Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith (48th Ward) has sponsored a resolution to honor the Windy City Rollers. The roller derby league is being recognized for "enriching the City of Chicago and the nation with their sportsmanship, civic involvement, and empowerment of women," as stated in the resolution.  Alderman Smith presented the resolution at today's Council meeting, which was received with applause in the Council chambers. The following members of the Windy City Rollers were present:  Ska Face, Karmageddon, Shocka Conduit, Ruth Enasia, Juanna Rumbel, and Elenka Spankya.

"It is a great honor to have Alderman Smith and all of City Council to acknowledge the importance of a sport rooted in the great City of Chicago." said Elizabeth "Juanna Rumbel" Gomez, one of the league's two founders. "I never expected a small grass roots movement to become such a national phenomenon. The best thing is that the league was recognized for its drive, passion, and dedication to roller derby where we make no money, but are rewarded in accomplishments and a sense of pride. Our next goal? Getting the Alderman to let us have a WCR disco party in City Hall. It's just too small to bout in it."

The resolution marks a significant turning point for the WCR, as the league has been seeing a consistently growing fan base and will be host to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association 2010 Championship, "Uproar on the Lakeshore." The league has been in operation in Chicago since 2004 and has also seen membership increase from 60 skaters and volunteers to a group of more than 100 this year.

"Who's got two thumbs, a star, and loves jamming for the Windy City Rollers? This girl!"

Jerry wins two free tickers to our season opener on Jan. 30th.

Stay tuned for next month's contest, where you can win two free tickets to our February bout!

The winner of the arm wrestling tournament will receive $100, and the runner up gets $40 in Reggies Bucks to drink your sorrow away after coming in second.... although second isn't so bad if you lost to one of the toughest women in Chicago! Our very own Val Capone will be MCing the event, be sure to say hi!

Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com

It's roller derby season again in Chicago! The Windy City Rollers open their 2010 home season on January 30 at UIC Pavilion! Join us for a wild double-header between the four home teams at our home in beautiful UIC Pavilion in downtown Chicago.

Hell's Belles vs. Double Crossers at 6 p.m.
Manic Attackers vs. The Fury at 7:30 p.m.

Entertainment: Power of Cheer, co-ed cheerleading troupe

It's officially winter, which means roller derby season is right around the corner. Just in time for the holidays, Windy City Rollers 2010 Season and Group tickets are on sale NOW. Grab a last-minute gift today by e-mailing events@windycityrollers.com. Regular single-game tickets will be available online at TicketMaster on December 28: just $20 for general admission and $35 for track-side VIP seats and an autographed program!

Adults: $20 (VIP $35)
Students and Seniors: $15 (VIP $30)
Children 12 and under: $10 (VIP $15)

Season Tickets

Season Tickets are available now through Jan. 27! Each ticket package purchased comes with an autographed program, WCR button, and WCR sticker. VIP Season Ticket packages also include an official WCR t-shirt. Prices for the 2010 Season are:

Adults: $127 (VIP $217)
Students and Seniors: $97 (VIP $187)
Children 12 and under: $67 (VIP $97)

Group Ticket Sales

Groups of 15 people or more can now get a special discount of 40% when they book directly with us! Email groups@windycityrollers.com for details!

See you on January 30th!

Congratulations to all our award winners:

Skull and Crossbones Award, given to the person who most exemplifies the heart and soul of the Windy City Rollers: Juanna Rumbel

Seltzer Commissioner Award, given a leader both on and off the track who helps promote our league and our sport at home as well as across the nation: Ruth Enasia and Loco Chanel

Tequila Mockingbird Award, given to the member who best embodies the spirit of a fighter, full of determination and drive: Varla Vendetta and Malice With Chains

Support Staff: Roe DeLeon

Most Improved: Ruth Enasia

Most Intimidating: Yvette YourMaker

Sweetheart: Mel Content

Golden Tickets: Riley Coyote

Sexy Back: Ying O'Fire

Blocker of the Year: Megan Formor

Pivot of the Year: Hoosier Mama

Jammer of the Year: Peg Legs

Rookie of the Year: Amy NoNamey

Ref of the Year: Dr. Vroom

Stats Person of the Year: Tally Savalas

Travel Team Most Valuable Pivot: Hoosier Mama

Travel Team Most Valuable Blocker: Megan Formor

Travel Team Most Valuable Jammer: Varla Vendetta

MVP: Varla Vendetta

Each team also awarded its skaters for outstanding performance:

The Fury
Best Pivot - Sonya Mouthshut
Best Blocker - Tori Adore
Best Jammer - Eva Dead
MVP - Yvette YourMaker

Double Crossers
Best Pivot - Nina Millimeter
Best Blocker - Hoosier Mama
Best Jammer - Peg Legs
MVP - Blossom Bruiso

Hell's Belles
Best Pivot - Belle Diablo
Best Blocker - Megan Formor
Best Jammer - Shocka Conduit
MVP - Megan Formor

Manic Attackers
Best Pivot - Mo Vengeance
Best Blocker - Ying O'Fire
Best Jammer - Beth Amphetamine
MVP - Malice With Chains

The Windy City Rollers ( WCR ) did not have the showing they were hoping for at the annual Women's Flat Track Derby Association's ( WFTDA's ) 2009 National Champions in Philadelphia—which ended its three-day run Nov. 15—as the Oly Rollers from Olympia, Wash., claimed the title. But the Rollers already are looking forward to 2010, especially the next WFTDA National Championship which, it was just announced, will be held Nov. 12-14 at the UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine.

Check it out here:

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23646

Haven't heard of Oly? That's probably because they only played their first WFTDA sanctioned bout in January 2009, and their first bout against a "national contender" in March 2009. However, a number of the Oly Rollers are experienced derby players (4 transfers from nearby Rat City) and many of their players are world class skaters (speed and hockey), including 14-time world champion speed skater Atomatrix (whose WCR-fan club is pretty significant already...) The speed, athleticism, and smarts that Oly brought to the track were inspiring to watch, and we are excited to see how their play will influence the development of our sport, just as previous champions Texas, Kansas City, and Gotham have influenced the direction thus far

The WCR All-Stars and their legions of fans who travelled out to Philadelphia were disappointed to see their team be one-and-done with a 2nd round upset to the Denver Roller Dolls' Mile High Club on Saturday. The Denver-Windy bout was one of the most contentious of the tournament, as Denver's creative strategy with slow starts and incredibly effective positional blocking frustrated the team and the many fans in attendance.

Beth Amphetamine developed a new strategy during the course of the game against Denver called "jammer cage." Unfortunately, she only broke it out during her last jam on the track on Saturday.

The tournament was surprising all-around, as a number of the favorites--including long-time WCR rivals Philly and Gotham--were also ousted in the early Saturday games by Western region teams. Because the tournament is single-elimination, only the top 4 teams get national rankings out of the tournament. The remaining 8 participants will receive rankings after a WFTDA member poll.

Full tournament results:
Round 1
Boston 104 - Madison 96
Rocky Mountain 239 - Houston 46
Gotham 187 - Detroit 38
Denver 175 - Kansas City 89

Round 2
Texas 111 - Boston 72
Rocky Mountain 128 - Philly 121
Denver 157 - Windy City 125
Oly 136 - Gotham 105

Round 3 (Semifinals)
Texas 139 - Rocky Mountain 82
Oly 178 - Denver 81

3/4 Bout
Denver 151 - Rocky Mountain 103

Championship Bout
Oly 178 - Texas 101