PRD Rollin’ Hard to the East Coast Derby Extravaganza

The three-day weekend of Jun 19 – 21 will mark the ninth annual East Coast Derby Extravaganza (ECDX) in Feasterville, Penn – a nonstop roller derby event that features A-teams, B-teams, junior and men’s leagues, domestic and international. Surrounding the three rinks, fans will be coming out to watch 50 bouts consisting of WFTDA sanctioned bouts, funbouts (themed mixed-scrimmages featuring skaters from various teams), and an MRDA (Men’s Roller Derby Association) tournament featuring the local boys in (#8) Mass Maelstrom.

For the second year in a row, PVD has been drawn from the lottery to compete, facing Lansing (#101) on Saturday and DC (#80) on Sunday. Prepping for ECDX is far different than for a typical away-bout. There are many more eyes on the games and the energy is always intense with a constant roaring crowd. Veterans returning to the event find this a rare and thrilling occasion.

“I’d say ECDX bouts are the most fun and exciting of the year,” said Cindy Lou Screw. “You get the opportunity to play against teams not in your neck of the woods — even Europe, which is always cool.”

New skaters have heard all the stories and watched the bouts on WFTDA TV. Attending an event filled with skaters, vendors and fans from all over creates a whole new beast they have yet to face. This year will be Trannie Oakley’s first ECDX.

“For me, I believe the key to success at ECDX will be to take each bout individually by not getting caught up in the fanfare, and treating each like a standard bout,” said Oakley. “I’ll need to be able to turn the page between day one and two.”

Another insightful perspective is given by someone doing double-duty as a skater and a coach.  Wes Turn, who skates for Mass Maelstrom, will be competing in the tournament and coaching both Riveters’ bouts.

“I consider it more of an advantage to be able to coach one team and skate for another. Both positions influence each other,” said Wes. “I’m lucky enough to have inside and outside experience and perspectives, which helps improve fundamentals and game play for both.”

If you can’t make it to the ECDX awesomeness, you can still catch an incredible double-header against Ithica coming to Meehan Auditorium at Brown University on Sat, Jun 27 as the Riveters face the SufferJets and the hometown Killah Bees will go up against the BlueStockings. Tickets are available right now (with discounts for valid college IDs).  For more information, look them up on Facebook or go to ProvidenceRollerDerby.com.