Texas Roller Derby

Texas Roller Derby (TXRD)
Metro areaAustin, Texas
CountryUnited States
Founded2001
TeamsCherry Bombs
Hellcats
Hired Gun$
Holy Rollers
Putas Del Fuego
Rhinestones
Current championsHoly Rollers
(4th title)
Track type(s)Banked
Websitewww.txrd.com

Texas Roller Derby (TXRD), formerly known as Texas Lonestar Rollergirls, is Austin, Texas' only banked-track roller derby league. Founded in Austin in 2001, TXRD is often credited with the revival [1] of the modern roller derby movement. TXRD is skater-owned and operated and open to all women, transgender, intersex, and gender-expansive athletes.

In 2006, the skaters of TXRD were featured in a 13-episode television series on A&E titled Rollergirls, which contributed to the renewed international popularity of women's roller derby.[2]

Notably, TXRD is the only banked-track league to allow both fighting and a penalty wheel. Both are real and unscripted.[1]

Teams

[3]

Cherry Bombs (Green) vs Rhinestone Cowgirls (Red) on August 27, 2011, in Austin, Texas

TXRD features six home teams plus a travel team:

  • The Hellcats
  • The Putas Del Fuego
  • The Holy Rollers
  • The Rhinestones
  • The Cherry Bombs
  • The Hired Gun$
  • The All-Scar Army Airborne Division

2025 Season Rosters

Hellcats Las Putas Del Fuego Holy Rollers Rhinestones Cherry Bombs Hired Gun$
Aggrobat Bad Habbitch BeetleJukes Beaux Dacious Anya Marx Faye Tality
Ambitchous Netflix and Kill Daisy Confused Cannabish Boogie Heights Smackalope
Cyd Vicious Miller Fite Stranger Thing Colonel Slamders Dani Darko Manila Wafer
Gayle Force Winz GAUDSPEED Femme O’Naide Jose Queervo Dawna Destruction Mustang Smashley
Hannibal Wrecker Rhea Sunshine Trauma Queen Mad Maxican Ethyl Murder 'Ol Kirbi Bastard
Vanna Fook Satalite Ghost in the Chelle Harli Grim Bully Jean Pistol Etta
Kate Slayed Stevie Kicks Hartlyn Nicola Virus Milla Juke-a-Bitch Gnarli XCX
Whoopsie Velocithrasher Hex Appeal Rattleskate Ninja Please Busty MC
Mary Christmas Eduskater Rails from the Crypt Rum Punch The Star
Nina Guillotina Fighting Chance Scarlet Harlot Toxic Thot Syndrome Scrappy
Zara Problem
5

Calvello Cup

Roller derby performer Anne Calvello, the "Demon of the Derby", was an inspiration to the founding members of TXRD. They maintained a close correspondence with her in the early years of the league, finally meeting her in person in 2005 during the filming of the A&E show Rollergirls. The Championship Cup has been named in her honor.[2]

List of finals

List of Calvello Cup finals
Season Winners Score Runners-up
2002 Hellcats Unknown Unknown
2003 Rhinestone Cowgirls Unknown Unknown
2004 Holy Rollers Unknown Unknown
2005 Rhinestone Cowgirls 39-36[4] Holy Rollers
2006 Putas Del Fuego 59-47[5] Rhinestone Cowgirls
2007 Holy Rollers 72-43 [6] Rhinestone Cowgirls
2008 Holy Rollers 18-14[7] Hellcats
2009 Hellcats 44-35[8] Cherry Bombs
2010 Cherry Bombs Unknown Hellcats
2011 Rhinestone Cowgirls Unknown Cherry Bombs
2012 Rhinestone Cowgirls 50-33[9] Holy Rollers
2013 Cherry Bombs 51-47[10] Rhinestone Cowgirls
2014 Putas Del Fuego 37-35[11] Rhinestone Cowgirls
2015 Putas Del Fuego 63-41[12] Cherry Bombs
2016 Cherry Bombs 63-39[13] Hellcats
2017 Cherry Bombs 91-86[14] Putas Del Fuego
2018 Putas Del Fuego Unknown Rhinestone Cowgirls
2019 Holy Rollers 112-75 Rhinestone Cowgirls
2020
2021
2022
2023 Rhinestones Cherry Bombs
2024 Rhinestones Cherry Bombs

Performances by team

Performances in the Calvello Cup by Team
Team Titles Runners-up Seasons won Seasons runner-up
Rhinestone Cowgirls 6 6 2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2023, 2024 2006, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019
Cherry Bombs 4 5 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017 2009, 2011, 2015, 2023, 2024
Holy Rollers 4 2 2004, 2007, 2008, 2019 2005, 2012
Putas Del Fuego 4 1 2006, 2014, 2015, 2018 2017
Hellcats 2 3 2002, 2009 2008, 2010, 2016

Penalty Wheel and Spank Alley

Rather than having skaters accumulate minor penalties throughout the game, as in other rule sets, skaters who have earned minor penalties are assigned a penalty through a spin of the penalty wheel. The penalties themselves have evolved throughout the years from entertainment-only penalties to a mix of entertainment and point-loss penalties to solely point-loss penalties.[15] Current penalties include:

  • Long Jump
  • Pillow Fight
  • Arm Wrestling
  • No Holds Barred, Two Lap Duel
  • Tug of War
  • Push Cart
  • Relay Race
  • Judge's Choice*
*The Judge's Choice penalty is chosen by 11 fans seated in Spank Alley. Spank Alley seats are reserved for the winner of raffle tickets sold to fans throughout the game.

As part of TXRD's larger community outreach and philanthropy program, proceeds from the sale of Spank Alley tickets are donated to a trust for the son of the original Penalty mistress, Amber Diva, who died in 2003.

Skaters and fans from TXRD were featured in the 2002 video for Nashville Pussy's "Say Something Nasty".

In 2006, A&E produced the 13-episode series Rollergirls, featuring the personalities and games of the 2005 season. The show focused primarily on the lives of Cha Cha and Venis Envy of the Putas Del Fuego; Punky Bruiser, Miss Conduct, and Sister Mary Jane of the Holy Rollers; Lunatic and Clownsnack of the Hellcats; and Lux of the Rhinestone Cowgirls. Many other skaters were highlighted.

Also in 2006, TXRD skaters Lux and Venis Envy were featured in the music video for The Flaming Lips single The W.A.N.D. on the album At War with the Mystics.

Hell on Wheels, a documentary about the creation of the all-female roller derby league in Austin, Texas, in 2001 that sparked the modern derby revival premiered in March 2007 at the South by Southwest Film Festival. It focuses on the revival of the game via the original organization from which both TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls (banked-track) and Texas Rollergirls (WFTDA flat track) arose.[16]

Released in October 2009, the film Whip It! based on a book by former LA Derby Dolls skater Shauna Cross featured both the league (in name) and the Holy Rollers (in name). Two TXRD skaters, Sacralicious of the Cherry Bombs and Rocky Casbah of the Cherry Bombs, provided stunt work and cameos along with other skaters from across the country.[17][18]

Beginning February 2011, TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls bouts will be broadcast on central Texas television channel KCWX.[needs update]

The TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls were featured in the 2012 Australian documentary film This Is Roller Derby.[19]

Nokia Lumia's 920 ad campaign video competition in spring 2013 featured skaters from the Hellcats in a cameraphone comparison video.[20]

The 2013 BBC program How to Build a Planet, hosted by Richard Hammond, featured TXRD Rollergirls in Episode 2, "Engineering a Universe". Skaters demonstrated principles of astrophysics and their effect on heavenly bodies in the creation of a solar system.[21]

TXRD bouts are no longer aired on KCWX, but are streamed via their TXRD Facebook page, live on bout days.

In 2020, TXRD was featured on the Netflix series Home Game, a docuseries profiling unique and dangerous sports from around the world.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "ESPN Outside the Lines". Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "A&E's Rollergirls". Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  3. ^ "Teams".
  4. ^ "Reality TV: 'Idol' goes country | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette".
  5. ^ TXRD: Championship - Putas del Fuego vs Rhinestone Cowgirls 6/4/06. TXRD Historian. June 13, 2016. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Midseason Lonestar Rollergirls Bout: Holy Rollers vs. Rhinestone Cowgirls".
  7. ^ TXRD: Championship - Hellcats vs Holy Rollers 10/11/2008. TXRD Historian. September 20, 2017. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Cats for Calvello".
  9. ^ TXRD: Championship - Rhinestone Cowgirls vs Holy Rollers 10/6/2012. TXRD Historian. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ TXRD: Championship - Cherry Bombs vs Rhinestone Cowgirls 9/28/2013. TXRD Historian. January 17, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ TXRD: Championship - Putas del Fuego vs Rhinestone Cowgirls 10/25/2014. TXRD Historian. January 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ TXRD: Championship - Cherry Bombs vs Putas del Fuego 10/17/15. TXRD Historian. April 26, 2017. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ 2016 TXRD Cavello Cup Championship Hellcats vs Cherry Bombs. TXRD: Texas Roller Derby. October 16, 2016. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Calvello Cup Championship, Cherry Bombs v PDF pt2. TXRD: Texas Roller Derby. November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "Home". TXRD. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  16. ^ Snyder, S. James (March 4, 2008). "Return of the Roller Derby Queen". The New York Sun. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  17. ^ Whittaker, Richard (October 2, 2009). "Tough Enough 'Whip It' director Drew Barrymore and scribe Shauna Cross roll with the punches". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  18. ^ Garcia, Chris (July 26, 2008). "'Whip It' keeps firm Austin ties". Austin360.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  19. ^ Whittaker, Richard (April 27, 2013). "'This is Roller Derby' Trying to Roll to Austin". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Windows Phone". Tumblr.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  21. ^ "Richard Hammond Builds a Planet - Episode guide - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "Home Game | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.