The Rat City Rollergirls of Seattle are officially THE BEST IN THE WEST, and unofficially the best roller derby league in the nation. Our all-stars caused a stir in Tucson last weekend, sweeping the 2007 Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Western Regional Tournament (known as the Dust Devil) and flipping the national roller derby rankings on their head. The No. 3-ranked Rat City Rollergirls defeated all-star teams from the No. 1-ranked Texas Rollergirls and No. 2-ranked Tucson Roller Derby -- and the ladies from Seattle did it all in one day!

The 12 top-ranked roller derby teams west of the Mississippi River competed in Tucson, Ariz., last weekend to determine which four teams would advance to September's WFTDA national roller derby finals in Austin, Texas. Rat City played, and won, three full games on Saturday and Sunday.

On Sunday, the final day of the tournament, Rat City upset the nearly undefeated reigning national champions, the Texecutioners. Texas took an early lead, but Seattle battled back from a nearly 30-point deficit in the first period to win 105-93, which advanced Rat City to the championship game. In the championship game, Rat City Rollergirls played the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, the Saddletramps, on their own turf. Despite the home-court and home-fan advantage, Rat City won 83-72 (in no small thanks to the small but rowdy contingent of Seattle fans at the game).

Two Rat City Rollergirls were named the most valuable players of the tournament – star jammer Miss Fortune, and the versatile Ann R. Kissed. Go Rat City!

Can you believe it? It's 2007 already, and that means that the Rat City Rollergirls are gearing up to start our third season. Our very first official bout of the year will be February 24th at the Everett Events Center, proudly presented by our sponsor, NWsource!

Don't miss the Sockit Wenches going head-to-head with the devil horns of Grave Danger, or the Throttle Rockets blasting off against the Derby Liberation Front. Our halftime guests hits will be the brand-new Jet City Rollergirls, Snohomish County's own start-up roller derby league, who will take on the Rat City Rollergirls in a game of Last Woman Standing!

In addition, 2007 brings new ways for the Rat City Rollergirls to give back. We are proud to present our spotlight community care organization for the inaugural bout of 2007, Cocoon House. Cocoon House serves homeless and at-risk youth in Snohomish County and will be taking home 10% of our net profits.

Tickets available at the door!

Pick your favorite Rat City Rollergir team!

Rat City Rollergirl sponsor, NWsource is tallying up the votes to determine who your favorite Rat City Rollergirl team is. Swing by the NWsource page to vote for your favorite team! You can show your team how much you love them by voting once per day from now until noon on February 28th!

Get your glitter and your glue -- it's arts and crafts time!

Grave Danger is having a contest to see who can come up with the biggest, best, and brightest fan signs. Every bout, we'll be awarding prizes for the three best signs (as judged by our Mascot and alum). The prizes will be supercool, too -- skeletons, skulls, and all manner of spooky ephemera. You'll covet them, you'll crave them, your life will not be complete without one!

So show your love for a favorite player, demonstrate your allegiance to the Graveyard, and pull out all your best puns! We'll be watching for 'em.

(Please remember always be fair with your flair. Don't block the view of other fans, and please don't endanger, inconvenience, or enrage other audience members, that's our job.)

Definitely not.

However, she does have a bit of a green thumb -- as the owner of NW Bloom EcoLogical Landscaping, Holley won a gold medal at last year's NW Flower and Garden Show.

This year, she's at it again, building what the Seattle Times has billed as the "most soothing" garden of the entire show. We just received word that Holley and her garden won a silver medal this year at the show, held at the Washington State Convention Center February 14-18th. Congratulations, Holley Knockhers!

Click the photo to see a bigger version of Holley's gold-medal winning garden from 2006, and visit her webpage to see photos of this year's award-winning garden.

Don't miss it! We're back at the Everett Events Center for our 2007 season opener. Sockit Wenches vs. Grave Danger, Throttle Rockets vs. Derby Liberation Front -- it's going to be a nailbiter! Tickets available at the door.

In the first of several interleague bouts this year, the Sockit Wenches are taking on the Duke City Derby girls: the Muñecas Muertas! Grave Danger will unleash the wrath of hell on the Throttle Rockets, and we'll have a big 'ole party aferwards!

March 31st, 2007
Doors at 4:30 p.m.
Hangar 27, Magnuson Park
Tickets on sale soon! Online sales start February 26th, or you can pick 'em up early at the bout this Saturday!

One of our long-time sponsors, Jones Soda, has really gone the extra mile now! Jones Soda Co. recently announced the release of a limited edition label featuring the Rat City Rollergirls. The label will be featured on select bottles of their Blue Bubble Gum Soda and distributed to retailers across the United States. Snap 'em up now, if you can find 'em (you might have to fight us for them at the checkout counter, though).

In addition, Jones Soda has added RCRG to their "Emerging Athletes" page of their website here. Thanks, Jones, for all your support! [click the photo to see the bottle in its full glory!]

Thank you so much! You made it a night to remember. Special thanks go out to 9 lb Hammer, the Funhouse, Gorditos, Hales Ale, Manny's, and an anonymous derby-lovin' customer from Bird on a Wire Espresso!

And extra-special thanks to the winner of our auction for two prom tickets: Laura Barry! She donated $255 to our travel team fund and in exchange, got to party with rollergirls until the sun came up!

"I had a great time at the Derby Prom and I'm glad I had a chance to be a part of it. Most of all I'm glad I had a chance to contribute something towards great female athletics being able to show their skills off to fellow derby fans across the country." -Laura

All that hard work paid off, as our Travel Team came home ranked #1! Thank you, everyone.

Thank you to EVERYONE who showed up to the Funhouse on February 1st for our auction. It was an enormous success. We raised over $2,300 to send the Rat City All Stars to Tuscon for the Dust Devil. Without you, our SUPERFANS, we could not have done it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Toe Tag and The Scurvies for providing us with entertainment!

A special shout out to everyone who donated items: Michael Coyote, Eric Lynch, Jules Doyle, Alistair, Toys in Babeland, Vincent Drambuie, Snowboard Connection, the Throttle Rockets, Grave Danger, Bobcat, Morning Gory, Betty Ford Galaxy and Starbucks, Bird on a Wire Espresso, Big Dipper Waxworks, Poco Wine Bar, Rettig to Rumble, Pia Mess, Sin In Linen, Pris Toff, Minx Jewelry, Derby Salon, Hollywood Chuck Bury and Drew Blood!

And last but not least our AWESOME Auctioneer Anne!

Thanks again everyone!

Keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities in the coming months! We like to reward hard working folks with free admission to bouts, as well as volunteer-only RCRG schwag. To sign up for future volunteer opportunities, contact Jackie Hammer at volunteer@ratcityrollergirls.com.