Playoffs & Championships

By Brooklyn Defiance
via Derby Central

The last Blood and Thunder World Cup took place in Dallas, so it seems fitting that the 2015 International WFTDA Playoffs in the same city will be an international affair. Four out of the ten participating leagues are from outside the US: Stockholm Roller Derby (#17), Sun State Roller Girls (#28), Crime City Rollers (#30), and Rideau Valley Roller Girls (#41).

Rose City Rollers at 2014 Plalyoffs (Photo by Tyler Shaw)

American leagues hold the top four seeds in the tournament, led by Rose City Rollers (#2) in the number 1 spot. The Texas Rollergirls (#7) hold the 2 seed followed by Philly Roller Derby (#10) and Rat City Rollergirls (#15). Stockholm is seeded at number 5. The Australian outfit Sun State comes in as the 7th-seeded team, followed by Crime City Rollers from Malmö, Sweden. Rideau Valley hailing from Ottawa, Canada, occupies the 10 seed.

It’s unlikely that we will see a Swedish showdown at Playoffs since Crime City would need to defeat Ohio Roller Girls and then upset Rose in order to meet Stockholm in Game 9, provided Stockholm is able to defeat Rat City. The two teams met recently and Stockholm won 214-137, giving a clearer picture of their strength.

The European teams had a long road to Playoffs, involving trips to the US and competing in the inaugural WFTDA European Tournament (WET). Crime City’s journey to the D1 Playoffs began last summer, with five games played in New York and Philadelphia. This June, Crime City crossed the Atlantic once more to attend the Beach Brawl in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Crime City surpassed their own expectations for the season—a goal of being in Division 2 by the end of the season.

Texas Rollergirls at 2014 Playoffs (Photo by Donna Olmstead)

Sun State was more ambitious. On their homepage, a bullet point under the heading “Strategic Priorities to 2015” states the league’s intentions: “Compete in the WFTDA Championships.” The Brisbane league faces a tough journey to make it to Champs, needing at least three wins, including defeating the Texecutioners, whose experience in Playoffs and at Championships will play in their favor. Sun State benefited from the Strength Factor Challenge Program, which enabled them to enter the WFTDA rankings at #20 after three sanctioned games in Texas at the end of last year.

Stockholm’s journey to Playoffs echoes Crime City’s. In June, Stockholm traveled to the East Coast Derby Extravaganza with a WFTDA ranking of 31 but proved they were under-ranked after defeating Charm City Rollergirls (then #18) and taking a 97-point win over Detroit Derby Girls (then #17). Though Stockholm suffered a loss to Montreal Roller Derby at ECDX, their overall performance in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, rocketed them up in the rankings to #17 where they will make their Playoffs debut.

Rat City Rollergirls v. Gotham Girls Roller Derby at 2014 Playoffs (Photo by Mike Ko)

After being knocked out of the 2014 International WFTDA Playoffs in Sacramento by Gotham Girls Roller Derby, the Rat City Rollergirls went back to the drawing board and implemented a new strategy with the hopes of reaching Champs in 2015. Many of Rat City’s All-Star skaters did not participate in home team play. Instead, the skaters adhered to an intense training program aimed at creating a faster, stronger, healthier team when sanctioned play began.

Though Rose City is the heavy favorite to take the tournament, the number of new teams participating leaves plenty of room for upsets and unknowns as the tournament unfolds. The host league, Dallas Derby Devils, adds to this uncertainty in the bracket. After not qualifying for any postseason play last year, Dallas returns to tournament play as the 6 seed.

Read more coverage of WFTDA tournaments and sanctioned play on Derby Central.