By Peter Cozine
Grave Danger 177 vs. Throttle Rockets 136
Last Saturday the Rat City Rollergirls played their second double header bout of the season at KeyArena, The first bout of the evening was between Grave Danger and the Throttle Rockets, anticipated to be the rivalry of the season. Danger was looking to continue their undefeated streak, while the Rockets hoped to bounce back from a loss last month. Danger grabbed an early lead by capitalizing off of two early jammer penalties against the Rockets. The game looked like it was going to be a blow out in favor of GD, but the Throttle Rockets called a timeout to regroup, and began to work their way back. Relying on a jammer rotation of Luna Negra, Missile America, and Sintripetal Force, the Rockets managed to link some consecutive lead jams and reassert their game plan. At the end of the first half both teams went into their locker rooms for a short breather with Grave Danger ahead 74-58.
The second half saw an increase in the physicality of the game. Both teams managed to limit their jammer penalties, leading to some really riveting derby. Danger’s Shorty Ounce and Muffstache set the tone for their team’s blockers, limiting the Throttle Rocket’s successes with the star, and opening up room and opportunities for jammers Carmen Getsome, Nehi Nightmare, and Kutta. An injury midway through the second half to Missile America left the Rockets down a jammer, and Danger capitalized. Both teams played smart, physical games at a high level of competition but in the end, Carmen Getsome got some, scoring a full 94 points in the bout and leading her team to defeat the Throttle Rockets.
| Scoring Recap | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Grave Danger | Throttle Rockets | ||
| #12 Carmen Getsome | 94 | #1618 Sintripetal Force | 58 |
| #48 Nehi Nightmare | 27 | #911 Luna Negra | 51 |
| #-1 Dee Cap Attack | 22 | #321 Missile America | 24 |
What made this evening uniquely special was a guest halftime appearance by Nancy Pearl, NPR contributor, author, and rock star librarian. After raising over $1600 for First Book Seattle, the fan’s picked “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak for her to read, as a trackful of children were invited to the floor from their seats. It was a roller derby first to have storytime on the track for a halftime act, and it was truly sight to behold for fans of all ages who love reading. When she was finished, Pearl, still in her reading glasses, wrapped up storytime by pointing to DJ Boo Berry and shouting “Now, DJ, Let’s get this party started!!”. The fans roared and cheered the now infamous librarian.
Sockit Wenches 284 vs. Bad Reputations 68
After the intermission, the roller derby action resumed with a bout between Rat City’s Sockit Wenches, and the visiting Bad Reputations from the Terminal City Rollergirls. The Bad Reputations traveled down to Seattle from Vancouver, B.C. to show Seattle fans that Canada was more than Kokenee and Royal Mounties. The BRs Naz Droveya Wylde and Diva LaRevolution had good nights against a very effective SW 4 wall. Naz Droveya Wylde grabbed 32 points in 7 jams, and helped her team to make some noticeable improvements in the second half of the bout. Meanwhile, the Wenches passed the jammer star all around their bench, using all 13 skaters at the jammer
position including the all mighty Anya Heels, Sami Automatic, Sawzall Gabor, and new comer Rawkhell SqWelch. At the end of the first half, the Sockit Wenches held a 169-34 lead over the visitors.
The Bad Reputations seemed to make some adjustments in between the first and second half, reducing their jammer cut track penalties and keeping their skaters on the track. The Cohesive blocking of the Wenches made it extremely difficult for the Bad Reputations to score many points, but Diva LaRevolution, Lamb Baste-Her, and Naz Droveya Wylde continued to make significant contributions to their teams from the jammer position.
The crowd in KeyArena erupted in the second half when Anya Heels made a huge hit against the Bad Reputations jammer, sending her flying through the air and off of the track. In the end, the Sockit Wenches played a complete game and defeated the Bad Reputations by a score of 284 to 68. They have now won 2 games in a row and are looking ahead to their upcoming bout with Grave Danger.
| Scoring Recap | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sockit Wenches | Bad Reputations | ||
| #357 Sami Automatic | 49 | #191 Naz Droveya Wylde | 32 |
| #761 RawKell SqWelch | 47 | #360 Diva LaRevolution | 16 |
| #888 Sawzall Gabor | 46 | #KO Lamb Baste-Her | 8 |