The ‘Super Bowl of Roller Derby’ is coming to the City of Roses

Published 12:00 pm Friday, October 25, 2024

It’s almost time to roll into this Super Bowl on skates.

Portland’s premier roller derby league, Rose City Rollers, is bringing the 2024 Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Global Championships to Portland again from Nov. 1-3 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Rose City Rollers’ Wheels of Justice team is four-time world champions and the current reigning champs, and last played at their home base in 2016.

“We’re not the underdogs anymore, and people love the underdog, but I hope to see a lot of purple in the crowd and support from our home base,” said Loren Kaplan-Mutch, Rose City Rollers digital marketing and communications specialist, and one of Wheels of Justice’s top veterans.

Hailing from Canada, France, Sweden, Australia and the U.S., 13 teams will compete for the highest title called the Hydra.

These teams competed through regional qualifiers, spending countless hours training to earn a spot on the coveted stage.

Kaplan-Mutch is also a jammer on the Wheels of Justice team, and she said they have been practicing against each other “day in and day out.”

A general schedule is as follows: Friday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the headliner at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the headliner at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 3 from noon-8 p.m., with the championship at 6 p.m.

For more details visit the website, wftdaglobalchamps.com.

“The monstrous momentum behind women’s sports in Portland is only just beginning,” said Kim “Rocket Mean” Stegeman, founder and executive director of Rose City Rollers. “Roller derby is more than just a sport, it’s a lifestyle, and fans are more than excited for Global Champs.”

If the 16-game weekend of high-level skating wasn’t enough excitement, attendees can look forward to “Vendor Village” packed with booths, concessions, bars, team merchandise, raffles and halftime entertainment.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as four after-parties will carry the excitement into the night: a Secret Roller Disco event from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, location undecided; a chill night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday, Nov.1 at 10 Barrel Brewing Co., on Northwest Flanders Street; a party at the Rose City Rollers hangar from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Oaks Amusement Park; and a finale party from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Double Tree on Northeast Multnomah Street.

Tickets for single headliner game passes, day passes, weekend passes and VIP seating are available via Ticketmaster, Ticketmaster.com