Blue Ridge Rollergirls

Blue Ridge Roller Girls

Metro area	Asheville, North Carolina
Country	United States
Founded	2006
Teams	All-Stars French Broads (B team) Mad Divas Junior Derby
Track type(s)	Flat
Venue	Asheville Coliseum
Affiliations	WFTDA
Org. type	501c(3) nonprofit corporation
Website	blueridgerollergirls.com

The Blue Ridge Rollergirls (BRRG) is a roller derby league based in Asheville, North Carolina, a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The league was established in 2006,^[1] held its first competitive season in 2007,^[2] became a WFTDA apprentice team in 2010,^[3] and a full WFTDA member in March 2012.^[4][5] It is composed of two teams, the All-Stars travel team, and the French Broads, the BRRG B team^[6] (named for the French Broad River that flows through Asheville). Members of the BRRG recently formed the Mad Divas Junior Derby for girls 12-17.^[7]

Blue Ridge Rollergirls warming up for a bout doing yoga on skates.

Community support of the league is strong with bout attendance typically ranging from 2000 to more than 3000 fans.^[8] The league fosters community outreach^[9] and gives a portion of the proceeds of each bout to a western North Carolina charity.^[10] Charities supported include The Animal Compassion Network, Care Partners Children's Fund, Skye, RAINN, and Interlace.^[11][12][13]

The league notably prepares for bouts with acupuncture sessions,^[14] and features synchronized yoga on skates during its warmup laps.^[15]

On 2 November 2012, the WFTDA announced that the BRRG would host one of its four national Division 1 playoff tournaments, in Asheville on 20–22 September 2013.^[16]

References

1. "About the Blue Ridge Rollergirls". Blue Ridge Rollergirls.
2. O’Connor, Aislinn. "BLUE RIDGE ROLLERGIRLS: ASHEVILLE’S DERBY DIVAS". Marquee Magazine.
3. "WFTDA APPRENTICE PROGRAM WELCOMES 10 NEW LEAGUES". WFTDA.
4. "WFTDA WELCOMES 14 NEW MEMBERS". WFTDA.
5. Rhodes, Bill. "Blue Ridge Rollergirls accepted to international association". Mountain Xpress Newspaper. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
6. "Roller Derby Action In Boone". Image Asheville. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
7. Hyworth, Tracy. "Smac and Smithereen". Mountain Xpress. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
8. "All the Blue Ridge Roller Girls want for Christmas is dedicated space for a training facility". Ashevegas. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
9. "Fly People: Blue Ridge Rollergirls". Fly JBA.
10. "Blue Ridge Rollergirls". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
11. "Fly People: Blue Ridge Rollergirls". Fly JBA.
12. "Blue Ridge Rollergirls". Animal Compassion Network. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
13. "Special Events: Roller Derby supports our fund for children". Care Partners Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
14. "Blue Ridge Roller Girls use acupuncture". Asheville Acupuncture. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
15. "Blue Ridge Roller Girls Report: Roller Girls dominate; beer taps dry up; ejection for fighting; promise of free popcorn from the Asheville Civic Center; and much more". Ashevegas. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
16. "WFTDA Announces 2013 Tournament Locations". WFTDA. Retrieved 3 November 2012.