Assassination City Roller Derby

Assassination City Roller Derby (ACRD) is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Plano, Texas. Assassination City is a founding member^[1] of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).^[2]

Founded in 2005, the league consists of four home teams and one travel team. The home teams compete against each other in league play during the official home season, which typically runs from February to September.^[3] The league's All-Star Skaters make up the travel team, called Conspiracy. This group of skaters compete at the interleague level, against teams from other leagues and cities. The games or bouts played at this level affect the league's overall ranking among the top teams in the WFTDA.

ACRD has become active not only as competitors in the roller derby community, but as participants in the local community.^[4]

The 2011 season was moved to the Fair Park Coliseum, where it attracted 2,000 fans to its first bout.^[5] At the close of the 2013 season Assassination City returned to its roller rink roots at Broadway Skateland, where they played to a packed house and a sold-out crowd for the 2014 season opener, held February 8, 2014. February 2015 ushered the amateur sport into Plano, TX at Thunderbird Roller Rink where they still play & practice.

The league was voted on my the Plano community as the "Best Way to Get Your Heart Rate Up" in 2024 ^[6]

Teams

All of the teams in ACRD have some sort of theme based around an aspect of the JFK Assassination which occurred in Dallas, Tx in 1963.

• Bombshell Brigade – themed after the Marylin Monroe "conspiracy"
  • Team colors are blue & red
  • 1. an overwhelming surprise "the news came as a bombshell" 2. INFORMAL a very attractive person "a twenty-year-old blonde bombshell" Pick your poison. When it comes to President John F. Kennedy and his assassination, there are plenty of bombshells to go around. Which is why the name was so fitting back in 2007 when Assassination City Roller Derby added a fourth team to their growing league – the Bombshell Brigade. Charmed and dangerous, the Bombshell Brigade is back after a brief hiatus. Don't worry, we brought both kinds of bombshells for your derby pleasure.^[7]
  • One of the original Home Teams which was disbanded in 2013 but returned in 2024 after fan vote/bout between restarting them or Ruby's Revenge
• Lone Star Assassins – themed after the Lee Harvey Oswald "conspiracy"
  • Team Colors – Black & Purple with silver accents
  • These lovely assassins are the "dark side of derby" and represent the Lee Harvey Oswald connection in the Kennedy Conspiracy. They never act alone. Skate to thrill, shoot to kill! Get ready to take a hit 'cause they've got you in their sights. Are they the culprits? The world may never know...at least, not in YOUR lifetime.^[8]
• The Deadly Kennedys – Named for the Kennedy family
  • Team Colors – Yellow & White/Grey
  • The Deadly Kennedys are the poison ivy league, half-breed descendants of the Kennedy clan. Nothing will stand in the way of avenging the untimely deaths of their Kennedy forefathers. Once and for all, they WILL end the family curse...^[9]
• ¡Viva La Revolución! – connected to the Cuban Missile Crisis
  • Team Colors – Red with white & yellow accents
  • New evidence has arisen that Lee Harvey Oswald volunteered to carry out the Kennedy assassination under direct orders from Cuba during a September 1963 visit to the Cuban embassy in Mexico City. Due to the fragile resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the volatile relationships of the countries involved, this possible Conspiracy connection was swept under the rug, and this band of freedom fighters disappeared underground. But whispers have been heard that La Revolución has since resurfaced, and has been spotted secretly training for its resurgence.^[10]
• Conspiracy/Co-Conspiracy – Travel Team (A & B)
  • Team Colors – Grey/Red
• The Warren Commission – associated with the Warren Commission & its investigation
  • Referees & Non-Skating Officials who volunteer for the league are all a part of this team. Skating is fun and all, but we wouldn't be able to do it without these beautiful humans. Our referees make sure we stay safe by sending us to the box when we've been bad. We love them for it. Our non-skating-officials (NSOs) help our bouts run smoothly by working the scoreboard, penalty box & other behind the scenes tasks! ^[11]

Previous Teams

• Ruby's Revenge – Connected to Jack Ruby
  • inaugural bout in 2012; disbanded in 2022 after low skater numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Special Ops – Original Travel A-Team
• Dirty Little Secret Service – Original Travel B-Team

Media

2014:

ACRD Moves to Plano

2016:

Lone Star Adventure: Assassination City Roller Derby

Assassination City Roller Derby

2017:

Local league finds Comet connection

2023:

Inside A Roller Derby In Plano, Texas

2024:

Assassination City Roller Derby opens new season at Thunderbird Roller Rink

Assassination Roller Derby is Plano's window into the world of women's most popular contact sport

Rankings

WFTDA Rankings

Home Team Rankings

References

1. ^ Joulwan, Melissa (6 April 2007). Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track. Simon and Schuster. p. 267. ISBN 9781416538554. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
2. ^ "Alamo City Rollergirls – Women's Flat Track Derby Association". Wftda.com. Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
3. ^ acderby.com
4. ^ Joanna Cattanach, "Women find excitement, and sometimes themselves, on roller derby track", Dallas Morning News, 25 July 2010
5. ^ Louiseza Sanderson, "Roller derby girls skate from Mesquite to much bigger Dallas digs Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine", Pegasus News, 30 March 2011
6. ^ "Best of Plano 'Culture & Entertainment' 2024 Winners". Plano Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
7. ^ "Assassination City Roller Derby". acderby.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
8. ^ "Assassination City Roller Derby". acderby.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
9. ^ "Assassination City Roller Derby". acderby.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
10. ^ "Assassination City Roller Derby". acderby.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
11. ^ "Assassination City Roller Derby". acderby.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
12. ^ "Current Rankings Archived 2010-04-30 at the Wayback Machine", WFTDA
13. ^ Watson, Michael. "Current International WFTDA Rankings". WFTDA Stats Home. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
14. ^ "February 2006 Dust Devil Invitational Rankings", WFTDA [version of 23 February 2007]