Minnesota Roller Derby kicks off its 23rd season Saturday at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the first bout starting at 6 p.m. The night features two matches, and the headline storyline is a title defense: Bodies of Water enters as the reigning Golden Skate champion.
According to the Saint Paul RiverCentre, Season 23 kicks off Saturday, November 14 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and Game 1 beginning at 6 p.m. The venue's event listing names the first matchup as Bodies of Water versus Wednesday Warnings, while WJON identifies the opponent as Wednesday Warning — the two accounts differ on the exact team name. WJON reports that Wednesday Warning has won two championships, setting up a clash between two of the league's most successful squads.
The second match of the night pits Roller Vortex against the Maul Rats, per WJON's reporting. The event carries the theme “The State of Derby,” Minnesota style, the RiverCentre listing notes, continuing a format in which four home teams battle across a season for the league's top prize.
Cold-Weather Drive and Free Transit Rides
Saturday's event will also double as a charitable collection point. WJON reports that the Regions Hospital burn unit is teaming up with Minnesota Roller Derby to collect cold-weather items for people in need, with fans invited to donate gently used coats, hats, scarves, wool socks, gloves, and long underwear at donation bins located in the lobby area. The RiverCentre listing separately confirms a cold-weather donation drive is planned for the event, though it does not specify which items are being requested.
Getting to the bout won't require a car: the venue's listing states that Metro Transit is providing free rides to MNRD bouts, including a pass tied to the November 14 event. WJON also reports that Aliveness Project representatives, from the HIV support and care organization, will attend the event and count down to the first whistle.
Tickets and a Two-Decade History
Tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door, according to WJON's reporting, and are available through the Minnesota Roller Derby ticket page and SeatGeek.com. Minnesota Roller Derby identifies SeatGeek as its official ticketing partner, per the league's own ticketing page, which also notes that everyone must be 18 or older to sit trackside.
Minnesota Roller Derby is a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit flat-track roller derby league, WJON reports, tracing its roots back to 2004, when it was founded as Minnesota RollerGirls. The league's four home teams compete across a season for its top prize, battling over the course of five bouts to win the coveted Golden Skate, according to RacketMN. That same format carried into last season's championship round, where Bodies of Water faced Roller Vortex in Game 2 of the title bouts, per Minnesota Roller Derby's own records of the matchup.
