Congratulations to our Juniors – Boomerang, Tom-a-Hawk, and Unstoppable – chosen to represent the USA Team East in the 2018 Junior Roller Derby World Cup! To say we are proud is an understatement! Stay tuned for the road to World Cup and follow us on Facebook. @phillyrollerderbyjuniors
#wearephilly #juniorrollerderbyworldcup
Category: juniors news
Congratulations!
After an amazing year and a very successful weekend in Kansas, the PRD Juniors received an invite to the 2017 JRDA Championships in Loveland, CO.
We are so very proud of our Juniors and and want to thank everyone who has helped them achieve this goal!
PRD Juniors Travel Team
Check out the Philly Roller Derby 2016-2017 PRD Junior Travel Team!
(Left to Right) Maddy Long Legs, Unstoppable, Motley Dru, Harley Spinn, Veg-o-Matic, Ruff Red, Susan B. Anarchy, Ty Fighter, Ana, Rainbow Crash, Hermoine Maimer, Malice in Wonderland, Take Down Diva, Jena Vendetta, Boomerang, and Tomahawk.
Not Pictured: Ya Ya the Destroyer
Follow us at: PRD Juniors Facebook
Fun in the Sun
The Philly Junior Travel Team are excited to announce they are heading to Florida on April 30 for their first long-distance travel experience. They will be taking on three highly competitive JRDA teams from Florida and Georgia. Over the weekend, they will face off against Tampa Junior Roller Derby, Jacksonville Junior Roller Derby and Sk8 City Sirens from Savannah, Georgia.
The juniors have been working really hard and are excited for such an opportunity. Coach Devoida Mercy spoke of her excitement about the upcoming junior games. “I think the first tournament experience is going to be what launches our team into the future. The opportunity for our skaters to play, watch and learn from some of the top teams in the country will help us to focus on becoming the top level team we know that we can be in the months and years to come.”
The travel team skaters are just as excited, especially travel team skaters (and sisters) Motley Dru and Ruff Red.
“This trip is an amazing opportunity for everyone and it’s so exciting that we actually get to travel out of the state. We have come so far as a team, and made so many friends! It’s also super cool that my younger sister made the travel team and we can work together to win all these games!!!!!”~Motley Dru
“Leaving the state will give us extra motivation to win! I can’t wait to play with the more experienced skaters. It will really improve my skills in skating!”~Ruff Red
To keep up to date with our travel adventures, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
nothing junior about this roster
Philly Roller Derby is proud to announce Philly Roller Derby Junior’s first JRDA travel team charter of 2016.
99 – Ana
817 – BOOMeRaNg
29 – Demon Spawn
95 – Devilled Leggz
92 – Dragon Slayer
80 – Em-80
1021 – Galaxy Smash
394 – Hermione Maimer
5 – Iron Jadyn
777 – Jostling Josie
181 – Maddy Long Legs
15 – Motley Drü
10 – Rainbow Crash
14 – Ruff Red
17 – Take Down Diva
00 – Thunder Thighs
171 – Tom-A-Hawk
101 – Ty Fighter
13 – Unstoppable
20 – Ya Ya The Destroyer
Stay tuned for more information on the home season.
Wheels up!
Philly Roller Derby is proud to congratulate Devoida Mercy and Teflon Donna who were announced as coaches for the Northeast Regional team competing in the 2016 JRDA/AAU Junior Olympics.
This is the first co-ed competition of its kind and will consist of eight teams made up of skaters from the US regions, as well as teams from Australia, Canada, and an international team. This event will be a collaboration with the roller derby’s Olympic Movement organization, USA Roller Sports (USARS).
As co-founders of the PRD Junior’s program, Teflon Donna and Devoida Mercy are no stranger to fostering youth sports through roller derby. Over the past three years they have worked to successfully develop a juniors program that trains young skaters of all levels, from beginners to competitive travel-team level play. PRD Junior skater, Rainbow Crash, age 12, said “Tef and Mercy push me to my limits and inspire me to be a better skater.” “Tef gives me extra tips on how to do new things when I don’t understand them. She makes it easier to learn!,” said Iron Jadyn, age 11. The focus of their coaching is on teamwork and communication, footwork, strategy and positive attitudes, resulting in a healthy season of competition–and smiling faces at the end of every session!
In addition to their work with PRDJ, they coached at JuniorCon for the past three years, offering workshops on everything from transitions to defensive strategies and jamming-focused skills. They have proven themselves to be great leaders and integral parts of the growing junior derby community. Hermione Maimer, age 13, said, “Mercy and Tef are amazing skaters, amazing coaches, and amazing people. It’s not enough for them to be great themselves – they want us to be great too!”
Keep tabs on Tef and Mercy by following the PRD Juniors on Facebook and find out more information about the 2016 JRDA Olympics.
2015 PRDJ Travel Team Charter
Philly Roller Derby is proud to announce Philly Roller Derby Junior’s first JRDA travel team charter of 2015.
99 – Ana
817 – BOOMeRaNg
29 – Demon Spawn
95 – Devilled Leggz
92 – Dragon Slayer
80 – Em-80
394 – Hermione Maimer
777 – Jostling Josie
181 – Maddy Long Legs
15 – Motley Dru
10 – Rainbow Crash
17 – Take Down Diva
B00M – Thunder Thighs
13 – Unstoppable
20 – Ya Ya The Destroyer
You can see the travel team in action on Sunday May 31st when they face off at home against Gotham Juniors in their first JRDA-sanctioned bout. This bout will take place at Millennium Skate World in Camden, NJ.
PRD Juniors Program Goes Co-Ed
In 2015, Philly Roller Girls made the important decision to become more gender-inclusive, starting with some very public-facing shifts with the way we’ve trained our young athletes. By changing our name to ‘Philly Roller Derby,’ the league heralded some small but fairly significant moves away from the “women-only” moniker, in order to begin to include boys in its growing two year-old Juniors program.
While many Juniors teams and leagues across the country are co-ed, Philly’s program had started out as a girls-based initiative geared towards building confidence and camaraderie in blossoming female athletes. But was segregation the best way to help strong, young athletes evolve? Philly Roller Derby felt there was a better way, a way in which young girls were encouraged to learn and compete with boys on a level playing field—the flat track!
This winter, the league proudly announced the inclusion of boys, ages 6-18, into its successful Juniors program. The results have been outstanding, with more than 50 skaters signing up for the 2015 program—seven of whom are young boys eager to learn the basics of flat track derby. “It’s been hard, but I also really like learning something new,” says 7 year-old “Catman,” a brand new skater with the Juniors program. “This year, I learned that it’s good to always try, and that boys and girls can get along and skate together!”
By demonstrating more gender-equality in sports, Philly Roller Derby hopes that the communication and team-work skills we teach will translate beyond the track. As a proud member of the WFTDA, PRD is dedicated to showcasing our hard-working athletes of all ages. We’re thrilled by the success of the 2015 program so far, and welcome boys and girls of all skating abilities to see what our Juniors program is all about!