About
Wielding thighs of steel and a thirst for competition, the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls are a full contact, all female, flat-track roller derby league consisting of three teams: Th e San Francisco ShEvil Dead, The Oakland Outlaws, and The Richmond Wrecking Belles. The B.A.D. Girls pursue a mission to provide amateur athletic entertainment, and to skate competitively on a regional and national level. Driven by a passionate love for the sport, and aided by a national sisterhood of like-minded and dedicated women, the B.A.D. Girls are a skater-owned and -operated league with a commitment to helping other grassroots organizations in the Bay Area.
Short Skirts, Shorter Fuses
The B.A.D. Girls were founded in August of 2004 by a couple of girls with delusions of grandeur after one too many late-night cocktails. Inspired by dozens of burgeoning neo-derby leagues in cities like Austin, Phoenix, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, these ladies decided the Bay Area had to be next on the roster.
Currently, the B.A.D. Girls have 60 full-time league members and continue to grow by the season. As members of the national Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), a skater-run organization of flat-track female derby leagues, they participated as a Division 2 league in the national tournament in February of 2007 in Tucson, placing sixth in the West, and ninth in the nation.
The B.A.D. Girls are a grassroots, DIY organization built on nothing more than dedication, a love of derby and, of course, plenty of blood, sweat and tears. League management consists of nine skater-run committees: Coaching, Merchandise, Human Relations, Public Relations, Finance, Community Service, Event Planning, Art /Web, and Sponsorship. Committee Heads are democratically elected by the league. No one here makes a dime.
As the league launches its 2007 season, the B.A.D. Girls of roller derby are pursuing several significant goals, among them: securing and supporting a private venue for practices and bouts; and launching a charitable initiative to provide athletic activities for low-income children (dubbed the “Skater Tots”). The B.A.D. Girls continue to seek sponsorships, donations and the general kindness of strangers to facilitate bringing better, B.A.D.der roller derby to the Bay Area.