Rock 'n' Roller Girls bring home first win of season in double header
Tallmadge, Ohio (7-10-2010) – The bout was titled “Skate Factory,” a spin on Akron’s own The Black Keys’ Rubber Factory. The action during the game suggested much of the same theme: The NEO Roller Derby clocked in with two shifts; B team Audio Assault taking on the Skee Town Skirts and losing 71 – 29; and A team Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls besting the Detroit team Motor City Disassembly Line 156 – 79. While the B team’s shift was slacking in its production numbers, the A team certainly pulled some strength from their team building seminars and effectively saved the company from ruin. Enough of the factory theme…? Yeah, probably. Let’s get to the recap.
The Audio Assault, NEO’s B team, is in its debut season. Not to sound like a cop out, but this is a learning year for NEO seeing as how they’ve introduced a B team and are working to bring it up to speed. That’s not to say that these girls are complete neophytes. The team has some seasoned players on the roster to help guide the newbies as well as some newbies that are skilled enough to play on the A team. So it’s safe to say that this team just needs some more time learning the ins and outs of the game as well as some strong team building strategies.
That said, they put up a commendable fight to the Skee Town Skirts hailing from Muskegon, Michigan. The Skee Town girls definitely played as a team and that might have been the deciding factor in the game.
The Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls took on a team from Detroit Roller Derby that’s assembled from a variety of their 4 home team skaters that are looking to keep gaming after their regular season is over. I don’t know that you can call this a B team or a C team or anything other than a hodgepodge travel team that’s not their league’s chartered team. Regardless of how they were assembled, the RnR’s took them apart. Detroit is known in the region as being an extremely well oiled derby machine and only the best of initiates makes it to a roster. They are a seasoned league that draws on some of the sport’s best players. It just so happens that NEO’s RnR’s brought their A game (literally) and played its best game of the season due in large part to its teamwork and manipulation of the rules to its advantage. That’s not to say that NEO got away with murder; they just used to their advantage certain elements of the WFTDA ruelset such as drawing a 20’ violation, forcing skaters to re-enter play behind the blocker that put them out of play etc.
Topping the list of point princesses was NEO’s Phantom Fox, a Jammer who knows how to find holes, please the crowd and smile throughout it all. Her 84 points in 13 jams led NEO’s way to victory giving her an average of 6.46 points per jam. Also gaining some tiara time was Twin Pistol. With her 37 points in 6 jams averaging 6.16 points per jam, as well as clocking in as Pivot and Blocker throughout the game, she’s well on her way to winning the Triple Threat award.
Taking home the coveted crown of the “Queen of the Penalty Box” is Chrissie B. Hynde. Her 3 trips to the box were slightly offset by her 4 Jammer Take Outs. But none the less, she’ll be receiving a fresh off the presses copy of the current WFTDA ruleset.
This weekend sees NEO Roller Derby hosting the Corndogs and Carnage exposition at the Summit County Fair. This second annual event brings in skaters from all over Ohio and some from outside its borders to mix and match teams and spread the word and interest of the sport of Flat Track Roller Derby.
Stay tuned for next month’s bout as well as some much delayed recaps of the 2010 season to bring you up to speed. Until then true believers....
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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