CRDL is a women’s roller derby league run by the skaters and for the skaters on a volunteer basis. CRDL promotes roller derby, women’s health, sport and community in the Canberra region. Established in 2008, by complete derby beginners, CRDL held it’s first bout season in 2009.

CRDL runs all female teams, all participants are over the age of 18. However there are also plenty of opportunities for men and women to be involved both on skates and off, participating as referees, coaches, volunteers and supporters.

Because Roller Derby is a vigorous contact sport we start by training basic skating skills before we move on to derby specific skills. Our skaters all move through a tiered training program building their skills to ensure that by the time they start playing the game they have the strength and experience necessary to play effectively and reduce the risk of injury.

We currently have a dedicated group of bouting skaters who have come into the league between September 2008 and January 2010 and a whole bunch of new recruits who have joined us in 2010. Due to the current interest in roller derby we’ve had to cap our intake of skaters and won’t be taking any more new recruits this year.

History

CRDL was founded by four Canberra ladies, ready and willing for the hard work and fat fun that is flat-track roller derby. After a couple of months loitering on skates in carparks and basketball courts, they finally knuckle down, registered the league and started scouting for willing skaters. In September 2008, CRDL’s first training sessions started. This is by no means an easy feat, given the challenge of finding supportive venues willing to take on a little known sport consisting primarily of women crashing around on skates. Not to mention the logistics of running training sessions for a sport that only two of the original skaters had even seen live!

Swollen with new skaters from info nights at The Front and Hush Bar, CRDL was soon running two sessions of three hours every week. Held back by the lack of derby knowledge in the local area, Canberra derby skaters looked beyond the state borders, attending training sessions in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane and Sydney Roller Derby League Fresh Meat and bouts. And a group made their way to the Victorian Roller Derby League RollerCamp in November 2008. The generosity of older and more experienced Australian leagues has been invaluable, setting CRDL up with a solid administrative base, and coaches from around the country volunteering their time to coach and guide the league.

With the help of a grant from the ACT Women’s Office, CRDL were able to engage the services of Smarty Pants of Texas Roller Derby (USA), and Cheapskate, fresh from WFTDA victory with Gotham Girls Roller Derby (USA) for coaching in early 2009. Focusing on skating and coaching skills, their visit marked a turning point for CRDL, with skills, events and infrastructure becoming further established. CRDL had aimed to keep roller derby affordable and accessible, this has become easier with the growth of the league and its wider community of supporters. Previously modest fundraising efforts and hand-made merchandise, has developed into a range of bespoke jewellery, beer coolers, car stickers and garments sporting the CRDL knuckle duster logo.

Training skaters to be safe, skilled and smart has been a large focus for the league. Training sessions have been focused on building a solid base of simple skills upon which the derby skills can be built. The league’s attention to safety and care for its skaters has proudly resulted in minimal injuries, and strong, determined athletes who love the sport.

Setting up CRDL as a thriving and self-sustaining community for women’s flat track derby has been hard work, at times trying and frustrating, but ultimately rewarding. Seeing the league develop into a talented group of skaters, with the savvy to run a sell-out debut bout season with efficient media management and organisation, the energy put into the league is matched and more by its success.

CRDL’s debut into public skating was the Carnival of Carnage, 20 June 2009. An exhibition bout between the Candy Caners and the Hot Jammer Donuts, this also marked the start of Canberra’s love affair with roller derby.

This was soon followed by the inaugural three bout season from October 24, 2009, featuring CRDL’s league teams the Black’n'Blue Belles, and the Surly Griffins. 2010 has seen another closely contested season between the Belles and the Griffs and the launch of our representative team the Vice City Rollers. The Rollers had a smashing baptism of fire at the hands of the Adeladies in the Great Southern Slam in Adelaide in June 2010 and brought home their own exciting victory against the Van Diemen Rollers at the same event.