Dustbowl bound!

We are heading to the Dustbowl Tournament in Bakersfield, CA.
and we need YOUR HELP!

Charlotte Roller Girls has now been hitting the track hard for over 10 years. If you didn't know already, this sport is INTENSE! Each season we set goals for ourselves as a league and we work hard to determine what will help us not just sustain, but thrive in these goals. One of our biggest and most perpetual goals is to improve our level of game play, so that we can bring you amazing home bouts every season. Playing in the Dustbowl Tournament is guaranteed to improve CLTRG for seasons to come.

Why The Dustbowl?
TL;DR: It is perfect for where our league currently is in ranking and skillset.

CLTRG had an amazing season in 2016 and found ourselves ranked in 142 place among all of the 445 WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) leagues. This leaves us in a really good position for the coming season, but also with a lot of work to determine which teams we should play. We have to play appropriately challenging and ranking leagues in consideration to our own. Ideally we will play against other teams which will help us become better players in the most competitive way, but also ideally improve our rankings in the end.

This is a delicate balance. Additionally, we sought to send our travel team to play in a tournament this year. So we crunched the numbers of the tournaments that were happening around the country and found ourselves perfectly fitting into the Dustbowl! We are so excited for this opportunity and we know that our team is going to grow in leaps and bounds through this experience.

Why Do You Need Money?
1. The Charlotte Roller Girls is a member run organization. This means that it is run by Volunteers, Non-Skating Officials, Refs, and Skaters. All of these contributing members ALSO contribute to the league financially and of course with their time and sweat. Maybe a few tears.

We are dedicated to empowering women through the sport of roller derby and enriching the local community. All proceeds go to support our team and local partner organizations. Each year we partner with an organization and volunteer our time and funds.We are a league-member funded organization. Support from you not only helps us, but the community at large!

2. Travel costs
We want to be open and honest with you about the real and true cost of what it takes for a team to participate in a tournament.
Here is the breakdown:
Tournament Fees: $700
Hotel: $1,680 (est $70/night for 4 nights for 22 people)
Flight: $11,000 (est $500 for 22 people)
Food: $5,500 (estimated 50/day for 4 days [$250] for 22 people)
Gas: $440 (estimated)
Car rentals: $1,200
Estimated costs: $20,520

We are asking you to support us in raising $5,000 of this. This will bring down the costs for each skater exponentially and leave them to personally pay over $400 to participate.

YOU will make a lasting impact on this trip
No matter how you slice it, you will make this tournament possible for us. Whether you are able to give up your favorite coffee drink for the day or if you can invest in sponsoring this trip, we need your support.

Established in 2006, Charlotte Roller Girls, Inc. (CLTRG) is a skater-owned and operated sports organization comprised of women and men from all walks of life. Formed to promote the sport of roller derby and enrich the Charlotte community, the league and its members donate time and a portion of bout proceeds to local charitable causes.

CLTRG was admitted in June 2011 as a Full Member League of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the international governing body for the sport of women’s flat track roller derby, and a membership organization for leagues to collaborate and network. The WFTDA sets standards for rules, seasons, safety, and determines guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues. Currently, there are 380 Full Member Leagues and 65 Apprentice Leagues

By honoring and encouraging self-expression and diversity, we’ve created a safe and organized environment that fosters health, well-being and personal growth. In addition to our dedication to our sport, all league members have day jobs including bankers, educators, medical professionals, homemakers, artists and more!

Being skater-operated means that everything we do – from websites and bout posters to intense training and team travel and events – is the product of hours of hard work behind the scenes by our skaters, officials and volunteers. With all this diversity and dedication together, the Charlotte Roller Girls are one kick-butt league!