2009 Season Championship - Bout Recap

by League Reporter Ryan Seven, Photos by Bob Ayers

The Terminal City Rollergirls’ concluded their third-season with tons of bang-for-your-buck action, as two bouts full of monster-hits and lightning-fast skating unfolded Saturday, August 8 at Minoru Arena in Richmond. The night ended with the Bad Reputations taking the Championship title for a second year in a row, adding to their cred by defeating the deadly Riot Girls 78-62, in a bout that went down to the wire. And the night began with underdog Faster Pussycats playing their hearts out, but falling behind 61-123 to Victoria’s explosive Eves of Destruction.

Revenge could have been the theme for both bouts, as the Bad Reps, last year’s defending champs, were looking to redeem themselves after getting thumped by the Riot Girls in the season opener, and the FPC’s were taken down by the Eves in Victoria last month.

Star rookie Pussycats jammer Ring'er Bell tries to get by the Eves' last line of defence

Faster Pussycats Vs. Eves of Destruction – First Half

After losing big to the Eves only a month ago on their home turf in Victoria, TCRG’s Faster Pussycats had a good idea of what to expect from the rematch -- being up 20-9 after six jams probably wasn’t it. Even better, Ring’er Bell, Player 1, and Andi Struction got the FPC’s off to a 17-0 start, which lit up the home crowd.

However, the tide started to turn when Ring’er Bell got clocked by Bulldozer “Bully” McDonald in the fourth jam, and the Eves found themselves on the scoreboard. The Eves started to catch up, then pile on points, as they passed the FPC’s with impressive jamming by Lady Cuntessa, Beaver Canoe and Tanya Cheeks. It didn’t hurt that Bully and Nadia Comin’Atcha were laying down smack and taking names. However, in the dying minutes of the period, with the Pussycats down 45-31, the underdog team still looked very much alive after Sissy Straight-edge – who made a very impressive home debut as jammer – quickly cut inside the pack to get the lead against opposing jammer Dangerous Goods.

Second Half

The Pussycats couldn’t carry the momentum into the second period and had trouble getting on the scoreboard, getting 14 points for most of the second half. Even though the Eves had a 111-45 stranglehold on the win, neither team seemed to be resting, as Andi Struction skated and weaved her way through the pack twice for a double grand slam, and Suzy Shameless rocked some worlds -- and was sent to the Penalty Palace on more than one occasion.

Although the winless-TCRG team (proudly) concluded their season in third place, they developed a lot over the season, and it’ll be interesting to see what the rookie-powered team will look like next year, as a new round of Fresh Meat is tenderized, TCRG-style.

Championship Game – First Half

Lucrushya Boardya, the game's Scariest Blocker, takes rookie Collide-O-Scope Kid out of bounds

The Championship Bout between the Riot Girls and Bad Reps started off with the TCRG’s premiere match-up between star-jammers Luludemon and Rollergirl, with Lulu skating up a 4-3 lead for the Riot Girls. Avi Hater visited Penalty Palace and the score was 10-6 for the Bad Reps after the third jam.

Even though there were a few scoreless jams, the Championship bout featured both teams at their peaks, playing physical and strategic derby. The pack was ready to fight for position before every whistle, and the jammers were ping-ponged through the pack, scrapping for every inch of track.

During a match-up between Collide-O-Scope Kid and Luludemon, Kid shot through the pack, but didn’t pick up lead jammer, only to have Lulu patiently fight through and put the Riot Girls ahead 22-21. Rollergirl responded for the Bad Reps in the next jam by immediately slipping right through the pack, quickly collecting points and calling off the jam, giving the Reps’ the lead at 25-22.

Although the Riot Girls were ahead 35-31 by the end of the first period, the half ended on a downer when Luludemon, the team’s highest scorer at that point with 20 points, was taken out of the game.

Championship Game – Second Half

The second period began with Rollergirl blasting through to lead- jammer and picking up six points. Trixi Trippin Chix was still able to get three points, all the while shaking Lamb Baste-Her off on two big hit attempts. The Riot Girl’s single point lead was extended when Avi Hater added another three points after a nice whip from 8 Mean Wheeler, putting the score to 41-37.

The game was tied up at 45-45 after a Lamb Baste-Her/Shift Kicker match-up, as both packs started to pile on a brick-wall defense. Points weren’t found until two jams later, when Bad Reps jumped ahead by a point. 

When it mattered the most, the Bad Reps were able to hold off the Riot Girls in the dying minutes of the game, freezing the score at 73-62, then solidifying their championship victory by adding five more points in the last jam, concluding one of the most entertaining bouts yet from the TCRG.

“It was still anyone’s game after 55 minutes,” said announcer Mack the Mouth. “It was an epic battle, and one that any derby fan would thoroughly enjoy.”

The rivalry between the Bad Reps and the Riot Girls will now have to be put on hold until Season 4 in 2010 as the TCRG All Stars, made up of players from all three teams, join forces to take on some of the best teams in the West this fall and winter. First up, the All Stars challenge Calgary's Hellion Rebellion at the Calgary Tattoo and Arts Convention on August 15 in hopes of bringing home the Ink Cup for a second year in a row.