2012-2013 Season Schedule
Season nine is in full swing with the Minnesota RollerGirls - Minnesota’s original roller derby league.
Saturday, September 8
WFTDA Regionals, Sept. 14-16
Saturday, October 6
WFTDA Championships, Nov. 2-4
Saturday, November 10
Saturday, January 19
Saturday, February 16 with Minnesota Swarm
Saturday, March 2
Saturday, March 23
Saturday, April 6
News
Bout Preview: Game of Skates: the preview
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
January is a cold, cold time to be sitting at home. Sure, you could sit down for the next CSI: Miami marathon…instead, why don’t you make plans to head down to the Roy this Saturday?
This isn’t just any bout. The Rockits are playing the Atomic Bombshells for first place in the league; the Dagger Dolls and Garda Belts are playing to stay alive in their hunt for the Golden Skate.
Even the refs are getting into the act; Saturday’s bout will be the very first MNRG games where the 2013 rule set takes over. That means more action, more ferocity on the track, and NO MORE MINOR PENALTIES. Read on, derby fan.
The new game:
One tweet to start them all: The biggest change to the fans will be this: at the start of every jam, a single whistle gets blown. This will IMMEDIATELY release the jammers to start skating. The days of long, drawn-out jams where a team waits for a blocker to leave the penalty box is now over. It’s all action now, whistle to whistle.
No more minors: The teams of the WFTDA have determined that ‘minor penalties’ had to go. Years of fans scratching their heads about the lesser penalties and the ‘accumulation of minors’ call took its toll. From now on, a penalty will get you a minute in the box. Some minor penalties have become majors; some have disappeared. You’ll catch on quickly, and you’ll probably see more elbows and hands go uncalled.
Stepping around your teammate: We’ll point out one change to the rules that you’ll probably notice. In the past, players could get all sorts of penalties for track cuts. Leaving the track and slicing in front of someone else has always been a bad idea, but you could get minor penalties or majors depending on the situation.
The new ruleset makes the track cut simple. If you leave the track and come back in front of a single member of your team, you’re fine…as long as they aren’t the frontmost player of the pack. No penalty. In every other situation, you will go to the box.
For the whole story, visit the WFTDA website and look at the rules. Welcome to the new world. We’re excited to play under these new rules for you.
Game #1:
Rockits (1-0, +90 in points overall) v Atomic Bombshells (1-0, +3 in points overall)
In November, the Rockits put forth a short-staffed team of fourteen and served forth, gut-punching last season’s champions (the Dagger Dolls). Coming from behind in the second half, the Rockits put up a 90-point victory. Rockit jammers surged; Rockit blockers stomped on the Dolls.
This month, the Rockits are strapping on another booster, acquiring a new transfer (Betsy Wrecksie, formerly of Sioux Falls) as well as welcoming back seventh-year vets Vuedoo Prodigy and Killahertz for the season. They’re going to need every player; the Bombshells are looking for a decisive win against the women in red. With a new transfer of their own (Crowella de Vil of Charm City, the MNRG’s perennial East Coast rivals) and a strong team of seventeen, this has all the makings of another classic.
What to watch for:
Rockit fans are going to be happy to see the return of Killahertz and Vuedoo Prodigy. The two of them will toughen a defense already infamous for bringing the hammer down on opponents.However, the Rockits are going to need to get started early on their scoring. They take their time getting on the board, and sometimes they run out of time – even after big 25-point jams.
The offensive matchups are exciting: the ABS will have Lizzy, Juke Boxx, and L’exi-Cuter against the Rockits’ Harmony, Commander Nix, and Dreidel Robber. All six put up big points last bout.
However, the big story will be defense. Diamond v Buzz Tightrear. Hurtrude Stein against Scarmen Hellectra. Killahertz against Venus. The patient, red wall against the whirling dervish of Bombshell defense.
You know the players; you know the tactics. Get ready to watch these teams battle for the top of the table.
Not in play this weekend: Fannie Tanner (ABS), Frau Scientits (Rockits), Kit Shinkicker (Rockits), Mitzi Massacre (ABS), Sand BlastHER (ABS)
Game #2:
Garda Belts (0-1, -3 in points overall) v Dagger Dolls (0-1, -90 in points overall)
The bigger stakes of the night will take place between the Garda Belts and the Dagger Dolls. Here’s the truth of the numbers. This game will likely determine which of these teams has a real shot at the Golden Skate in April. With only one game to go before the finals, each team needs a win.
First up: the Dolls. The Dagger Dolls played the Rockits in November and kept them to four points for the first twelve minutes of the match. Bombs Over Bacon, Kimbers, Angelfire, and Ova Achieva killed it until some crucial jammer penalties. The Dolls have the fire. They’re defending champions of the league. They’re not giving up.
Meanwhile, the Garda Belts are showing an ease with scoring that we haven’t seen for years. In the first lap of each jam, the Garda defense is cutting off the progress of opponents. They fell short as those jams continued, but they’re consistent at scoring and pulling the lead jam. Their defense just needs to catch up.
Newbies on the jammer line. Several Dolly first-years have been showing a lot of promise in early days on the track. Watch for Sagittearitup’s consistent single-pass scoring in the next couple of bouts as well as Hannah Shot First’s fleet footwork accelerating out of (or above) danger. The Dagger Doll jammer line is still in flux; we’ll see what the captains decide upon as they move closer to the finals.
The Angel, the Vet, and the Captain. A little history for the new fans. In season seven, Angelfire, Hanna Belle Lector, and Tiki Torture jumped from the Garda Belts as part of the reboot of the Dagger Dolls. All three are now deeply wrapped into the game-day play of the Dagger Dolls; Angelfire as a magnificent scorer for the Dolls, while nine-year veteran Hanna and co-captain Tiki lead in the pack. They always seem to ratchet up their game when they play their former team; this one will likely determine whether they’ll be in the running at the March bout. Watch for the gloves to come off.
Size rules. Something to watch for as the Gardas play this time. The new game demands that the jammers are effective in both speeding through the pack as well as pushing through the opening seconds of each jam - defeating the initial pack of hyper-focused blockers intent on stopping a jammer. The Gardas have several players - Betty LaRude, Tara Bichapart, and Crust Almighty among them - that are built to bulldoze past timid walls with only a few strides. Think of the carnage.
All the jammers. Secondhand Smoke. MEDUSA. Crust Almighty. Tara Bichapart. Suzie Smashbox. The Gardas put forward five women that scored double-digit point totals against the Bombshells in November. We spoke with Seamonster (former Garda coach of many years), who shook his head and laughed at all the talent at the Garda jammer line. If the defense can get behind them, the Gardas can still make a sprint for the Skate.
Not in play this weekend: Barbie Brawl (Dolls), Naughty Kitty (Dolls), Shiva Shank’n (Gardas), Suzie Smashbox (Gardas)
See you at the Roy.
Reporting from where all the women are strong, all the men are accessories, and all the children turn left,
Garrison Killer
More News
The 2013 Wheelies
May 02, 2013
The Minnesota RollerGirls close their season down with its annual celebration of the league’s best and brightest. WHEELIES RESULTS AHEAD.
Atomic Bombshells raise Golden Skate, 115-102
April 11, 2013
Three times the ABS went ahead; three times the Rockits almost caught up. The unstoppable Atomic Bombshells earn a third spot on the coveted MNRG hometeam trophy.
Gardas defeat Dolls for 3rd place, 140-91
April 10, 2013
Led by vets and rookies alike, the Garda Belts triumphed and controlled the track against a short-staffed Doll team.
Bombshells light up the Rockits for the Championship, 115-102
April 08, 2013
Gardas take 3rd against the Dagger Dolls in our final night of the season.
Hanna Belle Lector #37
April 08, 2013
A member of the Minnesota RollerGirls since season 1, Hanna is an intimidating presence on the track. Off the track, she’s a huge part of helping to develop the next generation of RollerGirls!
