Dead Girl Derby expands in second season with bigger venue and more teams

RIVERSIDE, Missouri - It was a record turnout at River Roll Skate Center Sunday night.

Cars lined the streets and filled every parking lot on the block. Orange cones, volunteers, and even police helped direct traffic as a line of eager fans stretched out the door and around one side of the building.

It was all in anticipation for "Night of the Loving Dead 2," the action-packed first game of the new season for Kansas City’s Dead Girl Derby roller derby league.

This is the second season for the DGD, but Sunday’s event proved this is a whole new game for the league. Welcoming a crowd of more than 550 people—at least a hundred more than the largest turnout from the first season—the Dead Girls entered a new realm of legitimacy.

In a new bigger venue this year and with four teams compared to last year's two, the league now boasts almost 80 players, both veterans and rookies, decked-out in professional jerseys. The two head-to-head matches in one night feature six referees and two silver-tongued announcers calling the plays. Mix that with a screaming, sign-waving, standing-room-only crowd, and it’s clear the league is bigger and better in almost every way imaginable.

By the end of the first night, the Fearleaders were bested by their rivals, the Deadly Sirens. Meanwhile the Lovely Lethals handily bested the Royal Pains.

The next match is March 13 at 6 p.m. at River Roll skate Center.

Visit www.deadgirlderby.com for ticket information.