10 Important LA Derby Dolls Milestones in 2015

2015 was a monumental year for the LA Derby Dolls. Just 12 months ago we weren’t sure what our future would look like, and we weren’t even sure we would have a facility to house our infamous banked track. It took our entire league coming together for months to fundraise the money we needed to move, make the logistics happen, and redefine our league during a time of transition.

We’d like to take the time to thank again all those who donated to our cause because the LA Derby Dolls would not still be here today without the contributions of our fans. This year had so many moments great and small for us to be proud of. Here are just 10 highlight moments of 2015 as we move into the New Year.

Feb 4. - LARD Co-Op Born

We knew that not only did we have to move in 2015–we had to restructure. Our hard working Board of Directors put a plan into action to re-establish the LA Derby Dolls as a skater-owned and operated cooperative. After numerous hours of legal research and organized action, the Los Angeles Roller Derby Cooperative was born on paper in February. Becoming a skater-owned league was very important to us and we are thriving under our new structure.

March 14th – Hot Dog Sheilas vs. Hamburger Marys 

With the Doll Factory soon closing, we had only a few months left to say our goodbyes. A longtime running joke among some skaters was a “Hot Dog Sheilas vs. Hamburger Marys” themed bout. It originated from a Fresh Meat practice, but with precious little time left at the Doll Factory, some skaters got together to make it happen. Finally the dreams of many came true when this matchup was finally held on March 14th. Made up of a mix of team skaters, the two teams went head to head at this informal LA Derby Dolls homecoming.

April 9 – Last practice at Doll Factory

Even though we had no idea if we would still be operating or skating the next month, we continued to train just as hard as ever. The LA Derby Dolls had closed to the public late 2014 but we weren’t going to let anything slow us down. We continued training right up until our moving day. 

April 10 – Moving begins.

The arduous task of moving everything out of the Doll Factory began April 10th. It took days to take apart our banked track, load it up into trucks, and assemble it in the new location. All hands were on deck for days as we tore down wooden structures, moved anything not nailed down (and some stuff that was), and prepared 4900 Alhambra Ave. to be our new home.

April 25 – Soft opening, BDB rematch

The first bout played at the new location was a Baby Doll Brawl rematch. Suicide Pack (Black) vs. The Plastics (Pink) had been forced to play their first bout quietly without friends and family in the stands since the Doll Factory was no longer open to the public. The Baby Doll Brawl is a very important right of passage for the up-and-coming LA Derby Dolls skater as it’s the debut for all future talent of the league. Thankfully in our new location, these rising stars got their chance to shine.

May 1 – New Dollosseum name announced

Members of the newly founded cooperative voted The Dollosseum as the name of our new warehouse location in El Sereno. We embraced our new neighborhood quickly and got to work reaching out to the surrounding community with local trash cleanups, City Council meetings, and much more.

May 16 – First public bout at Dollosseum – Fight Crew vs. Sirens

When the lights went down before the start of the bout and the season opening video streamed across our projector screens, the emotion was extremely heavy in the room. This was the moment we had all been working tirelessly towards for months and finally a new season was officially underway. We were all definitely ready for some roller derby action and so was the sold out crowd.  

May 30 – First Jrs bout at Dollosseum

Our Junior Derby Dolls made their Dolloseeum debut on May 30th. Just like the rest of the league, the Juniors had just gone through a rough year and the first Juniors bout was just as meaningful to us as our first home team bout. The Juniors continued to be featured as double headers once a month throughout the 2015 season. 

June 8 – LA Derby Dolls Named best small business

On June 8, the LA Derby Dolls were named best small business in District 51 of California by assemblymember Jimmy Gomez. Spanning from Silverlake to Eagle Rock and back down to the Montebello area, District 51 is home to a number of unique and tightly knit community cultures. Welcomed at the Capital by Gomez and his staff, it was a special day in LA Derby Dolls history and a symbol of the dedication the Women’s Banked Track Roller Derby league has to its community. 

Dec 5 – VB wins champs

This year was full of firsts and home team Championships proved no different. After an amazing undefeated season, the Varsity Brawlers made it to Champs and won a hard fight over the former 2014 Champions the Sirens. Having been a repeat underdog of the league, this was a particularly sweet victory for the Varsity Brawlers. Congrats VB!