Philly crushes Grand Raggidy at Big Dig 2026 opener in Everett

Philly Roller Derby turned Big Dig’s opening whistle into a blowout, burying Grand Raggidy 226-43 at 10:00 a.m. on June 13 at Allied Veterans Memorial Rink in Everett. The 183-point margin instantly defined Boston Roller Derby’s two-day invitational at 65 Elm Street, where the first bout of a “jam-packed weekend of great roller derby” showed just how far a true rankings heavyweight can separate from the field.

The scoreline mattered because this was not a casual exhibition. Big Dig ran June 13-14 and sat in the middle of a crowded Northeast rankings picture, with Philly AStars listed 33rd in NA Northeast with an 80.30 GPA and Grand Raggidy listed 24th with a 124.02 GPA. On paper, that gap did not look like a mismatch of this scale. On the track, Philly’s margin suggested a team that controlled the jammer rotation, converted early leads into repeated scoring trips, and kept Grand Raggidy from finding the kind of defensive foothold that could have slowed the tempo.

That is what makes the opening result such a strong early-tournament signal. A roster that can put up 226 points against a higher-ranked opponent is not just winning, it is dictating pace, shrinking the opponent’s options, and making every subsequent matchup in the bracket look different. For teams waiting later in the weekend, the message was clear: Philly arrived in Everett ready to stretch the track and punish every mistake.

Boston Roller Derby still got one result it could lean on when Boston B beat Grand Raggidy 164-78 later that same day. The host side’s win kept Saturday from becoming a total runaway and showed that the weekend could still produce competitive control, not just one-sided numbers. Sunday’s schedule kept the tournament moving with Philly A vs. Gotham B at 10:00 a.m., Grand Raggidy vs. Gotham B at 2:00 p.m., and Boston B vs. Ann Arbor B at 4:00 p.m.

The broader backdrop only sharpened the stakes. Grand Raggidy Roller Derby, based in Grand Rapids and founded in 2005, entered as a founding member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. Philly Roller Derby was established in 2005 as a skater-owned and operated league, while Boston Roller Derby’s volunteer-run nonprofit structure underscored the event’s community-built foundation. In a field packed with rankings consequences, Philly’s opening demolition made one thing plain: Big Dig had a favorite, and everyone else had work to do.