April 2011 Featured League: Dutchland Derby Rollers

These derby girls are a lot like the beautiful and tough "Hester", the amazing Dutch frau in their logo. Working hard at making their second trip to the 2011 East Region Playoff Tournament, they are taking out the competition left and right. They are currently ranked 10th in the WFTDA Eastern Region, and have cracked the DNN Power Ranking's top 25. In addition to a strong focus on athletics, they also give a lot back to the Lancaster, PA community they call home. Learn more about the Dutchland Derby Rollers here…

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Location:
We have the pleasure of skating in beautiful Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

How does your season run?
Our All-Stars start bouting in February and play through the WFTDA Big 5 Tournament cycle. Our B-team, the Blitz, plays from March through November. We hold practice year round and, while we take a break from our attendance requirements between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, most skaters continue to practice during this time.

Are you close to any other WFTDA leagues?
Harrisburg Area Roller Derby is geographically the closest WFTDA league, though new member league, Lehigh Valley Rollergirls is also nearby, along with East Coast superstars, Philly Roller Girls and Charm City Roller Girls.

How many skaters/teams do you have?
We currently have 41 active skaters (with 7 skater tots coming up fast!). Dutchland houses 2 teams, the Dutchland All-Stars and the Dutchland Blitz.

In addition to our current skaters, the Dutchland family rolls deep. We have a 10-person officiating crew, dubbed the "Orange Lanterns." We have several retired skaters who continue to be highly involved, running things behind the scenes. Additionally, we have many faithful volunteers who we see at every game/event, including our mascots, photographers, announcers, security staff, etc.

How is your league structured (home teams, travel team, management)?
Dutchland started out with 3 home teams, but we quickly shifted our focus to inter-league competition after 2 seasons. Both the All-Stars and Blitz are travel teams. The All-Stars are our WFTDA chartered team and the top 20 skaters in the league. The Blitz is comprised of a variety of skaters from rookies to 5-year veteran skaters, and acts as the training ground for our league and competes at a more local level. The rosters for each team are fluid, as skaters are given the opportunity to move between teams. This structure offers the opportunity for a high level of competition both within the league as skaters strive to advance to the All-Stars, and in performance against other teams as we bring our best to every game, putting Lancaster roller derby on the national map. Our Blitz team is currently busting at the seams with skaters so we recently broke them into two squads. Internally we refer to them as Blitz ‘Thunder’ and Blitz ‘Lightning’, externally we keep the Blitz brand for both teams.

Dutchland’s management is made up of a 10-person board of directors, which is lead by our outstanding President, Spinal Snap, who makes the day-to-day business decisions for the league. All major decisions require a league-wide vote. We are very proud that every league member holds a league job. It truly embodies our do-it-yourself ethos and ensures that each of our members has ownership in the league and accountability in our success!

How many days a week do you practice?
Dutchland has between 4 and 5 formal practices per week. We offer 3 to 4 league practice sessions and our All-Stars have an additional team-specific session once per week.

We also offer Parisi Speed Training classes twice per month at a local health club. In addition to this, we also offer "Yoga for Roller Derby" classes a few weeks each year taught by league alum, Swoop Deville. Some ambitious members of our league have started the ‘Dutchland Runners’; they get together twice per week to run the track at a local college. So far, together they participated in a 5K (the day after a bout!) and are looking forward to Lancaster’s Race Against Racism in April and the Pennsylvania Warrior Dash in June!

Who is DDR's biggest rival? And have you had any outstanding, memorable moments against them when you bouted?
DC Rollergirls would fit the bill as our biggest rival. Our leagues practiced together a few times back in 2006 and have faced each other multiple times over the past few years; we even played a challenge bout at the first ECE! DC won in 2007 and 2009 and while Dutchland bested them in March 2010, DC followed up by claiming victory at Derby in the ‘Burbs, the East Region Playoffs in 2010. Most recently, Dutchland defeated DC in February 2011…undoubtedly this will not be the last time we face off on the track!

Do you have any sister leagues you’d like to give a shout out to?
The Philly Roller Girls have been an amazing source of support to us through the years. Not only did they inspire many of our skaters to start a league in Lancaster but they have also provided invaluable advice and guidance over the years.

As the years move on and we become more established, we’ve had the chance to pay forward our mentoring by working with new leagues. Most recently, we’ve spent time practicing with the Black Rose Rollers, a new league out of Hanover, PA. It’s exciting to see more derby in our area!

Dutchland’s Josie Cuervo is an Apprentice Mentor to Roc City Roller Derby, big shout out to them!

What are the individual challenges of your city?
Being a successful roller derby league in Lancaster County, PA is a proud accomplishment for us. Lancaster is well known for its Amish and Mennonite populations, and deeply conservative Pennsylvania Dutch Culture. What many people don’t know is that Lancaster city is a lively urban area with a strong music/arts hub. Our biggest challenge is trying to do outreach to both of those contingents, and find creative ways to market to both our urban and rural fans.

So, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, huh? Have you ever had any issues with skaters leaving your league for more opportunities in bigger cities? What can other smaller town leagues learn from you in terms of success with skater retention?
For the first few years, it seemed like we had skaters moving on left and right for bigger cities! Dutchland alumni found homes with Gotham, Philly, Windy City, Rocky Mountain, and Charm City to name a few. In 2009 and 2010, we turned a corner with transfers. We experienced such an influx of transfers ourselves that we had to write our own formal transfer policies.

Retention and league member satisfaction is extremely important to us. We make sure that our skaters all have a hand in the operation and vision of our league. We routinely have formal votes, informal surveys, and lively discussions about policy, process, and operation of the league. This policy of transparency and respect for all league members has been a tenet of our development. We take steps for growth in terms of what the members want, and truly take to heart the WFTDA mission of “by the skaters, for the skaters”.

Your logo is a favorite in the derby community. Who came up with the idea and what do you call your black-eyed frau?

In early 2006, we held a logo contest and called on our artistic connections in the community. Erik Rodriguez, a.k.a. Mr. Surly, and pal, Josh Bernstein, designed the logo and their submission was unanimously chosen! Erik went on to design a few bout flyers for us over the years. The lady in our logo has lovingly been dubbed ‘Hester’ by our skaters. We think she’s a pretty amazing PA Dutch woman and are thrilled that so many people agree!

Who are some of your favorite sponsors?
We’ve been fortunate to have many long-time sponsors who have provided us with ongoing support! But to name a few who have been near and dear to our hearts for the past few years:

• Angry Young and Poor stands out as one of our favorites; not only is one of the owners Fujiyama Mama, a retired Dutchland skater, but AYP has produced our merchandise from Day 1…they also have one of the best punk rock online stores around!!!

• Andy Esbenshade is another one of our biggest supporters; his business, Prudential Home Sales, is a sponsor and Andy himself is a true super fan who doesn’t miss a game. He also happens to be the proud uncle of All-Star captain, Jolene Jawbreaker.

• As a favorite watering hole of the Dutchland Derby Rollers, Brendee’s Irish Pub has been a proud sponsor since 2006. They serve some of the best selections of Irish whiskeys, single malt scotches, and craft beers around. When you’re there, you’re more than likely to see a derby girl! And if you stop by on Friday nights, you can see Dutchland's own Tamarra Neverdyes tending bar.

What are your biggest training challenges?
We face similar challenges to other leagues with respect to training. We can only afford so much time at our venue, but we try to make up for it by offering lots of cross-training opportunities.

Who are the best "behind the scenes" skaters who make your league run?
As mentioned earlier, everyone on Dutchland holds a league job and makes a regular contribution to running the league. A special thank you to all in leadership who take the reins, including our Board of Directors. However, even with our cooperative management structure, we have some standouts:

• Josie Cuervo is our current Treasurer, Interleague Liaison, and WFTDA Rep, but that doesn’t scratch the surface of her contributions to the league. This lady eats, sleeps, and breathes Dutch. There has not been a day in the past 5 plus years that she has not shared her time with the league. A constant advocate for league development, this former league president has been the backbone of DDR – and it’s no wonder as she was one of the originators of derby in Lancaster! We’re proud of our founding first lady and grudgingly share her as she lends a helping hand mentoring other leagues!

• Tamarra Neverdyes was Dutchand’s original marketing director, who successfully steered us into the local public’s eyes until we gave her up to contribute her workhorse ways to the WFTDA in 2008. In 2010 she became WFTDA’s marketing director and we couldn’t be more proud. Nowadays we rely on her to keep us in line on the bench during games. Although she has less time for her Dutchies; we appreciate her true dedication to the WFTDA and the furthering of our sport!

• Laverne N. Surly is another vital behind the scenes person with our league. A founding member, Surly has held many positions over the years and currently sits as League Vice-President and Skater Coach. She brings a vast knowledge of training facilitation and strategic planning skills to our Board, which helps us run things efficiently and successfully. Surly is a constant source of emotional and mental support for her teammates both on the track and off. In addition to her numerous behind the scenes contribution, Surly managed to be our Practice Attendance award winner for 2010.

Who are some of your star on-track skaters and why?
It’s so hard to pick just one person. We have worked really hard over the past few seasons to gel as a team and to not rely on any ‘superstars’ on the track. If we had to narrow it down, our superstar would be our coaching committee. Our head coach, Merv the Perv, has vast skating knowledge and a true instinct about roller derby strategy and sports mentality. Merv works tirelessly to instill values of teamwork, motivation, and hard work in every skater on the league. His guidance over the past year and a half has been the driving force behind our All-Stars improved performance on the track. Merv’s committee, made up of Renegade Raven, Hillbilly Hellcat, Laverne N. Surly, Jolene Jawbreaker, Slammin’ Shots, Erin GoBraless, and Sukkubus Strixe each contribute to help every skater meet league, team, and individual goals.

What kind of training/bouting facilities do you have?
We practice and bout in the same venue, Overlook Activities Center, which is a municipal recreation center located on a pristine golf course.

2011 marks Dutchland's 5th year as a roller derby league. What advice would you give to the many new leagues that have just started rolling? Have you identified any challenges or benefits associated with being in your 5th year?
Decide as a whole body what your vision/values/mission statement is and stand behind it in every decision. When the tough questions or forks in the road come up, ask which choice will support that mission.

Be consistent! We are often contacted by newer leagues asking for advice. The questions we always ask when they describe the problems they are faced with are (1) Do you have league rules/policies to address this? (2) Do you follow them across the board? It can be difficult to build up league policies (heck, we update ours annually!) but it is essential that everyone is treated equally and rules are applied consistently.

Being in our 5th year, we’ve been through many ups and downs. Luckily, we have an amazing cross-section of professional experiences in our league, which spans from founding members to brand new skaters. Everyone’s perspective is valuable and while it’s a benefit to have so many different ideas, it can also be a challenge balancing all those viewpoints!

2010 marked Dutchland’s first year in the WFTDA East Region Playoffs. With what’s known to be a very competitive region, what are some of the ways that Dutchland is planning on solidifying their continued position in the East’s Top 10?
The East is an extremely difficult WFTDA Region and we look at each league with a tremendous amount of respect. Dutchland feels fortunate to have such easy access to other leagues due to our Region's geography. You can get in your car, drive 4 hours and hit a dozen leagues!

Dutchland hasn't formulated a diabolical plan to burst into the top but rather a plan to continue our hard work, focus on our teamwork, and learn from our errors.

In March, Dutchland – currently ranked #10 in the Eastern region – managed an exciting upset over the #4 South Central team, Atlanta Dirty South Derby Girls, with a score of 161 to 86. This comes after wins over Tampa and DC in February, and a recent win over Maine. To what do you attribute this great start to your season? What predictions do you have for Dutchland this year?
Our All-Stars worked extremely hard during our off-season, and our practice intensity increased a lot. Furthermore, many of the teachings of our coach, Merv the Perv, started to come together. We spent a lot of last season going ‘back to basics’ and really focused on our teamwork. Our goal in 2010 was to make it to the WFTDA East Regional Tournament, and we were able to accomplish that and finished at #10. This year, we were hoping to make DNN’s Power Rankings, which we did! For 2011, we are again gunning for our Regional Playoffs Tourney spot, but this time we hope to perform like a tournament-level veterans as opposed to the newbies we were last year.

Like many roller derby teams, Dutchland donates to local charities. What are some of Dutchland's favorite charitable organizations? How much has your league been able to give back?
Over the past 5 years, Dutchland has donated over $20,000 and many community service hours to charity. Our community contributions are part of our mission statement and one of the reasons many of our members cite for their participation. We are very proud of these contributions and look forward to rewarding our favorite charities as we continue to become more successful. A few of our favorite organizations include:

• Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster – We’ve been connected with DVS since 2006 and in addition to monetary donations, we volunteer at their annual gala/art auction.

• Humane League of Lancaster – Who can resist puppies and kittens up for adoption at a bout?

• Lancaster Farmland Trust – LFT works to preserve farms in Lancaster County and fight suburban sprawl. Dutchland skaters enjoy participating in LFT’s annual Pedal to Preserve, a bicycle race that raises money for their cause.

• Camp Susquehanna – A children’s recreation camp for burn victims, this one is close to our hearts and we are thrilled to provide donations to give scholarships to campers, as well as provide volunteers for their activities.

Dutchland prides itself on bout production that offers “family-friendly entertainment”. Can you tell us more about the benefits you’ve seen from bringing in that type of crowd?

When we first started in January 2006, we marketed our fundraisers/events to the bar scene. Sure, the bar scene folks were really supportive, but when it came time to hold our first public game in November 2006, those folks were nowhere to be found (they were probably at the bar!). Instead, we noticed that our fans were mostly families with children. We quickly shifted our marketing strategy and today, Dutchland is happy to publicize our bouts as a family-friendly activity. Our home games are a favorite for fans with little ones who love our mascots: Half Calf, Hester, and Kat the Kow. We provide an arts and crafts table set up for coloring our lovely logo. Some of the charities we partner with have brought along adorable four legged friends, which is also a win for the families. Our efforts to be more family-friendly garnered us an award in 2007 from the Pennsylvania Association of Parks and Recreation for an exceptional single rec event!

Do you have a special message to your fans?
We are so proud to represent Lancaster in the roller derby community. We receive overwhelming support from our fans and hope to continue to make them proud everyday!

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