If you’re anything like us, you couldn’t help but notice a few mysterious, unexplained details on this weekend’s Junior Roller Warriors Facebook event page or the recurring event page they’ve set up to cover all the dates — morsels here and there that gave us enough to whet our appetites, but were tantalizingly short on specifics.
Here’s the deal. Each of this season’s three KCRW Juniors bouts, which are scheduled for August 4, August 18, and September 8, will be followed by a coed bout featuring what’s only known as the 7th Street Brigade.
Logo design by Swezey on the Eyes of KCRW.
Thus far, no further information about this 7th Street Brigade has been provided on social media or KCRW’s web site, so of course, we at KC Derby Digest took it upon ourselves to do some fact finding.
We already knew that KCRW had been trying, for quite some time, to get a MRDA (men’s) team up and running, but were having some trouble drumming up sufficient interest. A little later, we’d heard they were looking into the possibility of forming a coed team, much like the one Fountain City established in 2014. From there, though, the rumor mill went silent.
Last week, we got in touch with a gentleman by the derby name of Brewin’ Trouble, who we’re told is the head of coed for KCRW, and threw a few questions his way to share with fans as they head into this weekend’s bouts.
KC Derby Digest: How did KCRW decide to launch a coed league?
Brewin’ Trouble: “We had a handful of guys that wanted to play MRDA, and the practices were open to KCRW members, so we had a lot of league skaters working with us. In the summer of 2017, we were invited to join KCRW’s black and white scrimmages. By the beginning of 2018, we decided to develop a coed team instead of a MRDA team, and we got league approval to become a KCRW team.”
KC Derby Digest: How did the 7th Street Brigade gets its name?
Brewin’ Trouble: “We chose the name 7th Street Brigade to tie us to Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on 7th Street, where we skate, and to recognize and honor the history of KCRW and Memorial Hall.”
KC Derby Digest: Do the teams have names yet? (Do we have teams?) Will the teams be consistent, or will the line-ups be lottery-style?
Brewin’ Trouble: “Right now, KCRW only has the one coed team. We hope to have more in the future, and when we do, we will develop some Kansas City names for them. For our Dog Days of Summer Series, we will be playing other teams in the region:
August 4th – Fountain City Coed Roller Derby
August 18th – Salty Beach Roller Derby (out of Hutchinson, KS)
September 8th – Ozarks Shockers Coed Roller Derby
In the future, we plan on having enough players for a couple house teams from which we will pull skaters for a travel team, similar to the current setup KCRW uses.”
KC Derby Digest: Is there any chance the coed bouts will be integrated into the KCRW house schedule at some point in the future?
Brewin’ Trouble: “This year, our coed home season is tied to the Juniors games to coordinate bout productions. For now, the home seasons of coed and the house teams will be kept separate.”
The Dog Days of Summer Series
This Saturday, the Kansas City Junior Roller Warriors kick off their 2018 season at Memorial Hall in KCK. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., and the games begin at 5:00.
Click for the Facebook event page.
The Juniors will get the show going, and immediately following, the 7th Street Brigade makes its debut on the flat track and takes its place in Kansas City roller derby history by taking on the formidable Fountain City Roller Derby coed squad.
Tickets are $10 per person, and kiddos 12 and under are admitted free. LA’s Cuisine will be serving up the concessions, including some vegan and gluten-free options. There will also be face painting and a balloon artist on hand to join in the fun.
Join us this Saturday at 5:00 for the 2018 Juniors season and the flat track debut of the 7th Street Brigade!