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Windy City Rollers
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Windy City Rollers
Windy City Rollers is a women's flat-track roller derby league located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons) in 2004, Windy City is the first flat-track roller derby league established in Chicago, and is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Chicago residents Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons) were introduced to the roller derby revival on a trip to Austin, Texas in April 2004, where they were served at a bar by a member of the Texas Rollergirls. After their trip, Simmons and Gomez organized the four-team league, and at the initial practice 96 women appeared. Organizational fundraisers followed, along with open skates at locations such as the South Side's Martin Luther King skating rink to continue recruitment. The league engaged skater/speedskater Susan (Sabin) Schwartz to train and coach the 66 skaters and eventually Windy City began holding bouting events in July 2005, and by the end of the year was regularly drawing 2,000 fans to games at Chicago's Congress Theater, attracting the largest audience flat-track derby had yet seen at the time. That first season the league used a smaller than regulation-sized track due to limitations at their venue - they literally skated in the orchestra pit at the Congress Theater - and moved to Cicero Stadium in early 2006 for a proper-sized space. The Windy City Rollers changed venues again in October 2008 and currently play at the Credit Union 1 Arena.
On August 25, 2007, Chicago attorney Tahirah Johnson, skating as "Tequila Mockingbird" for The Fury, was injured in the most serious accident of the current roller derby revival. She injured her spinal cord during a bout, and was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. She has since moved to Oklahoma City, and through physical therapy has regained some movement in all of her limbs.
Windy City has a four-team home league, comprising the Double Crossers, the Fury, Hell's Belles and the Manic Attackers. These teams compete for an annual championship game named after Chicago roller derby legend, Ivy King. The Fury won the Ivy King Cup in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 the trophy was claimed by the Double Crossers. In 2008 the Ivy King Cup was won by the Hell's Belles. In 2009 the Manic Attackers beat out the Hell's Belles to win the Ivy King Cup. The Fury came back to claim the cup in 2010 and 2011. The Manic Attackers beat The Fury in 2012 to win the title. But The Fury won back the cup yet again in 2013. After seasons of defeat, the Double Crossers won it in 2014, before the Belles, after being shut out for seven years, won it in 2015 in a win over The Fury.
In December 2015, the Windy City Rollers held their final home team "season", which was a single night, 30 minute game round-robin tournament to temporarily retire the home teams. A newly-minted Juanna Rumbel Cup, named after the league's co-founder, was presented to the winning Manic Attackers.
The Haymarket Rioters are the Windy City Rollers' farm team.
In early 2006, the Windy City Rollers began interleague bouting. After finishing 18th out of 20 teams at the first WFTDA Championships, the "Dust Devil" in February 2006, the league regrouped, moved to a new venue that allowed the space for a regulation sized track, and increased the number of league practices. After completing another season of intra-league bouting, the All-Stars team was reformed. In early 2007, the league resumed inter-league play.
The Windy City Rollers All-Stars entered the competition at the 2007 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Columbus (the "Heartland Havoc") ranked 14th in the nation (7th in their region). After defeating Atlanta Rollergirls on day one, they achieved what many considered a stunning victory on day 2, defeating Madison, Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls, ranked fourth nationally and first in the Eastern region. They went on to claim second place in the tournament, defeating the Carolina Rollergirls before falling to New York's Gotham Girls. At the 2007 WFTDA National Championships (the "Texas Shootout") in Austin, Texas, the All-Stars were defeated 108-56 in the first round by the home favorite Texas Rollergirls.
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Windy City Rollers
Windy City Rollers is a women's flat-track roller derby league located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons) in 2004, Windy City is the first flat-track roller derby league established in Chicago, and is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Chicago residents Juanna Rumbel (Elizabeth Gomez) and Sister Sledgehammer (Kelly Simmons) were introduced to the roller derby revival on a trip to Austin, Texas in April 2004, where they were served at a bar by a member of the Texas Rollergirls. After their trip, Simmons and Gomez organized the four-team league, and at the initial practice 96 women appeared. Organizational fundraisers followed, along with open skates at locations such as the South Side's Martin Luther King skating rink to continue recruitment. The league engaged skater/speedskater Susan (Sabin) Schwartz to train and coach the 66 skaters and eventually Windy City began holding bouting events in July 2005, and by the end of the year was regularly drawing 2,000 fans to games at Chicago's Congress Theater, attracting the largest audience flat-track derby had yet seen at the time. That first season the league used a smaller than regulation-sized track due to limitations at their venue - they literally skated in the orchestra pit at the Congress Theater - and moved to Cicero Stadium in early 2006 for a proper-sized space. The Windy City Rollers changed venues again in October 2008 and currently play at the Credit Union 1 Arena.
On August 25, 2007, Chicago attorney Tahirah Johnson, skating as "Tequila Mockingbird" for The Fury, was injured in the most serious accident of the current roller derby revival. She injured her spinal cord during a bout, and was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. She has since moved to Oklahoma City, and through physical therapy has regained some movement in all of her limbs.
Windy City has a four-team home league, comprising the Double Crossers, the Fury, Hell's Belles and the Manic Attackers. These teams compete for an annual championship game named after Chicago roller derby legend, Ivy King. The Fury won the Ivy King Cup in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 the trophy was claimed by the Double Crossers. In 2008 the Ivy King Cup was won by the Hell's Belles. In 2009 the Manic Attackers beat out the Hell's Belles to win the Ivy King Cup. The Fury came back to claim the cup in 2010 and 2011. The Manic Attackers beat The Fury in 2012 to win the title. But The Fury won back the cup yet again in 2013. After seasons of defeat, the Double Crossers won it in 2014, before the Belles, after being shut out for seven years, won it in 2015 in a win over The Fury.
In December 2015, the Windy City Rollers held their final home team "season", which was a single night, 30 minute game round-robin tournament to temporarily retire the home teams. A newly-minted Juanna Rumbel Cup, named after the league's co-founder, was presented to the winning Manic Attackers.
The Haymarket Rioters are the Windy City Rollers' farm team.
In early 2006, the Windy City Rollers began interleague bouting. After finishing 18th out of 20 teams at the first WFTDA Championships, the "Dust Devil" in February 2006, the league regrouped, moved to a new venue that allowed the space for a regulation sized track, and increased the number of league practices. After completing another season of intra-league bouting, the All-Stars team was reformed. In early 2007, the league resumed inter-league play.
The Windy City Rollers All-Stars entered the competition at the 2007 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Columbus (the "Heartland Havoc") ranked 14th in the nation (7th in their region). After defeating Atlanta Rollergirls on day one, they achieved what many considered a stunning victory on day 2, defeating Madison, Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls, ranked fourth nationally and first in the Eastern region. They went on to claim second place in the tournament, defeating the Carolina Rollergirls before falling to New York's Gotham Girls. At the 2007 WFTDA National Championships (the "Texas Shootout") in Austin, Texas, the All-Stars were defeated 108-56 in the first round by the home favorite Texas Rollergirls.