Dolls substitute Land Shark skates against the Gores' Bambi in the Dolls 2008 regular-season win. (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

Gore-Gore Rollergirls (0-1) vs. The Death Track Dolls (1-0)

You have to look way back to find the last (and only) time that the Death Track Dolls defeated the Gore-Gore Rollergirls. It was August 19^th, 2008, when the Dolls took down the Gores 112-93; it was a game that allowed the Dolls to clinch second place in the regular season standings. The bout was not without controversy. In 2008, ToRD was still running a six-team homeleague and resources were spread thin. For this final regular season game of the season, the Dolls borrowed two substitutes from the D-VAS and one from the Bruisers to fill out the roster. One substitute skater in particular—D-VAS rookie Land Shark—would have a big impact on the game, ending up being named the game’s MVP. Although shrouded in controversy, the three subs (Land Shark and Seka Destroy from the D-VAS, Monichrome from the Bruisers) would all, ironically, end up as part of the Dolls in the dispersal draft following the 2008 season and the contraction of two of the six hometeams.

The Dolls kicked off 2012 with a victory over the Smoke City Betties. (Photo by Joe Mac)

Jumping ahead to April 2012 and much has changed. When these two teams meet on Saturday some of the skaters dressed for the bout were there four years ago, but many new faces have arrived. And after dominating ToRD for five seasons (winning three championships along the way), it is the Gores who now find themselves looking for their first win of the season and the Dolls (the only home team never to appear in a championship game) sitting atop the tight ToRD standings.  If there is a time for the Dolls to change this four-year losing streak, that time could be now.

Over the past two season the Death Track Dolls have done a good job of redefining their team, and have brought in an exciting crop of rookies. They’ll be dressing three rookies on Saturday (Ames to Kill, Bellefast and UpHer Cut), not to mention a handful of second-year skaters. The Gore-Gore Rollergirls, on the other hand, are a team that has not changed much over the past few years (a stretch that included a 12-game winning streak), and still feature a high-powered offense led by two of the league’s top jammers in Bambi and Dust Bunny. The Dolls have been jamming by committee so far this season with upwards of six skaters capable of wearing the star (which is the number they used in their season opener).

Following a twelve game winning streak, the Gores have lost two games in a row for the first time. (Photo by Joe Mac)

The most interesting battle could be in the pack. Skating without Brim Stone (something that the Gores have never had to contend with before) and former rookie of the year Hurlin’ Wall, there is a gap in the pack that the Dolls could take advantage of. Then again, it could just be an opportunity for other skaters to step up. There is no shortage of veteran Gores to step up and either pivot or take on a larger role in the pack. Along with captains Kandy Barr and Lady Gag-Ya, Santa Muerte, Chronic, Foxy Sinatra, Junkie Jenny and Molly Boom are all more than capable on-track leaders. Gamma Rei is always on the verge of a major breakout. But this opportunity could have the greatest effect on a few skaters still looking to make their marks. Miss Kitty La Peur has upped her training this season, and for Emma Dilemma, Mace  O’Kissed and Draculaura, the time has never been better to step up and take on a critical role for the team.

As for the Dolls, Betty Bomber, Sinead O’Clobber, Jubilee and newly emerged triple threat Panty Hoser remain on-track leaders the  for the team, but with Downright Dirty Dawson, Lucid Lou and Speedin Hawking filling out a very experienced pack line up, there aren’t too many holes for the Dolls to fill. Second-year skaters Kat Atomic and Rhage in a Cage have an opportunity to step up here, and rookie Ames to Kill is quickly emerging as a threat in the pack. UpHer Cut will be making her ToRD regular season debut, but with pack experience from her days as a D-VAS, has the potential to make an impact right away.

The Dolls and Gores will be facing off in the second half of the double header.

Lake Effect Furies (2-4,  15th East) vs. CN Power (4-0, 17^thNorth Central)

CN Power is undefeated so far in 2012, including four in a row at home starting with the Roc City Roc Stars. (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

Queen City’s Lake Effect Furies (Buffalo) and ToRD’s CN Power  have been comparatively busy early in the 2012 WFTDA season, as both teams press for a playoff spot. The host CN Power has burst out of the gates so far in 2012 thoroughly dominating  lower-ranked competition (Hammer City), while looking impressive in wins over similarly ranked teams (Roc City, Tri-City) and teams ranked above them (Fort Wayne).  Counting a non-sanctioned win over the Rideau Valley Vixens, CN Power is on a five-game winning streak to kick off 2012 (and six overall dating back to a 2011 season-ending victory over Derby City). These victories probably will help them jump to 14^th in the the North Central.

The Furies may not have had quite the success yet in 2012, but they have been facing some stiff competition so far squaring off solely against teams ranked above them in the WFTDA standings.  Buffalo’s two wins have been minor upsets against Connecticut (14^th East) and Suburbia  (12^th E), while their losses have been to DC Rollergirls (11^th), Maine (10^th), and Charm City (3^rd). So taking into account their competition, the Furies record is actually quite impressive and realistically places them firmly in 12^th in the region.

The Furies defeated CN Power at the Bunker in August 2010. (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

This will be the third meeting between these two teams since August 2010. The Furies took that first one in Toronto 110-79, while CN Power took some measure of revenge in Buffalo this past September, taking a close one 139-129. Both teams currently hold a similar position in their respective Regions: up-and-comers on the verge of the playoffs. Yet as recent Furies and CN Power losses to Maine and Grand Raggidy (respectively) show, there is still some work to be done. But not much, and each WFTDA game that these two teams play now is vitally critical to their playoff aspirations.

NOTE: CN Power will be playing its first game without Brim Stone, who is taking an indefinite hiatus from the sport. Brim has been an instrumental part in putting together this CN Power team and

CN Power will be without long-time captain Brim Stone. (Photo by Todd Burgess)

getting it to the level that it is at. While it remains to be seen what the impact of this loss will have on CN Power, the team that Brim so carefully helped construct is one that is built around a deep bench and a strong, ever-evolving core. For ToRD fans, it will undoubtedly be an emotional moment to see a CN Power team line up without its long-time captain, but through the training and leadership she provided, her influence will most definitely be felt.

**Doors at The Bunker open at 5:00 PM; first whistle is at 6:00 PM. Tickets are available online or at various outlets downtown.

“It’s a very important time right now because we really want to make it to regionals,” said Stephen Brydson a.k.a Sonic Doom, one of the managers for CN Power.

“We’ve only had two WFTDA losses and they were against two really tough teams in Naptown and Grand Raggidy, so it’s nice to win.”

The third annual QCC featured teams from Toronto (CN Power), Tri-City (Thunder), Ottawa (Vixens) and Hamilton (Eh! Team). The four teams squared off against each other in a two day tournament of exciting and hard-hitting roller derby action. The bouts between Toronto, Hamilton and Tri-City were important for each squad because they affected their WFTDA rankings, while Ottawa looked to prove that an apprenticeship league was not to be overlooked.

CN Power began the tournament on Saturday with tough victories over the Vixens (197-84) and the Thunder (141-107), two of the most anticipated bouts of the entire weekend.

Blockers Bruiseberry Pie and Lady Gag-Ya stepped up for the ladies in pink against Ottawa, while Candy Crossbones, Dyna Hurtcha and Rebel Rock-It picked up a large number of points with the jammer star. A scary moment in the bout saw the ever-popular Mega Mouth go down with an injury, but she recovered, played through the pain and turned it around with a strong second half, a half that also included an impressive 30 point jam from Betty Bomber.

In the main event of Saturday, Toronto squared off against Tri-City. The two teams have formed a bit of a rivalry over the last couple of seasons and were very evenly matched. The rough and tumble bout featured strong blocking from Tara Part and Nasher the Smasher combined with speedy jamming from Defecaitlin and Bambi. Freudian Whip and Ova Kill put in spectacular efforts for the Thunder, but it was not enough as CN Power walked away victorious. The win will most likely shoot Toronto past Tri-City in the WFTDA’s North Central division.

“Both teams surprised us because they both went through such drastic roster changes,” said Brydson.

“The Vixens came out much stronger and more organized. Their formations were fantastic… the Thunder, they have a lot of new jammers, they delivered, they’re always a threat, always a tough team, but I’m happy that we pretty much kept control of the game for the entire 60 minutes.”

On Sunday, after an exhilarating bout between Ottawa and Tri-City, CN Power looked for their third win of QCC as they squared off against Hammer City.

Hamilton got off to a surprisingly quick start and even earned an early 8-7 lead, but Toronto shook off the rust, gained the lead and dominated the bout with a 408-55 victory.

The game featured a 39 point jam from Defecaitlin and a 28 point jam from Rebel Rock-It as well as monster hits from Bruiseberry Pie, Nasher the Smasher, and Brim Stone.

Hammer City jammer Mean Little Mama took three consecutive trips to the box which allowed for Toronto to pull away and despite the best efforts of JJ Bladez and Bitchslap Barbie, CN Power were just too much for the Eh! Team.

The undefeated record at QCC was the first of its kind for Toronto and the road to regionals only gets tougher as the season continues. The team has games coming up against skilled teams from Buffalo and Ohio as well as the East Coast Derby Extravaganza and Midwest Brewhaha. All of the bouts will affect the team’s national ranking.

“I’m happy to play at a higher level of derby, play stronger, more reputable teams… It’s nice to play different teams, teams in different cities, different tracks, and different referees, helping us learn to maintain our cool, compensate rather than complain,” said Brydson.

“We’re developing and becoming more flexible in our abilities, having a plan a, plan b, plan c. We’re becoming a really versatile team because of this.”

Final scores of all bouts at QCC were as follows:

Day One

CN Power 197 Vixens 84

Thunder 390 Eh! Team 31

Vixens 248 Eh! Team 75

CN Power 141 Thunder 107

Day Two

Thunder 202 Vixens 168

CN Power 408 Eh! Team 55

Published by: Gear Up for Sports

Published Link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2012/04/cn-power-owns-quad-city-chaos/

When I was given the assignment to speak to Brim Stone I was so excited. But I knew I had to suppress my inner fangirl to take care of the job at hand. However, I couldn’t help but gush a little bit.

Brim, known to her intimates as Kayla Wilkins, skated as part of Team Canada during the 2011 World Cup and also skates for CN Power, the Toronto Roller Derby travel team, and Gore-Gore Rollergirls, Toronto’s home team.

Just starting her sixth year in derby, Brim admitted that she had “never understood the appeal of team sports” before giving roller derby a chance, although she did take part in horseback riding when she was younger.

On track, her favoured position is Pivot, and aside from concussion, she has managed to avoid any serious injuries.

Asking someone who has come so far and achieved so much for a list of their derby idols might seem a bit ridiculous, but everyone looks up to someone and Brim was no exception. “Bonnie Thunders and Joy Collision are at the top of my list right now, but I have so many!  There are so many great skaters out there.”

Making the cut for Team Canada was no easy task. Brim explained that multiple tryouts were held across the country.

“There was a fitness component (push ups, sit ups, agility test, beep test, etc.), a derby skills component, and a mark given for scrimmaging.  Coach Pauly made a long-list at each tryout, and then chose a team of 20 from that list.”

After surviving the gruelling “audition” process, Brim said she was “shocked” to make the team. “I wanted to make the team so badly, and I was so honoured to be put on the roster to represent my country.”

She added: “It [making Team Canada] wasn’t always a goal – I wasn’t very competitive when I started derby – so it was something that developed over time.  I had thought about what an amazing opportunity that would be before the World Cup though, so when it became a possibility I wanted to put everything I had into the tryouts.”

And once at the World Cup, Brim Stone was keen to get stuck in, although she didn’t get to play against everyone.

“I wanted to play against all of the teams!  I really didn’t have a lot of knowledge of what the other teams would be like, so I was looking forward to that challenge.  I have to admit that I did really want to play against the USA, but I wasn’t chosen for that particular roster.  That was ok though, in a team sport the team always has to come first to be successful, and sometimes the best thing you can do as a player is to be the best cheerleader for your team!  And now I’ve got a better idea of what skills I need to work on to be a better skater in the future.”

Despite her preference for playing Pivot, Brim found herself on track jamming a lot during the competition.

“So, my personal best moment was a jamming moment for sure – I took hip off of my team mate Windigo’s shirt, and swung into the inside track, on one leg, and managed to save it and skate out of the front of the pack!  It was so fun!”

And cheering her all the way into the final was her support system, which included her parents, who travelled from their home two and a half hours north of Toronto, an aunt and uncle who flew in from Alberta, Brim’s derby-playing partner, and some of her team-mates from Toronto Roller Derby.

And what did Brim think that first time she heard the Canadian national anthem played?

“It was great – after 5 years of playing derby, I now associate the national anthem with ‘go’ time!  It was especially important hearing it at an international event.”

Following the World Cup, Brim left with a lot of lessons learned, but cites one as the top of the list.

“The most significant was the importance of bringing the international derby community together in one place.  Incredible!  Every country can learn so much from Team USA – how they operate on and off the track – and I think that will push us all to move the sport forward much faster.”

But the competition wasn’t just all business, and Brim shared her favourite part of the experience, off-skates.

“For me it was all of the support and encouragement I received from my ToRD league mates.  That was what was driving me to do the best that I could do on the track because I wanted to make them proud.”

And Brim told me when I asked if she was aiming for total victory at the next World Cup: “Iam always aiming for total victory!!”

* Photo used with kind permission of Sean Murphy. For more of his images, visit his website at www.womenofderby.com.

The brainchild of derby digest Blood And Thunder and hosted by Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD), the competition brings together well-known and world-class skaters like Team U.S.A.’s Suzy Hotrod, recently seen in the Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine; Team England’s Violet Attack, featured in the Birmingham Mail; and Toronto skater and Team Canada co-captain Brim Stone, cover girl of last Sunday’s Toronto Star.

Like any flat-track derby competition, only amped up, the Roller Derby World Cup brings plenty of bone-crunching hits combined with agile, evasive skating and lung-busting endurance. It’s derby’s epitome of athleticism and guts-and-glory competition. And it’s already brought in sold-out crowds, who will be filling out The Bunker up in Downsview Park.

Team U.S.A. comes into the competition as the veteran favourite, with roots in the new era of roller derby that go back to the early 2000s. The U.S.A. also has arguably the best jammer in the sport in Atomatrix and, beyond Hotrod, other top-calibre skaters like Amanda Jamitinya, DeRanged, Joy Collision, and Teflon Donna. Calling the team stacked is an understatement. Add derby minds like as Buster Cheatin’ and Bonnie D. Stroir as the bench brains, and Team U.S.A. is downright scary.

But this isn’t to count out our hometown girls. If nothing else, Canada may prove to be Team U.S.A.’s stiffest competition. The Canadian roster includes six members of the top-ranked league in the country. Georgia W. Tush, Iron Wench, Smack Daddy, Lil Mama, and Bone Machine were all members of the Montreal team that finished sixth in this season’s East Region playoffs. Factor in ToRD triple threat Brim Stone, brick-wall blocker Semi Precious, and a seasoned skater such as Windigo, and Team Canada’s poised to make a real run at its Yankee rivals.

Derby analyst Dave Miller (a.k.a The Derby Nerd) predicts a strong showing for the Canadians, although he notes that even silver won’t come easy. “While I’m pretty sure the U.S. will be head and shoulders above the rest of the world, I think that there will be a great battle for second place,” he says. “Canada, England, Australia, and Germany are the countries to watch; they’ve got the deepest flat-track roots.”

England earned its place as a serious contender when its travel team, the London Rollergirls, arrived at this season’s East Region playoffs ranked 10th, only to astonish the derby world by finishing fifth, defeating more highly ranked teams from Carolina and Montreal. Skaters Stefanie Mainey, Vagablonde, and Ninjette should be difference makers for the English.

From an international perspective, Francey Pants from Team France, Swede Hurt from Team Sweden, and Brazilian Nut from Team Brazil are familiar enough to derby enthusiasts to further increase the electricity over the weekend. Fans will also get to witness fresher faces like Scotland’s Marla Mayhem or Australia’s Slawta Dawta for the first time.

Pack up your lawn chair, get ready to pound some beers, and get all jacked up on “derb-drenaline.” The World Cup is here.

Published by: The A.V. Club

Published Link:
http://www.avclub.com/toronto/articles/the-roller-derby-world-cup-is-here,65882/

By: Bryan Mcwilliam

a.k.a Flyin’ Bryan Killman

www.bryanmcwilliam.com

Twitter: @bryanmcwilliam

**Photo courtesy of Midnight Matinee**

The inaugural Roller Derby World Cup rumbles into Toronto this Thursday, Dec. 1. Skaters from 13 countries are padded up and prepped for a four-day tournament to crown the sport’s first-ever world champion.

The brainchild of derby digest Blood And Thunder and hosted by Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD), the competition brings together well-known and world-class skaters like Team U.S.A.’s Suzy Hotrod, recently seen in the Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine; Team England’s Violet Attack, featured in the Birmingham Mail; and Toronto skater and Team Canada co-captain Brim Stone, cover girl of last Sunday’s Toronto Star.

Like any flat-track derby competition, only amped up, the Roller Derby World Cup brings plenty of bone-crunching hits combined with agile, evasive skating and lung-busting endurance. It’s derby’s epitome of athleticism and guts-and-glory competition. And it’s already brought in sold-out crowds, who will be filling out The Bunker up in Downsview Park.

Team U.S.A. comes into the competition as the veteran favourite, with roots in the new era of roller derby that go back to the early 2000s. The U.S.A. also has arguably the best jammer in the sport in Atomatrix and, beyond Hotrod, other top-calibre skaters like Amanda Jamitinya, DeRanged, Joy Collision, and Teflon Donna. Calling the team stacked is an understatement. Add derby minds like as Buster Cheatin’ and Bonnie D. Stroir as the bench brains, and Team U.S.A. is downright scary.

But this isn’t to count out our hometown girls. If nothing else, Canada may prove to be Team U.S.A.’s stiffest competition. The Canadian roster includes six members of the top-ranked league in the country. Georgia W. Tush, Iron Wench, Smack Daddy, Lil Mama, and Bone Machine were all members of the Montreal team that finished sixth in this season’s East Region playoffs. Factor in ToRD triple threat Brim Stone, brick-wall blocker Semi Precious, and a seasoned skater such as Windigo, and Team Canada’s poised to make a real run at its Yankee rivals.

Derby analyst Dave Miller (a.k.a The Derby Nerd) predicts a strong showing for the Canadians, although he notes that even silver won’t come easy. “While I’m pretty sure the U.S. will be head and shoulders above the rest of the world, I think that there will be a great battle for second place,” he says. “Canada, England, Australia, and Germany are the countries to watch; they’ve got the deepest flat-track roots.”

England earned its place as a serious contender when its travel team, the London Rollergirls, arrived at this season’s East Region playoffs ranked 10th, only to astonish the derby world by finishing fifth, defeating more highly ranked teams from Carolina and Montreal. Skaters Stefanie Mainey, Vagablonde, and Ninjette should be difference makers for the English.

From an international perspective, Francey Pants from Team France, Swede Hurt from Team Sweden, and Brazilian Nut from Team Brazil are familiar enough to derby enthusiasts to further increase the electricity over the weekend. Fans will also get to witness fresher faces like Scotland’s Marla Mayhem or Australia’s Slawta Dawta for the first time.

Pack up your lawn chair, get ready to pound some beers, and get all jacked up on “derb-drenaline.” The World Cup is here.

Bout Blanche took place prior to Toronto’s annual art-themed Nuit Blanche event, where locals wander the streets late at night to view various exhibits displayed in different areas of the city.

ToRD made this special event a double header with one of their home teams, the Smoke City Betties, taking on Hamilton’s Harlots in the opener, while CN Power challenged the Hammer City Eh! Team.

While the bout between the Betties and Harlots was merely an exhibition with bragging rights going to the winner, the bout between CN Power and the Eh! Team originally was scheduled as a Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) sanctioned bout. With both teams now a full member of WFTDA the bout would count towards their officially governed records and overall ranking. It would be the first sanctioned bout for CN Power, as they look to make their way up the rankings of the North Central division.

As you step foot into ToRD’s new home at The Bunker, many of the technical difficulties that the league experienced in their inaugural bout in the building were gone. The sound flowing through the building was clear, the track where the skaters played was improved and the dust in the air was gone. With the improvement of the facility the bout already felt like it was going to be a better overall experience for fans. Add the cross province rivalry between Toronto and Hamilton, which is also existent in the derby world, into the equation and the building was a ball of energy ready to burst and cheer for their teams.

After the customary singing of the national anthem by Gore-Gore Rollergirl Lulu Cthulhu, the Betties were set to take on the Harlots.

Hamilton was noticeably short on players with only nine skaters on the bench and it was later confirmed that the league was saving some of the Harlots to play in the bout against CN Power. This was a major factor in the bout as the Harlots looked exhausted against their counterparts in the Betties.

The Betties used their roster advantage and experience to jump out to an impressive 60-0 lead early, with impressive jamming from titmouse, Rug Burn and the returning Sail-Her Poon. The lead was a surprise to some fans, but clearly the Betties have worked hard this off-season preparing to give the other home teams in ToRD a run for the Boot in 2012.

Despite a substantial early lead and short roster, the Harlots never gave in to the Betties. Mean Little Mama laid out a number of the Betties’ skaters while Abba-StabYa and Naughty Bee fought for points with the jammer star for Hammer City. An abundance of Betties’ penalties helped a resurgent Harlots team claw into the lead, but the Betties managed to stave off their white and gold competitors with excellent three walls and blocker recycling to keep the points gained to a minimum.

Misery Mae, Lady Scorcher (who would also play in the second bout for CN Power), Mia Culprit and Bruiseberry Pie, all key members of the Betties from 2011, showed they were in good form on the track and the Betties continued to use their deep jammer rotation, which also included Tropic Thunder and Platinum Bomb, to eventually run away with this game, earning a 164-75 victory.

As the Betties skated their victory lap, Bruiseberry Pie met with me for a post bout interview where she joyfully gave praise to her team-mates for the win. How did she feel after the win? “It was pretty good. I’m still high on adrenaline, but happy, very, very happy. It was fantastic. I think it was really great for the team morale, especially before the start of the next (ToRD) season. It’s going to be great. It’s nice to get a win under our belts and now we’re looking to move upwards and onwards from here.”

What did she think of her performance in the bout? “It was okay. I have some areas I need to improve on and I know what those are so that’s always good. Otherwise, it was pretty good. There were some pretty satisfying moments.”

Some of those satisfying moments came while Bruisey played all three positions on the track. What were her thoughts about being a triple threat for the Betties? “I love it! That’s what I want to be able to do. I want to be able to do everything…and not get penalties, laughed the enthusiastic skater. “Yeah, it’s fun. I like being in the pack again. I had been jamming a lot recently, but I really enjoy being able to play them all.”

Bruiseberry Pie, like a few of her Betties’ team-mates also plays for CN Power, but she had the night off to rest up for future bouts. How did she think CN Power would play against the Eh! Team in the second bout of the evening? “I think its going to be fun. I think CN Power is going to smoke ‘em, but they have to do it while practicing the little nuances they’ve been working on and annihilate them, while making no mistakes. No sloppiness.”

Prior to the beginning of the CN Power bout it was announced that the bout would no longer be sanctioned by the WFTDA thanks to some roster difficulty with the Hamilton team. The news was certainly disappointing for CN Power and its fans, but that did not affect their play on the track.

CN Power dominated Hammer City from start to finish. The squad used experience and their talented depth of players to run large amounts of points on the board early. Candy Crossbones and Dust Bunny jammed a ton, while Brim Stone and Tropic Thunder (who was pulling double duty similar to Lady Scorcher) also played the position. Nasher the Smasher, in one of the highlights of the bout, jammed on one occasion and used a power jam to score 20 points for CN Power, an exciting jam that really got the crowd on their feet.

Rebel Rock-it and Tara Part worked impressively in the pack and Lady Gag-Ya and Panty Hoser were on their games. CN Power controlled the game despite hard-hitting efforts from Oh! Henry and Sofanda Beatin (who plays for Tri-City, but was a fill-in for Hamilton) and worked some new strategies in an impressive 277-22 win.

After two wins over the #19 ranked Killamazoo Derby Darlins and this win over the #24 ranked Hammer City, CN Power is off to an excellent start as a WFTDA member. These wins did not count towards their WFTDA ranking and record, but they were huge for the team as they prepare for their next bout against the Grand Raggidy All-Stars (ranked #11 in the North Central) in Grand Rapids, MI on October 22nd.

Grand Raggidy will be one of CN Power’s toughest tests to date and the bout should be a fantastic one. For information on the bout and how to purchase tickets please visit Grand Raggidy Roller Girls

Published by: Gear Up for Sports

Published link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2011/10/toronto-dominates-hammer-city-at-bout-blanche/

This past Saturday, ToRD played their first bout as a member of WFTDA; a rematch against the Killamazoo Derby Darlins in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The two teams competed at The Hangar in Toronto last February with CN Power skating away victorious 197-38.

This time around CN Power skated onto the Derby Darlins home turf at Wings Stadium, faced a hostile Kalamazoo crowd, was challenged with a floor surface they were unaccustomed to, and played a new roster of 20 skaters. Would CN Power dominate a tough Killamazoo team similar to the way they did in February? Would these new factors make a difference in the winner of the bout? What would the outcome of this bout be?

The evening began with a warm-up bout between the Killamazoo Killa Crew and the Glass City Rollers of Toledo, Ohio. The bout was an entertaining tune-up that featured a bundle of penalties which saw RocKickAss ejected for seven trips to the penalty box, a great jamming game from Glass City’s Pamazon, impressive pack work from the Killa Crew’s Sno Bunny and huge hits courtesy of the crew’s Anita Tuf Mother. The Killa Crew held the lead in the bout from the opening whistle to the last second and walked away victorious 134-86.

After the initial bout the arena went silent, aside from a small cheering section of Toronto fans, as CN Power skated through their introductions. It was apparent early on that the Kalamazoo fans were loyal and were only in attendance to see their Derby Darlins win. The lights shut off and the hockey arena lit up with a spotlight as the booming voice of the PA announcer introduced the hometown skaters. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a professional hockey game and the fans loved it.

Despite the outstanding production value of the Derby Darlins intro and the lack of fan support, CN Power did not look intimidated. The ladies in pink and silver took the track and did what they do best. They showed any disbelievers that they belong in WFTDA and earned their membership status by dominating Killamazoo once again. From the beginning of the bout to the final whistle the Power had the advantage from the jammer line, executed strategy and handled the huge hits that the Derby Darlins attempted to land.

The first half of the bout was frantic and could be described as sloppy from both squads. Penalties were handed out frequently, with almost every player going to the box, but it was the constant major penalties on Killamazoo jammers that gave Toronto the opportunity to gain a substantial lead.

Defecaitlin was on her game and scored the majority of the team’s points, while Bambi and Dyna Hurtcha rounded out the impressive jammer threesome. Rosie Ferocious, Aly-Kate Contusions and Sparkills attempted to match the CN Power jammers for the Derby Darlins, while Javelin, Terrorhawk and Trouble Chicken battled in the pack with Toronto’s Nasher the Smasher, Mega Mouth and Jubilee. CN Power headed to the locker room with a 119-45 lead at halftime, although the bout seemed much closer then the scoreboard indicated.

Both squads came out of halftime with an added degree of focus etched into their eyes. The two benches were fixated on each other prior to the first jam of the second half. It showed that the teams were not ready to take their opponents lightly.

The second half was a brutal display of hard-hitting derby action. Huge hits from both squads created flying bodies and loud thuds while the intensity of the bout increased to a whole new level. These teams wanted that win and were willing to lay it all on the line to get it.

Tara Part, Rebel Rock-It and Brim Stone had excellent overall games and showcased their veteran skills in the second half against tough cookies Badass Maggie and Ms B Haven from Killamazoo. Panty Hoser returned to CN Power, joining pack players Betty Bomber, Lady Scorcher, Lady Gag-Ya and Aston Martini to round out the Power’s roster depth, which could have arguably been described as the difference in this bout. Every line the Power sent out was in sync and worked as well as the line before them. It was almost as if the skater depth was unfair and the Derby Darlins had no answer for their visiting opponents.

Despite a courageous effort from Killamazoo, CN Power dismantled their competition once again, winning the bout 220-76. The effort put forward by the Derby Darlins should not be overlooked. Some of the biggest, bone crunching hits in the bout came courtesy of the Darlins and surely CN Power walked away with bruises and war wounds courtesy of their neighbours in Michigan that they will always feel and remember.

In a post-bout ceremony Defecaitlin was named the best jammer for Toronto, while Mega Mouth took home the best blocker prize for her team. Aly-Kate Contusions was picked as the best jammer for Killamazoo and Javelin was given best blocker.

The win is a great beginning to CN Power’s WFTDA member status and they will look to continue their winning ways on September 10th in ToRD’s new roller derby home known as The Bunker.

After an opening bout featuring the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DVAS) of ToRD against Guelph’s Royal City Rollergirls, CN Power will take on Montreal Roller Derby’s Sexpos. Ticket and bout information is available on ToRD’s website.

Published by Gear Up for Sports

Published story link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2011/08/cn-power-runs-rampant-in-kalamazoo/

The World Cup of roller derby is set to take place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from December 1st to 4th. The World Cup is hosted by Blood and Thunder magazine and will feature thirteen teams from around the world including: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden and the USA.

Canada has officially announced their finalized roster for the World Cup.

Beretta Lynch (West Kootenay Women’s Roller Derby)
Bone Machine (Montreal Roller Derby)
Brim Stone (Toronto Roller Derby)
Eight Mean Wheeler (Terminal City Roller Girls)
Georgia W Tush (Montreal Roller Derby)
Gunpowder Gertie (Red Deer Roller Derby Association)
Hell ‘on Keller (E-Ville Roller Derby)
Iron Wench (Montreal Roller Derby)
Jess Bandit (Montreal Roller Derby)
Killson (Forest City Derby Girls)
Lil Mama (Montreal Roller Derby)
LuluDemon (Terminal City Roller Girls)
Maiden Sane (Pile O’ Bones Derby Club)
Motorhead Molly (Tri-City Rollergirls)
Rainbow Fight (709 Derby Girls)
Smack Daddy (Montreal Roller Derby)
Soul Rekker (Rideau Valley Roller Girls)
TAZ (Red Deer Roller Derby Association)
Teeknee (Oil City Derby Girls)
Windigo (Houston Roller Derby)

Coaching Staff

Head Coach – Coach Pauly (E-Ville Roller Derby)

Assistant Coaches – Mack The Mouth (Terminal City Roller Girls), Paul Piche (Hammer City)

Team Canada has also created a website where you can make donations towards your favourite skater on the team and more information will be made available on the site as time goes on.

The Gores were pushed early by the Betties who had their best bout of the season. (Photography by Neil Gunner)

Smoke City Betties 59 vs. Gore-Gore Rollergirls 130

Despite three bouts in the Greater Toronto Area last night, the Hangar was packed, the crowd eager to see the Gore-Gore Rollergirls and Smoke City Betties square off in their final bout of the regular season. The Gores were all but assured of not only a spot in the playoffs, but of a bye directly to Battle for the Boot 5. For the Betties, the end of another losing season was on the horizon, but this seemed to inspire them to pull out a strong performance against the defending champs, and in the end, despite a score line that read a 71 point victory for the Gores (their twelfth in a row), the Betties were able to skate away knowing they’d brought the fight to the champs, managing to put together, arguably, their best bout of the season.

Fast, physical packs defined the bout.

Things started off very well for the Betties, with some strong walls and solid jamming to keep things close early on. Leads were hard to get but even harder to hold as the jammers often exited their initial passes together. The Betties seem to have taken an important step forward: they’ve bought into the systems that are necessary to play to be successful, and they’ve settled nicely into their roles on the track. Particularly in the early going, and then periodically throughout, the Betties seemed to be playing the exact same game—fast, tight packs, a short jammer rotation–but the Gores, with their experience, just managed to keep a step or two ahead. There’d been whispers of a new-look Gores team—some potential surprises—and at one point, with the Gores threatening to pull away (up 40-5 nearing the midway point), it looked like the fans might see something interesting happen, but big pickups from BruiseBerry Pie and Memphis Kitty on consecutive power jams (despite some excellent power kill work by the Gores) narrowed the lead to 40-23, and necessitated some strong play from the Gores to keep the Betties in check.

Hurlin Wall' continued her role as jammer hunter with some hard blocking on Betties' jammer Sail Her Poon.

The story for the Betties early on was the exceptional play of both BruiseBerry Pie and Memphis Kitty, who stepped up in a big way. Memphis Kitty has been having an excellent season for the Betties, shining first against the Death Track Dolls and then in this one; she fought for every inch of track and forced some timely calls by the Gores jammers. She seemed to relish the opportunity to face familiar opponents in Bambi and Dust Bunny. Bruise also had a great night jamming, and is developing into a triple threat for the Betties, excelling tonight especially at pivot (settling into a more organizational role) and with the star (where she was strong both strategically, and physically), and had some hard-fought battles with Hurlin’ Wall in the early going. The Gores finished the half solidly, but the Betties seemed unperturbed and remained well within reach 60-33 at the half.

Brim Stone was back jamming for the Gores.

As the Gores did increase their lead, some of that expected experimentation began. Looking to add depth to their jammer rotation, Bambi and Dust Bunny did pack duty for much of the second half allowing Brim Stone to lead rookie Lulu Cthulu and second year player Pinky Violence in the offence. Also, Aston Martini donned the stripe to lead the pack and rookie Wheely Nasty also gave pivoting a chance, part of another big night for ToRD rookies (in a season that is turning out to be the year of thre rookie). Emma Dilemma was solid in the pack for the Gores, while Misery Mae was a big part of the Betties defence playing a physical game, but reeling it in defensively when needed. The Betties kept hanging around, keeping the Gores in their sights, and were well within reach, down only 67-49 ten minutes into the second half.

Platinum Bomb was just one of the skaters playing multiple roles.

The Betties continue to tinker with things as well; with Bruise taking on more of a role jamming, Tropic Thunder took on a larger role in pack. Similarly, having jammers titmouse and Platinum Bomb at their disposal allowed Memphis Kitty to take up the stripe and lead the packs. While the Betties managed to hang on until late in this one, the experienced Gores were eventually able to pull away. As with the bout against the Dolls (where the Betties also drifted late), the Betties could not sustain the momentum long enough to overtake their opponents. Nonetheless, having their best showing against the Gores in the last three bouts—and maintaining a consistent upward growth throughout the season—should allow the Betties to go confidently into the off season knowing that they have finally turned a crucial corner on the road back to competitiveness. They’ve got the right mix of experience and talent now; it’s just a matter of bringing it all together. For the Gores, the victory secures a trip to the June 25th championship and a chance to defend the Boot.

* The Toronto Junior Roller Derby league held its inaugural bout to kick off the double header, hosting New Hampshire’s Mad Missfits; stay tuned for a full recap later this week.

* Both games were boutcast live by the ToRD TV team via Canuck Derby TV. You can watch the archived boutcasts here. Layer9 captured it all track side in HD.

The last time these two teams met was at the 2010 Battle for the Boot (won by the Gores, 107-31).

Gore-Gore Rollergirls (1-0) vs. Chicks Ahoy! (1-0)

Surprise, surprise.

After one round of ToRD’s 2011 regular season, the Gore-Gore Rollergirls and the Chicks Ahoy! find themselves battling for first overall. Historically, these are the two top teams in Toronto Roller Derby and not much seems to have changed this year. Neither were particularly tested in their opening bouts of 2011, as the Chicks dominated a disorganized Smoke City Betties squad 131-22, and the Gores were in control of an overmatched Death Track Dolls for most of their 107-43 victory. And although the Gores earned a one-sided victory the last time these teams met (at the 2010  Battle for the Boot), this is a much different Chicks team. The veteran Chicks squad that qualified for their third championship match in 2010 had the feeling of a “last-chance team,” and there was a certain predictability about them. The influx of fresh faces on the roster has given this year’s team a new spark, and a renewed focus. It was a change predicted by Gores co-captain Brim Stone. “I think the Chicks will have a much stronger and more consistent season [in 2011],” she said in a preseason interview, and so far that has played out after a strong exhibition bout and the one-sided home opener. “But the Gores will still be able to take them!” Brim was quick to add.

Brim Stone has joined the Gores' jammer rotation this season. (photo by Kevin Konnyu)

And until a team proves otherwise on the track, the Gores are still the team to beat in this league. The opening bout victory was their tenth straight ToRD win dating back to 2008, and they looked confident and collected in doing so. The Gores are much more experienced at integrating newcomers into the roster than the Chicks, and once again the rookies do not look out of place. Replacing Lunchbox though, has been a much bigger challenge. “She was a key personality…and always the calm voice of reason!” says Brim Stone, noting that the star jammer’s skates “were big skates to fill.” And at least in the first bout of the season that task has fallen straight to Brim’s feet; she will be important in matching up against the Chicks’ veteran jammers like co-captain Candy Crossbones. When asked how she thinks the Chicks will perform against the Gores in this bout, Candy exclaims, “Hopefully better than [the championship]!” The Chicks seemed frustrated during that last meeting and Candy admits as much. “The Gores can be frustratingly good,” she says, “I know we have the raw talent to match or beat them, but it remains to be seen whether we can challenge their awesome teamwork.”

And teamwork will undoubtedly tell the tale in this one.

Chicks' rookie, Kookie Doe was a go-to jammer in her ToRD debut agains the Betties. (photo by Sean Murphy)

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Lead Percentage: Currently, the top 6 rated jammers in the league are on these two teams, and don’t expect the offensive matchups to change for this one. Both teams primarily rely on a three-jammer rotation, and each team’s rotation is anchored by two more-than-capable veterans. Current JQ rating leaders Dyna Hurtcha and Candy Crossbones lead the way for the Chicks, while the Gores respond with Bambi and Dust Bunny, who are, statistically, the two most dominant jammers in ToRD’s history. Neither team has much depth beyond their top two, but Brim Stone, who apprenticed somewhat in 2010, took on the role in the season opener, while the Chicks relied on Kookie Doe who was surprisingly effective against the Betties last month. With all four of the main jammers capable of playing solid jammer defence (Candy Crossbones seems to revel in it, while Dyna’s experience in the pack makes her a formidable physical presence), getting lead jammer status to control the outcomes will be key. While Dyna Hurtcha currently has the highest lead percentage (79%), when you look at overall team lead percentage, the two teams are virtually even at 67% (Chicks) and 65% (Gores). The key will come down to how well Kookie Doe is able to build on her impressive debut, and how well the Chicks are able to support her against a significantly stiffer challenge from the Gores. The difference maker here could be the much more experienced Brim Stone (who is still a relative rookie with the star) winning a one-on-0ne showdown with her Chicks counterpart.

Nasher the Smasher (lining up Betties' titmouse) has cleaned up her act in 2011. (photo by Sean Murphy)

2. Discipline: 29-5-7. These numbers represent the Chicks’ accumulated totals of minor penalties (29), major penalties (5), and penalty minutes served (7); significant because all three numbers are the lowest in the league. While it’s true that one clean game against the last-place team in the league doesn’t fully dispel years of major penalty woes, the Chicks’ newfound commitment to discipline should not be overlooked or underestimated. Nasher the Smasher is a prime example: In last year’s bout versus the Betties (which was even more one-sided than this year’s), Nasher still managed to pick up 13 minors, 3 majors and served 6 penalty minutes in 24 jams. This season against the Betties, Nasher stayed perfectly clean for 21 jams on her way to a league leading +57 plus/minus (she’s tied with teammate Tara Part, one ahead of Gores’ Hurlin’ Wall). Similarly, in the 2010 championship bout the Gores punished the Chicks by taking advantage of the Girls in Green’s 29 penalty minutes. On the flip side, while the Chicks are having one of the cleanest seasons in team history, the Gores find themselves uncharacteristically second in majors (8) and tied for second in minutes served (11). Staying out of the box will be key in this one.

For the most part, the Gores controlled the pack at the 2010 ToRD championships. (photo by Kevin Konnyu)

3. Pack Control: As much as the jammers are going to have a huge influence on this one, she who controls the pack controls the game. Aside from a few well-executed, Rebel Rock-It led power kills, the Gores seemed to have complete control over the pack the last time these two teams squared off, and the Chicks simply cannot let that happen again. With traditional lead-pivot Brim Stone joining the jammer rotaton, pivoting was spread out, especially with second-in-command Molly Boom suffering some penalty troubles against the Dolls.  But with a veteran stable capable of donning the stripe (Lady Gagya, Kandy Barr and Junkie Jenny) and a rookie who looks to be a pivot-in-training (Emma Dilemma), the Gores are still a pack to be reckoned with. However, with Rebel, Tara, Nasher and Mega Bouche pivoting for the Chicks, it’s not that they are lacking in experience or ability: the difference the last time these two teams met was that the Gores controlled the play—they created on the track—while the Chicks just seemed to be reacting to the Gores’ game. Whoever “creates” in this one, could come away with a victory.

The winner of this bout will move into first place in ToRD’s regular season standings, one step closer to that all important bye straight to the 2011 Battle for the Boot. The loser will be left to watch the April 16^th Dolls vs. Betties bout scouting a potential semi-final opponent.

**Tickets for the April 9^th bout are on sale online or at a number of downtown vendors. Doors at the Hangar open at 6:30p.m., with opening whistle set for 7:30 p.m.

ONE MORE THING

Montreal’s New Skids on the Block, Canada’s top roller derby team (and 14th ranked overall) will be heading overseas this weekend to take part in the Anarchy in the UK tournament hosted by the London Rollergirls. This is the first WFTDA sanctioned tournament to be held overseas, and also taking part will be the Charm City Roller Girls (Baltimore) and the Steel City Derby Demons (Pittsburgh). The four teams will play in a two-day round robin, facing each other once in full, WFTDA sanctioned bouts. Since all of these teams play in WFTDA’s Eastern Region, the results are significant.  Charm and Steel City come in as the top ranked teams in the tourney (3rd and 5th respectively), while Montreal sits 7th and London remains unranked due to lack of activity. But, these rankings are still based on 2010′s end-of-year stats (2011 1st quarter rankings should be out shortly), and a lot has happened already this year. A more accurate pre-tournament predictor could be DNN’s power rankings and Flat Track Stats. DNN has Charm leading the way at 9th In WFTDA (all regions), but it’s Montreal next in their ranking (14) with Steel City (18) and London (22) rounding it out. Flat Track Stats is similar, but they have Montreal and Charm in a statistical deadlock at 10th and Steel City behind in 19th. Meaning that the bout to watch this weekend could be Montreal and Charm City’s Sunday match up (11 a.m. eastern, on DNN).

**Read Lord Copper’s DNN preview here. Catch every bit of the action live on DNN.

**Good News: Because of the time difference, all of Saturday’s bouts will be over well before the Gores and Chicks take to the track at the Hangar!

Tri-City defeated CN Power 122-50 in the team's final bout of 2010. (photo by Joe Mac)

THE UPSTARTS

In 2010, the focus of Canadian roller derby was clearly on Montreal’s New Skids on the Block, which allowed for another amazing roller derby story to go unnoticed by many outside of the Ontario derby community: the rise of Tri-City. Playing in the shadows of Hammer City, ToRD and even Forest City for years, the skaters of the Tri-City triangle have slowly been creating a juggernaut, and 2010 was a coming out party of sorts. In terms of hometeams, the Venus Fly Tramps continued to grow more competitive, and the league added a third team, the Total Knock-Outs to the mix. The league’s top team, the Vicious Dishes, was emerging as one of the top hometeams, not only in Ontario, but in the country. Vctories over ToRD’s Chicks Ahoy! and both Hammer City hometeams exposed the Dishes as a team to watch.

These solid foundations led to the dramatic rise of the Thunder. With their only losses coming against the top tier of Canadian competition (Montreal hometeam Les Contrabanditas and B-Team Sexpos), their strong victories over a string of American travel teams (Roc City, The Lake Effect Furies, Assault City, and Detroit’s Motor City Disassembly Line) turned some heads. But it wasn’t until their final bout of the season that they truly showed how far they’d come: a 122-50 victory over CN Power gave the team a solid 5-2 record on the season and managed to shake up the power politics of Canadian derby. It was arguably a crowning achievement on a fantastic year that saw them graduate into full WFTDA status.

Motorhead Molly leads a breakout jammer contingent for the Thunder. (photo by Joe Mac)

Tri-City’s strength is in its pack. Led by the pivot Jill Standing and the untiring blocking trio of Anita Martini, Bareleigh Legal and sin-e-star, Thunder is capable of playing a stifling pack defense that led them to victories over Roc City Roc Stars and Lake Effect Furies early in the season. While defense is a traditional Tri-City strength, the biggest development over 2010 was the improvement of their offense: Skate Pastor, Motorhead Molly and Lippy Wrongstockings proved to be a more than capable trio for the Thunder in 2010, playing smart, strategic derby even in low scoring, grinders. But they also helped show that Thunder is capable of switching gears and winning a shoot out, as they did in a 134-126 victory over Detroit’s Disassembly Line. The depth of the roster has only increased as all the Tri-City teams become more competitive. Greta Garbage and Gunmoll Mindy provide a lot of depth in the pack, with Garbage capable of laying down some hits or joining front walls, Mindy holding that inside line, and Lilith No Fair joining the pivot corps. Kitty Krasher, Cell Block Bettie and Freudian Whip are all capable of donning the star to jam as well, which provides this team with fantastic depth at offense.

The Thunder should have a slight depth advantage over Rideau Valley, and in terms of pack control and defense, may be the best match-up for Montreal, but I think it’s safe to say that all eyes are on Thunder’s rematch with CN Power to close out the tournament on Sunday (at 4:20 p.m.). Thunder could go a long way in solidifying their position as the team to watch in 2011 with a second consecutive victory over ToRD’s all stars.

The Vixens played their first ever bout at the Hangar, falling to CN Power 199-49. (photo by Derek Lang)

THE DARKHORSE

In 2009, Rideau Valley Roller Girls added a second team, the Riot Squad, to help develop the league and build on the success of the Slaughter Daughters. By 2010, they’d expanded yet again, this time adding the Vixens, a travel team. Due to the quick expansion, there were some growing pains in the early going, with some big losses to tough competition in Toronto (CN Power),  Steel City (B-Unit) and Montreal (Sexpos). But the growth in those months from the one-sided defeat in Toronto to the solid showing in Montreal was undeniable. It only took about six months for the Vixens to gel. By the end of the next six months, they’d evened up their 2010 record with three-straight victories beginning with a confidence boosting blow out (210-54) over the Jerzey Derby Brigade’s Corporal Punishers. They followed that up with two more explosive, one-sided wins against Utica, and Maine’s Calamity Janes.

Soul Rekker (jamming here against CN Power's Land Shark) is the Vixens' biggest offensive threat. (photo by Derek Lang)

Nonetheless, with their last three bouts coming south of the border against unknown competition (in that they don’t have any cross-over opponents with any of the other teams at the QCC), this considerably more experienced Vixens squad is somewhat of an unknown, which is why they are a darkhorse in this tournament. The only clue we have as to how good this team could be is in the performances of their hometeams, and the Slaughter Daughters are quietly becoming one of the top hometeams in eastern Canada, while their other team, the Riot Squad is certainly up and coming, recently taking ToRD’s Smoke City Betties to the limit in a bout. Even when they were losing early in 2010, the talent on the team was obvious. The two captains are the undeniable leaders on the track: Semi-Precious dominates at both leading her pack and delivering devastating take outs; Soul Rekker is an explosive jammer, and will lead the Vixens’ offense, proving equal to the top jammers in the tournament. And while this team is comparatively inexperienced in travel-team play, there is a surprising depth to the lineup, especially in the pack.

The Vixens' pack is led by Semi Precious and a core of Slaughter Daughters. (photo by Derek Lang)

Dee Dee Tee, Sister Disaster and Ripper A. Part round out a veteran jammer lineup, while the pack is loaded full of solid positional and striking blockers. ASSASSINista, Big Block, Blackout Susan, Drunky Brewster, and Surgical Strike form the core of the Slaughter Daughters roster, and that familiarity has bled over to the Vixens. Riot Squad’s Slavic Slayer, Margaret Chock, and N. Toxicate round out a sold pack that could pose problems for the other teams.

Rideau Valley will be aiming to knock off either CN Power or Thunder (and ideally both), and either is conceivable. They’ve been playing a similar amount of games as both teams and are undoubtedly a far different team than the one that last visited the Hangar. The fact that as the Vixens, they are relatively unknown to either team also makes them dangerous. CN Power and Tri-City can make necessary adjustments to face each other based on familiarity; the Vixens will, at the very least, have them guessing, and if they can catch either team off guard, they’ve proven capable of putting up big numbers.

THE RAMIFICATIONS

With all four teams competing at some level within WFTDA, this tournament is important to establish where, exactly, the teams stand in relation to one another. Montreal is currently creeping up to the top 4 in the Eastern Region and playing them will give the Vixens an idea of how competitive the top level of their Region really is. ToRD’s CN Power and the Tri-City Thunder will be chasing each other (and Hammer City) up the rankings in the North Central, making this just the second of what will certainly be many meetings between these teams.

For the New Skids on the Block, they’ll get a chance to pad their stats in the Canadian Roller Derby Rankings and have a competitive warm up for a potentially season-changing Eastern Region tournament in England against London, Steel City (Pittsburgh), and the 3^rd ranked Charm City (Baltimore).

On a larger scale, the Quad City Chaos offers a glimpse of the potential beginnings of WFTDA’s Canadian Region.

**Tickets are available online or at various ticket outlets in Toronto. Doors on Saturday open at 1:00pm. For a full schedule, check here.

**Read Part One (focusing on CN Power and The New Skids on the Block) .

Watch ToRD.TV’s video preview of QCC, featuring interviews with CN Power co-captain Lady Scorcher and bench manager Sonic Doom:

The two day event was a huge success last season with Montreal dominating their competition over the exciting weekend of roller derby action. Crowds of enthusiastic fans came out in abundance to witness firsthand some of the best teams and skaters that Canada has to offer and they will once again bare witness to the event.

Montreal comes into the tournament as the heavy favourite to go undefeated as they have quickly moved up the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) rankings this season. They earned victories against the Boston Massacre, Rat-City All-Stars, Jet City Bombers, New Hampshire’s Skate Free or Die and took on, but lost to, one of the toughest teams in North America in Olympia, Washington’s Cosa Nostra Donnas, winners of the 2009 WFTDA championship and 2010 runners-up. Montreal is currently ranked seventh by WFTDA in the East division and are the number one ranked team in Canada according to Rollergirl.ca.

Kitchener’s Tri-City Thunder is a team that should not be underestimated as they are recent recipients of WFTDA status in the association’s North Central division. Tri-City made their 2011 debut last night in Rockford, Illinois taking on the Rockford Rage and skated away victorious by a score of 196-28. The score differential was quite a point spread for the team’s first bout of the season, which means they have been training hard and could be a force to be reckoned with at the Quad City Chaos tournament.

Ottawa, like Toronto’s CN Power, are an apprentice league of WFTDA working towards earning their full status. The ladies of the Rideau Valley may be the tournament underdogs in some people’s opinions, but are not to go unnoticed as the team possesses players with skating experience against players from the other three participating teams. The Vixens are a hard-hitting team that can trap with the best of them and they may surprise most of the fans in attendance as they are certainly set to make a name for themselves at Quad City.

Lastly, the home town CN Power will obviously be the fan favourites at The Hangar complex in Downsview Park and expectations for the team are high after their most recent and scintillating 197-35 victory over the Killamazoo Derby Darlins, a member of WFTDA. Toronto looked outstanding in the victory, playing better than most fans in the city have ever seen them play. The team roster is finally cemented with the same 20 player roster participating all season long, which means the squad knows exactly how to strategize coming into every bout, as opposed to years past where they based their roster solely on player availability come game day. This in turn led to miscommunication as well as being unprepared as a team; certainly this could have led to the team’s losing streak to end the 2010 season. However, this weekend looks bright for CN Power and they have the talent and know-how to compete with the competition coming their way at Quad City. It’s time to see if CN Power can cement themselves as one of the top teams in Canada this weekend.

For fans in attendance unfamiliar with some of the teams and skaters coming to town the team rosters are below:

Toronto (CN Power)
Aston Martini (510hp)
Audrey Hellborn (1134)
Betty Bomber (23)
Brim Stone (21:8) (C)
Candy Crossbones (2020)
Dolly Destructo (0I)
Defecaitlin (2)
Dyna Hurtcha (21)
Hurlin Wall (89)
Jubilee (27)
Lady Gag-Ya (212db)
Lady Scorcher (15) (C)
Land Shark (13)
Mega Mouth (26)
Molly Boom (18)
Nasher the Smasher (2×4)
Rebel Rock-it (7)
Sail Her Poon (090w)
Tara Part (L7)
Titmouse (1337)
Sonic Doom (Bench Manager)
The Rev Ramirez (Bench Manager)

Montreal (New Skids on the Block)
Beater Pan-Tease (1-976)
Bone Machine (11:11)
Cheese Grater (289)
Ewan Wotarmy (7734)
Georgia W Tush (400z)
Iron Wench (516)
Jess Bandit (-8)
Lady J (86)
Lil Mama (1/2 Pint)
Lyn Dah Kicks (75)
Mange Moi El Cul (PIE IX)
Nameless Whorror (202)
No Holds Bard (2×4)
Rae Volver (.38 Cal)
Smack Daddy (3X)
Trash N’ Smash (1,8L)
The Rev (Coach)
Charlotte Bruise-A-Lot (Bench Manager)

Kitchener (Tri-City Thunder)
Bareleigh Legal (18) (C)
Sin-e-star (306) (C)
Suzy Slam (33)
Motorhead Molly (204)
Stacie Jones (101)
Lippy Wrongstockings (19)
Kitty Krasher (3)
Anita Martini (9)
Gunmoll Mindy (over80)
Cellblock Bettie (5oh)
Greta Garbage (956)
Lilith No Fair (37) (C)
Jill Standing (4i)
Skate Pastor (10.0)
Freudian Whip (22)
Nicki-9-doors (909) (Bench Coach)

Ottawa (Rideau Valley Vixens)
ASSASSINista (AK-47)
Big Block (454)
Blackout Susan (13)
Dee Dee Tee (74)
Drunky Brewster (3 cubed)
Killer Kozak (86)
Margaret Choke (16)
N.ToxicKate (44)
Ripper A. Part (888)
Screaming Meanie Massacre (77)
Semi Precious (10kt) (co-captain)
Sister Disaster (30)
Slavic Slayer (187)
Soul Rekker (55) (co-captain)
Surgical Strike (6:58)
tinymurders (73-1)

The amount of talented skaters from Canada coming to Toronto this weekend is in abundance which will make for one outstanding weekend of roller derby action. It is highly recommended that if you love roller derby you come on out to The Hangar this weekend for two days of the best bouts you may see this season.

The Quad City Chaos tournament is a two day event beginning Saturday March 26th and ending Sunday March 27th. The scheduled bouts are as follows:

SATURDAY MARCH 26
1:00pm…. Doors Open
2:20pm…. Toronto vs. Rideau Valley
4:00pm…. INTERMISSION
4:40pm…. Rideau Valley vs. Tri-City
6:20pm…. INTERMISSION
7:00pm…. Montreal vs. Toronto

SUNDAY MARCH 27
1:00pm…. Doors Open
2:00pm…. Rideau Valley vs. Montreal
3:40pm…. INTERMISSION
4:20pm…. Toronto vs. Tri-City

Tickets packages for both days, as well as single day tickets, are available at the ToRD website.

See you all trackside!

Published by Gear Up for Sports

Published article link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2011/03/toronto-hosts-quad-city-chaos-this-weekend/

The Gores of the Toronto Roller Derby (ToRD) league had won eleven straight home league contests coming into last Saturday’s bout against the winless Betties and despite a valiant effort from the Betties the Gores’ winning streak continued.
After a very entertaining pre-bout from the Toronto Junior Roller Derby (TJRD) league’s Knicker Kickers against New Hampshire’s Mad Missfits the main event was set to take place.

Coming into the contest rumours swirled that the Gores were going to play out of the box, showcasing some new looks on the track in their final regular season bout. They did not disappoint in showing the fans a few new looks; using a variety of new jammers, giving a ton of playing time to their rookies and even having jammers step into blocker positions.

Off the first whistle the ladies in leopard print went with some prototypical line-ups featuring Dust Bunny & Bambi from the jammer line and Lady Gag-Ya, Molly Boom, Hurlin’ Wall and Brim Stone in the pack, but it seemed that was just to build enough of a lead so that they could show off their new looks.

The Gores quickly sent out rookie Lulu Cthulhu to jam and that would end up being a role she would play for the majority of the bout. Lulu, an impressive rookie with an abundance of talent only got better as the contest went on and was having her best bout of the season until she received a huge elbow to the jaw from Betties blocker Pretty Peeved which sidelined her.

Pinky Violence, a second year skater, stepped to the jammer line for the Gores and showed that with the more playing time she received the better she got. She stood toe-to-toe with top jammers in the league and held her own in the role. The future for Pinky is a bright one.

Co-captain Brim Stone, who was successful in a jammer role in the 2011 season opener against the Death Track Dolls also jumped into jamming and easily had the best overall game of any jammer, scoring numerous points for her team, while securing lead jammer status on almost every opportunity she had.

The combination of those three and elite pack control where rookies Wheely Nasty and Emma Dilemma saw the most action of their derby careers as members of the Gores were main factors in the Gores 130-59 victory.

Although the score may resemble one of dominance, that was not the case in this bout.

Once again, the Betties showed improvement as a team; similar to their bout against the Dolls earlier in the season. The Betties were feisty in the pack throwing heavy hits while using strategy that surprised some fans in attendance. Pack players Pretty Peeved, Hot Roller and Lady Scorcher were on their games while the squad used a deep jammer rotation of Memphis Kitty, titmouse, Sail Her Poon and Bruiseberry Pie to tally points. Bruisey established herself as a triple threat in this contest as she scored numerous points for her team while also going head-to-head with Hurlin’ Wall and attacking the Gores jammers in the pack.

The Betties played their most outstanding bout of the season and with skaters such as Misery Mae, Grim Avenger and Platinum Bomb leaps and bounds ahead of where they were skill wise at the beginning of the season, this is a team which is going in the right direction.

The sacrifice of consecutive winless seasons will surely be worth the disappointment when this team shows what they are really made of and next year could be that year. The pieces and talent are there and it is up to the Betties to see what they can do with it all.

With the win the Gores automatically move to the championship final where they will defend their title against either Chicks Ahoy! or the Death Track Dolls.

Speaking of the Chicks and Dolls the two teams are set to clash with one another in the final regular season bout of the 2011 ToRD season. The event will take place Saturday May 28th 2011 at The Hangar. Come witness one of ToRD’s great match-ups as this will be the third time these two teams have locked horns this season; both owning a victory over the other.

Information and tickets to the event are available at the ToRD website.

See you all trackside!

Published by Gear Up for Sports

Published article link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2011/05/gores-end-betties-season-and-continue-winning-streak/

The 2011 Gore-Gore Rollergirls

In 2010 the Gores won their third Boot in four years.

2010

Despite a comparatively large intake of rookie skaters in 2010, the Gore-Gore Rollergirls looked like a veteran team all season. A nearly seamless integration of new skaters into positions was a big part of the success of this Gores squad that rode veteran leadership and confident rookies right through an undefeated season. The only blemish in 2010 came at the Beast of the East preseason tournament in Montreal where they had to play two Montreal teams (including Les Contrabanditas twice), but still managed to finish as the top non-MTLRD team in the tournament. During  ToRD’s season though, the Gores were nearly flawless, completing their second straight undefeated season on the way to their second consecutive championship and third in ToRD’s four-year history. That amounts to a remarkable nine bout, ToRD winning streak.

The retiring Lunchbox at the 2010 championship.

LOSSES AND GAINS

This season, the Gores’ loss is also the league’s. After a remarkable three-season run (that included two championships), one third of the infamous three-pronged Gores’ attack is calling it a career. Lunchbox, who finished with a top three JQ rating in both 2009 and 2010, left her mark on ToRD’s early history with a blend of athleticism and determination and was an essential part of the offensive juggernaut at the core of the Gores’ dynasty. She will be impossible to replace, and her loss could actually influence a shift in strategic play by the team. Four skaters were picked up in the entry draft (Wheely Nasty, Mace O’Kissed, Lulu Cthulu and Emma Dilemma), and in a recent interview, when asked about integrating rookies, co-captain Brim Stone said that the Gores’ “training strategy has always been to just throw them in…our only expectation is that they try their hardest.” This lack of specific expectation and the comfort of surrounding veterans could be the key to the Gores’ success with rookies.

Molly Boom leading a front wall against the Smoke City Betties.

BY POSITION

The good Reverand, Rev. Ramirez will be back behind the bench for the Gores, and he’s got a strong team, positionally, to work with.

Pivots: Led by two-time ToRD awared winner for pivot of the year, Brim Stone, the Gores’ have a solid front line. Molly Boom had a successful sophomore season (which she parlayed into a Most Improved Skater award at the ToRD Awards) developing into an excellent pivot. Veteran skater and league president Junkie Jenny gives them enviable depth at the position. Look for last year’s Rookie of the Year Hurlin’ Wall to potentially step up into this position as well. After a remarkable rookie season proved that she has the track presence and the positional know-how to lead  a pack.

Blockers: It was in the pack where the Gores’ rookies really stepped up in 2010. Santa Muerte,  Chronic, Gamma Rei, Aston Martini and Miss Kitty La Peur didn’t look out of place sharing the track with the Gores’ veteran blockers like Lady Gagya and Foxy Sinatra (two hard hitting, striking blockers), or Kandy Barr and Motley Cru-ela (more positional in play).

Dust Bunny scored 58 points against the Dolls last season.

Jammers: This is where the biggest question must be answered for the Gores. Dust Bunny and  Bambi (the two top-rated jammers in the league’s history) will undoubtedly take their turns with the star, but who will join them? Brim Stone said that the team didn’t take positions into account when drafting, which would lead one to believe that Lunchbox’s spot in the rotation will be replaced from within, and perhaps even by committee.  Pinky Violence spent some time jamming last season, and Santa Muerte and Chronic seem capable as well. And of course Brim Stone herself picked up a lot of experience with the star last year, and if things go well in the pack, expect to see her slip back to the jammer line ever more.

EXPECTATIONS

When a team hasn’t lost a bout in two years (the 2008 championship final loss to the Chicks Ahoy! remains the last blemish), expectations have to be astronomical. Despite professing a desire to take a more relaxed approach this season, Brim Stone still said that the Gores’ expectation is for another run to the championship: “Near the end of 2010 the Gores as a team really came together, and we were able to work defensive strategies like we had never done before.  That was a huge jump in our learning curve…The Gores are very close as a team, and work together very well naturally.  We take care of each other and defend each other on the track.” If anything, the 2010 Battle for the Boot should serve as a warning call to the rest of the ToRD competition: this offensive powerhouse has a few defensive secrets up its sleeves as well. A more well-rounded attack and a confidence built on continued success make the Gores a dangerous team in 2011. Last year, the only real challenge in a nearly perfect 2010 came in the first half of a late-season bout against the Death Track Dolls, that saw the Dolls dominate at times, and keep it extremely close through 30. That could have been a turning point for this team. The Gores were eventually able to adjust and in the second half laid down the lay with a smothering defence for which the Dolls had no response. In response to that dramatic turn around, Dolls’ captain Betty Bomber acknowledged that Gores’ strengths, “(they) are a strategic team who can instantly change their strategy at any given moment.” It will be that sort of complete-game awareness that will make the Gores a tough team to knock from the pedestal in 2011.

The Gores unveiled a new logo at the 2010 championship.

2010 REGULAR SEASON STATS HILIGHTS

- As a team, lead the league in scoring (505) and points against (192). Bambi was the individual scoring leader (197 [5PPJ]—which was also tops in the league).

- Bambi (45), Dust Bunny (43), and Luncbox (38) finised 1-2-3 in the regular season JQ rating.

- Brim Stone finished with top overall +/- (+246) while rookie Hurlin’ Wall finished with the top blocker +/- (222) and second overall. Dust Bunny’s +118 was tops among the jammers.

- Molly Boom led the team in assists (16), while Brim Stone led in blocks (46) and knockdowns (8).

- Brim Stone picked up the most minor penalties (16) while four skaters had 4 majors. Bambi led the team in penalty minutes served with 6.

***Some of you may have heard that the TTC service to ToRD’s Hangar has been threatened. Please consider riding the TTC to the bout on February 5^th. To encourage ridership, ToRD is offering to discount the price of TTC transportation ($3) for tickets bought at the door for anyone showing a TTC transfer. Also, you can help ToRD save its bus route by signing a petition, joining the Facebook group, lodging a complaint with TTC or contacting your local counsellor (or even Mayor Ford himself!).

They ran drills!

They posed for photos!

They brought THE BOOT!

They signed autographs!

Then they signed even more autographs!

They took group photos!

It was such a wonderful experience for TJRD and from the bottom of our hearts we thank the Gore Gore Rollergirls for taking time out to surprise us with this visit to our practice.
If you’re on facebook check out this video of the day , created by the talented Miss Kitty La Peur of GGRG. A huge thank you goes to her for documenting such a special day for TJRD:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150339207335440

Taking place in Downsview Park in a hanger (because the area at CarlHall Rd. is mostly warehouses and the like) the crowds were ready for action as the announcer stepped out into centre track and introduced the teams. Apparently the Betties were runner-ups in last year’s competition, but luck was definetly not on their side for tonight’s season opener. The Gore Gore girls kicked serious butt and beat the Betties a whopping 239 to 50. The Gories had an advantage with Bambi and Lunchbox, two players who really schooled the other team in jams (a bout or turn in the game), but it was clear that everyone on the track was feeling the heat (literally).

Roller Derby is an easy game to understand and its tons of fun. Even half time was amusing as Robot Wars were held in the centre track; basically guys dressed in cardboard costumes ragging on other guys in costumes to claim victory by removing all cardboard from their opponents. Fun times.

The next game is June 12th at Downsview Park visit www.torontorollerderby.com for details.

In short, today I learned that rollergirls can kick it.

By: Bryan Mcwilliam

a.k.a Flyin’ Bryan Killman

www.bryanmcwilliam.com

Twitter: @bryanmcwilliam

CN Power went undefeated at this past weekend’s Quad City Chaos (QCC) roller derby tournament at The Bunker in Toronto and solidified themselves as the top travel team in Ontario.

“It’s a very important time right now because we really want to make it to regionals,” said Stephen Brydson a.k.a Sonic Doom, one of the managers for CN Power.

“We’ve only had two WFTDA losses and they were against two really tough teams in Naptown and Grand Raggidy, so it’s nice to win.”

The third annual QCC featured teams from Toronto (CN Power), Tri-City (Thunder), Ottawa (Vixens) and Hamilton (Eh! Team). The four teams squared off against each other in a two day tournament of exciting and hard-hitting roller derby action. The bouts between Toronto, Hamilton and Tri-City were important for each squad because they affected their WFTDA rankings, while Ottawa looked to prove that an apprenticeship league was not to be overlooked.

CN Power began the tournament on Saturday with tough victories over the Vixens (197-84) and the Thunder (141-107), two of the most anticipated bouts of the entire weekend.

Blockers Bruiseberry Pie and Lady Gag-Ya stepped up for the ladies in pink against Ottawa, while Candy Crossbones, Dyna Hurtcha and Rebel Rock-It picked up a large number of points with the jammer star. A scary moment in the bout saw the ever-popular Mega Mouth go down with an injury, but she recovered, played through the pain and turned it around with a strong second half, a half that also included an impressive 30 point jam from Betty Bomber.

In the main event of Saturday, Toronto squared off against Tri-City. The two teams have formed a bit of a rivalry over the last couple of seasons and were very evenly matched. The rough and tumble bout featured strong blocking from Tara Part and Nasher the Smasher combined with speedy jamming from Defecaitlin and Bambi. Freudian Whip and Ova Kill put in spectacular efforts for the Thunder, but it was not enough as CN Power walked away victorious. The win will most likely shoot Toronto past Tri-City in the WFTDA’s North Central division.

“Both teams surprised us because they both went through such drastic roster changes,” said Brydson.

“The Vixens came out much stronger and more organized. Their formations were fantastic… the Thunder, they have a lot of new jammers, they delivered, they’re always a threat, always a tough team, but I’m happy that we pretty much kept control of the game for the entire 60 minutes.”

On Sunday, after an exhilarating bout between Ottawa and Tri-City, CN Power looked for their third win of QCC as they squared off against Hammer City.

Hamilton got off to a surprisingly quick start and even earned an early 8-7 lead, but Toronto shook off the rust, gained the lead and dominated the bout with a 408-55 victory.

The game featured a 39 point jam from Defecaitlin and a 28 point jam from Rebel Rock-It as well as monster hits from Bruiseberry Pie, Nasher the Smasher, and Brim Stone.

Hammer City jammer Mean Little Mama took three consecutive trips to the box which allowed for Toronto to pull away and despite the best efforts of JJ Bladez and Bitchslap Barbie, CN Power were just too much for the Eh! Team.

The undefeated record at QCC was the first of its kind for Toronto and the road to regionals only gets tougher as the season continues. The team has games coming up against skilled teams from Buffalo and Ohio as well as the East Coast Derby Extravaganza and Midwest Brewhaha. All of the bouts will affect the team’s national ranking.

“I’m happy to play at a higher level of derby, play stronger, more reputable teams… It’s nice to play different teams, teams in different cities, different tracks, and different referees, helping us learn to maintain our cool, compensate rather than complain,” said Brydson.

“We’re developing and becoming more flexible in our abilities, having a plan a, plan b, plan c. We’re becoming a really versatile team because of this.”

Final scores of all bouts at QCC were as follows:

Day One

CN Power 197 Vixens 84

Thunder 390 Eh! Team 31

Vixens 248 Eh! Team 75

CN Power 141 Thunder 107

Day Two

Thunder 202 Vixens 168

CN Power 408 Eh! Team 55

After some time to rest up, heal bumps and bruises and get in more practice time the Gores and Betties are ready to turn their attention back to the Toronto home season this Saturday May 14th at The Hangar at Downsview Park.

The Gores have secured themselves a clear path to the championship final with season wins over both the Dolls and Chicks, while the Betties were statistically eliminated from the playoffs after a loss to the Dolls in April. That means that this Saturday’s bout between the two teams is being played for pride.

Despite two losses at the Beast of the East to the Vicious Dishes from Tri-City and in the championship final to Ottawa’s Slaughter Daughters the Gores are still riding an eleven game ToRD winning streak and would certainly like to keep their illustrious streak alive. The Betties, who went two losses and out at the Beast, want to play the role of spoiler against the Gores after another tough ToRD season which could potentially see them finish without a win.

You can expect the Gores to rest some of their veteran skaters for the playoffs while showcasing some of their rookie talent such as Wheely Nasty, Lulu Cthulhu and Emma Dilemma, but it is highly unlikely to see them stay away from using prominent jammers Bambi and Dust Bunny or pack players such as Brim Stone, Molly Boom and Lady Gag-Ya. You may see the agile Hurlin’ Wall take a seat in this one as the team looks to keep her fresh for the playoffs, so the Gores could look to the improving Aston Martini or sophomore Chronic to lay some punishment on the Betties in the pack.

The 2011 version of the Betties have been the “martini shaker” of ToRD teams. The team shook up its roster and coaching staff at the beginning of the season drafting several new players and adding three new coaches. This led them to a victory over Ottawa’s Riot Squad in a February exhibition contest, but nothing has gone as planned since. After Chicks Ahoy! dominated the Betties in March the team’s coaching staff was once again overhauled. 2010 bench manager Quickdraw returned alongside skater Wolverina and a cameo appearance from former Betties’ skater Slaughter Lauder to take the bench reigns for the team during the Dolls bout. The move worked well as the bench looked more relaxed and focussed. This attitude carried onto the track as the Betties played their best bout of the season against the Dolls; albeit in losing fashion. The ladies in blue and black hope to ride that success from their last ToRD home game into this contest with the Gores and hopefully shock the defending champions.

To do this the Betties need pack players Mia Culprit and Bruiseberry Pie to play the fierce style of derby they are known for and hope that promising rookie Misery Mae and standout Sin D Drop Her have big games in the pack. Memphis Kitty, titmouse and rookie Rug Burn will need to keep up with the Gores jammers if the Betties hope to stand a chance and the team will need to fire on all cylinders if they hope to achieve victory against the ladies of leopard print.

The bout should be an unpredictable one as the Gores and Betties battle it out on the flat track for the Toronto area audience. One thing that can be expected is that the night will be a fun one full of thrills, spills and beer-a-mids. The bout is scheduled to take place at 7:30pm EST.

If you are coming for the Gores/Betties bout it is recommended that you arrive at the arena for 6:00pm; that way you can catch the first-ever Toronto Junior Roller Derby (TJRD) bout!

TJRD is the sister league of ToRD where skaters under the age of 19 can learn the fundamentals of the sport to get them ready to become the derby girls of the future. The league works hard in training and will certainly have a ton of strategy to showcase to fans as a warm-up bout to the Gores and Betties. There is no contact during TJRD bouts, but the strategy, jamming and positional blocking used in your standard derby bout is all the same. TJRD’s team known as the Knicker Kickers will be playing against The Mad Missfits from New Hampshire. There is no extra cost to see this bout so arrive early to check it out.

Doors to the event open at 5:30pm EST and information on purchasing tickets ca be found on the ToRD website.

See you all trackside!

Published by Gear Up for Sports

Published article link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2011/05/gores-and-betties-to-close-out-their-regular-seasons/

The weekend kicked off in an officially unofficial way. Montreal and Tri-City, both members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), opened the tournament in a WFTDA sanctioned bout which was not on the program for Quad City Chaos. Unless you arrived early to the show or had an in to the event you missed out on Montreal dominating Tri-City like they have done to most teams all season, with the exception being their only loss to the number two ranked Oly Rollers. Montreal was victorious in the bout 254-52. The 52 points scored by Tri-City would be the most Montreal would allow all weekend long as their dominance of Canada would continue.

For fans without the permission to see the bout between Montreal and Tri-City the tournament officially began at 2:20pm with the hometown CN Power of Toronto battling Ottawa’s Rideau Valley Vixens. CN Power came into the bout with an obvious confidence after a dominating win over the Killamazoo Derby Darlins of Michigan in late February and with a win under their belt over Ottawa in February of 2010.

Although the team from Ottawa was aware that the competition they would face would be stiff they did not show any signs of intimidation as they skated into the tournament’s debut bout. What Ottawa could not have expected was just how prepared Toronto was for their style of play. CN Power flew out of the gates playing an up-tempo style of derby featuring their exciting jamming trio of Defecaitlin aka Dust Bunny, Land Shark and Candy Crossbones. Even with the pack presence of Ottawa’s hard-hitting leader Semi Precious anchoring a squad of brown and gold walls they could not stop Toronto.

CN Power built an early lead and then used a varying array of slow moving walls mixed with outstanding pack control speed to control the pace of the bout. As the trio of CN Power jammers mentioned earlier racked up points for their squad, the CN Power pack work was outstanding which led CN Power to a 156-40 victory over the Vixens.

Toronto blockers Jubilee and Dyna Hurtcha announced their presence with authority slamming hard hits on their opponents, while  Rebel Rock-It donned the pivot stripe successfully in customary fashion for Toronto. The win was an excellent way to begin the tournament for CN Power as they had to get off to a good start prior to their main event bout of the evening against Montreal at 7:00pm that same day.

After a tough loss to begin the tournament, Rideau Valley was forced into playing back to back bouts, thanks to the scheduling of the tournament. After a 40 minute break, the Vixens were back out on the track preparing to play the Tri-City Thunder, who were also not as fresh as they could have been, having played the unofficial bout against Montreal earlier in the day.

With both teams coming to the track aching they certainly did not show any signs of backing down against each other. The bout between the two teams turned out to be the most competitive and exciting bout on the day for fans in attendance as Rideau Valley gave Tri-City a serious run for their money. Tri-City obviously had a plan of attack ready for Ottawa’s number one threat from the jamming line Soul Rekker so jammers Sister Disaster and DDT really showcased their jamming potential in the bout picking up steam as the bout went on. Despite a heavy blow to the head late in the bout Ottawa’s ASSASSINista was all over the track making plays for her team while Semi Precious stood out once again against their opponents in grey. But no matter how hard the Vixens tried Tri-City seemed to edge them out for point differential while maintaining their slim lead until the end of the bout. The Thunders Anita Martini and Leigh-zzie Borden were scary good in the pack, throttling their opponents with big hits, while the Thunder jammer contingent of Motorhead Molly and Skate Pastor scored a large sum of points for their team. With the fans in attendance cheering loudly for the underdog Vixens the energy picked up throughout The Hangar. The energy from the crowd sent the Vixens way was not enough as Tri-City held on for the close 109-84 victory.

With three bouts down on the day and fans in attendance witnessing an abundance of roller derby action for hours on end the main event for the evening was about to get under way. CN Power would take on the dominating force known as the New Skids on the Block from Montreal, the favourite to go undefeated on the weekend. The flashy bright coloured uniforms of the Skids clashed against the fuchsia pink uniforms of CN Power as the teams skated side by side in pre-game warm-ups and that ironic scene may have been a precursor of things to come in the bout as the Skids used their experienced, slow derby style of play to literally clash with the Power in a successful manner.

Montreal stepped on the throttle early using jammers Iron Wench, Lil Mama and Georgia W. Tush to earn a quick point differential and then put into play some of the most dominating pack work this writer has ever laid his eyes on. The Skids slowed down the pack and trapped CN Power on every opportunity possible which forced Toronto into numerous out of play penalties. Montreal also brought Toronto’s speed from the jammer line to an abrupt halt. Toronto jammer Land Shark was literally halted by Montreal as she received a huge blow to the head as she skated around turn one on the track. The blow to the head put her out of the game, but she toughed it out, icepack and all, on the teams bench while rooting on her team-mates.

The consistent trapping of the Skids led to frequent trips to the penalty box for their opponents and with the pack literally at a standstill, thanks to Montreal’s pack control, it left the door wide open for their jammers to power jam their way to a huge lead. Toronto fought as hard as they have had to all season but the more experienced Montreal team stuck to their plan. When Toronto seemed to finally figure out Montreal’s plan it was too late due to the large point differential which grew larger and larger as the game crept on, leading to an eventual Montreal victory 284-21.

The bout was not a complete loss for Toronto as it gave some high-level playing experience and track time to first year CN Power players titmouse and Aston Martini. Aston played ferociously in the pack breaking out of numerous traps laid by Montreal while titmouse built confidence out on the track from the jammer line picking up points for Toronto, despite jamming against some of the best jammers in the country. She could have easily buckled under the pressure, but looked poised and the experience will certainly carry over to her play with her Toronto home team the Smoke City Betties.

The bout also showcased some amazing skating skill from CN Power’s Lady Gag-Ya who pulled off a highlight reel maneuver to get out of one of Montreal’s traps. The move involved some excellent backwards skating with a nifty toe-stop hesitation stall that had the fans in awe. One of the most improved, as well as most under-rated players, in Toronto may have got herself some attention with that move as it was worthy of an award.

One other thing that was apparent during the bout was the overall strength of Montreal. Some of Toronto’s heaviest hitters Tara Part, Nasher the Smasher and Dyna Hurtcha all laid their usual heavy hits into numerous players in Montreal’s pack, but it did not seem to faze the neon coloured ladies of Quebec. Seeing them take hits of that nature without even losing a step made me quiver at how outstanding this team will be come the Eastern Regionals of the WFTDA tournament to crown the National champion. With the way Montreal has played in 2011 as well as how they played in the Quad City Chaos they are making the derby world very aware of their presence as a serious contender for the title.

After one day of action Montreal had a record of 2-0 while Toronto and Tri-City were at 1-1 with Rideau Valley going 0-2. The bouts continued into Sunday with Montreal kicking off the day against Rideau Valley in the opener. Rideau Valley were huge underdogs in this bout and certainly had the fan support behind them. The recurring theme of Montreal’s play continued at the beginning of this bout as they jumped out to a quick point scoring start holding Rideau Valley scoreless for a large portion of the first half. Ottawa only managed 10 first half points, as they looked outmatched from every aspect of the game against the more experienced Montreal team. Montreal switched things up from the jammer line using Smack Daddy and Cheese Grater for a large majority of the bout while Trash n Smash and Nameless Whorror were immoveable in the pack. Semi Precious continued her outstanding play for Ottawa while Surgical Strike had a fine game, even stepping into jam at one point and Sister Disaster completed the final game of her tournament on a high note, leaving an impression on Toronto derby fans. Margaret Choke, Drunky Brewster and Big Block all left positive impressions on the crowd in the pack with their never say die attitudes, battling it out during every jam despite the point difference.

Even with all of the effort and continued fan support Rideau Valley was unsuccessful in earning a victory in the tournament losing their final bout to Montreal 320-23. The learning experience for Rideau Valley playing a team like Montreal will most certainly pay dividends in future competition for the “Foxy Ladies” of Canadian roller derby.

Only one bout remained at Quad City Chaos and the setting could not have been more perfect. Toronto and Tri-City, both with tournament records of 1-1 were set to square off. The two teams, who have built a small rivalry of sorts which dated back to last season when Tri-City was successful in defeating Toronto, were eagerly awaiting the beginning of the bout as they sat trackside watching the Montreal/Ottawa bout. With that game out of the way the ladies warmed up and the looks in both teams’ eyes said one thing “WIN”.

The Hangar was full of energy as the majority of fans in attendance were rooting for Toronto screaming out lines such as “#2, #2, #2” in honour of CN Power’s Defecaitlin who wears #2 as well as the customary CN…CN…CN…POWER chant. The energy was obvious and there was just a feeling in the air that this bout was going to be better then good, it was going to be memorable. Memorable is exactly what it was.

The bout was a back and forth contest with each team holding leads over each other at the early stages of the game. With the absence of Land Shark Toronto went with Defecaitlin, Candy Crossbones and Betty Bomber from the jam line and the trio did not let anyone down. Candy went almost perfect from a lead jammer perspective while Defecaitlin looked to jam better in this bout then in any other over the course of the weekend and Betty Bomber did not show any sign of discomfort from the jammer line despite playing as strictly a pack player earlier in the tournament. CN Power captain Brim Stone played in her third consecutive bout looking strong in the pack while Mega Mouth lived up to her reputation as a strong pivot who is only getting better the more she wears the stripe. Hurlin Wall, the face-painted horror of Toronto, who is playing her first season as part of CN Power and only her second season in roller derby, was a menace for her opponents opening up holes for jammers while also playing the role of big hitter for Toronto. She laid down some serious hurt on her opponents which was certainly felt later in the form of bruises for the Thunder.

Tri City matched up against Toronto well using an impressive performance from Motorhead Molly and Lippy Wrongstockings to coincide with strong pack play from captain sin-e-star and Gunmoll Mindy as well as more vicious play from Leigh-zzie Borden, but the back and forth contest swayed in Toronto’s favour more often then not. The game was almost put out of reach in the second half when Dyna Hurtcha stepped in as a jammer and power jammed her way to some important late game points, once again proving she is one of Toronto’s biggest triple threats.

As the bout neared to a close it looked as if Toronto was guaranteed a victory, but those pesky ladies from Tri-City would not let Toronto slam the door shut and made the game very interesting. They closed the point gap to 14 and called a time out to secure one last jam with one second remaining on the clock. This gave Tri-City a punchers chance of winning the bout. With every fan’s hearts in their throats Tri-City had one last shot to win, sending out captain sin-e-star to jam against Toronto’s Defecaitlin. The two players scrapped it out to attain lead jammer status and when sin-e-star came out of the pack with lead it looked like an upset could be near, but the fleet footed Defecaitlin used her speed to whisk by sin-e-star, who knew the bout was over and called the jam to end it all with Toronto victorious 112-98. The finish was an exhilarating way to end the Quad City Chaos tournament and it certainly added another chapter to the Tri-City/CN Power rivalry, which should only get more interesting as time goes on.

Montreal was the clear cut victor of the tournament, as far as records are concerned, but an impressive showing by CN Power has put them on the map in the roller derby world. Tri-City showed that despite the two losses they are one of the toughest teams from the eastern part of Canada and will be a force to be reckoned with in WFTDA play as the year goes on and Rideau Valley has all the talent and leadership that will make them capable of defeating tough teams as they gain more experience.

All in all the second edition of the Quad City Chaos tournament hosted by Toronto Roller Derby was another success and here is hoping that the event continues next season.

For fans itching to attend more roller derby events in the city of Toronto the next scheduled ToRD event will take place Saturday April 9th 2011 as the defending champion Gore-Gore Rollergirls take on stiff competition in the form of Chicks Ahoy!

All details for the event can be found at the ToRD website.

Published by Gear Up for Sports

Published article link:
http://5×5.gearupforsports.com/blog/2011/03/2011-quad-city-chaos-a-complete-success/