2011-2012 Season Schedule
Get ready for a season eight with the Minnesota RollerGirls - Minnesota’s original roller derby league.The fall bouts will feature your favorite four home teams and the winter/spring months will feature the All-Star bouts.
Saturday, October 15
Saturday, November 19
Saturday, December 17
Saturday, January 21 (home team championship)
Saturday, February 4
Saturday, February 18 with Minnesota Swarm
Saturday, March 3
Saturday, March 31
Saturday, May 5 (Away)
Saturday-Sunday, June 2-3 (Away)
Saturday, June 16
Friday-Sunday, July 27-29 (Away)
Friday, August 24 (Away)
Saturday, August 25 (Away)
Sunday, August 26 (Away)
News
Bout Preview: Skate Invaders Preview - Princes v Har-Mar Megastars
Monday, March 28, 2011
On Saturday night, we’ll say farewell to the Minnesota RollerGirls as they complete their seventh season of roller derby dominance. While the modern derby revival began in the South, it quickly made its way up I-35 to the Twin Cities in 2004. Some of those founding members still play, and in fact make up the backbone of three of our four home teams today.
To complete this season - before the current MNRG All-Stars take on Naptown’s Tornado Sirens - the Minnesota RollerGirls will bring you the final mixer of the year. On one side, the Princes…those who started playing roller derby during the MNRG’s first four years. On the other, the Har-Mar Megastars will take to the track. The Har-Mars will consist of the last three ‘classes’ of derby players (‘08, ‘09, and 2010). It’s going to be a hell of a fight.
The Princes:
Rumblebee (captain)
Scootaloo (captain)
Barbie Brawl
Norah Torious
Trixie Whipsum
Lizzy the Axe
Lydia Punch
Glam Slam
Flora Flipabitch
Suzie Smashbox
Lola Blackenblue
MushugEnough
Sparkle Ninja
Ann E. Briated
Betty LaRude
Wonderbroad
Olga Ogilthorpe
Pain Gretzky
If you’ve been a fan of the RollerGirls for any length of time, you know the names of the Princes. This team is heavy in blocker talent. Several of this year’s amazing Dagger Doll defenders are on this team, as is pivot and jammer-killer Pain Gretzky (2nd season) and the Gardas’ yellow-and-black attack herself, Rumblebee (1st season).
The scoring threats? Well, Lizzy the Axe has been tearing up the past two mixer bouts. As a first-year member of the MNRG, she’ll be relied upon to put up the big points on power jams for the Princes…but so will Suzie Smashbox. This is Suzie’s fifth year. Lizzy and Suzie will likely be joined at the jammer line by co-captain Scootaloo. Also in her fifth year, Scootaloo has been having a fantastic season as both jammer and blocker. Those three - all of whom can avoid the jammer penalties that generally cost the win for a team in a mixer bout - will likely form the base of the Princes’ offense.
The Har-Mar Megastars:
Rita Rawkus (captain)
Anita Spankston (captain)
Shiver Me Kimbers
Skullateral Damage
GoGo Galore
Ice Pack
Shiva Shank’n
Stacy Wrect
Cookies n’ Scream
KoncealN’ Kari
BOOMbay Safire
Ova Achieva
Madame de Stompadour
Bully Jean
Smoka Hontas
Wolfe Bite
Moto Fluzzi
Hurtrude Stein
Sintripetal Force
Freeze Baby
Kit Shinkicker
This team consists of our up-and-comers. This set of players will take the MNRG into its second decade. They’ve fewer injuries, a bit more speed - but also fewer laps around the track and a larger team overall. In mixers, big teams can cause problems if not properly managed. Luckily, Rita Rawkus (5th season) - assistant bench manager for the MNRG All-Stars - will be co-captaining this one.
The jammer field is so large for the Megastars, it’s difficult to decide who to rely heavily upon. Do you go with Ova Achieva, who’s been having a fantastic sophomore year with the MNRG? What about Freeze Baby and Hurtrude Stein, the rookie Bombshell jammer sensations? Shiva Shank’n is back after a short hiatus and is ready to show off her hard-hitting jammer elegance. Add Sintripetal Force and Kit Shinkicker’s excellent performances in the last two mixers…and you’re left with several hard decisions.
On the blocking side: you can’t look over Shiver Me Kimbers, co-captain Anita Spankston, and Skullateral Damage. Kim’s a third year veteran and had an amazing run this year, holding opposing teams to less points than any other women in the season’s first three games. Both Spanky and Skully - also 5th season recruits - train with the All-Stars and are hard to miss in the pack. The Princes will also have to watch out for the Rockits’ 6th-season blocking staff. KoncealN’ Kari, Cookies n Scream, and Icepack have each been fiercely defending the pack during the past two mixer bouts.
Analysis:
This bout may end up being a question of management. The Princes will need to keep a lid on its penalties - particularly from the jammer line. They’ve got the players that will be able to dump 15-20 points on the Megastars’ heads on the occasional power jam…as well as blockers that can bring the pack to a standstill to let those jammers lap multiple times. However, if they end up in the box themselves…well, that’ll be another minute that the Princes can’t score.
As to the Megastars, it’s going to be difficult to keep track of twenty-one players, all of which have talents they’ll bring to the track if given a chance. However, so many players from different teams will make it a challenge for each set of Megastar players (in derby, that set of five is called a ‘line’) to set up patterns and plays.
Still reading?
Get there early if you can; the t-shirts are based off of the fantastic 1-bit art made by Wet Spot for April’s bout, and they’ll go fast. Halftime will be The Bratwurst Brothers - our beloved house band - dropping polka bombs for twenty minutes straight. The MNRG’s recreational league will be providing the preshow entertainment; they’ll be whomping each other off the track in a game of Queen of the Rink…but with a special twist that you’ll sort of have to see to believe. Meat raffle, anyone?
Reporting from the greatest derby city in the U. S. of A.,
-Garrison Killer
More News
The 2012 Wheelies
May 08, 2012
A season of surprises, kickass rookies, skaters going above and beyond…and the results are in!
Minnesota shotguns Brewskis, 173-104
April 11, 2012
The All-Stars go 10-0 on the Roy track, defeating Milwaukee’s best and finishing the MNRG’s 8th season on top.
New school defeats old in league-wide battle, 116-80
April 10, 2012
The Minnesota RollerGirls took to the track in a familiar bout on March 31st as the league’s veterans (playing as the “Mayo Clinicians”) attempted to go 2-0 against those newest to roller derby (the “State Fair Foodies”). After falling behind in the first half, the Foodies outscored the veterans 85 to 12 in the second to win the match 116-80.
The Northern Fights final scores
March 31, 2012
The younger skaters take one back on the Vets…and Minnesota makes it ten in a row on the Roy track.
The Northern Fights: the preview
March 29, 2012
The end of the season, the final mixer, and a match against the brilliant Brewcity Bruisers.
