News

Bout Recap – May the Forth Be With You

By Booty Quake and Optismash Prime

The opening bout of the Terminal City Rollergirls' “May The Fourth Be With You” double-header pitted the underdog Riot Girls (0-1) against 2011 & 2012 league champions Faster Pussycats (1-0). Fans and skaters alike wondered, would the boost from veteran skaters Mick E Knox and Justine Timberskate – both absent from the Riot Girls' previous roster against the Public Frenemy in April - be enough to lift them above the Faster Pussycats' tight, strategic play?

Riot Girls looked strong out of the gate, nabbing lead jammer four times in a row, including a monster 27-point power jam by Miss E. Masculator. A few jams later, the Riot Girls' blocking line of Pavel Fury, Mick E Knox, Cassandra Pain and Hurt Russell held the FPC jammer in the pack for two natural grand slams by Justine Timberskate, bringing the score to 42-5 and delighting their fans. After a team timeout at the Pussycats’ bench, and a few more jams to get into their groove, the tables began to turn, and NazDroveya Wylde scored her own 10-0 jam for the FPC with the help of some excellent blocking from Schwarzemegger, for a score of 51-18. The Pussycat defense began to wear down the opposing jammers, creating two power jams in a row for Naz and captain Andi Struction late in the first period, as the FPC continued to claw their way back into it with 10-0 and 17-0 jams respectively. Rookie Riot Girls jammer Hyena Koffinkat pocketed her own 10-0 power jam next to end the period at 63-48 for the “Soldiers of Awesome.”

The Riot Girls bore down, gaining lead jammer for three in a row to open the second half. But the Faster Pussycats roared back. Skarlet Karson, Pie Voltage and Schwarzemegger recycled the Riot Girls' jammer endlessly in jam 4, allowing powerhouse NazDroveya Wylde to cruise through another huge 20-0 jam, tying the score at 69-69 and sending the packed house into a frenzy! With more than 23 minutes still to play, the Riot Girls didn't flinch, and answered with a 25-0 jam by Justine Timberskate after the fearsome Mick E Knox forced a track cut penalty to send the FPC jammer to the box. The Riot Girls once again held the lead at 94-69.

The bottom of the second half saw both teams playing tight, clean games with very few penalties, and back-and-forth, low scoring jams. Snow Crash and L.A. Gunns played smart defense for the Pussycats while Sim-Mutilator blocked and jammed valiantly, and Schwarzemegger took a few turns wearing the jammer star. The Riot Girls' blockers answered, with veterans Mick E. Knox, the Skater Formerly Known As Trixi, and Hurt Russell getting a healthy boost from rookie Pavel Fury.

A Faster Pussycat jammer penalty in the second-last jam sealed the deal, allowing Justine Timberskate another 15-0 power jam. With the FPC jammer still in the box, Miss E. Masculator and the Riot Girls skated another 8 points onto the scoreboard, for a final score of 138-90, and the Riot Girls' first home victory in three seasons.

Sim-Mutilator was awarded MVP for the Faster Pussycats for her determined effort both jamming and blocking, while Mick. E Knox, a veteran and former All-Star who tonight donned the Riot Girls jersey for the very first time, was honoured for her crushing hits and smart, defensive play.

The second bout of the night was a match up between The Bad Reputations (0-1) and Public Frenemy (1-0). Both were hungry for the win, Public Frenemy had lost a very close bout (116-135) to The Bad Reps last August, costing them their chance at last seasons championship. Needless to say, the tension was high.

At the first whistle, The Bad Reputations’ captain Diva La Revolution squared off on the jammer line against Public Frenemy rookie Guardian Paingel. Diva set the pace for her team, scooping up four points and calling off the jam with three of Frenemy’s players already in the penalty box. Bad Reps’ rookie jammer Traumatic Acid was able to put a 10 points on the board during the following power jam with the help of her blockers. Things were just getting started when Public Frenemy answered back with a 14-0 jam from veteran jammer Flamin’ Jane. Deathly Innocent went on dodge her way through the Bad Reps’ defense to get 19 points on a power jam. Public Frenemy turned the bout around with a score of 36-15.

Not long after, Frenemy blockers Alkazar, Funeral Blues, Flamin‘ Jane, and recent league transfer Missy Ascrew kept crowd favorite Lamb Baste’Her pinned down while Guardian Paingel scored an amazing 20 points, stirring up the crowd and bringing the score to 56-15. After a Bad Reps timeout to regroup and focus, jammer Juanna Rawk fought back, picking up two points and making a smart call to end the jam. The girls in teal came back one jam at a time, grabbing a couple of points when possible and shutting down the Frenemy jammers with some solid blocking courtesy of Real Canadian Bacon, Major Assets, Count Rock-U-La and Cherry Bob-ombs Away. Frenemy jammer Deathly Innocent landed herself in the penalty box for low blocking, allowing Bad Reps’ jammer Traumatic Acid a 15 point power jam. Frenemy fought hard to hold on to their big lead, but were only able to attain lead jammer four more times, allowing the Bad Reps to shrink the score difference to 72-64 at the end of the first half.

The Bad Reputations started the second half strong and managed to keep team green scoreless for the opening four jams, tying the game up quickly at 72-72, much to the delight of the vociferous fans. The increased intensity invariably kicked up the physicality on the track, and Frenemy’s Arctic Fox, Cally and captain Aunt Jam Imma held an unbreakable defense. The “calm green ocean” stirred, and the Bad Reps fell prey to wave upon wave of amazing offensive blocking, lead by Missy Ascrew. Frenemy continued deny the teal team any more points for several jams, despite the impressive footwork of Lamb Baste-her and Diva La Revolution, and the score gap had widened again to 123-72 for Public Frenemy.

Traumatic Acid was first to crack the green defense in the last minutes of the second half – she scored a single point with a small hipskip through the inside line, and this was quickly backed up by points from Lamb Baste’Her, Real Canadian Bacon and Diva La Revolution, bringing the reps up to 91 points. Despite the back-and-forth momentum, Frenemy held their lead – and their undefeated status this season – to end the bout in their favour at 155-95.

Missy Ascrew of Public Frenemy received the MVP award for her devastating hits and skills as a Pivot. Juanna Rawk was the MVP for The Bad Reputations for her amazing breakout performance as a jammer.

The next TCRG event is a special one – The Terminal City All-Stars, TCRG’s charter WFTDA team, will be welcoming the London Rollergirls all the way from the UK on June 1 for a rare sanctioned bout on home soil. Event details and tickets can be found at terminalcitytickets.com.