FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO ROLLER DERBY ROLLS INTO 9TH SEASON

Toronto Roller Derby’s 9th Season Begins Saturday January 17th at the Bunker, in Downsview Park – But will the season end there?

TORONTO -Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD) kicks off its 9th season this Saturday Jan. 17 at 5 pm at the Downsview Park Bunker with a doubleheader featuring Toronto’s beloved home teams; last season’s league champions the Death Track Dolls, plus The Gore-Gore Rollergirls, The Smoke City Betties, and Chicks Ahoy!

The first game begins at 5 p.m. with The Gores and The Dolls battling once again. They last met in the 2014 Battle for The Boot (our championship game), in which the Dolls came out on top. Fur will fly and blood will splatter in this rematch. Then at 7 pm, it’s the shakedown between The Chicks and The Betties. With new draft picks, new lines and off-season training the Chicks will be working to anchor a secure win, but this season’s Betties are scrappier and armed with a new game. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire; can the seafaring Chicks douse the flames?

ToRD’s Jan. 17 season opener marks the start of six months full of competitive roller derby action, with some of the toughest athletes in the GTA donning their roller skates and showing you what heart is. The largest flat-track roller derby league in Canada, ToRD is made up of over 120 active skaters who compete locally and internationally, including 40 skaters under the age of 18 in our affiliate Junior league, Toronto Jr. Roller Derby (TJRD). The skaters you see on the track are the same that serve on our Board of Directors, coordinate our bouts, book the halftime shows, sell t-shirts, set up the stands and publicize each game.

Our 9th year promises to be the toughest one yet. Our current home is at Downsview Park, fondly known as The Bunker amongst our fans, but new demands on the space and changes in the Park have us searching for a new home. This means that come April, as our playoffs begin, our league will be without a space in which to practice and play.

“Roller derby is like nothing else. Since it came to Toronto it’s consistently grown, attracting new skaters, fans and volunteers. It has truly changed the lives of so many people who have been involved over the years. In order to continue to engage so many people in our city with this unique sport, we need a space we can do that in,” said ToRD President Mazel Tough, who skates with The Betties.

Skaters have been working around the clock to save the 2015 season and find ToRD a new home, but we have yet to find a good fit. With so many sports and community groups vying for space to play and gather, coupled with the high costs of renting appropriate space, carving out a place for roller derby has proven to be a difficult challenge. So now we’re asking you for help. If you rent, own, sell or use space that meets the following requirements please get in touch with us at pr@torontorollerderby.com

What ToRD needs:

Roughly 20,000 square feet for bouting space (room for fans and vendors) for up to $10,000 per month

Accessible fan seating and washrooms for capacity of 1500-4000

Good air quality and lighting

Space for vendors and sponsors’ signage

Location must be within the City of Toronto with TTC access and parking available

“We (ToRD) are really hopeful that the community in Toronto who support what we do will rally to help us find a space to keep doing what we do. Because what we do is pretty amazing, empowering and great to watch,” said Mazel Tough.

Help us make sure we make it to season 10 and we’ll keep the good times rolling – literally.

– 30 –

Media Contacts:

Mazel Tough (aka Elissa Hermolin elissahermolin@hotmail.com 647-280-3593)

Android W.K. (aka Nicole Maxwell)

pr@torontorollerderby.com

Photos available upon request.

Event Details:

Address for The Bunker: 40 Carl Hall Road, Studio 3

Doors open at 4 p.m.

First bout Gores/Dolls starts at 5 p.m.

Second bout Chicks/Betties starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets available at the door for $18 or advance purchase online for $12

Licensed Event

After Party: Two Bite Saloon (840 Bloor St. West) @ 10:30 pm