Paris Roller Derby Explained

Paris Roller Derby is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Paris, France. Founded in February 2010, the league currently consists of a single team which competes against teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).^[1]

History

The league was founded by Inès Habhab, following the release of Whip It! in France (under the title Bliss).^[2] As the sport was not established in France, she was assisted by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in forming a league.^[3] In October 2010, the league was accepted as an apprentice member of the WFTDA,^[4] and it became a full member of the WFTDA in June 2013.^[5]

The league has been described as diverse, with French skaters joined by some originally from Finland, Germany, Indonesia and the United States. In May 2011, the team defeated the B-team of the German champions, Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz.^[6]

More than half of the skaters for France at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup were from the Paris Rollergirls.^[7]

WFTDA competition

In 2017, Paris qualified for WFTDA Playoffs for the first time, entering the Division 2 Playoffs in Pittsburgh as the third seed, and winning their opening game against Bear City Roller Derby, 205–152.^[8] After defeating the Columbia Quadsquad, Paris fell to Boston Roller Derby, 198–115.^[9] Paris then defeated Dublin Roller Derby 259–152 in the semifinals,^[10] setting up a rematch against Boston in the final, which was again won by Boston, 166–150, with Paris finishing the tournament in second place.^[11]

In 2018, Paris was the eleventh seed at the WFTDA Playoff in A Coruña, Spain, but finished out of the medals after losing both of their games.^[12]

Rankings

Season	Final ranking[13]	Playoffs	Championship
2013	NR	DNQ	DNQ
2014	169 WFTDA[14]	DNQ	DNQ
2015	148 WFTDA[15]	DNQ	DNQ
2016	71 WFTDA[16]	DNQ	DNQ
2017	41 WFTDA[17]	N/A	2 D2
2018	35 WFTDA[18]	CR	DNQ

• CR = consolation round

Notes and References

1. Web site: Paris Rollergirls – WFTDA. wftda.com. WFTDA. 16 April 2017.
2. Web site: Billard. Sébastien. A la découverte du roller-derby, le. Le Monde.fr. Le Monde. 16 April 2017. fr. 3 March 2011.
3. Lucile Roger, "Le «roller derby» débarque en France! ", Têtu, 27 May 2010
4. "WFTDA Apprentice Program Welcomes 10 New Leagues", WFTDA, 5 October 2010
5. "WFTDA Welcomes First Full Member Leagues in Asia and South America", 6 June 2013
6. "Le roller-derby, le sport sexy et violent qui séduit les françaises", Les Inrockuptibles, 28 May 2011
7. "Equipe ", Team France Roller Derby
8. Web site: Khaos. Merry.
   1. 3 Paris Rollergirls Beat #14 Bear City in their First Playoff, 205-152
   . Derby Central. 9 December 2017. 18 August 2017.
9. Web site: Khaos. Merry.
   1. 7 Boston takes out #3 Paris, 198-115
   . Derby Central. 9 December 2017. 19 August 2017.
10. Web site: Khaos. Merry.
    1. 3 Paris ends the run for #16 Dublin, 259-152
    . Derby Central. 9 December 2017. 20 August 2017.
11. Web site: Deadwards. Lisa.
    1. 7 Boston repeats victory against #3 Paris, 166-150
    . Derby Central. 9 December 2017. 21 August 2017.
12. Web site: Arch Rival Roller Derby Wins 2018 International WFTDA Playoffs A Coruña – WFTDA . wftda.com . WFTDA . 6 February 2019 . 2 September 2018.
13. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
14. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA. wftda.com. January 2015 . WFTDA. 16 April 2017.
15. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA. wftda.com. January 2016 . WFTDA. 16 April 2017.
16. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA. wftda.com. 6 January 2017 . WFTDA. 16 April 2017.
17. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA. wftda.com. 5 January 2018 . WFTDA. 5 January 2018.
18. Web site: Rankings: December 31, 2018 – WFTDA . wftda.com . 7 January 2019 . WFTDA . 6 February 2019.