Local Roller Derby Team Kicks Off 2014 Season with Acceptance into National Apprenticeship Program

Fredericksburg, VA – Flat track roller derby is a fast-paced contact team sport requiring speed, athleticism and strategy, the Five 40 Roller Girls roller derby league (Five 40) is a group of women who come together for the love of the sport.

Formed in late 2011, Five 40 calls Fredericksburg, Va. home, representing their hometown pride by capturing the Fredericksburg area code in their name.

Five 40 is a Non-Profit league run entirely by the skaters, who contribute their free time and talents to manage every aspect of the league and in 2011 that meant beginning the journey to obtaining their Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFDA), the governing body for women’s amateur flat track roller derby, Apprenticeship.

In September 2012, Five 40 took to the track in their first bouting season and closed out the season in their new venue at Golden Skate World in Fredericksburg, Va. with a win over Kill Devil Derby Brigade.

Last week when wrapping up their Fresh Meat cycle and planning for the 2014 season, Five 40 received exciting news that they had been accepted as an “Apprentice” affiliate of WFTDA.

As an Apprentice affiliate of WFTDA, Five 40 joins the ranks of more than 250 all-female, skater owned-and-operated leagues worldwide that have united to lead the growing sport of women’s flat track roller derby. “All of Five 40’s hard work and dedication over the past two years has paid off! This is the first step to our ultimate goal of becoming a full WFTDA league and playing on a national level,” explained League President, Jennifer “Boo Boo Bushee’” Bushee’. “I am incredibly proud of our league and look forward to the great things to come!”

WTFDA apprentice leagues are matched with veteran member leagues who guide them in the processes and requirements necessary to become a full member of the Association. This season, Five 40 will begin their journey to becoming a full member of the WFTDA Association in Beckley, WV against the Beckley Area Derby Dames. On May 17, 2014, Five 40 will host their season home opener at Golden Skate World against Southern Maryland Roller Derby from Waldorf, MD. 

About WFTDA

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association is the governing body for women’s flat-track roller derby, and a membership organization for the leagues to collaborate and network. The organization created and maintained the first standardized rule set for the flat-track game, now in its fourth edition. The WFTDA also serves as the sanctioning body for games, hosts tournaments, sets safety standards and provides insurance to athletes and leagues. There are currently 234 WFTDA member leagues and more than 111 apprentice leagues worldwide.

 About Five 40

Five 40 Roller Girls is a group of women who have come together for the love and camaraderie within the sport of roller derby. Five 40 lives and plays by the rules set forth by WFTDA and were recently accepted as an “Apprentice” affiliate of WTFDA. Five 40 is a non-profit skater run league. Currently, Five 40 practices at the Fredericksburg Armory on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at Golden Skate World in Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturdays. With local ties to the community, Five 40 selects a charity on an annual basis that they will volunteer with and contribute monetarily to through fundraising. This year, Five 40’s local charity is Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault (RCASA). In addition, Five 40 league members partake in other local charitable events, such as the Polar Bear Plunge for the EOD Wounded Warriors, which will take place on February 8, 2014. Five 40 is currently seeking Referees, Non-Skating Officials (NSOs) and Volunteers. For more info contact us at www.five40rg.com