Windy City Rollers - League History

League History

In Chicago 2004, Simmons and Gomez organized the four-team league and on the initial recruitment nearly 100 women appeared. In 2006 hundreds showed up to recruitment parties showing interest in joining the league. In 2005, they played in Chicago's Congress Theatre and attracted the largest roller derby audience flat-track derby had ever seen at the time. They moved to the Cicero Stadium to accommodate for a regulation track in early 2006. The Windy City Rollers changed venues again in October 2008 and currently play at the University of Illinois Chicago Pavilion.

In early 2006, the Windy City Rollers began inter-league bouting. After suffering defeat at Dust Devil 2006, the league realized it needed to regroup. They moved to a bouting venue that allowed them to play on a regulation sized track, and increased the number of league practices. After completing another season of intra-league bouting, the All-Stars team was reformed. In early 2007, the league resumed inter-league play.

The Windy City Rollers All-Stars entered the competition at the 2007 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Columbus (the Heartland Havoc) ranked 14th in the nation (7th in their region). After defeating 20th-ranked Atlanta on day one, they achieved what many considered a stunning victory on day 2, defeating Madison, Wisconsin's Mad Rollin' Dolls, ranked fourth nationally and first in the Eastern region. They went on to claim second place in the tournament, defeating the Carolina Rollergirls before falling to New York's Gotham Girls. At the 2007 WFTDA National Championships (the Texas Shootout) in Austin, TX, the Windy City Rollers All-Stars were defeated in the first round by the home favorite Texas Rollergirls, finishing in seventh position in the nation.

At the 2008 WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament in Madison, WI (Derby in Dairyland) the Windy City Rollers All-Stars defeated Baltimore's Charm City Rollergirls and the Carolina Rollergirls from Raleigh, NC to advance to the final match. They were defeated by New York's Gotham Girls and placed second in the region, advancing them to the 2008 national championship (the Northwest Knockdown) in Portland, OR. There the Windy City Rollers All-Stars advanced to the final match after winning games against Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls and Austin's Texas Rollergirls. In a third tournament championship match-up the Gotham Girls again defeated the Windy City Rollers All-Stars.

At the 2009 WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament in St. Paul, MN (Brawl of America) the Windy City Rollers All-Stars beat the Minnesota Rollergirls (St. Paul, MN), Cincinnati Rollergirls Black Sheep (Cincinnati, OH) and Mad Rollin' Dolls Dairyland Dolls to become the North Central regional champions. They had a bye in the preliminary round and were defeated by Denver Roller Dolls' Mile High Club at WFTDA 2009 Nationals (Declaration of Derby). The Windy City Rollers continued their domination of the North Central Region by once again claiming the Regional Championship title in 2010.

In November 2010, the Windy City Rollers earned even more prestige in the derby world by hosting and participating in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships, Uproar on the Lakeshore.

In intra-league play, Windy City Rollers hold an annual championship game named after Chicago derby legend, Ivy King. The Fury won the Ivy King Cup Championship games in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 the trophy was claimed by the Double Crossers. In 2008 the Ivy King Cup was won by the Hell's Belles. In 2009 the Manic Attackers beat out the Hell's Belles to win the Ivy King Cup. The Fury came back to claim the cup in 2010 and 2011. The Manic Attackers beat The Fury in 2012 to win the title.

On August 25, 2007, Chicago attorney Tahirah Johnson, skating as "Tequila Mockingbird" for The Fury, was injured in the most serious accident of the current roller derby revival. She injured her spinal cord during a bout, and was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. She has since returned home and through physical therapy has regained some movement in all of her limbs.