News
The Steel City Derby Dolls bring gold back to Wollongong
Published Tue 15 Oct 2024
Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby is pleased to announce the Steel City Derby Dolls have taken out NSW tournament the 5x5 Roller Derby Championship in a nail-biting match. The grand final was held in Gosford over the weekend where the Steel City Derby Dolls took on Inner West Roller Derby League (IWRDL), clutching the win by only four points in the last 30 seconds.
This year’s 5x5 Roller Derby Championship comprised of two divisions Fire and Water, with WIRD coming out undefeated in the Fire division sending the team to the grand final. On Saturday 12 October the Derby Dolls headed to Gosford to play their final match of the year not knowing it would come down to the wire.
A WIRD spokesperson said, “We weren’t confident going into the grand final as we were missing a few skaters from the team due to injury. This meant we had skaters doing multiple back-to-back jams leaving little time for our team to rest.”
The match stayed close throughout, but as skaters lined up for the last jam, WIRD was only ahead by one point. “We knew in the last jam if we didn’t get lead and get those points, we would have lost. Fortunately for us we got lead and were able to finish four points ahead, and bring the trophy back home to Wollongong, where it will live for the next year.” WIRD spokesperson said.
WIRD is now stepping back from competition until 2025 and focusing on welcoming new skaters into the league. A new learn-to-skate and learn-to-derby program will kick off on Tuesday, 15 October. However, late signups are welcome, and the league will take new skaters throughout the month. Those wishing to join the league or find out more head to https://www.revolutionise.com.au/wird/registration
Photo credit: Mark Zouroudis
