Bear City Roller Derby
 | |
| Metro area | Berlin |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Teams |
A-Team B-Team C-Team (Breaking Bears) |
| Track type(s) | Flat |
| Venue | Arena Berlin |
| Affiliations | WFTDA |
| Website | bearcityrollerderby.com |
Bear City Roller Derby (BCRD) is a roller derby league based in Berlin and was founded in 2008.
History
The league was founded as the Berlin Bombshells,[1] although it now reserves that name for its interleague bouting team. It was the second roller derby league in Germany, and was assisted in its early development by the first league, the Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz.[2] In its early days, it was thrown out of its practice hall by Berlin's sports department; the team decided to take legal action to regain access to a public practice space.[3] The league was given a boost when Diane Rott transferred from the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls.[3]
It competed in the first roller derby bout between two German leagues, against the Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz in 2009. In the same year, it competed in "Roll Britannia", the first roller derby tournament in Europe, while in December it hosted the first European Roller Derby Organisational Conference (EROC).[1]
Bear City hosted the first German Roller Derby Championship, held in December 2010, losing 124-128 to Stuttgart in the final.[4]
In July 2016, the league announced it had officially changed the name of the organization to Bear City Roller Derby.[5]
WFTDA competition
In October 2010, the league was accepted as an apprentice member of the WFTDA.[6] By May 2011, it had more than 60 skaters.[7]
In March 2012, Bear City Roller Derby became the WFTDA’s first full member league in continental Europe.[8]
In 2014, Bear City competed at the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario,[9] where they placed second to Rideau Valley Roller Girls. This playoff appearance was the first in WFTDA history by a team from continental Europe.[10] Later that year they made their debut at the 2014 WFTDA Championships,[11] where they placed 3rd in Division 2.[12] In 2015, Bear City returned to Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit, Michigan,[13] entering as the 10th seed and finishing in 6th place.[14]
References
- 1 2 About Archived September 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., Bear City Roller Derby (German)
- ↑ Manda Singer, "Bombshelled", ProvokatoR, 6 September 2010
- 1 2 Marta Popowska, "A short history of roller derby in Europe", Blood and Thunder #15, pp.18-23
- ↑ "Stuttgarter Rollergirlz siegen in Berlin", Good News, 18 December 2010 (German)
- ↑ "Berlin Bombshells become Bear City Roller Derby". Bear City Roller Derby. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "WFTDA Apprentice Program Welcomes 10 New Leagues", WFTDA, 5 October 2010
- ↑ "Rollschuhfahren mal anders: Seit drei Jahren spielen Frauen aus Berlin und dem Umland „Rollerderby“", Märkische Allgemeine, 14 May 2011 (German)
- ↑ "WFTDA Welcomes 14 New Member Leagues - Latest News - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". Wftda.com. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ↑ Rivert, Christine (23 August 2014). "Derby gals invade Waterloo". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "Rideau Valley Makes WFTDA History at Thrilling D2 Tournament in Kitchener-Waterloo". Derby Nerd. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ Frye, Andy (31 October 2014). "Why Stars Are Coming And Going During Roller Derby's Global Boom". ESPN. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "WFTDA 2014 D1 & D2 Playoffs & Championships". WFTDA. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ Murdoch, Robin (28 August 2015). "Women's 2015 roller derby playoffs in Dearborn Heights this weekend". FOX 2 Detroit. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "D2 Playoffs Detroit, MI Aug 28-30". WFTDA. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
