Whakatāne to kick-off Roller Derby Nationals

Richter City host Whakatāne to kick-off Roller Derby Nationals!

On Saturday 30 April Richter City Roller Derby (RCRD) will host Whakatāne Roller Derby League

(WRDL) for the first time in Wellington – the bout will kick-off the 2016 National Championships for Wellington’s NZ #1 ranked All Stars.

RCRD was founded in 2008 and the All Stars roster includes many skaters who entered the league in or before 2010. Founded in 2012, WRDL has gone from strength to strength to become NZ #7 ranked, and their 2016 line-up features skaters from the NZ national squad that placed 6th at the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup, as well as some strong yet relatively less experienced skaters.

Richter’s All Stars will be fresh from their ANZAC weekend showing at the Royal Rumble tournament in the Gold Coast, where their performance in internationally sanctioned games – including vs the world #23 ranked Sun State Roller Girls Storm and world #66 ranked Paradise City Roller Derby All Stars (both from Queensland) – could see their world #151 ranking improve dramatically.

International roller derby rankings are governed by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association

(WFTDA). RCRD is one of three WFTDA full member leagues in NZ (one of two ranked teams along with Auckland’s Pirate City Rollers) and debuted in the rankings last June after a lengthy

apprenticeship. The All Stars must play sanctioned games vs unique opponents each year to keep their ranking – this will be their 3rd trip to Australia for sanctioned tournaments in less than 12 months.

A new Apprentice League to WFTDA, the game will be an important match-up for WRDL: as part of their results in the national round robin, and as they prepare to head to their first international

tournament, the Great Southern Slam in Adelaide in June.

Now in its eighth year of public competition, Richter City is the premier derby league in New Zealand and has a packed schedule for 2016. Richter’s three home teams will kick off their eighth annual round robin on 28 May, with the always hotly-contested final on 24 September.

Both of the league’s travel teams – the All Stars and the league’s development team the Convicts – will partake in the national round robin tournament in various NZ locations throughout 2016, which will culminate in a semi and final in Wellington on 29 October.

Spectators will have to get in quick for the limited number of seats available.

Doors 6pm, bout starts 7pm – tickets available at http://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2016/roller-derby-rcrd-all-stars-vs-whakatane-roller-derby/wellington

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