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 Recap: Scoreboard shows Minnesota victory; officials go to overtime
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Windy City’s unparalleled 24-0 winning run in the Midwest came to a climactic end as the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium regulation clock wound to zero on June 16th. With a final look at the score, four-year MNRG veteran L’exi Cuter tapped her hips and killed Windy’s Streak winning dead following a final, glorious jam.
As the crowd wound out the door, however, a quiet murmur had begun backstage in the huddle of refs; a mistake had been made. A very odd mistake.
It seems the game may have ended in a tie.
Windy City Rollers (#1 NC) v Minnesota RollerGirls (#2 NC)
Over the past twelve months, the prospect of an MNRG/WCR matchup is eagerly awaited for across the derby nation. The leagues have history dating back to 2008, and each of our past two meetings has pushed both teams to the edge of endurance, speed, and brutal strategy.
Windy and Minnesota teams are not mirrors of one another; Minnesota prefers an agile pack, while Windy has the capacity to smartly outskate players with a level of strength and endurance that is nearly unparalleled. They are, however, well-matched – and so their 6th meeting was a flurry of lead changes, defensive prowess, and jamming one-upsmanship.
Windy City’s co-captain Jackie Daniels took the first points against Minnesota’s L’exi-Cuter. MNRG returned fire as their own co-captain Juke Boxx found her line for four points. Varla Vendetta took the very next jam as Windy City monster blocker Bork Bork Bork held off Minnesota’s Harmony Killerbruise. 8-4, Windy up.
At the 7th minute, Juke took her second lead jam and scored thirteen as Minnesota’s blockers (led by Scarmen Hellectra and her trademark booty liftoffs) kept Zoe Trocious from advancing through the pack.
Juke’s fleet steps sent her hurtling into a Windy blocker from behind on her third scoring pass, putting her in the box for a minute. This gave Windy’s amazing Kola Loka the chance to dance through the short pack unopposed by Minnesota’s jammers. Despite Minnesota’s best efforts to kill the power jam, Kola scored ten and retook the lead. 27-26 Windy after eleven.
Harmony brought Minnesota back to a tie the following jam, but another back blocking penalty by an MNRG jammer (this time, Second Hand Smoke) kept Minnesota from taking the lead. However, Minnesota only allowed Zoe Trocious eight on the power jam. Smoke accelerated out of the penalty box the following jam and snuck four points past the Windy pack before their lead jammer could stop play.
After yet another MNRG jammer penalty created by a back block by MNRG’s jammers on a Windy player, the situation started to look dire. Minnesota was coming in too hot on a team ready to get their bodies in front of a speeding jammer. Kola Loka again took the jammer advantage and scored nineteen – floating out of reach of an unrelenting Hurtrude Stein. Windy 61 – Minnesota 42.
Minnesota shifted under the attack, and began to crawl out of the hole jam by jam. Minnesota’s four jammers each took turns taking on the Chicago defense - L’exi-Cuter in particular surprised opposing jammer as she took the lead jam in the 24th minute. With Varla a breath behind her, L’exi switched to a holding stance on Varla, watched the WCR jammer get reabsorbed into the Minnesota defense…then hit the afterburners for four.
Second Hand Smoke pulled Minnesota within one as halftime began with a power jam created by another back-block –this time by the WCR’s Varla. Chicago scored only five points in the last six jams of the period. HALFTIME: Windy City Rollers 66 – 65 MNRG.
Last year at Regional Championships, Windy City brought Jackie Daniels in as a primary jammer in the second half and changed the pace of play to a runaway defense. This time, WCR’s coach Howie turned to Yvette Yermaker to create some of that same jammer magic. The fresh jammer – as well as Varla and Kola - held Minnesota scoreless for the first three jams and extended Windy’s lead to ten. Second Hand Smoke stopped the bleeding by sneaking through the scoring pass of Varla Vendetta, scoring four.
However, Windy had again picked up the pace; their laterally aggressive pack batted back Minnesota’s jammers over the half’s first jams.; Minnesota could not pull away from Windy’s never-ending torrent of defensive hits by Sargentina, Hoosier Mama, Jackie Daniels, and Go-Go. Meanwhile, Chicago pushed steadily ahead, taking two or three points per jam.
As in the first half, Juke Boxx and her defensive line rekindled the Minnesota’s hopes. With Naughty Kitty and Hurtrude Stein playing pack pinball with Zoe Trocious, Juke picked up a head of steam and nailed a fourteen-point jam. Harmony and Second Hand Smoke each followed up with a point each. With that, the gap had been made up. Almost. Windy 93 – MNRG 91.
With Windy up only two points on Minnesota with 17 minutes left to play, Windy City’s perennial ace-in-the-hole - Varla Vendetta – thrust a knife into Minnesota’s chest by dropping a stunning 27-point jam against L’exi-Cuter. With most of MNRG’s defense in the penalty box, L’exi-Cuter could not find a straight line through the swirling winds of Chicago’s defense. The score: 120 – 91.
In previous matchups with Chicago, this would have been the point where Minnesota would falter, panic, and get into foul trouble that would cost them the game. This time, Minnesota had their nerves on lockdown.
After another grand slam by Windy’s Kola Loka, Harmony Killerbruise took advantage of a WCR jammer penalty trip to the box and scored a multislam that brought the team within fifteen. Juke Boxx fairly flew through the pack to score another eighteen, while opposing jammer Kola scored four. Windy up 134 – 133. L’exi snuck in on a Chicago lead jam and scored again…bringing the score even with only eight minutes to play.
135-135. Second Hand Smoke jumps over two Chicago players on the floor, takes the lead, and scores five points – the opposing jammer sneaks in for one before the jam gets called.
140 – 136…and Minnesota is now ahead for the first time since the tenth minute. Harmony scores four against the juking Kola Loka, then Minnesota’s defense walls up Windy’s Yvette as Juke Boxx scores another six against a small WCR pack…but Juke goes to the box on a track cut by passing a Chicagoan AND a fellow MNRG player while off the track.
150-141, Minnesota up with three minutes left. The MNRG call a timeout, but it’s Varla Vendetta again at the line with Juke still in the penalty box. Varla delivers a double slam. Chicago goes ahead.
151-150. There’s time for two more jams. Against a tiny pack, Second Hand Smoke shoots down the inside lane for the lead, and Kola Loka is laser-focused on catching up…which is why she doesn’t see Naughty Kitty coming in from her left. Kitty drops Kola, and creates enough time for Smoke to score four more.
And so here’s the situation as we head into the final minute:
- At the jam line - L’exi-Cuter and Varla Vendetta. These two have been fighting all night. First L’exi’s reabsorption play, then Varla’s monster jam.
- The pack is to Minnesota’s advantage (three blockers to two on the track).
- The scoreboard reads MNRG 154 - WCR 151 with 1:10 left.
- Windy has two timeouts left. If L’exi gets the lead and calls it off before the regulation clock reaches zero, there will be another jam.
The final jam: Varla joins her pack on the outside, looking for a way to hook L’exi behind her blockers before speeding off herself. In front of Varla, Hurtrude Stein lures Varla slightly inside. L’exi sees the opening (the classic “Bombshell lane” from hometeam play) and sprints for blue skies and the lead. Varla comes in right behind her, only to get nailed by an outside track trap by Hurtrude. Varla recycles and heads out on her lapping pass.
Meanwhile, L’exi re-engages the pack, gets four and starts watching the clock. As long as the score is in her favor, she can bleed the clock until the end. L’exi re-enters for the second lapping pass, scores two, sees the regulation clock at zero and calls the jam off. FINAL ON THE SCOREBOARD: 160-155. Minnesota breaks The Streak and our incredible fans erupt.
Then.
As part of the official work that gets done at the end of every sanctioned bout, our crack officiating staff cross-checks the recorded scores of the bout.
At the conclusion of WCR/MNRG, the refs did their checking and a discrepancy was found. Five points were given in error to the MNRG around the fiftieth minute of play – right around Juke and Harmony’s multi-slams. The players – like the fans – can only play and react to the game based on the score that they see during the game. In this case, that score was found to be incorrect.
For over an hour, the refs and captains worked on a response to this unique situation, but with the game over, the submitted score currently stands at a tie – 155 to 155.
Roller derby hates ties. We have a special sudden-death set of rules because we don’t like it when no one wins. Due to the unusual circumstances, however, the outcome of the game is now in the excellent hands of the WFTDA Games Committee. Our teams await their determination.
Minnesota and Windy City played a game that brought the derby world to a halt. Is The Streak at an end? Who is #1 in the region?
We’re all waiting to see what happens next. Stay tuned.
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!
