Roller derby

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short match ups (jams) in which both teams designate a jammer who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to hinder the opposing jammer while assisting their own jammer—in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, nearly half of them outside the United States.

While the sport has its origins in the banked-track roller skating marathons of the 1930s, Leo Seltzer and Damon Runyon are credited with the basic evolution of the sport to its initial competitive form. Professional roller derby quickly became popular; in 1940, more than five million spectators watched in about 50 American cities. In the ensuing decades, however, it predominantly became a form of sports entertainment where the theatrical elements overshadowed the athleticism. This gratuitous showmanship largely ended with the sport's contemporary grassroots revival in the first decade of the 21st century. Although some sports entertainment qualities such as player pseudonyms and colorful uniforms were retained, scripted bouts with predetermined winners were abandoned.

Women's Flat Track Derby Association

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition (ULC) but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501(c)(6) business league organization, which is a type of non-profit organization. According to its mission statement, the organization "promotes and fosters the sport of women's flat track roller derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportsmanship, and goodwill among member leagues" and its governing philosophy is "by the skaters, for the skaters" — the primary owners, managers, and operators of each member league and of the association are women skaters, although this does not preclude any particular business structure (leagues don't have to be legally incorporated or internally egalitarian). The mission statement also says WFTDA sets "standards for rules, seasons, and safety, and determining guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues" and says "all member leagues have a voice in the decision-making process, and agree to comply with WFTDA policies."

Derby

Derby (ⁱ/ˈdɑːrbi/ DAR-bi, locally /ˈdɑːrbɛ/ DAR-beh) is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands region of England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of the county of Derbyshire, of which it is the county town. In the 2011 census, the city had a population of 248,700 and 1,543,000 in the wider metro area.

As home to Lombe's Mill, an early British factory, Derby is considered a birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. With the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, and because of its strategic central location, the city grew to become a centre of the British rail industry.

Today, Derby is an internationally renowned centre for advanced transport manufacturing, home to the world’s second largest aero-engine manufacturer, Rolls-Royce, and Derby Litchurch Lane Works—the UK's only remaining train manufacturer. The Toyota Manufacturing UK's automobile headquarters is south west of the city at Burnaston.

History

Origins

The Roman camp of 'Derventio' was probably at Little Chester/Chester Green (grid reference SK353375), the site of the old Roman fort. Later the town was one of the 'Five Boroughs' (fortified towns) of the Danelaw, until it was captured by Lady Aethelflaed of Mercia in July 917, subsequent to which the town was annexed into the Kingdom of Mercia.

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors. It may also be called "the executive board" and is often simply referred to as "the board".

A board's activities are determined by the powers, duties, and responsibilities delegated to it or conferred on it by an authority outside itself. These matters are typically detailed in the organization's bylaws. The bylaws commonly also specify the number of members of the board, how they are to be chosen, and when they are to meet. However, these bylaws rarely address a board's powers when faced with a corporate turnaround or restructuring, where board members need to act as agents of change in addition to their traditional fiduciary responsibilities.

In an organization with voting members, the board acts on behalf of, and is subordinate to, the organization's full group, which usually chooses the members of the board. In a stock corporation, the board is elected by the shareholders and is the highest authority in the management of the corporation. In a non-stock corporation with no general voting membership, the board is the supreme governing body of the institution; its members are sometimes chosen by the board itself.

Angel City Derby Girls

The Angel City Derby Girls (ACDG) is the original women's quad-skate flat track roller derby league based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2006 by a collective of skaters, the league is composed of more than 150 members divided into four teams (and referees) who skate on a flat track and compete against teams from all over the state of California, the Western Region, and the world. The league is skater-owned and operated, "by the skater, for the skater," a completely do-it-yourself, volunteer-feuled effort by the women (and men) involved in the organization.

Teams

The league currently consists of 4 teams: the Hollywood Scarlets (WFTDA Internationally competitive charter team), the Rocket Queens and the Shore Shots (Western Regional teams) and the Road Ragers (local travel team), who compete against teams from other leagues. Members training to be placed on any of the four teams participate in the league as Rising Stars and Fresh Meat.

Team History and Development