Providence Roller Derby
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| Metro area | Providence, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Teams | Sakonnet River Roller Rats Mob Squad Killah Bees (travel) Old Money Honeys Rhode Island Riveters (travel) |
| Track type(s) | Flat |
| Venue | Rhode Island Convention Center |
| Affiliations | WFTDA |
| Org. type | non-profit (member-managed) |
| Website | providencerollerderby.com |
Providence Roller Derby or PRD was established in 2004 and is the first all-female, flat-track roller derby league in New England. It is the only roller derby league in Rhode Island. In 2006, PRD was ranked 8th in the nation and 4th on the East Coast by WFTDA. In June 2007, Providence slipped in rank by 4 to 12th.
PRD formerly held practices in Narragansett in the winter months and outside at the Bank of America Skating Center in the warmer season. As of May 2015, with the closure of the Narragansett Ocean Club skating rink, the league is searching for a permanent home. PRD has the support of the Mayor and the city. The league makes a concerted effort to be involved in and support community events and local businesses by making appearances marching in parades, volunteer work in the community, working with local charities and holding fundraisers.
Providence Roller Derby is a long-time member of Women's Flat Track Derby Association.
Sarah Kingan, whose derby name is Sarah Doom and number is 4.0, a Brown University alumna, established Providence Roller Derby in 2004. She originally trained with Tucson Roller Derby while on an internship in Tucson, AZ. After moving back to New England, she started the league in Providence, Rhode Island. New skaters were recruited and trained for over a year before creating teams and public bouting. The first two teams were the Providence Mob Squad and the Sakonnet River Roller Rats. PRD's first bout was in May 2005. The derby girls on the Providence team range in age from 18 to 43.
May 1, 2005, marks the date of the first bout debuting the Sakonnet River Roller Rats vs. The Mob Squad. The weather report predicted sun by the afternoon, but when the teams showed up the rink was completely flooded. Billy the Kid, head referee, immediately got to work squeegeeing the water off the track until the rink staff showed up and brought out the Zambonee. Once the rink was dry, the bout got underway with The Mob Squad taking away the first victory in a PRD home game. Season one culminated in New England's first interleague bout between Boston and Providence in October 2005. Providence came away with the win, making PRD the first league to win an interleague bout in New England. In February 2006, PRD participated in the first women's flat track tournament in Tucson, Arizona called Dust Devil with. The team included original PRD skaters Dolly Rocket, daSilva Bullet, Shirley Trample, Ratt Scallion and Jailbird Jenny.
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