In 2006 RollerTrauma Productions was created by Jerry Michael and Burke Breneman. As a professional sporting event promotor, and women's roller derby coach and referee, respectively, the need was obvious for an organization that could assist fledgling derby leagues which had the desire to take both their team performance and access to larger bout venues to the next level. The current standard for Women's Flat Track Derby leagues is based on the DIY (Do It Yourself) model. Most commonly the leagues are owned by the skaters themselves, and the participants either pay dues or raise capitol through "fund raising" events to finance their needs. Occasionally there is some sponsor support to offset the cost of running weekly practices and both inter and intra-league bouts and tournaments. Those teams that are fortunate enough to have experienced advertising, marketing and fundraising people on their skating roster tend to do much better in those areas than teams that do not. Bout production is another area where teams with professionals on their skating staff are more successful.
Officiating for start-up leagues has often been an issue as well. With no budget for paying officials, and really no pool of organized officials to choose from, the only option left for inter-league bouting has been for each team to bring their own referees. As team proficiency is rising as fast as Roller Derby is growing, the BYO Ref system is being quickly outpaced by the skater's skill set and fan sophistication.
RollerTrauma Productions is addressing these issues in the following ways:
If we can assist your league in any or all of those ways, or you would like to be involved in any of our events, at any level, please feel free to contact us.
This document maintained by
{burke@rollertrauma.com}.
Material Copyright © 2007.