Madison Roller Derby 20th Anniversary Party

Name: Madison Roller Derby 20th Anniversary Party
Start: 2024-11-08T18:00:00-06:00
End: 2024-11-08T21:00:00-06:00
Location: Crucible Madison

Schedule

Fri Nov 08 2024 at 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Crucible Madison | Madison, WI

Join us to celebrate 20 years of roller derby in Madison!
Friday, November 8 from 6-9pm at The Crucible
FREE entry for MRD alumni and current members (includes skaters, NSOs, UDO/referees, and volunteers)
$5-25 suggested donation for all others.
All ages welcome!
Join us for an evening of alumni awards and recognition, MRD trivia, historical display/exhibit, oral history booth, and pizza!
A dance party DJ'd by Sarah Akawa and Femme Noir will follow (open to 21+/public).
A Brief History of Madison Roller Derby (formerly Mad Rollin' Dolls):
Madison Roller Derby can trace its pedigree all the way to the birthplace of flat track roller derby in Austin, Texas. League co-founder Crackerjack had her first exposure to the game after visiting her sister in 2004. Back in Madison, CJ and co-founder Pam Demonium convened a meeting of like-minded women at the Wisco on Willy Street and what was then called the Mad Rollin’ Dolls was born.
The league began skating and training at Fast Forward Skate Center. Our first exhibition bout was in November 2004, and the first official bout of the debut home season was held two months later. MRD was the fifth flat track league to form in the world, and became one of the founding members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), a democratic governing body that sets standardized rules and codes of conduct, and provides sanctioning for games and tournaments, for the over 600 member leagues worldwide.
What began as a throwback to the kitschy older days of derby quickly evolved into the highly athletic, competitive, but still campy and fun sport you see today. We also outgrew the space at Fast Forward for games and moved to our current bouting venue at the Alliant Energy Center.
In addition to our commitment to building this incredible sport right here in Madison and worldwide, and to entertaining and engaging our fans new and old, MRD is about service to our community. In 2016 we made the official transition into a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization to better align with our mission of charitable outreach and community engagement. In 2018 we officially changed our name to Madison Roller Derby as part of a move to more fully support our league expansion to include a wider and more diverse membership.
The league itself is made up of over 100 volunteer skaters, referees, non-skating officials, and support staff. We have four home teams made up of 20 skaters each plus bench support. The rivalries are friendly but very real, and there’s pride in winning the seasonal championship and “Leggy,” the storied trophy.
The MRD all-star team, the Dairyland Dolls, have represented the league on the international level since the beginning. We hosted the WFTDA Eastern Regional tournament in 2008, the International D1 WFTDA Playoffs in 2016, and began our own WFTDA-recognized invitational tournament, Udder Chaos, in 2018. In 2013, the DDs added a B Team to their ranks to continue to train the up-and-coming Madison roller derby all-stars.
With thousands of skaters and support staff the world over, roller derby has seen exponential growth over the years. The sport and its community foster teamwork and self-improvement for all involved. We recognize that our success is due to the support of friends, families, sponsors, and, most importantly, all of you--our fans.