User:Brawlingbarista/River City Rollergirls

River City Rollergirls
The River City Rollergirls (RCR) [] are Richmond, Virginia's first all women flat track roller derby league. RCR incorporated a new format and 2 new teams in 2009; Poe's Punishers and The Uncivil Warriors < The new teams will do equal traveling to other teams across the eastern seaboard as well as 6 home bouts currently each year. RCR plays a year long season- Starting in January and ending in December taking a break from home bouts in the summer because of Richmond's notorious heat and humidity. Generally, Each team has a home or away bout each month. Home bouts are generally held on alternating months. RCR plays by standard WFTDA rules and is a sanctioned WFTDA League. Eligible league members must be female and over 18, and have transfered from a sanctioned WFTDA league or complete "Fresh Meat" training as a non member. Fresh Meat Training is a 3 month long training class that the River City Rollergirls currently offer. In Fresh Meat- like many other leagues in the country, women can learn the basics of flat track roller derby, and must complete the WFTDA minimim skills requirement

RCR accepts volunteers who are 18 and over, male and female for referee and various other positions. The River City Rollergirls are governed by a a set of bylaws, Virginia Law and facilitated by the Board of Directors, including; President, Past President, Skater Relations/VP, Interleague Coordinator, Events Planning, Promotions, Sponsorship, Coach, Secretary and Treasurer.

Mission
The River City Rollergirls (RCR) intend to foster an environment that will expand, enrich and complement the overall quality and experiences of Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby (WFTDA) and amateur athletics for women as well as uphold a strong belief in and support of community outreach. RCR is committed to providing opportunities that encourage the pursuit of lifetime activities, a sense of commitment and teamwork, and the development of personal character while maintaining an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equality among its athletes, coaches and support staff. The River City Rollergirls also work to closely follow the WFTDA Mission statement;

"Founded in 2004, the WFTDA promotes and fosters the sport of women’s flat track derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportswomanship, and goodwill among member leagues. The governing philosophy is “by the skaters, for the skaters.” Women skaters are primary owners, managers, and operators of each member league and of the association. Operational tasks include setting standards for rules, seasons, and safety, and determining guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues. All member leagues have a voice in the decision-making process, and agree to comply with the governing body’s policies."

Community Outreach
The River City Rollergirls are a 501c3 federal non profit organization with over 60 members in the tri-city area. Since the beginning of RCR's history, they have focused on placing a high value on community involvement and outreach. The River City Rollergirls support local and national charities such as, Ring Dog Rescue, Books on Wheels , Make a Wish Foundation , Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) , The Childrens Museum of Richmond , and The Richmond YWCA. The River City Rollergirls have also participated in fundraising and awareness events such as Livestrong Day, formed a derby themed team (Rollergirls for Racks) for Race for the Cure , Virginia Bully Walk for National Pitt bull Awareness , Punks for Presents, The Bryan and Kathryn Harvey Family Memorial Endowment , Art for Autism for the Faison school for Autism , many events at the Richmond Chapter of the SPCA Animal Shelter and more. Each year RCR picks 2 main charities to focus on, and host events and volunteers for those chosen charities.

Seasons Beatings
Held every December, Seasons Beatings is now an invitational bout in which RCR makes 2 fun teams with holiday themed names- like "The Ho Ho Ho's" and "Santa's Slayers." The fun teams wear Red or Green, and are comprised of both home teams players randomly selected, and visiting skaters for one huge fun bout to raise money for our chosen charities of the year. Seasons Beatings is also the anniversary of RCR's first Home bout, and commonly brings back retired skaters and refs, as well as visiting derby girls from across the eastern region and beyond. Seasons Beatings gets larger every year, and boasts one of the highest attended bouts of the season.

Timeline

 * The River City Rollergirls were founded in April 2006.
 * In December 2006, RCR played their first bout as a league, called Seasons Beatings. Seasons Beatings featured Teams The Abominable Snow Women and The Disco Shockers.
 * Later in 2007, The Snow Women and The Shockers were dissolved, and 2 home teams were founded, The Tiger Beat Downs (pink jersey with black stropes) and The Flaming Hips (black jersey with orange flames)- 2 intra league teams that played eachother regularly at home but did not travel. An RCR All Star Team was comprised of the best skaters from both teams.
 * In November of 2008, the league voted to dissolve the 2 home teams in order to travel more, play more games, and become a more competetive league. The Uncivil Warriors and Poe's Punishers were founded, and local artist Will Jones created the logos.
 * In late February 2009, The River City Rollergirls became the 69th member of the WFTDA