The Men’s Roller Derby Association has announced that the 2015 MRDA Championships, alternatively known as the River City Rumble, will take place the weekend of October 17, just a short drive away from St. Louis in Ballwin, Mo. The two-day tournament will feature the top 8 men’s teams, as determined by MRDA membership vote.
This will be the second time that the MRDA has selected the St. Louis Gatekeepers to host its championship. If you’ll recall the first time they had a crack at running the show, back in 2012 at Gateway to the Best, the Gatekeepers were in the final against newcomers Your Mom Men’s Derby. St. Louis had a four point lead at the start of the last jam—but Your Mom scored five and took a thrilling 136-135 win, starting their run of three straight titles.
A lot has changed in the MRDA between now and then. Most obviously, the organization has grown: There are now 56 MRDA member leagues—two more just were added last week, as a matter of fact—as opposed to just 25 back when Your Mom claimed their first title only 28 short months ago.1 According to the association, “many more” are working on joining this year. That’s a pretty nice growth rate for the men’s game, which is slowly but surely staking out its place in the greater derby landscape.
We’re still months away from the event, so specific details on tickets or a webcast are not yet available. It’s a pretty safe bet, however, that WFTDA.tv will carry River City Rumble in the open gap between WFTDA playoffs and championships, as it has for the past few years. For additional info on the 2015 MRDA Championships, the MRDA asks that you keep your eyes peeled on their Facebook page.