play against each other at home, with these games comprising the home season. Every MNRD home season concludes with a championship game, with the winner receiving the championship trophy, known as The Golden Skate.
Winners of the Golden Skate Year Season Champion2005 Dagger Dolls2006 The Rockits2007 Atomic Bombshells2008 The Rockits2009 The Rockits2010 Atomic Bombshells2011 The Rockits2012 Dagger Dolls2013 Atomic Bombshells2014 Garda Belts2015 Dagger Dolls2016 Atomic Bombshells2017 Atomic Bombshells2018 Atomic Bombshells2019 Rockits2020 Rockits
In 2018 a new trophy for the winner of the third-place game was unveiled. The inaugural Bronze Bearing Trophy was won for the first time by the Garda Belts.
Winners of the Bronze Bearing Year Season Champion2018 Garda Belts
Travel Team
The Minnesota All-Stars are the league's charter all-star interleague team. This team of elite skaters, drawn from the home teams, trains together year-round and travels for sanctioned WFTDA bouts throughout the year.
The Minnesota Nice are the other half of the All-Stars program. The league's B-team are both a pool of dedicated B-team skaters and a backup personnel pool that the Minnesota All-Stars can draw from in the event of an injury or a skater leaving the program due to pregnancy or employment opportunities outside the Twin Cities. The Nice also travel to tournaments and plays in national- and international-level B-team competitions.
Separate from the charter program, the Minnesota Windchill recreation and training program maintains a bouting-ready team which plays smaller leagues and B-teams throughout the Upper Midwest.
Minnesota was one of the pioneers of the "wall" technique of blocking, where blockers engage the jammer as a unit rather than individually. Their tenacious defence has earned the nickname "the Great Wall of Saint Paul."
WFTDA competition The Minnesota All-Stars have qualified for WFTDA Playoffs and/or WFTDA Championships every year since the first Championship, the Dust Devil tournament, in 2006, at which they placed fourth overall."February 2006 Dust Devil Invitational Rankings", WFTDA [version of 23 February 2007] In 2007 and 2008, as members of the WFTDA's East Region, the All-Stars competed at the annual WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament without advancing to the Championship.
Starting with 2009, MNRG qualified for the WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament for all four years, advancing to compete in the WFTDA Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012. MNRG hosted the 2009 North Central Regional Tournament, the "Brawl of America", at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, at which they came in ninth place."Brawl of America 2009 North Central Regionals ", WFTDA
Minnesota has a long-standing rivalry with Chicago's Windy City Rollers, and in June 2012 the two teams played to a rare tie in WFTDA-sanctioned play. The tie (later upheld upon review by the WFTDA) resulted from a scorekeeping correction made well after the end of play, avoiding a potential overtime jam which ordinarily would have settled the score. In the 2013 revision of the Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby, it was specified that the score at the time the game-ending whistle is blown, once confirmed by the officials at the end of game time, is official and that scorekeeping errors must stand if any are discovered after the official final score is recorded.
In 2013, the Women's Flat Track Derby Association realigned its competitive divisions to emphasize teams' win–loss record and difficulty of opponents rather than organizing by regions. The Minnesota All-Stars competed at Division 1 Playoffs during the era of the Divisional system. When the Second Regional Era begins in 2023, Minnesota will compete in the North America East region along with rivals Madison Roller Derby, Windy City Rollers, and Arch Rival Roller Derby.
In 2018 the league declined invitation to the WFTDA Playoffs in A Coruña, Spain, citing the cost of air travel to the city.
Rankings
Minnesota Roller Derby plays in the WFTDA North America Northeast (NAE) region.
SeasonFinal ranking"Current Rankings ", WFTDAPlayoffsChampionship20066 WFTDA"12/8/2006 WFTDA National Rankings", WFTDA [version of 23 February 2007]—4200711 WFTDA"Current WFTDA Rankings", Derby News Network, October 2007R2 EDNQ20084 E11 EDNQ20097 NC9 NCDNQ20102 NC2 NCR120112 NC2 NCQF 20122 NC1 NCQF 201317 WFTDA4 D1DNQ20147 WFTDA3 D1R1 D1201512 WFTDA3 D1R1 D1201610 WFTDA2 D1R1 D1201717 WFTDA4 D1CR D1201817 WFTDADNPDNQ201939 WFTDA202039 WFTDA20236 WFTDA NAE20247 WFTDA NAE CR = consolation round DNP = did not play
Interleague bouting record Although the Minnesota home teams occasionally play against other leagues, the majority of their bouts are played by their all-star interleague team. Partial travel team bouting history through November 2011 Date Opponent Location Score WFTDA November 12, 2011 Texas Rollergirls Denver, CO November 11, 2011 Charm City Roller Girls Denver, CO October 9, 2011 Windy City Rollers Indianapolis, IN October 8, 2011 Detroit Derby Girls Indianapolis, IN October 7, 2011 Mad Rollin' Dolls Indianapolis, IN August 6, 2011 Philly Roller Girls Philadelphia, PA July 17, 2011 Demolition City Roller Derby Nashville, TN July 16, 2011 Nashville Roller Girls Nashville, TN May 22, 2011 Windy City Rollers Milwaukee, WI May 21, 2011 Brewcity Bruisers Milwaukee, WI April 2, 2011 Naptown Roller Girls St. Paul, MN March 5, 2011 DC Rollergirls St. Paul, MN February 5, 2011 Tucson Roller Derby St. Paul, MN January 29, 2011 Mad Rollin' Dolls St. Paul, MN November 5, 2010 Charm City Roller Girls Chicago, IL September 12, 2010 Windy City Rollers Green Bay, WI September 11, 2010 Mad Rollin' Dolls Green Bay, WI September 10, 2010 Omaha Rollergirls Green Bay, WI September 10, 2010 Detroit Derby Girls Green Bay, WI August 21, 2010 Sacred City Derby Girls Sacramento, CA July 31, 2010 Dallas Derby Devils Dallas, TX June 27, 2010 Providence Roller Derby Philadelphia, PA June 26, 2010 Tampa Bay Derby Darlins Philadelphia, PA May 22, 2010 Pikes Peak Derby Dames Colorado Springs, CO December 19, 2009 Sioux Falls Roller Dollz Saint Paul, MN November 21, 2009 Hammer City Roller Girls Saint Paul, MN October 17, 2009 Carolina Rollergirls Saint Paul, MN September 20, 2009 Grand Raggidy Roller Girls Saint Paul, MN September 19, 2009 North Star Roller Girls Saint Paul, MN September 18, 2009 Windy City Rollers Saint Paul, MN August 29, 2009 Houston Roller Derby Houston, TX June 28, 2009 CT RollerGirls Philadelphia, PA June 27, 2009 Brewcity Bruisers Philadelphia, PA April 25, 2009 Grand Raggidy Roller Girls Grand Rapids, MI November 22, 2008 Mad Rollin' Dolls Saint Paul, MN October 18, 2008 Northwest Arkansas Roller Derby Saint Paul, MN October 11, 2008 Providence Roller Derby Madison, WI October 10, 2008 Mad Rollin' Dolls Madison, WI Cincinnati Rollergirls Madison, WI September 12, 2008 Denver Roller Dolls Denver, CO August 16, 2008 Windy City Rollers Chicago, IL May 11, 2008 Bay Area Derby Girls Houston Roller Derby May 10, 2008 OC Roller Girls Rose City Rollers December 8, 2007 Charm City Roller Girls Saint Paul, MN December 8, 2007 Arizona Roller Derby (Tent City Terrors) Saint Paul, MN October 13, 2007 Sioux Falls Roller Dollz Sioux Falls, SD September 15, 2007 Kansas City Roller Warriors Kansas City, MO August 18, 2007 Detroit Derby Girls WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament (Columbus, OH) December 9, 2006 No Coast Derby Girls (Mad Maxines) Lincoln, NE November 11, 2006 Ohio Roller Girls Saint Paul, MN October 21, 2006 Mad Rollin' Dolls (Dairyland Dolls) Madison, WI September 16, 2006 Tampa Bay Derby Darlins Tampa Bay, FL September 2, 2006 Mad Rollin' Dolls (Dairyland Dolls) Bumbershoot Invitational (Seattle, WA) Rat City Rollergirls Bay Area Derby Girls Carolina Rollergirls February 25, 2006 Tucson Roller Derby (Tucson Saddletramps) Dust Devil Tournament 2006 (Tucson, AZ) Arizona Roller Derby (Tent City Terrors) Kansas City Roller Warriors November 8, 2005 Carolina Rollergirls Raleigh, NC November 8, 2005 Carolina Rollergirls Saint Paul, MN
MNRD in the community