 | |
| Metro area | Madison, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Teams | Dairyland Dolls (A& B teams) Team Unicorn (C team) Quad Squad Reservoir Dolls Unholy Rollers Vaudeville Vixens |
| Track type(s) | Flat |
| Venue | Alliant Energy Center |
| Affiliations | WFTDA |
| Org. type | 503(c)3 Non-profit |
| Website | https://madisonrollerderby.org/ |
Madison Roller Derby (MRD), founded as "Mad Rollin' Dolls", is a women's flat-trackroller derby league based inMadison, Wisconsin. Founded in 2004, Madison is a founding member of theWomen's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA),[1] and was the fourth league to join the fledgling organization.[2] Since 2006, Madison has qualified for the WFTDA post-season every year, including three appearances atWFTDA Championships.
Mad Rollin' Dolls was started in 2004 by "Crackerjack," whose sister "Lucille Brawl" had helped foundTexas Rollergirls inAustin, Texas,[2][3] and "Pamdemonium." Currently, the organization has a four-team home league that competes for an annual championship. The league also has two travel teams that compete internationally. Mad Rollin' Dolls games in Madison are held at theAlliant Energy Center and have been known to sell out, with crowds of 1500 people.[3][4] As a business enterprise, the league was registered in 2004 as alimited liability corporation, Mad Rollin' Dolls LLC, and converted into anon-stock corporation in 2015, as Mad Rollin' Dolls Inc.[5]
Ahead of its fifteenth season in 2019, the league announced a rebrand as Madison Roller Derby.[6]
MRD has both all-star A and B-level interleague teams, which are composed of skaters from the four home teams. These teams compete against other WFTDA and non-WFTDA leagues across the United States. The Dairyland Dolls A team competes in WFTDA-sanctioned games. Starting in 2008, the Mad Rollin' Dolls added a second travel team, Team Unicorn. Their first bout was inHamilton, Ontario on July 26, 2008.[7]
MRD is composed of four home teams; the Quad Squad, the Reservoir Dolls, the Unholy Rollers and the Vaudeville Vixens. Each year the home teams compete for the league championship, with the winner being awarded a trophy named "Leggy", fashioned from a mannequin leg with a roller skate on its foot.[8]
League Champions by year are:
| Year | Season Champion |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Reservoir Dolls |
| 2006 | Quad Squad |
| 2007 | Reservoir Dolls |
| 2008 | Quad Squad |
| 2009 | Vaudeville Vixens |
| 2010 | Unholy Rollers |
| 2011 | Reservoir Dolls |
| 2012 | Quad Squad |
| 2013 | Reservoir Dolls |
| 2014 | Reservoir Dolls |
| 2015 | Reservoir Dolls |
| 2016 | Quad Squad |
| 2017 | Quad Squad |
| 2018 | Quad Squad |
| 2019 | Unholy Rollers |
MRD also includes a recreational league in Madison, originally known as the Mad Wreckin' Dolls and renamed Madison Wreckers Roller Derby in 2016.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2023) |
At the firstWFTDA Championships, the 2006 Dust Devil tournament, Madison placed seventh overall.[9] The following year at the firstWFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, the "Heartland Havoc" event, Madison did not get past the second round.[10]
In October 2008 the Mad Rollin' Dolls hosted that year's East Region Playoff, "Derby in Dairyland".[11] At that tournament, Madison won their opening game against theMinnesota Rollergirls 143–67, but then lost in the quarterfinals toGotham Girls Roller Derby of New York, 138–70. Following a win againstGrand Raggidy Roller Girls and a narrow loss toBoston Derby Dames, Madison finished the weekend in sixth place.[12]
In 2009, now part of theNorth Central Region, Mad Rollin' Dolls placed second in theNorth Central Regional Tournament, "Brawl of America" in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[13] At the 2009 Championships, Madison was eliminated by Boston, 104–98.[14] At the 2010 North Central Playoffs, Madison came in third place, winning their final game 164–143 againstCincinnati Rollergirls, to again qualify for WFTDA Championships.[15] For the second straight year, Madison was defeated in the opening round, this time byPhilly Roller Girls, 213–53.[16] In 2011, the Dairyland Dolls entered the North Central Playoffs as the sixth seed, but lost each game and finished the weekend in tenth place.[17] In 2012, Madison entered what would be the final North Central Regional Playoff as the tenth seed, and improved on their seeding by defeatingArch Rival Roller Girls in the seventh place game, 217–119.[18]
In 2013, the WFTDA changed its playoff structure, and Madison qualified for theWFTDA Division 1 International Playoff tournament in Asheville, North Carolina as the sixth seed, ultimately finishing in ninth place with a 265–195 victory over theColumbia Quadsquad.[19] As the seventh seed in Charleston for Division 1 Playoffs in 2014, the Dairyland Dolls improved on their seeding with upset victories over Boston (176-175)[20] and theNaptown Roller Girls of Indianapolis (166-101) to finish in fifth place.[21] At the 2015 Division 1 Playoff in Tucson, Madison again pulled rankings upsets (this time overArizona Roller Derby[22] and Baltimore'sCharm City Roller Girls[23])to improve their position over the weekend, going from the ninth seed to sixth place.[24]
For the first time since 2008, Mad Rollin' Dolls hosted a WFTDA Playoff tournament in September 2016.[2] Held at theAlliant Energy Center,[25] the Dairyland Dolls also competed at the Division 1 tournament, where they entered as the tenth seed and left in seventh place. With upset victories overNo Coast Derby Girls[26] (Lincoln, Nebraska) and Chicago'sWindy City Rollers,[27] Madison had achieved the most D1 playoff upsets in WFTDA history.[28] In 2017, Madison was the eleventh seed at Division 1 Playoffs inSeattle, but lost 225–83 to hostRat City Rollergirls[29] and 241–140 toBay Area Derby and finished out of the medals.[30]
In 2018, MRD missed the cutoff for WFTDA Playoffs, instead qualifying for the first WFTDAContinental Cup, the 2018 North America East edition inKalamazoo, Michigan, at which they were the second seed.[31] MRD finished the weekend in fourth place, dropping the bronze medal game toTeam United Roller Derby by a score of 189–131.[32]
In 2019, MRD again qualified for the WFTDA Continental Cup North America East, held inLancaster, Pennsylvania, as the sixth seed. MRD defeatedOhio Roller Derby 159-132 before falling toDetroit Roller Derby 258-146 andTampa Roller Derby 182–116.[33]
As a member of theWomen's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the Mad Rollin' Dolls were originally member of the WFTDA'sEast Region, but by the end of 2008 were moved to theNorth Central Region, and were ranked sixth in the North Central at the end of 2012.[34] The WFTDA moved away from regions and into a division system in 2013,[35] and MRD consistently placed inWFTDA Division 1 Playoffs for the duration of that format.
| Season | Final ranking[36] | Playoffs | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5 WFTDA[37] | — | 7[9] |
| 2007 | 9 WFTDA[38] | R2E[10][39] | DNQ |
| 2008 | 2NC[40] | 6E[12] | DNQ |
| 2009 | 3NC[41] | 2NC[13] | R1[14] |
| 2010 | 3NC[42] | 3NC[15] | R1[16] |
| 2011 | 10NC[43] | 10NC[17] | DNQ |
| 2012 | 6NC[44] | 7NC[18] | DNQ |
| 2013 | 31 WFTDA[45] | 9D1[19] | DNQ |
| 2014 | 26 WFTDA[46] | 5D1[21] | DNQ |
| 2015 | 42 WFTDA[47] | 6D1[24] | DNQ |
| 2016 | 33 WFTDA[48] | 7D1[27] | DNQ |
| 2017 | 36 WFTDA[49] | CRD1[30] | DNQ |
| 2018 | 38 WFTDA[50] | 4CC NA East[32] | NA |
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