Fairbanks Rollergirls

Fairbanks Rollergirls

Metro area	Fairbanks, Alaska
Country	United States
Founded	2007
Teams	Gold Diggers Raven Rebels FBXRG All Stars
Track type(s)	Flat
Affiliations	WFTDA
Website	fairbanksrollergirls.org

The Fairbanks Rollergirls (FBXRG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, dedicated to the sport of roller derby.^[1]

League History

Founded in 2008 by local entrepreneur Michelle Maynor^[2] (also known as "Bad Lady") the Fairbanks Rollergirls consisted of a handful of motivated, strong willed women with a passion for roller derby. Michelle was quickly elected president of the organization and held the position until her term ended in July 2011.

In April 2010^[3] FBXRG was accepted as an Apprentice Member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, the official governing body of Women's Flat Track Roller Derby.

In June 2011^[4] after having completed all necessary requirements, the Fairbanks Rollergirls were accepted as full WFTDA Members as a part of the West region.

Organization

Fairbanks Rollergirls is a skater owned, skater operated organization. None of its members receive any revenue for being a part of the league but instead pay a monthly membership fee to help maintain the organization's overhead.

Initially formed as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization FBXRG went on to become a 501(c)(3) in December 2009 after being granted 501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service.

The business-side of FBXRG is run by a skater-elected Board of Directors consisting of 7 league members who hold set terms. The Board governs the organization based on a set list of rules and regulations as outlined in the skater-created FBXRG Handbook and Bylaws.

In addition to the Board of Directors, a number of committees were formed to govern other aspects of the organization including training, community service, recruitment, fundraising, public relations, bout production, and event planning among others. Each committee is overseen by a committee chair appointed each year by the Board of Directors.

Teams

At the end of their first season, the Fairbanks Rollergirls introduced two new intraleague teams, the Gold Diggers and the Raven Rebels. This marked a milestone in the Fairbanks Rollergirls history as it meant the league had grown large enough to house two home teams of 14-20 rostered skaters each.

In addition to the two home teams, the Fairbanks Rollergirls also have an All Star Team, the Fairbanks Rollergirls All Stars founded in 2010 and a B-team, the Fairbanks Rollergirls Roller Borealis founded in 2011.

Bout Stats

May 2009

Sibling Rivalry

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Rage City Rollergirls^[5] (Anchorage, AK)*

June 2009

Solstice Smackdown

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Rage City Rollergirls (Anchorage, AK)

September 2009

Back to Skoolin'

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Rage City Rollergirls (Anchorage, AK)

December 2009

Home for the Holidays

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Fairbanks Rollergirls (Fairbanks, AK)

Featured in National Prilosec OTC advertising campaign.

January 2010

Border Brawl^[6]

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Terminal City Rollergirls^[7] Faster Pussycats^[8] (Vancouver, BC)

Crowd: 2300+ fans

April 2010

Spring Roll^[9]

FBXRG Raven Rebels vs. FBXRG Gold Diggers (Fairbanks, AK)

December 2010

FBXRG All Stars vs. Pacific Roller Derby All-Stars^[10] (Hawaiian Islands)^[11]

January 2011

Double Header^[12]

Game One: FBXRG Roller Borealis vs. Rage City Rollergirls (Anchorage, AK)

Game Two: FBXRG All Stars vs. Rat City Rain of Terror^[13] (Seattle, WA)

March 2011

FBXRG All Stars vs. Rage City All Stars (Anchorage, AK)*

FBXRG Raven Rebels vs. FBXRG Gold Diggers (Fairbanks, AK)

May 2011

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Rage City Rollergirls (Anchorage, AK)

September 2011

FBXRG Raven Rebels vs. FBXRG Gold Diggers (Fairbanks, AK)

December 2011

Fairbanks Rollergirls vs. Terminal City Rollergirls Faster Pussycats (Vancouver, BC)

February 2012

FBXRG Raven Rebels vs. FBXRG Gold Diggers (Fairbanks, AK)

March 2012

FBXRG All Stars vs. Rage City All Stars (Anchorage, AK)*

April 2012

FBXRG All Stars vs. TBD

May 2012

Alaskan Double Header

FBXRG Raven Rebels vs. TBD

FBXRG Gold Diggers vs. TBD

TBD Teams for May 2012 bout are Juneau Roller Girls (Juneau, AK) and Yukon Roller Girls (Whitehorse, YT)

(*) Denotes an away game.

National Publicity

Prilosec OTC: Project Fairbanks^[14]

In 2009, the Fairbanks Rollergirls were approached by the makers of Prilosec OTC, to take part in a National Advertisement Campaign for the drug in a marketing campaign titled "Project Fairbanks," which offered up a brief look into the lives of a diverse group of Fairbanksans with a common problem: heartburn. A television commercial was produced featuring Fairbanks Rollergirls' skater Jump on Jen, avid skater and heartburn sufferer, along with appearances by a number of other skaters in the league.

The production company hosted and filmed the December 2009 Home for the Holidays bout, the admission to which was provided free to the public courtesy of Prilosec OTC. The commercial aired Nationally and featured a diverse look at Fairbanks and its citizens, along with further publicizing the sport of roller derby.

As a way of saying thanks to Fairbanks, $10,000 was pledged to the United Way of the Tanana Valley.

Derby Radio

In late 2010, Fairbanks Rollergirls skater and founder, Bad Lady, was interviewed in Episode 20 of the nationally known Derby Radio podcast^[15] to discuss derby in Alaska and their upcoming bout with the Pacific Roller Derby All Stars team.

Local Publicity

The Fairbanks Rollergirls have been featured in a number of local media outlets including local news and radio, newspaper articles, and television appearances.

References

External links

• Official website
• Official website – WFTDA