Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby
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Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby (WIRD) is a roller derby league based in New South Wales, Australia. Founded by the referee Sintax in January 2009, it consisted of two home teams, the Vipers and Vixens, plus a mixed travel team. From January 2013 the league pared back to two teams, an A- and B-level travel team known as the Steel City Derby Dolls.
Founded in February 2009,[1] the league played its first bout in November.[2] During the following year, the Steel City Derby Dolls team bouted against the Newcastle Dockyard Dames, Sun State Roller Girls and Sydney Roller Derby League,[1] with the Newcastle bout attracting a capacity crowd of around 1,000 fans.[3] Although the league entered the 2010 National Tournament, the Great Southern Slam, it lost both bouts, playing the day after the entire team got food poisoning.[4]
By 2011, the league had more than forty skaters,[5] and took fourth place in the inaugural NSW Eastern Region Roller Derby Tournament.[1] In 2012, the league again competed in the Great Southern Slam, losing in the first round to the Northern Brisbane Rollers, then in a close-fought bout to the Pirate City Rollers.[6] Wollongong eventually placed last of eighteen competing teams who participated in the Great Southern Slam[7] Wollongong also entered the Eastern Region Roller Derby Tournament in 2012, again placing fourth in the A-grade division which also included Canberra Roller Derby League, Sydney Roller Derby League and Newcastle Roller Derby League [8]
In October 2012, Wollongong was accepted as a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice Program.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "About WIRD", WIRD
- ↑ Matthew Jones, "Maidens get their skates on for some serious sport", Illawarra Mercury, 28 November 2009
- ↑ Paul McInerey, "Wollongong's roller derby dolls whip it", Illawarra Mercury, 8 March 2010
- ↑ Beck Wise, "Tournament Recap: The Great Southern Slam", Derby News Network, 23 June 2010
- ↑ Sam Hall, "Fresh meat' sought for fast-growing roller derby", Illawarra Mercury, 6 August 2011
- ↑ Beck Wise, "TGSS Day One Recaps", 9 June 2012
- ↑ Great Southern Slam 2012 Rankings, http://greatsouthernslam.com.au/news/tgss-rankings/
- ↑ Eastern Region Roller Derby 2012 Rankings, http://rollerderbyau.net/2012/10/02/2012-eastern-region-roller-derby/
- ↑ "22 Leagues Join WFTDA Apprentice Program", WFTDA, 18 October 2012
