Minnesota RollerGirls - Flat-track, skater-owned roller derby league in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul

So.

Bombshells v Garda Belts
Rockits v Dagger Dolls

Saturday night. Think you've seen this one before? You're right. And you're so wrong.

The MNRG home teams return to the Temple of Derby, the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, on February 28th for the "Circus of the Scars." This will be a big night. You're going to see the newly-dominant Garda Belts and the Red Menace that is the Rockits work to sew up their reservations for April's season championships, and the other two must put their back in it to beat the odds. The Atomic Bombshells and the Dagger Dolls must win their next two games to have a chance to move on to the Big Dance, and win by significant margins. I don't think either team is going to cede their chance at this, so let's not waste time with pontificating on the notion that they're going to give up. Let's talk instead about what needs to happen for the four teams to succeed.

Rockits v Dagger Dolls

The Rockits have had a phenomenal year thus far. Here's what an observant fan should see:
- Best janitors this side of Wet Spot. Honeydew Felon and Vuedoo Prodigy are sweeping machines. Whether it's Felon's close-and-personal slowing or Vuedoo's blind corner hits, they are very effective at keeping a jammer constantly re-engaging the pack.
- Overlapping blocks. You will not see a lot of jammer takedowns from the Rockits; however, Rockit blockers will delay a jammer just long enough for another blocker to come up and push her to the back of the pack or dink her out of play into a potential track-cutting violation.
- Jammer awareness. We all know the tactic of taking the lead, scoring points, and calling off the jam before the opponent has the opportunity to score. The Rockits do this in spades; they did not allow a single point to be scored against them when they had the lead in their first meeting against the Dolls.

This has been a hard couple of bouts for the fans of our Dolls. A solid rout by the Rockits followed by a comeback by the Garda Belts means that the Dolls must win against the Rockits to have a shot at the finals. They have a better mathematical chance than the Bombshells to make this happen (we'll talk about that at the end), but here's what we should see:
- Power jam capitalization: Roxanne, MTR and Sparkle Ninja all work their butts off throughout the match, but you'll cheer them at their best when an opposing jammer has been cleared off the track and the Dolls peel away the other team's blockers. The Dolls scored 40 of their 53 points against the Gardas during power jams. They just keep accelerating.
- Hard hitting: jammer takedowns a-go-go. The Dolls play a flamboyant blocking game. You will see more shoulder-blocking after drawing a bead on an opponent than any other team.
- Independence: The Dolls play a strong woman-on-woman defense. When this is working and they get a good line on their opponents, watch out. Individual players in the Doll pack have reps; we haven't yet seen good team-ups like Candi Pain and Marilyn Monrogue or Candi/Barbie this year.

The Dolls must, must, must delay the Rockit jammers on the initial pass. The Rockits like their clean runs; they prefer to own the clock, so would much rather start again and get the lead than walk through the pack without it. The more they can keep Jawbreaker and Dudezilla in the pack, the greater chance they can break out themselves or fluster the Rockits into the penalty box and take advantage of the power jam. If the Rockits are allowed to play their clean-jamming game, it's going to be the end of the run for the Dagger Dolls.

Now. What about that other match?

Garda Belts v Atomic Bombshells

What can you say about the Gardas? It's a great bunch of players who have been underrated for years. They are one game away from clinching a berth in the finals, and the play a team that they won by 20 points against in December. I suggest a Garda fan might watch for:
- The Jammer and the Hunter: We've discussed at length Suzie's contributions to the team. She scored 75% of the points for the Gardas in their bout against the Dolls. But if Suzie is the core of Garda Belt scoring, Tiki Torture has been busting her ass to cause no end of pain to the opposing jammer. Although she played with a bit of a knee injury at the last bout, Tiki's been hunting so consistently that she needs probably needs an Artemis tat.
- Help or hurt? HURT: Never let it be said that Garda blockers don't protect their jammers. But given a choice between troubleshooting for Hanna, Rumblebee, and Suzie or shooting for trouble on the other team, the Gardas will take out the opposing jammer. Every time.
- Interlocking on the inside: The Gardas try hard to control the front; whether it's Citizen Pain, Demora Liza, or Lola up front, you will see a Green striped pivot holding the line as they wait for a blocker to zip up through the inside corner to flank and send the jammer back or into the outside corner.

It's make or break time for the Atomic Bombshells. They must win this game to stay in the running long enough to take on the Dagger Dolls in March. If you're wearing orange in the seats, here's what you're hoping for:
- Ascendance of the new blood: there's so much that's good about this crop of this year's rookies, and the ABS got a metric ton of them. We still haven't seen the limits of the Bombshell rookies. If they have the stamina, this may be the game that will show who co-captains Misfit Maiden and Mitzi Massacre have placed the most faith in. Can the ABS rookies get good enough, fast enough?
- Wait a sec...when hasn't she been in there?: With the large number of new players, Mitzi and Misfit have been playing a strong rotation of vets as the rookies get used to their roles. Misfit Maiden put herself in over 75% of the jams, drawing only two fouls. The vets are no afterthought in the Bombshells...CTO is clearly relishing her expanded position up front; hopefully, we'll also see more of Flora Flipabitch, who was out last game.
- Blockers in the rough: I just have to mention this: watch for Diamond Rough and the other rookie blockers when Suzie jams for the Gardas. Rough took down JB in the last bout to raucous cheers from the crowd and bench; although over-committing as a blocker will cause no end of pain and time in the penalty box, watch for the rookies to gun for Ms Smashbox.

I continue to find this match enticing as a fan, even more so than the DDs v the Rockits. Why? This matchup between a veteran team and a team full to the brim with rookies was far closer than I thought it would be. If the Garda jammer rotation continues to succeed and the girls in green can stay out of penalty trouble while sticking to their guns on supporting one another, I think we'll see the Gardas at the season championship. If, on the other hand, a genuine breakout Bombshell jammer star shoots through the pack and the ABS find the solution to Suzie...well, this could become very interesting in April.

One last thing: a little numerical analysis.

The season championships are determined first by number of wins, then overall point differential:

Rockits are 2-0 (pd: 132)
Next opponents: DDs
Final opponents: GBs

Gardas are 2-0 (pd: 35)
Next opponents: ABS
Final opponents: Rockits

Dagger Dolls are 0-2 (pd: -71)
Next opponents: Rockits
Final opponents: ABS

Atomic Bombshells are 0-2 (pd: -96)
Next opponents: GBs
Final opponents: DDs

It will be very, very hard for the Rockits to not make the finals. To be knocked out of the running, they would need to lose both games AND lose a point differential that is...well, it's pretty big.

The question really is at this point: can the ABS or the Dolls catch the Garda Belts? One team will need to win two games while the GBs must lose their next two. Both teams with an 0-2 record can't do this; they play each other in the March bout, so only one has a shot at it. And all the Gardas have to do is win one of their next two, and they're in for the finals.

So this, Derby fans, may be the moment when it all comes together. We'll see you at the Roy on Saturday.

Featured Event

This incredibly popular and fun event is back for a third year! The day will include over 2 hours of roller derby drills, games, and fun led by your favorite Minnesota RollerGirls. No previous skating experience required! Open to ages 4-20; guardian must be present and safety gear (helmet, wrist guards, knee & elbow pads) ...

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Featured Skater

Sparkle Ninja

There's a reason why this girl got the March 22 Pizza Luce Player of the Game: she earned it with hard work, perseverance, and panache. Sparkle joined the Dolls for the 06-07 season and she was a s...

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B2TV Streaming

Unable to attend the upcoming Minnesota RollerGirls events in person? You don't have to miss out on the action - all of this year's bouts will have high-quality live streaming courtesy of B2TV.

Events will be available for purchase ten minutes prior to the action beginning.

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News

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Rockits triumph over Dolls, 129-37

At this point in the history of the Minnesota RollerGirls, no one expects a player to take a swipe at a rival. Fights are basically stories that old-timers tell the rookies about from the first couple of seasons. Still...there is rivalry in the MNRG, and no two teams have a more tempestuous one than the Dagger Dolls and the Rockits. The two teams have a different (if equally passionate) outlook on our sport; the Rockits tend to embrace the new, interleague road-warrior style of play, while the Dollys' core seems to rest in taking the classic big blocks with fast, fast jammers. In past years, these differences have manifested themselves in unusual ways. This year, the match was the thing, and the teams left it on the floor of the Roy.

Dolly jammer Psycho Novia broke out in the fir...

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Bombshells hold back Gardas 67-42

Saturday's match between the Atomic Bombshells and Garda Belts took an unexpected turn even before the first jam had begun. L'exi-cuter could not make the match due to outside obligations. As L'exi had provided half of the Bombshells' points over the past two jams, the Bombshells would have to up their defense and force principal jammers Mae Gusta and Venus Thightrap to further step up their own jamming. Meanwhile, the Gardas looked at this match as a last shot at the season championship. To be guaranteed a berth in the finals, they would have to defeat the Bombshells by forty-seven or more. Certainly a possibility, but Suzie Smashbox, Cassie Rolle, and Angelfire would need to keep charging through the Bombshell pack to make it happen.

Suzie Smashbox started strong for the Garda...

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MNRG Hometeam Bout 3 Preview

Before we start talking about these matches, a quick update from our ticket folks. Our non-Xcel/Roy/Ticketmaster outlets sold out as of Monday, but there are still plenty of tickets. However, if you know that you're coming a little later for this bout, why not pick them up this week at the Roy Box Office (open 10-6pm) or through Ticketmaster?

If you have tickets already, come early and get in line. While it's great that there are no bad seats in Minnesota's own House of Derby, the bout is going to be packed and that usual seat that you love might not be available if you don't show up a bit ahead of time.

Also, we are very pleased to announce a change in next year's schedule. We will be flipping the calendar so that the home teams will begin in October and the season championship ...

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MNRG Finals outlook 2010: by the numbers

Two bouts remain in the Minnesota RollerGirls season. The results from March's bout will determine who will compete to raise the coveted Golden Skate (currently held by back-to-back winners, the Rockits) and who will play for third. Right now, no team has confirmed their berth in the season championships...though two teams definitely have the edge right now.

For those unaware, the MNRG send the top two teams forward to the finals. In the case of a tie in W-L, the team with the top overall point differential (points scored on opponents - points allowed) gets the spot. Looking only at the numbers - the win-loss record and the points, not the personalities or the relative strengths of the teams - this is what your MNRG home teams must do to secure a spot at the jammer line for April...

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Rockits take Gardas 118-35

Sweet mercy, we sold out! Thank you to all of the fans who joined us for Saturday's bout; we scanned 4723 tickets...but considering all of the children that come to our bouts that go unticketed, Roy staff, and MNRG volunteers, it's very likely that the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium played host to 5,000 women, men, and children!

The extent to which this matchup was anticipated could not be underestimated. With the Gardas a game ahead of the Rockits at the start of the bout, the Gardas had an opportunity to shut the Rockits out of the season championship for the first time since the women in red rose from the ashes of the first season's Silver Bullets. Couple that with their sixty-point defeat at the hands of the Rockits in the last season championship, and you really have all of...

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Atomic Bombshells defeat Dagger Dolls, 63-38

Sweet mercy, we sold out! Thank you to all of the fans who joined us for Saturday's bout; we scanned 4723 tickets...but considering all of the children that come to our bouts that go unticketed, Roy staff, and MNRG volunteers, it's very likely that the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium played host to 5,000 women, men, and children!

The Atomic Bombshells entered this match with a 1-0 record; having narrowly defeated the Rockits in January, the Bombshells were looking for another win to firm up their championship berth in April. The Dolls were a game behind after a nine-point defeat by the Garda Belts and needed this win to reasonably seek the berth. With a three-game season before the finals, every point in every game counted...particularly in a season as close as this one.

The D...

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Saturday night turnout

We'd like to thank our fans for the HUGE turnout on Saturday night. We've never had to turn people away at the door before and that's both an exciting and sad moment for us. Exciting because we're happy and honored so many wanted to come out. Sad because we'd never want to have to turn people away. We hope that if you didn't make it in on Saturday, you'll come back March 6 for our next bout.

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Season 6, Bout 2 preview

On Saturday, diehard Minnesota RollerGirls fans and newcomers alike will rush the doors of the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium to watch the next step in the evolution of derby in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Our first home bout rocked the derby world as the Rockits - reigning two-time champions - were laid low by the Atomic Bombshells. The Rockits must now win Saturday's bout - a repeat match of last year's season championship against the Garda Belts - to control their destiny. The Dagger Dolls are in a similar fix; their seven-point loss to the Gardas in January means that they must win against a transformed Bombshell team to have a strong chance to acquire the Golden Skate. We'll talk more on the win-loss situation in a moment, but let's look at Saturday's games.

The Atomic Bombsh...

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Garda Belts beat back Dolly assault, 59-50

Last year's bottom-ranked Dagger Dolls took on the Garda Belts, (2009 runners-up), for this first bout of the new home season. There was expectation that this would be a high-scoring game as a bevy of Dolly speedsters took on Suzie Smashbox. It really was anything but that. Although the teams had less than five practices before this bout as the Dolls and as the Gardas, the close scores and the heavy reliance on delaying the jammer instead of knocking her out denoted a bout fought between two strong packs instead of a battle of star-wearing skaters.

After months of playing with one another on the MNRG All-Stars, Dolly #109 (Psycho Novia) skated next to her opponent Suzie Smashbox and took her stance at the jammer line. The jammers threw themselves forward, but Suzie boxed up Psycho's ...

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Set to maximum yield, Bombshells break Rockit streak, 78-76

For many fans of the Minnesota RollerGirls, the Rockits have always been the winners. They just win; they're the serious, hard-working, take-care-of-your-body kind of players that can tell you the ins and outs of the game as they outdrink you. If you started attending bouts in Season 4, you've never known anything different. On Saturday, the Rockits lost. More importantly, the Atomic Bombshells - under the leadership of Mitzi Massacre and Misfit Maiden - played a smart game and beat the back-to-back champions of the Minnesota RollerGirls in a match that brought the fans roaring to their feet.

Venus Thightrap - lately the prime pivot for the All-Stars - returned to her jammer roots for the Atomic Bombshells against Harmony Killerbruise for the first jam. As the jammers made their way ...

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