Kalamazoo Roller Derby

Kalamazoo Roller Derby (KRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 2006, the league consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).^[1]

Kalamazoo Roller Derby

Metro area	Kalamazoo, MI
Country	United States
Founded	2006
Teams	Kill Stars (A team) Killa Crew (B team)
Track type(s)	Flat
Venue	Wings Stadium
Affiliations	WFTDA
Website	www.kalamazooderby.com

History and organization

Former KDD logo

The league was founded in early 2006 as the Kalamazoo Kamikazes, and played its first bout the following year.^[2]

By 2008 they had rebranded as the Killmazoo Derby Darlins and moved from the RollerWorld roller rink to Wings Stadium where they sold out all 800 advance tickets for a June game.^[3] It doubled its membership in 2009, following the release of the movie Whip It!.^[4]

Killamazoo was accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice Program in October 2009,^[5] and became a full member of the WFTDA in September 2010.^[6]

The league plays its bouts at the Wings Stadium, and aims in particular to attract families to watch.^[7]

In January 2018 the league announced a rebrand as Kalamazoo Derby Darlins.^[8]

In December 2020, the league announced a rebrand as Kalamazoo Roller Derby in a move to embrace diversity and inclusion.

WFTDA competition

In 2013, Killamazoo qualified for WFTDA Playoffs for the first time, participating at the Division 2 tournament they hosted at Wings Stadium.^[9] Killamazoo was the third seed and finished the tournament in third place with a 250-219 victory over NEO Roller Derby (Akron, Ohio).^[10] In 2014, KDD again qualified for Division 2 Playoffs, and were the fourth seed at Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, and won the third place game 180-162 over Gold Coast Derby Grrls of Fort Lauderdale.^[11]

Season	Final ranking[12]	Playoffs	Championship
2011	20 NC[13]	DNQ	DNQ
2012	13 NC[14]	DNQ	DNQ
2013	45 WFTDA[15]	3 D2[10]	DNQ
2014	61 WFTDA[16]	3 D2[11]	DNQ
2015	80 WFTDA[17]	DNQ	DNQ
2016	94 WFTDA[18]	DNQ	DNQ
2017	99 WFTDA[19]	DNQ	DNQ

References

1. "Kalamazoo Derby Darlins – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
2. Cleary, Shawano (12 July 2007). "Local roller derby team is ready to ride in debut". MLive.com. Michigan Live. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
3. Wedel, Mark (29 June 2008). "Roller Derby at Kalamazoo's Wings Stadium: Hockey meets NASCAR". MLive.com. Michigan Live. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
4. "Graham Couch column: Skilled and sometimes brutal, Killamazoo roller derby club is worthy of Kalamazoo's attention", Kalamazoo Gazette, July 15, 2011
5. "Apprentice Leagues", WFTDA [version of 16 November 2009]
6. "9 Leagues Join WFTDA for Full Membership Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine", WFTDA, 1 September 2010
7. Andy Fitzpatrick, "Get ready to roll", Battle Creek Gazette, April 8, 2010
8. "New Year, Big Changes, Same Derby". Kalamazoo Derby Darlins. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
9. "August 23-25, 2013: Kalamazoo, Michigan - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
10. Wise, Beck (25 August 2013). "D2K 3rd: Killamazoo Rebuffs NEO, 250-219 | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
11. "Killamazoo Overwhelms Gold Coast, 180-162 | Derby News Network". Derby News Network. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
12. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
13. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
14. "Current Rankings". WFTDA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
15. "Rankings: December 31, 2013". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
16. "Rankings: December 31, 2014". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
17. "Rankings: December 31, 2015". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
18. "Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
19. "Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 4 March 2018.