Reaction to the 2019 WFTDA Postseason Locations
First Non-US Champs Location, Boundary Lines Redrawn and 1 Euro Location
The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) released the 2019 postseason locations last Friday, with no substantive changes to the post season structure format, but with a return to more North American locations. The year following the A Coruña tournament and a record number of declines, locations shifted this year back to North America and to leagues or regions with a history of hosting. Below is a recap of the reaction to the announcement to get you up to speed.
SURPRISE! Cup Lines Redrawn
The biggest structural change to this post season is that the Cup race lines have been redrawn to make them more competitive, balanced and fair. This means leagues from Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan will be moved from NA East to NA West and that three Western Australia leagues will be moved from NA West to Europe — Perth most notable among them. Had this move been made before Cups last year, Perth would have been looking at a shorter and cheaper flight to Birmingham, Winnipeg would have made the NA West playoff and Team United and North Star would have been shifted to the NA West playoff and made it more competitive. The move was a surprise as the most recent public stance was not to change the regions, however, all of them are good moves which immediately improve the Cup format.
NA WEST: Orem, Utah (Happy Valley) Aug 9–11th
The 2019 postseason kicks off in Orem, Utah in early August. The Happy Valley Derby Darlins made their post season debut at the 2018 NA East Cup in Omaha, Nebraska and they will be looking to hold onto that spot as they host the 2019 NA West Cup. Orem, Utah is 45 miles south of Salt Lake City and offers a beautiful Mountain backdrop. The event will be hosted at the UCC Centre in Orem. This will be the first WFTDA post season tournament for Happy Valley, and it is the first in the area since Wasatch Roller Derby hosted a 2014 Division 1 Playoff.
NA EAST: Lancaster, PA (Dutchland) Aug 23–25th
The NA East Cup will be held in the derby tournament heartland of Pennsylvania this year, with Dutchland Derby Rollers hosting in late August. Dutchland has a long history in the WFTDA, with membership dating back to 2008 and 3 post season appearances (2010–2012) in their club history, but this will be their first time hosting a WFTDA post season tournament. An hour and a half from Philadelphia and Hatfield, PA, Dutchland has lots of regional support to rely on. Philly (Champs 2017) and Steel City (D2 2017) are the most recent to host in the area.
D1: Winston-Salem, NC (Greensboro) Sept 6–8th
The WFTDA’s return to North Carolina prompted an extended Safety and Inclusion statement that came along with the location release. The statement flagged member concern, which has been raised since the introduction of so-called “bathroom bills” in 2016, but stressed the strength of the bid made by Greensboro and the efforts that will be made to ensure community safety. The statement concludes that in 2020 members of the Diversity and Inclusion committee will be part of the bidding selection process.
That release and that statement have not been re assuring to many folks who worry about safety in this environment though, with many reacting with concern.
The tournament will be the first for Greensboro Roller Derby, and the first in the area since the 2013 D1 Playoff in Asheville.
D1: Seattle, Washington (Rat City) Sept 13–15th
A founding WFTDA member, Rat City will again play host to a WFTDA Division 1 Playoff in 2019. Last hosting in 2017, Rat City will be looking to once again pull off an upset and book a Champs visit in front of their home fans. Please make all of the Rat City xYouthCrewx merch!
European Continental Cup: Helsinki, Finland (Kallio) Oct 5–6th
After hitting two Euro postseason tournaments last year, things will drop back down to 1 for 2019 with Kallio Rolling Rainbow hosting the sole European postseason tournament in 2019. This will be their first time hosting, but the reigning ECC Champions have a nice history of hosting the yearly FINvitational tournament. Temperatures will be chilly, but not as chilly as you’d think, and there should always be a sauna somewhere near by. As with last year, the Euro’s get the most lead time for their tournament with their cup coming after Division 1 Playoffs and before Champs. The introduction of Perth into this region adds a new wildcard for 2019, but also adds a lot more fuel to the “why is this bracket only 8 teams” fire.
CHAMPS: Montreal, Canada (Montreal) Nov 15–17th
The first Champs outside of the US! Montreal, who hosted the legendary 2016 D1 Playoff that saw them clinch their first Champs invite, are back as hosts in 2019 in a big way. The Skids and their ridiculous jammer depth, will be looking to make waves and a Sunday appearance in front of their home fans.
The Champs venue has not been announced yet, sorry I don’t have an answer for those who have been asking, but the WFTDA has announced that the venue will only have 3,000 tickets for sale.
Lots of skaters and fans reacted that they will be brushing up on their French, which brought some pretty funny reactions from Skids skaters.
Remains to Be Seen
Although the release was a lot to work through, there are still some questions not yet answered. What does the region change in Western Australia mean for the plans for a Australia/Pacific development Cup? Will the decline process change?
That all said, the postseason format seems to be stabilizing in comparison to recent years and slight tinkering and responding to member feedback look to be the priorities now.
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