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

It's March at the Roy and - once again - it's a great time of the year to be a fan of the Minnesota RollerGirls. With the final bouts decided for the team championship, we get to be treated to two matches that can stand alone. They don't count towards point totals or standings or anything other than team pride. For the past two years, a fluke of scheduling has put together the top two and bottom two teams to play against one another as a preview of what's to come in April. And what's to come? Well, it just looks fantastic.

First off, the Atomic Bombshells against the Dagger Dolls. The losses that have plagued both teams aside, this match is all about a little redemption for at least one of the teams. The Bombshells are concluding a rebuilding year and seem ready - to wax a little military - to be set to maximum yield. We have been seeing this young team work out its kinks. It's time for the question to be asked; can this team of disparate rookies and veterans bring a win home for the fans of the Orange this season, or will we have to wait for '09-10?

The Dolls, like the Bombshells, have lost three bouts. There's no doubt that the original team that Candi Pain and Barbie Brawl put together was formidable; however, losing five of those players from the start has been difficult. The team has struggled, but that's behind them. This game will allow them to regroup and regroove.

Here's what you might want to watch for:
- Psycho Novia and Mary Tyler Roar taking the lion's share of jams for the Dolls. Sparkle Ninja and Roxanne Rolls are very able blockers; if the Dolls are in a fix for defense, watch for the two of them in the blocker pack.
- Big question on Rebel Stella. There are always rumors about this Dolly speedster, but the word is she's been actively working out with the Dolls over the past month or so.
- Keep an eye on Sweet Justice, Sinaminn, and Wonderbroad. They train hard, and they're definitely entering the same regular rotation that Lydia Punch and Candi Pain have seen for years. Bombshell rookies need to watch for these two.
- Atomic jammer winnowing. Sounds like a nasty variant of the wedgie, but here's what I mean. The Atomic Bombshells have got jammer talent bleeding from their ears. Three of this year's rookies - Jocelyn D'Jewels, L'Exi-Cuter, and Mae Gusta all have been putting up some remarkable numbers. JJ's been the Bombshell go-to girl, and L'Exi's deft ability to cut through the pack and take the lead raised some eyebrows at the last bout. If the captains go with a more stable rotation this bout, there might be some big rewards.
- As always, look for Diamond Rough to be taking players on before they crack the pack...but don't overlook rookie teammates Tara Skatesov, Shady O'Dread, and Skullateral Damage. They've been quietly working in the pack on the fundamentals, and this may well be the night that one or two of them really shines.

And then there's the Garda Belt-Rockits game. I believe that this bout might defy conventional wisdom about the March MNRG event. There is a perception that the teams relax a bit as they work out tactics and strategies for the season championship. I don't really see these teams as that patient. Both teams have been working so damn hard to make it this far, and with the core of both teams being All-Stars, I think we've got two matches (in March and in April) that will set a new bar for home-team play here in the Twin Cities. You've followed these teams and know their stories, so let's get to what's to come:

- Question one for the Rockits: can the team stop Suzie Smashbox? #91 for the Garda Belts has been in fine form this year. She plays between one-half and two-thirds of all jams as the point-scorer, and if you cannot stop her, Rockit jammers will have to book it to the front of the pack.
- Question two for the Red Menace: can the Rockits play a team that plays dirty with the rulebook as well? All this season, we've seen the Rockits play an evil form of the sport that is completely within the bounds of the rules. They take advantage of the track-cutting regs, they use the 20-foot rule like a weapon, and they use just enough force to send unobservant players to the penalty box, or at least send them to the back of the pack. But so can the Garda Belts; many of the girls in green have also played against the nation's best and know the tricks.
- To the Garda Belts: what are you going to do about Jawbreaker? JB has gotten past 'great' this year; the platinum blonde is starting to play a strong-arm, focused game that no one else quite has the ability to do. We've seen her block blockers as a jammer, mark a jammer stride for stride while directing her team from the front, and triple-slam when given a power jam opportunity. Girl's got talent. So how do you beat her?
- Another one: The tendency of the Garda Belt defense is to attack the opposing team and let the jammers make their own way. Can the GB defense adapt to regularly shepherding their players through the pack if the traditional ways don't work?
- And finally: in a forty minute bout, a jammer being sent to the box can mean the difference between winning and losing; the eighty seconds or so of jamming unopposed generally means that the team with a jammer still on the track can rack up the points. The Garda Belt jammers have gone to the box thirteen times so far this season; the Rockits have had their jammers caught there precisely once. Can the Garda Belt jammers keep it together?

But these matches...these matches are going to be fun. The year has been building to these two showdowns. Make sure you're there for this preview of the season championship. We'll see you at the Roy.

Writing from the exact Geographic Center of roller derby,
-Garrison Killer

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

Angelfire

No, of course it didn't hurt when I fell from heaven. That's because I took people out with me to pad the fall." Angelfire nonchalantly answered because she gets asked that question often.

Kicke...

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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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