Chicago Outfit Roller Derby


Chicago Outfit Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2007, the Chicago Outfit is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.

History and league structure

The Outfit formed in 2007, after the collapse of another roller derby organization in Chicago, the Chi-Town Sirens. While many of the former Sirens joined "the other" Chicago league, the Windy City Rollers, the rest launched the Outfit as a new organization that only played against other league's teams, rather than creating its own home league.
In September 2009, the Chicago Outfit joined the WFTDA Apprentice Program, and became full members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association on June 17, 2010.
The Outfit consists of three travel teams. The Syndicate is the Outfit's A-team, representing the league in bouts counting toward WFTDA rankings. The Outfit added the Shade Brigade, the B-level team, in January 2009. The Shade Brigade usually competes against lower-ranked WFTDA leagues or the B-teams of leagues that have higher rankings. Due to the large number of new skaters joining the Outfit at the end of 2010, the league created an additional, C-level team called the Shakedown for newer skaters. The Shakedown began competing in August 2011. Chicago Outfit home games are held at Cicero Stadium.

WFTDA competition

The Outfit first qualified for WFTDA Playoffs in 2011, entering the WFTDA North Central Regional Tournament as the ninth seed and finishing in fifth place, by defeating Arch Rival of St. Louis, 153-113. In 2012, the Outfit entered the North Central Playoff as the eighth seed but finished in tenth, culminating with a 180-166 loss to Cincinnati Rollergirls. As the ninth seed at the 2013 Division 1 Playoff in Salem, the Outfit lost all three of their games to finish in tenth place. In 2014, the Outfit competed at the Division 2 Playoff in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario as the fifth seed and finished in seventh place, with a 189-150 victory over Demolition City Roller Derby. At the 2015 Division 2 Playoff in Detroit, the Outfit had their best result to date, entering as the sixth seed yet finishing in fourth place, after a loss to Naptown Roller Girls 190-107. At the 2016 Division 2 Playoff in Wichita, the ninth-seeded Outfit defeated Carolina Rollergirls 249-173 to finish in ninth place.

Rankings

In the community

The Outfit is a democratic league, run by the skaters and for the skaters. The league has a long history of contributing charitably to several other non-profit organizations, including the Howard Brown Health Center, Ignite the Spirit, Family of Moxie Mayhem, Derby News Network, Help Tequila, Girls Rock! Chicago, the American Cancer Society, and Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. The Outfit also coaches the Chicago Riots, which is a junior roller derby league consisting of girls ages 12 to 17.
In 2013, members of The Outfit appeared on The Queen Latifah Show. Kent Smith, member of the Ohio House of Representatives, volunteers as an announcer for the Outfit.