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Rose City came into the tournament ranked 4th in the nation - and their impressive performance at the 2011 Western Regionals came with great expectations vs. the 9th ranked Kansas City.

The Kansas City Roller Warriors have been on the map since 2006 when they won the hearts of the pre-WFTDA fans at Tuscon's "Dust Devil" - the first national flat track tournament of the modern era.

The team earned national recognition after their stunning (but not unexpected for those in "the know") performance at the 2007 Championships in Austin. KC came in as the lowly 4th seed from the Western Region (there were only two regions at the time) - and their first bout was considered a "gimme" for the overwhelming 1st seed from the East - the Gotham Girls.

Even after that win, many were surprised (pleasantly) by KCRW's ability to win close bouts against the 3rd seed in the tournament (Carolina) and the 1st seed overall (Rat City of Seattle, WA.)

2008 was arguably KC's biggest missed opportunity as they stumbled against a better prepared Duke City and were knocked out in round one of the Western Regionals in Houston.

Subsequent seasons proved more frustrating than rewarding as KC continued to qualify (second seed from the South Centrals in 2009, first seed in 2010 after an emotional win over long-time rivals The Texas Rollergirls.)

Win, lose, or draw, there's no question that Kansas City has earned the love and respect of skaters and fans internationally - and while they might have been overlooked in 2007, no team will ever take them for granted again.

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