Our Purpose and Mission

Founded in 2005, Grand Raggidy Roller Derby (GRRD) is proud to be one of only 30 founding member leagues of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). WFTDA has since grown to be the international governing body for the sport with over 400 member and apprentice leagues globally. As a member of WFTDA, it is GRRD’s collective goal to create a strong organization that propels us to support roller derby, our community, and be competitive with the top leagues in the world.

GRRD currently consists of two teams, GRRD All Stars (A-level) and GRRD Attack (B-level). The All Stars travel and compete for rankings internationally, while both All Stars and Attack compete with teams throughout Michigan and neighboring states.

Our mission is to provide an inclusive environment for league members to push themselves towards excellence both on and off the track, create a diverse team, and extend those ideas through community outreach and engagement. Our focus is on hard work, acceptance, initiative, integrity, and team spirit.

OUR Background

In April 2005, a high school buddy (the now-retired Ratt Scallion from Providence Roller Derby) sent GRRD’s Shutter Speed a link to her roller derby team’s website. Shutter Speed didn’t have to watch much bout footage before she was instantly hooked! Shutter and her roommate, The Vindicator, spent that spring recruiting individuals to form Grand Rapids’ first and only women’s flat track roller derby league: The Grand Raggidy Roller Girls!

On April 1st, 2006, The Grand Raggidy Roller Girls held their inaugural bout at the Delta Plex in front of over 2,000 spectators. Since then, various Grand Raggidy teams have represented their hometown in over a hundred games, traveling as far as Las Vegas and bringing home victory after victory at their home venue located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.