The Fargo-Moorhead Derby Girls

Flat Track Roller Derby enjoys an increasing popularity around the United States. The F-M Derby Girls have brought the new, more-athletic (and not fake) version of derby to the Fargo area. The Derby Girls skated their inaugural bout in November, 2009 and have bouts scheduled once in February and twice per month in March and April, 2010. Below you'll find a schedule with some of the logos of the teams against whom they're slated to skate. The first four bouts at the Fargo Civic Center were sold out and the after-parties were a huge success as well.

You can find the Fargo-Moorhead Derby Girls in several places on-line. You can become a fan of their Facebook page, see their (sadly neglected) MySpace profile, or just go straight to the horse's mouth, as it were, and see the members of the local teams at the official FMDG website. You can also read a terrific article in the High Plains Reader, the area's most interesting (and free) weekly.

Though the FMDG organization has always been non-profit and has donated their time and money to worthy causes both locally and nationally they haven't tooted their own horns about to whom the money they raised was going. They raised over $14,000 in 2010. Starting in February, 2011, however, the Fargo-Moorhead Derby Girls began publicizing the charity that would receive the profits from each event. I've added them below where I could find the information.

2011 FMDG Bout Schedule:
Doors for each event open at 6:30 and the first bout starts at 7:00 PM. Tickets are, as ever, available through Ticketmaster or through the Fargo Civic Center box office. Prices are $12 for adults and $7 for kids 6-12. Children 5 and under get in for free. You can't even go to the movie theater for that!

February 5, 2011 FMDG In-House Doubleheader: the Haute Dishes vs. the Fighting Suzies followed by Battlescar Galactica versus the Monkey Wenches. This event was presented in cooperation with Go Pink with the Dragons of Minnesota State University at Moorhead and proceeds went to the Roger Maris Cancer Center.

February 19, 2011 FM Derby Girls All-Star team, the Northern Pains vs. Bemidji's Babe City Rollers with a pre-show match of The Monkey Wenches vs. The Fighting Suzies. The Children's Miracle Network and Sanford Health Children's Hospital got the take from this event.

March 5, 2011 The FMDG Home Teams Semi-Finals come first and then the main event: The Northern Pains versus the Thunder Babes from Thunder Bay, Ontario. This bout's admission and concession fees will go to the Fargo chapter of The Quota Club.

April 2, 2011 will be the home team championship battle, with Battlescar Galactica, the Fighting Suzies, the Monkey Wenches, and the Haute Dishes duking it out for title of F-M's best derby team. Proceeds from these matches will be donated Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity.

Naturally, the Fargo-Moorhead Derby Girls like to get out and spread the news about this growing sport. Below you'll find a list of the upcoming events in the area where you can see the ladies and talk to them about why they love to skate. They also appear for interviews on KNDS Radio from time to time.

August 28, 2010: They'll be in the Barnesville, Minnesota Potato Days Parade

August 29, 2010: The ladies will be at the US Bank Plaza in downtown Fargo, North Dakota from 12-5 PM for the first Streets Alive! event

September 19, 2010: You can meet the FMDG at the US Bank Plaza in downtown Fargo, North Dakota from 12-5 PM for the second Streets Alive! event

October 4-10, 2010: The FM Derby Girls volunteered on the Moorhead Extreme Makeover Home Edition. They'll make their national television debut in mid-November.

December 13 and 20, 2011: Meet & greet plus recruitment opportunities at Skateland from 8-10. If you just want to chat the events are free but you'll have to pay $5 if you want to skate with the ladies.

January 14, 2011: Recruitment Event! Come meet the FMDG and see if you have what it takes to be a derby girl, a referee, or one of their "jeerleaders" at The Aquarium above Dempey's Public House on Broadway. Live music included!

March 4, 2011: The Fight and Unite flood pool party at the Howard Johnson's, from 5-9 PM with swimming and spas, free massages, and pizza for everyone! The Derby Girls will be there and families with children are welcome!

The home team is listed first on all of these bouts. The list will be updated (likely with logos as the matches near) as new events are scheduled.

February 6, 2010: A double bout of Bitters versus Sweets and the FMDG versus the Harbor City Roller Dames from Duluth, Minnesota.

March 6, 2010: Another sold-out, double bout with Means vs. Greens and the FMDG versus the Sioux Falls Killa Beez


March 20, 2010: Duluth Harbor City Roller Dames versus the FMDG

April 17, 2010: Sioux Falls Killa Beez versus the FMDG

April 25, 2010: Home Intraleague: the Fighting Suzies versus the Monkey Wenches (This will be a special kid-friendly bout, starting at 1:00 PM and the after party will feature hot dogs and mac and cheese for the little ones. Tickets are $7 for kids 12 and under and $12 for the grown-ups.)

May 22, 2010: Home Intraleague: the Fighting Suzies versus the Monkey Wenches

August 13, 2010: Special Pride Bout, the girls as Kings vs. Queens and the new men's derby league team skating as well

October 2, 2010: Season Opener with the Winnipeg Murder City Maidens. There will be a pre-bout featuring all four of the FMDG teams. This one will be at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo rather than at the Civic Center as usual.

October 23, 2010: Rolling Along the River Tournament hosted by the Sioux City Roller Dames. The FM Derby Girls away team will travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to compete against teams from around the country. The tournament starts at 8 AM and continues until there's a winner! (There'll be men's derby teams competing as well, if you'd like to see that.)

November 6, 2010: Home Intraleague Bout with the Fighting Suzies vs. the Monkey Wenches and the Battlescar Galactica ladies pitted against the Haute Dishes.

November 20, 2010: The Babe City Rollers of Bemidji, Minnesota will host the FMDG All-Stars

December 4, 2010: The FM Derby Girls will be at home again, hosting the Harbor City Roller Dames from Duluth, Minnesota. There will also be a bout between the Monkey Wenches and the Haute Dishes, as every home appearance this season will be a double-header.

December 18, 2010: This one is special! For your holiday enjoyment, the FMDG will host not one but two teams at the Fargo Civic Center. The first bout will be the Fargo-Moorhead Derby Girls B Team vs. Forx Roller Derby from Grand Forks, North Dakota. (I'd include their logo but they're currently holding a design contest for one. Check their site for more details!) Then the main bout pits the FMDG All-Stars against the Minnesota RollerGirls.