Rainy City Prescibes Terrormedixxx a Loss

Wow.

As I finally begin to write this blog – almost three full days since the Rainy City Roller Dolls traveled north to battle the Slaughter County Roller Vixens’ Terrormedixxx – I’m left with the exact same description that was in my head just moments after the final whistle.

Wow.

What more can you say? Shit, I was announcing and couldn’t come up with a whole lot more.

There are moments in life when you realize how glad you are to be doing what you’re doing, to be involved with whatever it is that makes life more meaningful for you. This bout, more than any I’d been to beforehand could ever be, sealed the deal for me. Roller derby will be a part of my life from here on out, and bouts like last Saturday’s are exactly why.

Featuring an insanely close score with lead changes on both sides, hard hits from both TEAMS (not just individuals), a track record for this sort of thing and a whole lot more, the Rainy City Roller Dolls descended on Bremerton last weekend, looking to avenge a 2-point loss almost a year to the day.

No, they’re not the same RCRD squad that battled TMX last year. Sure, talents like Napalm Beth, Merciful Kate, Tina Burner and others had left. Sure, the Terrormedixx had picked up a skater who may just one day change the face of roller derby in the Pacific Northwest. Sure, TMX won last year.

But none of that mattered. When the final whistle sounded, all that mattered was the Rainy City 139, Terrormedixxx 134 flashed on the scoreboard that illuminated Bremerton Skateland, and 13 skaters in particular, in the end.

For a great-as-usual play-by-play recap of the bout, make sure you check out Elwood Bruise’s All Bout Derby here. Rather than go over the whos, whats and whens, I want to focus on some of the other aspects to this game. The emotional roller coaster throughout, the camaraderie and rivalry shared by two great teams. I’ll also talk a little bit about the Dockyard Derby Dames’ Waves of Mutilation knocking off SCRV’s Death Rattle Rollers.

Because of the track record, anyone familiar with either of these teams knew it would be a great battle. Aside from their history against one another, both teams routinely join forces at scrimmages or in times of need, like the Team Washington-Puget Sound Party Mix team that went down and battled Rose City’s Guns n’ Rollers a few weeks back. A couple RCRD girls skated with DRR when Slaughter County hosted its Island Invasion at Vashon a couple months ago.

So no one was surprised when this one started off closely. In fact, Rainy City, after opening a 9-0 lead, saw it get trimmed, then rise again, before D.V.S. Dicer put up 23 points in one jam, helping build an RCRD lead that would last through the half, eventually becoming a 71-58 halftime score. Don’t let that 13-point difference fool you. TMX was within 10 at least five times in the first half. They couldn’t nab the lead for the first time until 108-106 however, another testament in and of itself to the intensity of the bout.

As the bout went on, the intensity proportionately increased. Rainy City, always known for being a hard-hitting team, has faced some hard-hitting skaters before who can bring a shoulder down as solidly as anyone. But this time, it was an entire team hitting as hard as they do. I think one of my favorite moments all night was when, coming around the outside of the straightaway, TMX’s Brawlyanna leveled Miss Mel Mangles of RCRD with a huge shoulder. The very next turn, Miss Mel Mangles returned the favor, flooring Brawlyanna right back. After getting back up, Brawlyanna was ready to dish out another, with only the expired clock calling a draw in the heated one-on-one battle within the greater bout.

But their example also personifies what I love most about these two teams. Perhaps more than any of their respective teammates, Mangles and Brawlyanna are the most likely to be seen kicking your ass during a bout, then getting your ass drunk afterwards. Perhaps more than any other leagues, these two seem to share a kinship, a sisterhood if you will. They’ll beat the crap out of each other without remorse for an hour or more. But when it’s all said and done, RCRD and SCRV are almost exactly one in the same. In fact, I heard or overheard at least two girls from each team say something along the lines of, “If I ever left my team, I’d skate with you guys!”

Still, the bout wasn’t without its drama. Rainy City’s Tinkerbell Ringer was ejected after a late hit sent fast-rising up-and-comer TMXer On’Da Slight hard into the wall. The hit was after the whistle, but I think this was more a case of not hearing the whistle than headhunting. Nevertheless, it happened, and Tink was, as she should have been, ejected. More sisterly squabbles boiled over in the second half as well, leading to ejections for both RCRD’s Lil Miss Make-Her Mark and Terrormediccc Lolli Von PerkiPops for fighting. But for every harsh word exchanged, there were traded smiles of adoration, usually from a skater whose ass just met the hardwood thanks to an introduction from the opposition. And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Aside from Mangles and Brawlyanna, there’s several worth mentioning from this one. Dicer, and fellow second third-time-bouter Poise n’ Bury each continued to show improvement for Rainy City. It was great to see Dicer in particular bust out some huge jams after finding herself in the penalty box while jamming more than anyone wants to against the Eves of Destruction last month. PoiseN continues to show her developing versatility as well, this time primarily blocking.

But perhaps, along with Mangles, the true standout in this one was Toot A. Lou. As both a blocker and jammer, all she does is bust her ass, as evidenced by her 51 points across 11 jams to lead RCRD. And, as Elwood points out in his blog too, is nothing but consistent. Lucyville Slug-Her similarly did a nice job offensively and defensively.

The entire Rainy City blocking game, led by Mangles, Crack Attack, Make’Her, PoiseN and Slaughter-Kinney in this one, traded powerful blow after powerful blow with the TMX line of Brawlyann, QT Krusher, Roller Rage Rosie and Rollin Dirty. Both lines played their hearts out. Each had their own role along with their teammates. Whether sitting on a jammer, holding the inside, or laying someone out, they all did it well.

B Murda and Sonic Wave were both solid for the Terrormedixxx, but offensively, it was all Sligh keeping them in this one. She led the bout with 62 points in a dozen jams. But she showed she too still needs to get a little more comfortable with teh rules. During the TMX comeback effort in the second half, a costly penalty might have made the difference. Aside from saying it was 116-113 RCRD at the time, I’ll let Elwood say the rest:

“In it, On’Da Sligh earned lead jammer in the early stages and made one scoring pass through the pack before being banished to the penalty box. And as she sat there, she watched D.V.S. Dicer post 10 points of her own on the board for Rainy City.”

Even in outscoring Rainy City 12-4 in her final two jams, this was the one that could have prevented the loss for Slaughter County. But she knows it, as her humility is truly what earns her the affection of not only fans and friends, but the opposition too. She’s definitely become one of the skaters to watch in the PacNW. She can move her feet like none I’ve seen, slicing and squeezing through holes I didn’t know were there before. In fact, at one point in the second half, I saw her jump to try to get by a Rainy City blocker[Crack Attack], take a huge shoulder hit while completely airborne, and still come down, regain her balance and skate off ahead of the pack.

While I can’t mention them all (my words are running long-winded enough for now), every girl who stepped on the track for both teams truly and honestly contributed something at some point. Whether opening a hole for a split second to let a jammer make even just one pass, to putting another skater on the ground, to anything and everything in between, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a better example of complete teams bouting head-to-head.

In closing, I think Miss Mel Mangles said it best:

“Among other factors SCRV is like a sister to RCRD…but sometimes sibling rivalry turns into a family feud.”

Now if only family feud’s were this damn entertaining!

Short Track

In the second bout of the Carnival of Pain doubleheader, the new Dockyard Derby Dames all-star team, the Waves of Mutilation, took down the Death Rattle Rollers surprisingly hard, 145-87. No one would have been surprised one way or the other on the victor. It was the large difference that was a little eye-opening. But, DRR (and TMX for that matter) were both missing some key skaters due to injuries or pregnancies. But even with those extra bodies, the Waves were in a groove from the very beginning, riding behind the jamming of Dakota D. Stroya, Rita Beata Maid, Pain Goodall and Skate Pauli Girl. T’Erin Traxx is another DDD skater who showed off her versatility, jamming and blocking with a sense of ease. MyTai Smashya and Teeny Mussolini were also solid for Dockyard. DRR got a boost from some of its fresh meat, with Evil JenEvil stepping up for 11 jams and 16 points. Usual suspects Speedy Gun Haul Ass (46 points) and Bashley Blaze (21) also handled the bulk of the offense for the Death Rattle Rollers. Blocking-wise, always solid Anna Barbera was solid once more, and Nerd Rage provided one of my favorite moments of the night. Wearing a gold fanny pack, she was able to give what she’s subsequently dubbed a Fanny Pack-tastic Whip, sending her teammate around the track thanks to a hand from her fanny pack strap. Rubby Rotten and Goodie Licious were also solid on the line for DRR.

Special happy birthdays to Rainy City’s Pandora Bloxxx and Dockyard’s Goldie Locksdown, both of whom got to celebrate with their respective teams’ wins. I hope you got more spankings at the afterparty than you did on the track!

Also, this bout saw me make my official bout announcing debut, calling both bouts alongside three-year SCRV vet, the lovely and talented Stab-Her Lee! I was so excited to get to work with this mass-respected derby vet and she certainly helped me settle in to a comfort zone quickly. It’s a shame she won’t be around the booth regularly for too much longer, but what a great run! So Kitsap derby fans, make sure you show up to the SCRV season finale on June 27 at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds Pavilion and give her some love! Who knows? I might just show up there too…

I hope this recounting gives at least a little taste of the intensity the bout provided. I had to try hard as I could not to jump up and down screaming with the mic. And while I’m sure it doesn’t quite accomplish that, how could it? As I said earlier, I was announcing as it happened, and even then couldn’t put it into words.

Also, can’t wait for this weekend as the Rainy City Roller Dolls and Slaughter County Roller Vixens head out to Kennewick along with the Lava City Roller Dolls (Bend, Ore.) to battle hosts Atomic City in a heated desert battle! It’s gonna be a super good mini-tourney with a fantastic afterparty and camping – all things I approve of and enjoy. So check out D-Day in the Desert! You won’t want to miss it! Did I mention it’s outdoors? My first outdoor bout! Woots!

In any event, hope I didn’t forget anything. As usual, comments and dialog always welcome!

Keep on keepin’ on derbyers.

Much love,

Thurston Gore!