Derby Dolls Co-Founder Named as 1 of L.A.'s Pioneer Women
Demolicious Speaks at City Council
In 2003, Rebecca Ninburg and Wendy Templeton founded the L.A. Derby Dolls, an organization that has turned into a premiere banked-track derby league with a space that can hold some 1,700 fans.
"If you haven't been to the game, besides the 16 ounce Tecates, it's one fo the most exciting places to go in Los Angeles," declared City Council President Eric Garcetti, who awarded Ninburg, or Demolicious as her derby name goes."
"You've inspired so many," Garcetti continued, "whether it's a girl who now has the confidence that she can tackle anything in this world, whether it's our community members of Historic Filipinotown who've seen the potential of their neighborhood or whether it's the tens of thousands of fans who've been inspired to come see some great entertainment."
The Derby Dolls moved into a former ice cream cone factory in Historic Filipinotown in 2007 and named it the Doll Factory. It's a volunteer-run organization supported by 150 skaters and volunteers.
Ninburg said that one of the great things about roller derby, a full contact sport, is that you'll never see a W (for Women) in front its name. "It's inherently an all female sport, we're not following a paradigm of another sport," she told the council.
The next game is on June 12th against the Arizona Derby Dames.