Derby fans, do we have some news for you!

This coming season, in 2020, we will be joining the Capital City Crushers of Topeka for all their home bouts and events!

We’ll be shooting and reporting on their games (schedule and weather permitting), just like we do for KCRW and Fountain City, and we’ll be including them in Featured Skater articles, our monthly player profiles that get you, the derby fan, up close and personal with some of the best players in the area.

Capital City will be announcing their 2020 schedule soon, and we’ll let you know the moment they do.

You might be thinking, wait. Isn’t this “KC” Derby Digest? Topeka isn’t exactly KC, is it?

Well, neither is St. Joseph, Atchison, or Kirksville, but that didn’t stop us from covering the action when the Blacksnake Rollergirls, the Missouri River Rollers, or the NEMO ViQueens took the track, did it?

And that’s another thing — we’re going to be branching out in the coming seasons. New year, new decade, new KC Derby Digest, am I right? We’re going to be bringing you more flat track action, covering more events, and hopefully even traveling and covering some tournaments in the region, whenever possible.

The roller derby leagues in Kansas City and beyond continue to up their respective games, and we’d be doing them (and you, the fans) a disservice if we didn’t do the same. So buckle up — as we head into our ninth season covering The Greatest Sport in the World, things are only getting better. We hope you’ll join us.

The beginning of every new sports season brings with it a great deal of promise and excitement. That goes double for the Kansas City Roller Warriors, who have blazed a trail of flat track roller derby glory in Kansas City that reaches all the way back to 2005.

Friends and fans alike are understandably excited when a new season begins, but I have news for all the derby fans in Kansas City: the 2019-20 season could be unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Between the exciting new recruits, the returning veterans from last season, and the superstars of yesteryear re-joining the league — some of them after years of retirement from the sport — we could be in for the most insane season in KCRW history, if we’re not careful.

Last Saturday night, KCRW kicked off the brand new season, one they decided to begin in November, which has only happened one other time in league history. The crowd in attendance was given a mere taste of the season to come, and those who missed out will have their chance to make up for that mistake when the Roller Warriors take the track again on December 14.

For now, let’s take a look at what awaits us in the coming months.

Returning Stars

Way back when I was just a wee fan cheering my little flat track heart out from the crash zone at Municipal Auditorium, one of the most exciting pieces of news I could have gotten was that a favorite retired skater was back in the fray.

Returning fans were treated to that very news Saturday night as a whole handful of superstars, several of whom haven’t competed on the track for quite some time, carved out yet another place for themselves in league history and made their season debut for a new generation of roller derby fanatics in the crowd.

Superstars returning to the flat track for the 2019-20 season include:

• Annie Maul: Certainly one of the most prominent players in the long and storied history of the league, Ms. Maul was sponsored by Riedell Skates back in the day and was the pride of the Victory Vixens for years on end. Last weekend, she kicked off the 2019-20 season as a Black Eye Susan.
• Bruz Her: Long known as a defensive wall unto herself for the dreaded Dreadnought Dorothys in their late-2000s heyday, she took her talents to the Knockouts and Victory Vixens in later seasons before taking a well-earned retirement in 2016. She’s back with the Vixens this season, and we couldn’t be more excited.
• Eclipse: Accurately billed for years as a “defensive powerhouse” for the powerful Dreadnought Dorothys and the All-Star travel team, this legendary blocker retired after the 2011 season and subsequently coached off and on for house teams in the years since. Such is our regard for the mighty Eclipse that we’ve believed since her retirement that her number, 0, should have been retired along with her. She re-joins KCRW for 2019-20 as a Knockout.
• Jess Decker: One of the brightest faces on the track in recent memory, Jess Decker was a longtime Knockout before gracefully exiting the track to pursue other endeavors. She returns to KCRW after only a couple of years off, this time drafted to the Black Eye Susans.
• Lucha Lethal: The former Dreadnought Dorothys mainstay quietly retired from the league around 2013, then played a couple of seasons for then-Dead Girl Derby. She returns to the Dorothys for the 2019-20 season.
• Shirley Gonnahitya: This beloved former Victory Vixen took some time off from the league, but not from our hearts. Die-hard Shirley fans got their wish Saturday night as Ms. Gonnahitya was re-introduced to the flat track, this time wearing Knockouts teal.
• Tuff Noogies: The longtime Black Eye Susan finally hung up her skates in 2015 after a distinguished career as a Roller Warrior, and we frankly never thought we’d see her on the track again. We couldn’t be happier to have been wrong. Noogies was drafted to the Dreadnought Dorothys for this season, and we’re thrilled to see her out there.

Promising Rookies

And by “rookies,” we of course mean “first-time Roller Warriors,” since you’ll quickly realize most of these new phenoms have clearly been on skates for quite some time.

For our money, the most exciting newcomer to the league this season would have to be Alley Cat, who among other things, scored herself a 20-point jam Saturday night and netted the team MVP distinction even as her Dorothys fell to the Knockouts by more than 60 points. As of press time, we know very little about this incredible new recruit, who again will almost certainly turn out to be “new” in name only, given the level of experience her tenacity and skill seemed to betray last weekend.

“Might bust some walls later, idk.”

The Dorothys also gave an honorable mention to newcomer Diva Destruction, who shows some amazing promise in her own right, and about whom you’ll certainly hear more as the season goes on.

Another rookie Roller Warrior we’re extremely excited about is Hellvetica, a “legacy” skater whose mother, Murphy’s Law, was a perennial Plan B powerhouse who retired with distinction after the 2012 season.

But don’t kid yourself, this isn’t your mother’s roller derby; young jammer Hellvetica seems anxious to make a name for herself in this league, and if her performance Saturday night is any indication, she clearly has everything she needs to do just that.

Not that the Knockouts lack anything a championship-caliber team would need to make another Rink of Fire run, but Hellvetica will certainly add another dimension of jamming firepower to an already fearsome squad, so you can expect great things from her and the Glitter Mafia in 2019-20.

Of course, these aren’t the only new additions to the Kansas City Roller Warriors this season — see also No Class Lass, V-2 Bomber, and Quik Trip, just to name a few.

All things considered, we don’t think it’s a stretch to say these Roller Warriors have some amazing, amazing things in store for the new season, and we hope you’ll join us trackside for each and every bout as the competition heats up.

Who’s your favorite newcomer? What old school veteran are you most excited about returning to the track? Leave a comment below or sound off on our Facebook page and let us know what you think!

Keep an eye on KC Derby Digest for updates and information on the new season. The Kansas City Roller Warriors‘ next bout is on December 14!

Last Saturday night, Fountain City Roller Derby fans were treated to a league first when the undefeated Shotgun Sheilas became the first team in FCRD history to take home back-to-back championships, holding off the resurgent Deadly Sirens just long enough to score a 61-56 victory.

Earlier this week, we caught up with Coach Wyatt to get her thoughts on the 2019 season and what it’s meant to her and the team:

“I have coached the Sheilas since the 2011/12 season. Every year this team amazes me with their hard work and desire to continue to build on the season before. I appreciate the work and effort that every Sheila skater and coaching staff member put in. We have an amazing group of humans that I am happy to call my friends and family.”

Congratulations to Coach Wyatt and the entire Shotgun Sheilas squad on a history-making championship run, and many thanks to all of Fountain City Roller Derby for a phenomenal 2019 season. We can’t wait to join you trackside in 2020!

One of our favorite annual events is right on top of us, derby fans, and we hope you’ll join us this Saturday night for the 2019 Rink of Fire at Memorial Hall!

Click for the Facebook event page.

Current Standings

Knockouts: 6-0
Victory Vixens: 2-4
Black Eye Susans: 2-4
Dreadnought Dorothys: 2-4

Yes, the Knockouts have notched an undefeated season at the expense of the other three house teams, who all languish at 2-4 on the season.

At this point, the common question becomes: how do we know who plays the Knockouts for the Rink of Fire championship?

We’ve actually discussed this kind of thing before, so we’ll spare you the finer points, but it boils down to this:

When multiple teams boast identical win-loss records on the season, the tie is broken by the point differential, which is simply the difference between a team’s total points scored and their total points allowed.

The team with the highest point differential wins every single time, and this year, the Victory Vixens came out of nowhere at the tail end of the season to pull a Cinderella and go to the big dance.

We say “Cinderella” because if you’ll recall, the Vixens didn’t win a single game all year until Game 5 on May 4. They started the season 0-4, then won the two remaining games in May and June, racking up enough points in the process to beat out the Dorothys and Susans for a championship run.

Given the standings this year, we’re predicting a Knockouts win by a considerable margin. Having said that, we’ve been equally confident in our Rink of Fire predictions in the past under very similar circumstances and wound up dead wrong.

Remember in 2017 when the 6-0 Dreadnought Dorothys faced the 3-3 Black Eye Susans for the trophy? No one expected the Black & Yellow to take the win, but they did — by 82 points.

If the Victory Vixens pull off an upset this weekend, it will be even bigger than that. Never in the history of the Kansas City Roller Warriors has a 2-4 team bested a 6-0 team for the Warder Cup, but this Saturday night, the Red, White, and Blue will attempt to do just that.

This year’s Rink of Fire celebration will actually feature three bouts and begin at 4:00 as the Kansas City Junior Warriors take the track in their first bout of the 2019 season.

Next, at 6:00, the Dreadnought Dorothys and the Black Eye Susans face off in this year’s grudge match. The Ketchup vs. Mustard bouts are always some of the most competitive and entertaining of the entire season, and we’re looking forward to seeing who comes out on top this year.

Then, immediately following, the undefeated Knockouts face the resurgent Victory Vixens one last time to see who takes home the coveted Warder Cup and bragging rights until next year. Regardless of who comes out on top, it’s going to be an amazing event you won’t want to miss.

Doors open at Memorial Hall at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Be sure and get there early to support the Juniors, who kick off the weekend’s festivities.

As always, adult tickets are $15 at the door — probably the best value in town for what you’re getting this weekend. Kids ages 6-12 are $10 each, and kiddos 5 and under are admitted free.

L.A.’s Cuisine will be on hand serving up some of the best BBQ in a town famous for BBQ, and the afterparty will be at the 403 Club immediately after the championship bout.

We can’t wait to see you at Memorial Hall this Saturday night for the 2019 Rink of Fire Championship!