Pirate City Rollers Take Out National Roller Derby

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Pirate City Rollers Take Out National Roller Derby Competition.

Auckland’s original roller derby league, the Pirate City Rollers, have convincingly become the #1 league in the country after winning the National Derby Royale final in a much-anticipated match-up on Sunday night.

The Pirate City Roller’s top twenty skaters, the All Scars, took on five leagues from throughout the country during Day 1 and Day 2 of the competition over the long weekend in Palmerston North. It was the first time the All Scars had competed in the tournament since its inception last year.

The All Scars dominated pool play against teams from Christchurch, Hamilton, and Taranaki, before taking on a Kawerau side in the quarter-finals and the tournament’s hosts,Palmerston North, in the semi-final.

The All Scars faced another league from Auckland, and the winner’s of last year’s competition, the Auckland Roller Derby League, in a high-intensity bout for the Derby Royale championship title.

The All Scars’ fluid team-work, skilled skating, and competitive drive meant they dominated the game in front of a highly vocal crowd at Arena Manawatu, winning 279-120.

The Pirate City Rollers now close out their 2013 season as the number one ranked league in the country.

One final intra-league bout will be held at the YMCA on Pitt Street in Auckland on November 16th. Details are available through the Pirate City Roller’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/piratecityrollers.

SCORES FROM THE NATIONAL DERBY ROYALE

Sixteen leagues from Northland through to Dunedin competed at the Derby Royale in Palmerston North on 26th/27th October.

PCR v Dead End Derby (Christchurch) // 153-21

PCR v Hellmilton Roller Ghouls (Hamilton) // 212-18

PCR v Taranaki Roller Corps (Taranaki) // 302-19

PCR v Kawerau Roller Derby (Kawerau) // 211-17

PCR v Swamp City Roller Rats (Palmerston North) // 134-58

PCR v Auckland Roller Derby League (Auckland) // 279-120

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ABOUT THE PIRATE CITY ROLLERS:

The Pirate City Rollers was founded in 2006 as one of the first roller derby leagues outside of North America.

The league recently made history as the first New Zealand side to become full members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the governing body of the sport. Full membership of the Association means the Pirate City Rollers are able to compete against, and be ranked amongst, the best roller leagues internationally.

Seven Pirate City Rollers’ skaters were selected to play for Team New Zealand at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup, with the Coach and Assistant Coach for the team also coming from the league. The same Coach has been selected to train next year’s 2014 Team New Zealand, with try-outs expected to be held in Auckland in December.

ABOUT ROLLER DERBY:

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups (“jams”) in which both teams designate a scoring player (the “jammer”) who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to assist their own jammer whilst hindering the opposing jammer - in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, nearly half of them outside the US. (Source: Wikipedia).

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