The Derby Dolls are Los Angeles' premier banked track roller derby league. The league was founded in October 2003 by Rebecca Ninburg (Demolicious) and Wendy Templeton (Thora Zeen). In January 2018, the league was granted its 501c3 status, under the name CA Derby Dolls. Over the last fifteen years, the Derby Dolls have continued to evolve and are now a thriving, volunteer run organization comprised of more than 150 adult and junior skaters, referees, and trainers.

The Derby Dolls are committed to achieving the highest level of competition, integrity and production quality, while enriching the lives of its members and community through sport. This mission is accomplished through a state of the art training program, professionally produced bouts, introductory classes, and tailored workshops for community groups.

Throughout its history, the Derby Dolls have produced 14 seasons comprised of more than 20+ bouts annually, won multiple national and regional championships (National Battle on the Bank: 1st Place - 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019; 2nd place 2009, 2011, and 3rd place in 2010; and Regional Battle for the Coast- Flat Track: 1st place - 2012 and 2013; 2nd place - 2014), hosted over 25 training camps for adult and junior skaters and volunteered in hundreds of transformative community events.

The Derby Dolls offer programming seven days a week to its 150 adult and junior skaters, who each commit to a minimum of 14 hours a month of training. Programming includes skills-based practices on and off skates; team skater, mid level (Subpool) and entry level (Fresh Meat) practices, and team and mixed-level scrimmages (bouting). A rotating series of introductory and advanced introductory classes (Derby Por Vida) are open to community members for a fee. And specialized workshops (RollUp!) are made available at no cost to targeted populations. (Past groups have included youth at risk for gang involvement; survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault; and formerly-incarcerated women with their female children).

The Derby Dolls also commit their time and career talents to a robust schedule of year round service projects to promote the health and well-being of communities throughout Los Angeles County. In addition to specialized workshops, league skaters also oversee service engagement projects in our surrounding communities (i.e. a league-produced health fair, neighborhood clean ups, marathons and CicLAvias, literacy events, family movie nights, and more). These projects expose Derby Dolls skaters, their families and the league’s fan base to a broad range of social issues: homelessness, educational equity, violence against women, suicide prevention, access to quality health care, etc. - and provide opportunities for everyone to become involved in promoting healthier communities.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Derby Dolls is a non-profit, volunteer-run banked-track roller derby league operated by its members. Our mission centers feminism within athletics and through community, growth, and leadership opportunities.

VISION STATEMENT

We, the Derby Dolls, strive to create quality banked-track roller derby programs in an environment of inclusivity, accountability, and integrity. We embrace a growth mindset and aim to foster connection and belonging through sport in our community and beyond.

CORE VALUES

Our core values are at the heart of our organization. We strive to uphold these principles as members of the Derby Dolls community.

Sport: In any role, we are here for the love of the game! Our league creates teammates who are cheerleaders, friends who become family, and volunteers who are superheroes.

Wellness: We maintain our physical, mental, and emotional health through fun, fitness, and teamwork.

Empowerment: The Derby Dolls provide a space for people from all walks of life to support, encourage, and uplift one another, on and off the track.

Athletic Expression: We enthusiastically celebrate the athleticism and dynamic energy of roller derby! We do so through our bout makeup, derby names, and the sport’s competitive spirit.

Tenacity: Individually and as a whole, our persistence and grit give us the power to overcome obstacles. Whenever we fall, we always get back up.

INCLUSION STATEMENT

Derby Dolls league members, fans, and volunteers come from all backgrounds. It is this diversity that creates our dynamic and empowering community. We are committed to creating a space where all are welcome. The Derby Dolls stand proudly against racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination and oppression.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Derby Dolls acknowledge that we gather on traditional, unceded Kizh (Keech) and Tongva (Tongvuh/TONG-və) land. We ask league members and the Derby Dolls community to honor, with gratitude, the Kizh and Tongva people, elders, and the land itself. The Derby Dolls encourage you to visit NativeLand.ca to learn about the native land you reside on and its history. **Hear the pronunciation of Kizh here and Tongva here**

GENDER POLICY

The Derby Dolls are committed to inclusive and anti-discrimination practices in relation to all trans+, intersex, gender expansive, non-binary, or otherwise not cisgender participants, volunteers, fans and league members.

The Derby Dolls recognizes that individuals who identify as trans+, intersex, gender expansive, non-binary, and/or otherwise not cisgender may skate with the Derby Dolls if women’s roller derby is the version and composition of roller derby with which they most closely identify. The gender identity of any and all Derby Dolls participants is considered confidential and private. The Derby Dolls are committed to creating a space where all are welcome and we stand proudly against racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination and oppression.

For a discussion of terms describing gender, we encourage members & fans to review information provided here by Gender Spectrum: “The vocabulary of gender continues to evolve and there is not universal agreement about the definitions of many terms. Nonetheless, here is some working language and examples of frequently used (and misused) terms. We offer them as a starting place for dialogue and understanding, which begins by clarifying how we are using various terms, rather than asserting that they represent the final or only definition of the various terms.”

CA Derby Dolls is a 501c(3) Non-profit organization. Tax ID Number: 82-3100150