Gotham Girls Roller Derby, NFP
2008 Season Preview
“Roller Derby is the fastest growing sport in the United States.”
–
Bob Dotson, NBC’s Today Show, March 10th, 2006
 tough
 competitive
 punk
 brash
 aggressive
 sassy
 addictive
 sexy
 thrilling
Women’s Roller Derby is a reinvented full contact sport with surging national popularity.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby leads the charge.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 1
Mission Statement
Gotham Girls Roller Derby (GGRD) is New York’s first all-female roller derby league.
GGRD is a collection of strong, independent women from the country’s biggest, baddest city.
Every skater multi-tasks as an athlete, a pin-up, and a brute, rolled up as one tough derby
girl. The GGRD ladies bring to the track the action and excitement from roller derby’s past
glory years, and they do it with a modern twist.
Flamboyant and fierce on the track, the league is an all-female, skater-operated
organization, and a proud member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association
(WFTDA) – a national organization that embraces to the motto “for the skaters, by the
skaters”.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby quickly became a New York
City subculture staple with its commitment to:
- athleticism
- showmanship
- competition
- rock ‘n’ roll
… and mischievous good times.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 2
What is GGRD?
“It’s a sport. It’s a spectacle. It’s for moms and dads and
kids and couples and anybody who wants to see modern
roller derby queens racing and mixing it up in a
feverish display of estrogen-fueled mayhem.”
-The Kansas City Star, June 26th, 2006
Founded in 2003, Gotham Girls Roller Derby has
helped lead the charge to bring the American-born
sport of Roller Derby back to the limelight.
GGRD started with 10 inspired girls practicing on
asphalt in an empty city park under the Manhattan
Bridge, picking up skating tips from each other and
from other growing leagues around the country.
After practicing for a year, the GGRD held its debut
bout in November 2004 at The Skate Key, a historic
but run-down skating rink in the South Bronx.
Since then, GGRD has grown to a fleet of 60 skaters on
four teams (Manhattan Mayhem, Brooklyn Bombshells,
Queens of Pain, and Bronx Gridlock). The league is
also supported by nine referees, four mascots, a squad
of “Jeerleaders,” and countless support staff.
By the end of 2005 – GGRD’s inaugural full season –
each monthly bout drew over 1000 fans to the South Bronx. The venue provided no beer
and no chairs – just honest and addictive skating competition.
In early 2006, the Skate Key rink shut down, and the league’s dedicated skaters
practiced all season outdoors in parks, suffering through rain-outs and asphalt burn.
The league held four 2006 bouts at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus (1600 fans)
and two at Hunter College on Manhattan’s Upper East Side (1100 fans).
All 6 of GGRD’s home bouts in 2006 were completely sold out; scores of hopeful fans had
to be turned away on bout nights. GGRD bout tickets became hot commodities on
Craigslist and other on-line exchanges.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 3
The league makes use of a temporary plastic ‘sport court’ flooring, allowing bouting on
these gymnasium floors without any damage to the underlying surfaces.
In early 2007, GGRD found refuge in a warehouse in Astoria, allowing indoor practice
seven days a week.
The 2007 home bouting season, totalling nine bouts, began in early June, at a larger
venue – Nat Holman Gym at City College of New York (near 138th and Amsterdam).
Above: the Bronx Gridlock and Manhattan Mayhem – human blurs on skates – at CCNY (June 2007)
In August 2007, GGRD won the #1 ranking in the East Region by beating all opponents
at the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Eastern Regional tournament in Columbus.
GGRD’s 2007 home season featured an October victory by Gotham’s All-Stars over the
nationally ranked Rose City Rollers of Portland, Oregon.
The 2007 bouting season concluded on November 17th with a sold out championship
as 1,300 fans watched the Bronx Gridlock defeat the Queens of Pain, 95-90. The bout
was featured on the front page of that morning’s New York Times.
The GGRD audience includes “Gen-Y” recent college graduates, bachelor and
bachelorette parties, and New York’s Williamsburg hipsters, along with veteran fans from
derby’s past glory years. They clamor for trackside space alongside 10-year-old children
celebrating birthdays.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
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Above: delighted students of a Manhattan Mayhem skater at a 2006 bout
The typical GGRD fan loves being part of the action and the ability to develop real
relationships with their favorite skaters. Many GGRD fans profess that roller derby is the
first live sporting event they’ve ever truly enjoyed, and they keep returning, drawing in
additional friends each time. Gotham Girls Roller Derby attracts both die-hard sports fans
and new fans who never thought they would enjoy watching sports at all.
WFTDA and the National Derby Movement
GGRD is a proud member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), which
includes 52 mature and active skater-operated leagues from around the country. There
are over 150 additional newer leagues around the country and world waiting in line to join
the WFTDA, the nation’s most prestigious coalition for flat track roller derby.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby, like all sister leagues in WFTDA, is completely skateroperated. The league is a not-for-profit organization; any bouting and merchandising
revenues are reinvested back into the league and pay for the many expenses, including
insurance, promotion, security, and rent.
The skaters themselves design and sew the uniforms, print the posters, manage the
public relations, find sponsors, and handle all aspects of bout production. Nothing is
staged or scripted. The result is a refreshingly honest and genuine entertainment
experience for all spectators.
The women do it because they love skating, they love bouting, and they love their fans.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 5
Roller Derby’s Roots and Resurgence
“This is Roller Derby…
Exhilarating, entertaining chaos.”
- Vital Source Magazine, May 1st, 2006
In 1935, during the Great Depression,
Leo Seltzer invented a spectacle called
Roller Derby.
Originally, the derby was a long
distance track race. Occasionally,
collisions and crashes occurred as
skaters tried to lap those who were
ahead of them. Seltzer realized this
was the most exciting part of the event
and tweaked his game to encourage
contact. It became a full-contact,
physical sport, with elbows, bodychecks and fights.
And the fans loved it.
Roller Derby peaked in the late '40s
and '50s, drawing as many as 30,00040,000 fans per bout. The hype
continued through the '60s and '70s,
until the expenses of travel and
competition from other forms of
entertainment in the ‘80s killed off the
larger leagues. Since then, roller derby
has remained largely dormant…until
recently.
The national all-girl derby revival began
in 2001 in Austin, Texas and has been
gathering speed at a frenzied pace. The
new generation of derby skaters pays
homage to the theatrical traditions of
the past, but they bring in real rules,
real penalties, real referees, and real
champions.
Roller Derby is now an honest,
competitive sport and it is explosive
entertainment. The rock 'n' roll spirit
reigns supreme in roller derby, and
controlled chaos is the order of the day.
"The sport is moving
from a localized hobby
to a national pastime."
- NY Times, May 15, 2005
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 6
Derby Dames - Media Darlings – in Print
The Gotham Girls are a homegrown media phenomenon. The
press just can’t seem to get enough of the daredevil divas.
The skaters draw continual interest from national and
international publications, including notable features in:
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The New York Times (May 2005, November 2007)
The Wall Street Journal (April 2005)
Rolling Stone (“The Hot List 2005”) (Oct 2005)
Cigar Aficionado (July/Aug 2007)
Marie Claire (Nov 2005)
Bust (Oct/Nov 2005)
Women’s Wear Daily (Sep 2006)
Blackbook (Spring2005)
Paper (July 2004)
Fancy (May 2004)
L Magazine (March 2006)
Velvet Park (2007)
Out Traveler (Sep/Oct 2005)
GoNYC (Aug 2006, May 2007)
Playboy (Germany) (June 2005)
Elle (Canada) (2007), Elle (Sweden) (2006)
ElleGirl (Feb 2005)
Bouts and other league events also regularly receive prominent
coverage in many local media outlets:
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Time Out New York
The Village Voice
The New York Daily News
The New York Press
The New York Post
amNewYork
Metro New York
BKLYN Magazine
New York Waste
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
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Derby Dames - Media Darlings – on Television
Roller Derby continues to explode
in popularity nationwide, with over
200 leagues now in various states
of activity.
As a result of the league’s central
position in New York City, the
Gotham Girls attract a large
amount of local and national
television attention.
GGRD on CNN
As a typical example, in July 2007
NBC’s Today Show aired a human
interest segment about the up-andcoming Charm City Roller Girls of
Baltimore (a fellow WFTDA league).
NBC supported this piece by calling on
the Gotham Girls to skate in Rockefeller
Plaza during that morning’s national
news broadcast, to introduce and
provide context to the segment.
GGRD jumps over
a brave WB11 sports reporter
GGRD is the go-to resource for New
York media coverage of the surging
roller derby phenomenon.
On television, the Gotham Girls
have been featured nationally on:
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CNN: Paula Zahn Now
ESPN: Cold Pizza
CBS: Early Show
NBC: Today Show
Fox News: Fox & Friends
Fox Business News
GGRD on MSG NY
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 8
Recent local news broadcasts
featuring the Gotham Girls:
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SNY’s Street Games
WABC 7
Fox 5
WB 11, CW 11
WNBC 4
YES Network
MSG NY
UPN 9 Morning News
NY1’s The Call
GGRD on WABC 7
GGRD on NY1
GGRD on Fox News
Gotham Girls have also been featured in many independent projects, including
videos for bands the Towers of London and the Turbo ACs, vocals for a recently
released album by the Disasters, and short films by local filmmakers.
Additionally, the MavTV network is currently broadcasting 2007 national
tournament games on cable television and streaming the games over their
mavtv.com web site. As one of the Association’s best teams, Gotham’s skaters
are currently being seen nationwide. Gotham Girls Roller Derby will be a
household name for fans of extreme sports and female athletics.
See magazine clippings and video footage from the latest media appearances at:
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http://www.gothamgirlsrollerby.com/press/
and
http://www.gothamgirlsrollerby.com/press/print/
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
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Around the Town with the Gotham Girls
“If you think it’s just a bunch of girls skating around in
circles, you’d better think again.”
- Fox Sports Channel, March 26th, 2006
Who Are the Gotham Girls?
The skaters include teachers, web producers, lawyers, artists, business owners,
musicians, comics, architects, students, and fashion designers. The GGRD skaters have
“day jobs” and talents which provide the league with the expertise to make Gotham Girls
Roller Derby a wild success with high standards of professional production value.
Each GGRD occasion is conceived, orchestrated and run exclusively by Gotham Girls.
Venue scouting, negotiation, fundraising, sponsorship, publicity, and promotion are all
conceived and executed within our ranks.
The Gotham Girls make a splash wherever they roll. Nothing captures attention like a
whirlwind of sixty tough roller girls on wheels, in skirts and fishnets.
Above: the skaters get tropical at the 2005 Coney Island USA Mermaid Day Parade
The Gotham Girls have attracted and entertained crowds at a number of unique New
York events, including fund raising parties and publicity events on behalf of sponsors.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 10
Selected Public Appearances and other Sponsored Events:
 “Hell on Wheels” derby documentary screening at BAM Cinématek. (March 2008)
 Coney Island USA’s Mermaid Day Parade (2005, 2006, and 2007)
(sponsored by Otto’s Shrunken Head)
o 2007 2nd place: Best Motorized Float
o 2005 winner: Best Motorized Float
 Drop Dead Gorgeous Pagent (hosts and judges), Beauty Bar, July 2007
 Velvet Park magazine release party (on roller skates), 2007
 New York Fashion Week runway show, Spring 2006
 Jessica Simpson CD Release Party (on roller skates), The Roxy, August 2006
 Miss L.E.S. (Lower East Side) Pageant
 Ms. DeMEANor NYC Anti-Pageant
 NYC’s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade
 Art gallery opening w/ music by GGRD skaters (2005 at Stay Gold Gallery)
"It’s official.
You girls are nuts."
- Matt Lauer of NBC’s Today Show
July 2007
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 11
Highlights of Fundraising Events and League Parties:
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“Roller Derby Rocks” night at Galapagos, with skater/musicians, November 2007
Jeerleader fund raisers, w/ performers from Red Hot Burlesque, Summer 2007
2007 Bout Footage Screenings at The Blind Pig (East Village sports bar)
DerbyTaunt Ball spring dances to introduce the new crops of skaters
o 2008 at Southpaw (Brooklyn)
o 2006 and 2007 at Delancey (Manhattan’s Lower East Side)
o 2005 at Siberia (Midtown Manhattan)
End-of-season Awards Banquets
o 2006 and 2007 at Delancey
o 2005 at Rothko (Manhattan’s Lower East Side)
Announcer Audition party at Replay jeans boutique, Soho (2006)
‘Gotham Girls A-Go-Go’ 60’s beach party (2006)
Annual ‘Roller Derby Bingo’ fundraisers
with custom derby-related chits (“Block! Axle! Whip!”)
… and many more, including the wildly popular ‘after-parties’ after each bout.
GGRD has worked with a number of venue, beverage, and catering sponsors to make
each of these events roll.
The Gotham Girls are also available for skating lessons, skating demonstrations, derby
strategy tutorials, and any other kinds of on- and off-skate appearances.
Talk to the Gotham Girls to explore creative ways the league
can bring its energy and its dedicated fans to your event.
Community Outreach Partners and Fundraising Beneficiaries:
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Rollerwheels Adaptive Derby (Roller derby played in wheelchairs)
American Red Cross
Meals On Wheels (2005 fund-raising benefit exhibition bout)
Revlon’s 2005 and 2006 Run/Walk for Women’s Cancers
International Rescue Committee
Kate’s Foundation: Melanoma Awareness and Research (Sponsor)
Gotham Girls Roller Derby NFP is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to reviving the
historic American pastime of Roller Derby for a diverse, modern audience. In early 2008,
GGRD applied to the IRS for recognition as a “501(c)3” charitable organization to
which contributions may be tax deductable. (Final recognition pending)
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 12
Bout Promotion
GGRD plasters its well-designed bout promotion posters at popular bars and restaraunts
around New York City. These eye-catching images feature work by popular up-andcoming graphic artists. They can also feature key bout sponsors and are repeatedly
posted throughout the league’s cyberspace network (myspace.com, etc.).
Additionally, each GGRD bout
gets big play in the New York
press, with listings routinely
appearing in the Village
Voice, Time Out NY, Daily
News, amNewYork, and other
entertainment guides.
Hoards of freelance New York
photographers attend each
bout, each eager to capture a
winning moment at the highly
photogenic spectacle.
After each event, photographs
and videos flood sites like
Gawker.com, Flickr.com and
YouTube.com.
A prominent bout sponsor will
be seen thousands of times,
long before and after the event.
GGRD also operates an active website with 18,000-20,000 hits per month, plus an on-line
newsletter with over 2000 opt-in subscribers.
GGRD’s podcast, Radio Free Derby, covers the sport nationally and attracts hundreds of
monthly downloads from derby fans around the world.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
Page 13
2008 Bouting Venues and Schedule – Sponsor a Bout
The league is always exploring potential bouting venues which can bring the excitement
of roller derby to larger groups around New York City.
GGRD is currently developing its 2008 bouting schedule and sponsorship plans. Bouts
could be conducted at a variety of venues, depending on sponsor interest and economics.
The league’s portable sport court gives it the capability to bout in nearly any large venue,
including basketball courts, piers, parks, convention centers, and dance halls. (Size
requirement: the skating area itself should be at least appx. 60’ x 90’.)
Practice Venue
GGRD is a nationally competitive league that maintains a strenuous practice schedule
(4+ practices per week) to maintain its status as one of the top leagues in the country.
The league currently practices at a warehouse in Astoria – the “Crash Pad.” The Crash
Pad is currently the only dedicated indoor skating facility in all of New York City.
The league is always on the lookout for more economical space options -- or for title
sponsors of The Crash Pad.
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
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Contact Information
For more information on Sponsorship opportunities, Venue locations, or Media and
Marketing ideas, please contact:
Public Relations / Media:
Megan Collum (aka “Megahurtz”)
megahurtzfm@yahoo.com – (917) 753-3181
Sponsorship:
Christine Vargo (aka “Ani Dispanco”)
christine_vargo@hotmail.com – (347) 563-0082
Marketing:
Jeannice Angela (aka “Hyper Lynx”)
jeannice@gmail.com -- (917) 842-6409
Additional Leauge Contacts:
Natily Blair (aka “Ginger Snap”)
2008 League President
gingersnap@gothamgirlsrollerderby.com – (917) 749-9278
Amanda Doss (aka “Murder City Mandy”)
2008 League Vice President
adoss@uglybetty.com – (347) 678 5614
Gotham Girls Roller Derby
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com
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