Rose City Rollers Set to Host Highly Competitive ‘Hometown Throwdown’ Nov. 3-5 — Sport Oregon Voices

Some of the best roller derby teams in the world will do battle at Oaks Amusement Park in a three-day tournament

In just two weeks, area sports and entertainment enthusiasts will be able to see some of the most competitive roller derby in the world, right here in Portland. From Nov. 3-5, the Rose City Rollers play host to this year’s Hometown Throwdown, which will be held at the Rose City Rollers Hangar at Oaks Amusement Park.

The tournament features eight high-level women’s teams from as far away as Australia and eastern Canada, participating in a bracketed, sanctioned tournament that affects rankings going into regional play. In additional to two Rose City Rollers host teams in the Wheels of Justice and Axles of Annihilation, this year’s tournament includes Angel City Derby from Los Angeles; Arch Rival Roller Derby from St. Louis; Black Diaspora Roller Derby, the first all-Black flat track roller derby traveling team; Montreal Roller Derby from Quebec and Victorian Roller Derby League from Melbourne, Australia.

Loren Mutch, one of the most decorated jammers in modern roller derby and a team captain of Wheels of Justice, says that the Hometown Throwdown field is stacked with quality teams and that hosting the tournament is particularly meaningful this year.

“This tournament is going to be really high level and competitive, which is really exciting for us because roller derby, post-COVID, has been difficult,” said Mutch, who also serves as the league’s marketing and communications specialist. “A lot of teams have struggled, and just getting back to competitive play has been hard. So, this is exciting that we get to host a high-level, international tournament at home.”

As four-time world champions, Wheels of Justice are currently rated as the No. 1 team in both the North America – West and overall rankings of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Axles of Annihilation currently are the fourth-ranked team out of 88 in the North America – West table.

Three different ticket options are available for the upcoming Hometown Throwdown. Day Passes, which include four games daily, are available for $30 each day. Headliner Game Passes are $22 and include a featured evening game during the competition. An all-inclusive Tournament Pass is the best bang for your buck, gaining admission to all 12 games of the three-day tournament for $75.  

For those who can’t attend the tournament but are interested in taking in the action, a live stream of each game can be accessed on the Rose City Roller YouTube channel. Games are regularly featured live on the channel and are archived for later viewing.

Rose City Rollers, a 501c3 organization that started in 2004, is the largest roller derby league in the world, boasting about 500 members, according to Mutch. The league has four competitive “home” teams that regularly compete in adult league play at the Rose City Rollers Hangar. This group includes the Break Neck Betties, Guns N Rollers, Heartless Heathers and High Rollers. Wheels of Justice is the internationally ranked, all-star travel team, and Wreckers is an adult recreational team. Additionally, Rose City Rollers features five teams in its Junior Rosebuds program for skaters 12-18 years of age, and four teams in the Junior Rose Petals program for those 7-12 years of age.

The mission of Rose City Rollers is to serve women, girls and gender-expansive individuals who want to play the team sport of roller derby, connect with an inclusive community, and realize their power both on skates and off. Neary 1,000 active volunteers donate their time and energy to help make Rose City Rollers a leading roller derby league in the world.

Even if you can’t make this year’s Hometown Throwdown, the Rose City Rollers are regularly in action at Oaks Amusement Park, so be sure to check out some of the best roller derby action in the world, right here in our own backyard.

To Learn More
Read up on all things Rose City Rollers by going to www.rosecityrollers.com.