Big Easy Rollergirls

Big Easy Rollergirls
League logo
Metro area New Orleans
Country United States
Founded 2005
Teams Confederacy of Punches
Crescent Wenches
StoryVillains
Track type(s) Flat
Venue UNO Human Performance Center
Affiliations WFTDA
Org. type LLC
Website bigeasyrollergirls.com

Big Easy Rollergirls or BERG (est. 2005)[1] is an all-female, flat-track roller derby league in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. In 2011, BERG converted from an LLC to a non-profit corporation, but does not have 501(c)(3) status. Big Easy is a founding member league of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).[2]

History

The Big Easy Rollergirls league was founded in the spring of 2005, and had planned their first bout during Mardi Gras 2006.[3] Unfortunately, the league was disrupted by and had to regroup following the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina, beginning competitive play on September 16, 2006. After a citywide tryout, BERG had two teams and more than 30 active members its first season. The debut bout was won by the Hor-Nots (v the 'Aints) 128-123 in overtime before a sellout crowd.

In their second season, the Big Easy Rollergirls doubled their membership with new recruits and was able to field four local teams: Confederacy of Punches, Crescent Wenches, Marigny Antoinettes and StoryVillains, as well as a travel team, the Big Easy Rollergirls Allstars. By the fourth season, the Big Easy Rollergirls switched to a two-team structure: The Big Easy Allstars (A team) and the Crescent Wenches (B team). The Marigny Antoinettes are now the incoming year's "Fresh Meat" and the StoryVillains are now the recreational team composed of retired Big Easy Rollergirls skaters.

The Big Easy Rollergirls organization has continued to grow and evolve,[4] maintaining a rigorous athletic training regimen (both on skates and off) while regularly contributing to community-service–oriented efforts around New Orleans.[5] Charities and organizations BERG has worked with include the Slaughter, Louisiana Volunteer Fire Department, Arabi Wrecking Krewe, New Orleans City Park, Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, NO AIDS Task Force, Common Ground Collective, KaBOOM!, KIDsmART, and the Louisiana SPCA.

The Big Easy Rollergirls are a diverse group of female athletes, ranging in age from the twenty-one to over fifty.[4] By day, they are dental hygienists, community college students, teachers, lawyers, stay-at-home-mothers, and waitresses.

For their first two seasons, home bouts were held at Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World in Algiers, New Orleans.[6] The league currently holds their home bouts before large crowds (400 - 600 attendees) at the University of New Orleans Human Performance Center.

Voted “Best Local Sports Team,” by local magazine Where Y’at in their first season,[7] the league's mission continues to be to encourage and empower women through the sport of all-female flat-track roller derby. In doing so they provide alternative athletic entertainment while supporting charitable organizations that benefit the community at large.

WFTDA competition

2006 map showing the first 30 member leagues

In October 2011, Big Easy were ranked number one by the Derby South organization, which represents leagues from five southern states.[8]

After the 2013 season, they were ranked 93 in the world by the WFTDA. In 2014, Big Easy made their first appearance at WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs, coming into the Duluth tournament as the 3rd seed, and ultimately finishing in 4th place.[9]

Rankings

Season Final ranking[10] Playoffs Championship
2006 28[11] — N/A
2007 30[12] DNQ DNQ
2008 9 [13] DNQ DNQ
2009 17 SC[14] DNQ DNQ
2010 17 SC[15] DNQ DNQ
2011 18 SC[16] DNQ DNQ
2012 24 SC[17] DNQ DNQ
2013 97 WFTDA[18] DNQ DNQ
2014 67 WFTDA[19] 4 D2[9] DNQ
2015 79 WFTDA[20] DNQ DNQ
2016 DNQ DNQ'

References

  1. ↑ Tulane University Magazine - News
  2. ↑ Joulwan, Melissa. Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track. Simon and Schuster. p. 267. ISBN 9781416538554. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Bynum, Chris (December 16, 2005), "Spin Sisters", Times Picayune
  4. 1 2 Rollergirls want some aggressive skaters- NOLA.com
  5. ↑ Barkoff, Eva Jacob (May 2006), "On a Roll", Times Picayune
  6. ↑ The Big Easy Roller Girls: Through Hell and High Water, pt. 1 : NOLA Indymedia
  7. ↑ Archived October 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "October 2011 Rankings", Derby South
  9. 1 2 "August 15-17, 2014: Duluth, Minnesota, USA - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Current Rankings", WFTDA
  11. ↑ "12/8/2006 WFTDA National Rankings". WFTDA. 23 February 2007. Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Current WFTDA Rankings", Derby News Network, October 2007
  13. ↑ "Regional Rankings", [version as of 2 February 2009]
  14. ↑ "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Rankings: December 31, 2013". WFTDA. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 28 November 2016.

External links

Sources and bibliography

Additional sources

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