| League
& Team info
The biggest and most fierce spectacle
to hit Dayton, Ohio since the 1913 flood, the Gem City Rollergirls
are a vastly diverse group of women with one common passion:
Roller Derby.
Together since February of 2006 and having
overcome numerous obstacles, these ladies are a tight knit
band of skaters who've proven time and time again that only
the strong survive. The cash register, the ice-cube tray,
the airplane and other marvels that made the Dayton the Gem
City. These are things we don't really notice these days.
But if you take these broads for granted, on your ass you'll
be planted! Witness the beautiful brutality that is rollerderby!
Experience the hardest dames with the toughest game in Ohio:the
Gem City Rollergirls!!!
For our 2007 season we have created
one team that will be bouting visiting leagues. A single team
can have up to 14 girls, despite only 5 playing in a jam at
any given time.
Like a lot of other new leagues around the
country, the formation of the Gem City Rollergirls was inspired
by the airing of A&E's series "Rollergirls",
which chronicles the lives and sport of the Texas Lonestar
Rollergirls, a banked-tracked derby team out of Austin, TX.
Many of our players saw "Rollergirls" and knew that
they wanted to play derby.
But what really brought it all together for
Dayton was the drive of Co-Founders Helen of DesTroy, Cyn
Vicious, and I Candye.
At the end of 2005, Helen of DesTroy started
sending out bulletins on MySpace, recruiting interested parties
to derby. What she got was a response from Co-Founder I Candye,
a former Texas resident and banked-track roller derby enthusiast.
I Candye started sending out bulletins and scouring MySpace,
looking for potential players. She stumbled across Cyn Vicious'
profile on MySpace and asked if she was interested. Cyn jumped
at the offer and the two started recruiting. I Candye started
a group on MySpace for anyone interested in playing or helping
out and within a few short weeks over 90 people had joined.
Shortly thereafter, I Candye asked Cyn to come on as a Co-Founder
as well. Cyn happily accepted and immediately got to work
developing paperwork and researching rinks.
The three co-founders continued heavy recruiting,
mainly on the internet, and began meeting with area roller
rinks to see if they would support the league for practice
space. The girls met with resistance to the idea at first.
Rink owners were worried about liability. But after much talk
and assurances that they would not be held responsible for
what happened during the course of derby, and after touting
the benefits of what the girls could do for the rink, Gem
City Rollergirls was on its way up and had its foot in the
door.
Our first Meet & Greet was held at Skateworld
of Kettering on January 22, 2006. The girls were able to rent
the rink for 2 hours and gather together potential players
and volunteers. About 20 interested girls and guys showed
up, each wanting to contribute something to the league. Some
girls didn't feel they were "cut out" for derby,
but were willing to offer other services, such as promoting
the league, gathering sponsorships, helping with uniforms,
becoming referees, etc. Others knew from the start they wanted
to play derby. The ground rules and expectations were laid
down, information was taken, and we even had a news story
written about us. It was a great start.
The girls, wanting to keep in touch as much
as possible to get the league rolling, started online groups
on MySpace and on Yahoo!. Through these mediums they began
working on a second Meet & Greet, and collaborating on
ideas for the league, such as a theme and team name for the
first of several teams to be formed. Committees were formed,
duties were assigned, a logo was secured. The dream was becoming
a reality.
Our first practice was Sunday, February 19,
2006.
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We could never have
done any of this without the help and support of our families,
friends, and of course, members of other leagues. Rollergirls
are a very close knit community, and everyone is willing to
help out other leagues. Afterall, the more leagues, the more
competition!
I want to skate
and/or help. What can I do?
We will be holding try-outs on a semi-regular basis for new
members. If you're interested in playing click the "Recruits"
link on the sidebar for more information. We also always need
volunteers to help out with the various aspects of the league.
Click on "Volunteers" for more information on volunteering.
We are also currently
seeking sponsors...
to help cover the enormous start-up costs associated with
roller derby. In addition to the overwhelming price of renting
practice space, we need uniforms, banners, flyers, merchandise,
and insurance for our players and venues.Want to know more?
Visit our SPONSOR page.
It's been a lot of hard work, and more is
in store, but the outcome will definitely be worth it - Dayton
has its own Rollergirls!
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