Category Archives: KCRW

All-Star games, KCRW, Photo Albums

KCRW vs. Naptown photos

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Take a peek! We’ve posted photos from the recent bout featuring the Kansas City Roller Warriors All Stars and the Naptown Rollergirls!


Click to see the full album.

Big thanks, as always, to the ladies of KCRW for doing what they do so well. Without you, we’d have to find other things to spend our time and money on, and that way leads to a whole lotta trouble.

Featured Skaters, Interviews, KCRW

Featured Roller Warrior – August 2012

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Our featured Roller Warrior for the month of August is the always-indomitable Mary Lou Wretched!

Name: Mary Lou Wretched
Team: The Knockouts, All Stars
Number: Au79
Position(s): Jammer

How she discovered KCRW:
I transferred to KCRW after spending two full seasons with the Springfield Rollergirls. KCRW was our mentor league when SRG was a WFTDA Apprentice league. In fact, the All Star team had come to play SRG during my first season and watching them play was breathtaking. I instantly became smitten with them.

Origin of her derby name:
As a child of the ’80s, Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton was one of my heroes. I always loved the fact that she was a charming, All American girl and fearless athlete. So when my best friend suggested “Mary Lou Wretched,” I knew it was perfect for me.

Favorite derby moment:
I’ll never forget my first bout. I had been dreaming about playing roller derby for years, and skating out onto the floor for the first time ever proved that I had the guts to go out and make things happen for myself.

Favorite skater:
I don’t think I can name just one favorite skater! I will say, Bruz Her has been an incredible inspiration to me this season. Not only has she been a phenomenal teammate and captain, but she’s really pushed me mentally to continue to be my best. The women who represent KCRW are all amazing, and I’m so grateful to be working with them and having people like Trauma, Evolution, Bella Fire, Annie Maul (I could go on and on) teaching me how to play this game. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Amber Lager from the Springfield Rollergirls. She was my first introduction to roller derby and I’m so grateful that she’s what first helped me grow into the player that I am today.

Derby philosophy:
I often like to quote the movie Roadhouse: “Pain don’t hurt.” As ridiculous as it might be, I do find some truth in it. You have to be a strong person to play roller derby. You not only have to work through your physical aches and pains, but often, you have mental challenges to work through, too. Eventually, you find yourself pushing through these challenges without blinking an eye. I try to stay positive, keep a smile on my face, and show my teammates and our fans that I’m totally in love with this sport.

All-Star games, Banked Beauties, KCRW, News

Weekend-o-Derby

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There is much derby action to be had in Kansas City this weekend, fans!

Tomorrow night, the Kansas City Roller Warriors All Stars, ranked second on the South Central division as of press time, take the track against the Naptown Rollergirls of Indianapolis, ranked third in the North Central division.


Click to view the event page.

I think the first half of the game will be a shootout, but the second half will see the Wolfpack pull away relatively early before running off with it altogether. It’s not going to be a good weekend for Indy, I’m afraid.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Banked Beauties are back on the banked track to take on… the Naptown Rollergirls?!


Click for tickets.

This phenomenal bout takes place at Z Sports 1, located at 707 Doc Henry Road in Greenwood, MO. Doors open at 12:00 noon and the games begin at 1:00. Don’t miss this chance to see your Banked Beauties in action!

General derby, KCRW

Vixens Week

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Any derby fan in Kansas City worth his/her salt knows by now that the Victory Vixens won the Rink of Fire championship Saturday night at Municipal Auditorium. In honor of their first-ever trophy, we are celebrating Vixens Week over on our Facebook page. Come on over and join us!


This photo set a world record for red eye removal.

We’ll be posting all week long with fun facts about (and photos of) your favorite Vixens, and you can play along by sharing your Vixens memories and photos of your own, if you’re so inclined.

Congratulations again to the Victory Vixens on their championship win! We couldn’t be more proud of our ladies in red, white, and blue.

Featured Skaters, Interviews, KCRW

Featured Roller Warrior – July 2012

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Our featured Roller Warrior for the month of July is Knockouts co-captain Ruff Draft!

Name: Ruff Draft
Team: The Knockouts
Number: 2.0
Position(s): Blocker

How she discovered KCRW:
In 2007, we bought a ticket through Arts Alive! It was a combination ticket with an art gallery opening at the Hobbs Building combined with a ticket to roller derby at Hale Arena. My husband and I had been to a few Arts Alive! events and our reaction to this was, “how did we not know about roller derby in Kansas City?” We went to the bout and loved the energy, enthusiasm, and uniqueness of the sport.

Origin of her derby name:
I tried out for the 2008 season and was a terrible skater. I didn’t make it through tryouts. I promised to spend the year improving my skating ability and learning the game, so I served as a referee during the 2008 season. The name is a combination of two things: partly a play on my profession (I am an architect, so drafting is part of what I do) and partly because I considered myself a “work in progress.”

Favorite derby moment:
When I was first involved with derby there was a fantastic rivalry between Kelley Young on the Dorothys and Xcelerator on the Knockouts. Their jammer battles were epic. One bout, when I was a jammer referee, Kelley had gotten the better of X and flipped around to skate backwards to be a little showy. X was hot on her tail and laid her shoulder directly into Kelley. Kelley went flying but still got up with a smile on her face and a little nod of “you got me.” That’s roller derby.

Favorite skater:
There are so many that I admire for different reasons, but my favorite has to be Delia Death. She always played with such fierceness and intensity, with the best expression of joy and fun on her face.

Derby philosophy:
This is a sport like no other, and a women’s organization like no other. While we welcome all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, you can only excel if you are willing to work very hard and be a student of the game. You have to be smart, fit, and tenacious. It has taught me a lot about myself and the lessons we learn through derby can spill over into every aspect of our lives, increasing confidence in ourselves and empowering us to be stronger and more resilient. That probably sounds trite, but I have seen a lot of people change their lives after playing derby and I have seen our junior girls really come into their own when they did not fit into other sports. It is a powerful thing.

All that's fit to digest from the world of Kansas City roller derby!