[ABOUT ROLLER DERBY]  [SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES]  [MEAL SPONSORSHIPS]

Blood & Thunder National Derby Training Camp
Hosted by The San Diego Derby Dolls

Dates: Thursday, March 12th thru Sunday, March 15th, 2009

Event Location:
The Doll House
1401 E. Street
San Diego, California 92101

Shipping address:
San Diego Derby Dolls
Attn: Training Camp
603 Seagaze Drive #295
Oceanside, California 92054

Contact: Dale “Black Dahlia” Rio
Co-owner and editor of Blood & Thunder Magazine
trainingcamp@bloodandthundermag.com
323.481.8623

Mailing address for Training Camp:
San Diego Derby Dolls
ATTN: Training Camp
1401 E. Street
San Diego, California 92101

Since its inception in 2001, contemporary, all-female roller derby has grown exponentially, from a handful of leagues in the early days to its current count of 160+ independently owned and operated leagues across the U.S. and around the world.

Because of the nature of the sport, roller derby attracts a wide cross-section of both skaters and fans… From nationally ranked speed skaters to women attracted to derby’s D.I.Y. ethic, from avid sports fans to those who previously eschewed organized sports, roller derby has struck a chord with the populace in the U.S. and abroad. Anyone with an interest in sub- or popular culture has been bitten by the derby bug!

The Blood & Thunder National Derby Training Camp offers skaters of all skill levels the chance to train with top coaches from around the country, take part in workshops and panels that address the business and off-skates aspects of derby. This is a full-immersion camp where participants will eat, sleep, and breathe derby.

We would like to offer your business the opportunity to partner with derby’s rapidly-growing, yet under-tapped market. With each league having an average of 40 – 100 skaters on its roster, the number of skaters alone is staggering, and when you factor in all of the support staff, friends, families, and fans, it’s apparent that world of roller derby is a vast and viable market. Although the skaters themselves are women who average in the 21 – 40 year-old age range, fans and folks involved in derby run the gamut, including both sexes and all age brackets. With discretionary income and an obsessive enthusiasm for derby, both skaters and fans make an ideal group to market to. With your company’s name associated with the camp, not only will you reach the participants themselves, but the whole of the derby world.

With our sponsorship options, you are able to choose a package that matches your company’s needs and abilities, and we can work with you to create a package that suits your company to a T. We would love to work with your business, so get in touch if you’re interested in sponsoring this, the first Blood & Thunder National Derby Training Camp!

The current form of roller derby was conceived in 2001, in Austin, Texas, where a group of women had the idea of modernizing the sport. As word spread about the revamped version of the ‘70’s craze that was taking place in Texas, other leagues began to pop up across the country, comprised of entrepreneurial women who had the desire to play hard and control their own destinies. Aside from being reborn as an all-female sport, one aspect of modern roller derby that sets it apart from previous inceptions, and from most other sports, is that each league is owned and operated by the skaters themselves. With the perfect combination of self-determination, aggressive skating, and just the right amount of camp, contemporary roller derby has caught the imagination of people around the world, as the number of leagues has grown to over 200 at last count, including international leagues in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, and New Zealand.

In 2005, the first RollerCon roller derby convention was held in Las Vegas, and the Tucson Roller Derby league hosted the first Dust Devil invitational tournament, paving the way for future large-scale roller derby events and tournament play. With the inception of the WFTDA, an organization uniting flat track roller derby leagues, roller derby skaters now compete in regional tournaments throughout the year, ending with a national tournament.


From 2003 – 2005, Dale “Black Dahlia” Rio and Lindy “Robin Graves” Hartsfield skated together with the L.A. Derby Dolls, one of the first contemporary roller derby leagues to form after the way was paved in Austin. They watched the new sport grow, transforming from a novelty comprised of a handful of leagues to a legitimate venture, expanding exponentially. Although they parted ways in 2005, (Dahlia traveling to New Zealand to found that country’s first derby league, the Pirate City Rollers, and eventually settling in Seattle, and Robin giving in to the demands of work and family life), the two formed Black Graves Media, an umbrella company that produces both Blood & Thunder and Shimmy magazines. Launched in the fall of 2006, Blood & Thunder was the first magazine to celebrate the world of derby; the skaters, leagues, action, art, fashion, supporters, and life surrounding the unique sport of roller derby. In keeping with the skater-owned-and-operated model that the leagues themselves follow, Blood & Thunder is proud of the fact that its content is wholly comprised of submissions and design work by skaters themselves and members of the derby community.


After making the arduous trek from the Oceanside, California to Los Angeles at least three days a week to train with the L.A. Derby Dolls, Bonnie D. Stroir decided to start a roller derby league a bit closer to home. In 2005, she got approval from the Derby Dolls to found her own branch, and the San Diego Derby Dolls was born. With the unique goal of maintaining both banked and flat track teams within one league, S.D.D.D. began training on the flat-track, scrimmaging against, and quickly outgrowing, other local leagues. With the procurement of a banked track, and a warehouse in which to keep it, the San Diego Derby Dolls have achieved their goal, becoming the first league in the country to promote themselves as both banked and flat track.


- Title credit to read: “ Your Company presents the Blood & Thunder National Derby Training Camp hosted by the San Diego Derby Dolls”
- Prominent banner placement for the duration of the camp
- Logo/graphics in conjunction with all visual promotion, including press and media correspondence
- Prominent logo/graphics placement on www.bloodandthundermag.com
- Advertising in programs
- Vending booth for the duration of the camp
- Workshop presentation
- Product specials available to registered participants
- Free entry for up to four representatives


- Prominent banner placement for the duration of the camp
- Prominent logo/graphics placement on www.bloodandthundermag.com
- Advertising in programs
- Vending booth for the duration of the camp
- Workshop presentation
- Product specials available to registered participants
- Free entry for up to two representatives


- Banner placement for the duration of the camp
- Logo/graphics placement on www.bloodandthundermag.com
- Advertising in programs
- Vending booth for the duration of the camp
- Free entry for up to two representatives


(limited spots available)
- Logo/graphics placement on www.bloodandthundermag.com
- Vending booth for the duration of the camp
- Free entry for up to two representatives
* We highly encourage our vendors to donate a percentage of their profits to "Help Tequila" fund, which was set up to help Windy City skater Tequila Mockingbird, (who was very seriously injured in a recent bout), pay for her medical bills.


(limited spots available)
- Vending booth during the bout
- Free entry to the bout for one representative
* We highly encourage our vendors to donate a percentage of their profits to "Help Tequila" fund, which was set up to help Windy City skater Tequila Mockingbird, (who was very seriously injured in a recent bout), pay for her medical bills.


Because our camp is an intensive, immersion-style camp, we are looking for food companies, restaurants, and grocery stores to sponsor two meals a day, either financially or through in-kind trade. By providing skaters with a healthy breakfast and lunch, our goal is to allow them to focus on their training and not have to worry about finding, or preparing, their own meals.

We are specifically looking for breakfast foods, (i.e. fruit, baked goods, cereals, milk [including soy and/or rice milk], juices), lunches, healthy snacks, water/beverages, and nutrition bars.

There will be 200 skaters in attendance, plus coaches and support staff, for an estimated 225 mouths to feed.


Full Sponsorship: This would entail providing breakfast and lunch for the entire camp during its four-day duration, (financially or through trade).
Meal Sponsorship: This involves sponsoring one or more specific meals during the camp, (financially or through trade).
Beverage Sponsorship: The skaters will definitely need to hydrate themselves, so this entails providing beverages for them during the duration of the camp.
Snack Provider: If your company makes a healthy snack product.
Discount Coupons: This involves providing skaters with coupons and/or discounts to your restaurant/store.


Roller derby is a rapidly-growing sport, and aside from the camp attendees who will gain exposure to your product, our advertising efforts will ensure that your product will be linked to an event that will reach the eyes and ears of thousands of people, (skaters and fans), around the country and world. If you are a local business, your location will included in a map of the area given to each participant.

All sponsors are encouraged to provide us with promotional material to be given to each participant.


We are more than willing to work with you to tailor a sponsorship package that suits your business. Get in touch, and we’ll discuss other sponsorship options!



Blood & Thunder Magazine is a Black Graves Media Publication. Copyright 2005-2008.
Blood & Thunder Magazine is a print magazine celebrating the world of all-girl roller derby!
We love both flat-track and banked track roller derby! We just love roller derby!