Featured skater for August - Thumpurr!

For the final Featured Skater this season, I went with Seattle Derby Brats' Thumpurr.  Thumpurr has worked hard over the mere 2 seasons she has had with the brats.  She made it onto the travel team (Galaxy Girls) almost immediately and has been a fantastic addition to the blocking corps.  This season, we say farewell as she has turned 18 and will be moving on to adult derby. She is the first graduate from SDB who will be heading to an adult league in the Seattle area!

I hear she is looking to transfer to Jet City through their generous transfer allowance for graduating juniors... but then I hear she might be waiting to see which way Rat City leans in their rumored discussions!

Either way, Thumpurr, congratulations!  I am sure you will be a great benefit to whichever team/league you land on!

Also?  Note that she started skating with Nova High School's roller derby squad.  They may only scrimmage against themselves, but this season I happen to know that a few more will be trying out for SDB.  It's great to see a school recognizing the benefits of roller derby!


I caught up with Thumpurr to ask her a few question a month or so back.

Name: Thumpurr

At what age did you start skating?
I started skating when I was 17 at Nova High School, we had a class called the Super Nova Skate Squad. In secret we were training to become the Roller Derby Ladies we dreamed about like the local Rat City Rollergirls.

When did you first find roller derby?
A few skaters from Seattle Derby Brats donated their time to teach us skating skills, techniques, the game and hitting drills in our tiny little gymnasium of Nova. Between my skating class and seeing the Rat City Rollergirls skated like I became so obsessed it was all I talked about for months on end and still even to this day. Within the first few months I got my own pair of skates, started going to open skates at every Roller Rink I could find within a 10 mile radius.

What was the best thing about skating with your league?
Skating with Seattle Derby Brats gave me a new community that shared my same obsession, which was a relief since I had such a fiery passion that it was all I could think about everyday. It was wonderful to be able to share every little weird thing from the latest skating move I had learned to a new pair of socks with everyone. Between having so much love and community within our league, our incredible coaches is what really pushed me to appreciate our league. Krista Betty Ford Galaxy, my travel team coach, has been such a wonderful support and has taught me so much that I don't think I would have had the opportunities to be the skater that I am today without giving credit to her coaching.

Is there a skater or team you see as an inspiration to you in roller derby?
I don't think I could ever choose one skater or team to ever say just they had inspired me, every skater that goes out there and attempts to do what we do is inspiring and they all have their own drives for playing the sport. So really everyone I see inspires me to become a better skater and to share this sport with the world.

Which is your favorite team to play against and why?
My Favorite team to play against would have to be the Portland Rosebuds. Have you ever seen their sternum chucks? They put up a great fight against us and are a great group of ladies to chat with as well. So silly and wonderful.

You are the first SDB skater who will be going to a local adult league. How do you feel Jr Derby has helped prepare you for the "big leagues?"I think that as the first SDB to transfer into an adult league, Jr. Derby has helped in so many ways. Beyond just learning basic skating skills, our progressive league talks about and practices what makes the sport really sparkle: the strategy. With all kinds of learning style coaches it gave me a well-rounded understanding and practice of derby that I can take with me to an adult league.

What advice would you give skaters just starting out in Jr Derby?Don't forget how wonderful, inspiring and empowering you are to others and most importantly yourself. This sport is about what satisfaction and happiness it gives you, so no matter what might get in your way whether it's everyday life things, an injury or personal frustration. Just remember the first day you put on a pair of skates and suddenly everything clicked for you and you knew that you had to pursue the sport from that day on.

What a season it was!

A few weekends ago, 4 teams met in the final tournament of the 2011 NW Junior Derby season.  It was a very fun day with the initial round as full 1 hour games, and then the final round had 30 minute games to decide the final placing of the teams. 

Yes, I know this update is really, really late.  Life is.

Game 1 – Galaxy Girls v Reservoir Dolls

The first game saw the SDB Galaxy Girls vs. the ECJG Reservoir Dolls.  It was a crazy back and forth bout that came down to the final jam as these two teams battled it out.  The reservoir Dolls looked in fine for as they got out to a 5 point lead in the first, but credit has to be given to Flyin’ Hawaiian and Evil O of the Galaxy Girls as they held a power jam to a very low score and forced a back blocking penalty on Roma Mafia which sprang Poison Izzie back out of the box thereby limiting the damage the amazing Roma Mafia could do.

SDB handed the star to Random Max of Violence with Roma still in the box, but the Reservoir Dolls knew this dance.  They held firm in the pack and raced ahead, forcing Max to catch up.  She seemed a little shaken up at the end of the jam when she called it just as Roma was released and only had 5 points up on the board, tying the score at 9.

The third jam saw Neal Cassady and Mal Intent on the jammer line.  When the whistle blew, they were both off to the races.  Mal blasted through for lead jammer, but was promptly sent off for an out of bounds block which allowed Neal to rattle off a 14 point run.

The rest of the game was very similar.  Extremely tough defense was played by both teams holding most jams to single digits with the occasional beak-out jam.  Lilly Lightning had an amazing 30 point jam halfway through the second half which gave the Galaxy Girls their only lead in the game, but it was answered immediately in the next jam by Roma Mafia’s 25 points.  While SDB struggled back to seemingly tie in the final seconds of the final jam, 134-134 there was a scoring correction to what was on the board.  When it was all totaled out, the Reservoir Dolls stood triumphant 140-134.

Game 2 – I5 Rollergirls v Rosebuds

Game two of the day saw the I5 Rollergirls facing a team who had already beaten them twice this past season, the Rose City Rosebuds.  In the first 5 jams of the game, it looked like the Rosebuds were going to do it again.  They held I5 to 0’s and single digits while putting up some big numbers of their own, including a 20 point jam by Sumthang Sassy which had Portland in the lead 51-21.  But, as we know, I-5 cannot ever be counted out and Lex Celerator is a force to be reckoned with.
In the 7^th jam, she blasted through the pack for lead, and then took advantage of Bleeda Ford’s trip to the box to rattle off a 24 point jam behind the timely blocking of Hunt-Her Down, Rage-E-Anna, Audrey Headburn and Gory Locks. 

While I-5 played 4 and out derby over the next few jams to take the lead thanks to a grand slam single pass by Hunt-Her-Down, it was that 24 point explosion which seemed to break the backs of the Rosebuds.  They fought every point, but I-5 was just plain on today. They began to play the strong, strategic derby which made them so formidable last season and I-5 was not able to break through for lead often enough to throttle things back.  At the end of the game, I5 stood tall with a 170-144 victory over their 2011 nemesis.

Game 3 (3^rd - 4^th place final) – SDB Galaxy Girls v Rose City Rosebuds

As mentioned earlier, the final games of the day were only 30 minute affairs to decide the final placing for the trophies (some really cool trophies, hand made by Chris Hunter). 

The Galaxy Girls had lost their first one in the final jam and the Rosebuds were just off a stinging loss to I5.  Both teams had something to prove and the first minutes of this bout showed it.  At the end of the third jam the score was 2-3 in favor of SDB.

The jamming corps of Lilly Lightning, Random Max of Violence and Poison Izzie then poured on the heat getting out to a 32-15 lead before the Rosebuds managed to find the brakes and slow things down.  They held SDB scoreless over three jams while putting up 24 points of their own (8 points each for Foxy Shazam, Scream Cheese and Kathleen Hannibal) to take the lead 39-32.
They didn’t hold it long, though.  After a few hard fought jams which showed little movement on the scoreboard, Lilly Lightning blasted through once again for a 21 point jam which had the Galaxy Girls back on top 58-43. 

Two jams later, Foxy Shazam brought the Rosebuds back to within striking distance with a 13 point run of her own and Scream Cheese snagged the lead back in the next jam 61-60.  Bleeda Ford and Lilly Lightning traded fours to set up a 65-64 final jam.  Lilly Lightning kept the jammer lid on her head and answered the call, scoring 9 points to Portland’s 5 and securing a third place finish for the Galaxy Girls!

Game 4 (Championship bout) – I5 Rollergirls v ECJG Reservoir Dolls

The final game of the day featured some incredibly physical play.  The Reservoir Dolls saw the lead in the first two jams while holding I-5 scoreless, but Lex Celerator broke through the tough walls and speeding pack of the Dolls to post up 8 to take the lead.  She would combine with hunt-Her-Down and Liv Vicious for a 16-3 tear which gave I-5 the lead for good.

This game was all about the pack work.  I-5 was able to get through to score more often, but both of these teams should be proud of their blockers.  Rattle Skate was, as usual, a phenomenal force.  She slapped the pivot stripe on her lid 10 times and led her team to some amazing play.  Hunt-Her-Down and her packs answered right back, holding the Dolls’ jammers nearly scoreless while I-5 built the lead to 48-11.

Spunkee Bruizer had had enough.  A 20 point jam later, her team was right back in the game, only trailing by 16 points.  Unfortunately, the next three jams were all I-5 with a 16-0 run.  Killa Kandy made an amazing effort for a 14-0 power jam in the final minute, but in the end it was I5 taking the victory lap with a 68-52 final.

These 4 teams were amazing to watch during the tourney, and I greatly enjoyed watching all 5 teams who competed in this first “season”.  I want to thank all of the teams who I travelled to see, all of the NSO’s who patiently allowed me to peruse their sheets and for all of the photographers who graciously allowed me to use their images in this blog.  It was a great run, and I am very much looking forward to next year!

I also want to thank everyone who gave me an opportunity to announce.  I really do enjoy it, and I tend to think I am getting MUCH better than I was when I started a little over a year ago... at least I seem to be getting a lot more people actually complimenting me on it ;)

Through the off season, I will be writing some articles and I will have a break from the featured skater after I post up the one for August.  Biggest thing coming?  I have been asking for some feedback from folks about “who would you pick for an all-star team.”  Basically: take 3 girls from each of the 5 teams, then one other from any of the teams to form a 16 skater roster.  It’s an interesting experiment as I get the feedback from various individuals. 

Interested in sending your feedback in?  You can send it to me through the email in my profile here!

NW Junior Derby Finals - Preview

Well, this is it!  We started off the season with six leagues and a vision of seeing competition between all of the leagues in the Northwestern region playing against each other.  Along the way, that vision was altered a bit.  Spokane had to drop out, so not everyone was available to play.  This meant that the competition was down to 5 teams, making this weekend’s tournament to decide the NW Junior Derby championships a little off.  It was looking possible that there might be a B team from Portland to fill the empty spot, but the Kitsap Derby Brats decided to pull out due to budget and travel issues so the b team idea wasn't needed...

So!  Change is a constant, and the final tourney on Saturday, August 6^th at the Willmalane Center for Sports and Recreation in Springfield, Oregon sees four teams coming together to battle it out for supremacy.  One with one loss and 3 with 2 losses, everyone looks to be pretty even in skill.  Thus, they drew the order of play out of a hat! 

SDB’s Galaxy Girls will play the Eugene Jr Gems’  Reservoir Dolls in the opener, then the I5 Rollergirls will do battle with the Portland Rosebuds.  The final two games will be a grudge match for third and fourth and the championship game between the winners of the first two games!

Portland Rosebuds  - This team has dominated their competition this season.  Starting out against the Kitsap Derby Brats and ending with a second game against I-5, they stood tall with only one loss against Eugene in a 120-119 squeaker that went down to the last jam.  They saw the departure of Braidy Punch to the adult leagues, but Scream Cheese and Cheese Grater of Despair are still around, and they have new blood like Sumthang Sassy who will look to make sure that this is a team to look out for in the coming years.  They are a definite favorite going into this weekend!

Reservoir Dolls – They started off the season strong, shocking I5 and Portland, but seemed to falter a bit in the stretch after their team changed things up with their spring tryouts.  They dropped  a tough bout against a revitalized Kitsap Derby Brats team at the Father’s Day double header and a hard fought bout against the Galaxy Girls in Seattle last month.  They are the home team, though, and it looks as though their team should definitely be in fine form as they defend their turf. Roma Mafia, Spunkee Bruiser and RattleSkate are defintely going to bring it!

I5 Rollergirls – Fresh off their victory against Fort Wayne last weekend, the I-5 Rollergirls look to be in fine form coming into this weekend’s contests.  They are taking on Portland in their first bout this weekend, though, and they have yet to find a combo that worked against that team.  You know they have to be hungry after losing twice to the Rosebuds!

Galaxy Girls - Last weekend’s victory saw the closest to healthy this team has been all season.  This weekend brings almost the entire team back to the track.  With the additions of Beatin!!BamB and Salami Stompson moving up from the SDB league teams to fill empty spots, they are looking pretty strong.  Lilly Lightning, Radom Max of Violence, Rockin' Red and all the rest are ready for whatever tomorrow brings!

Here’s the schedule for the day –

12:30 doors open
1:00 Rules Demo and Anthem
1:15-2:45 Game 1 Galaxy Girls vs. Reservoir Dolls
3:00-4:30 Game 2 Rosebuds vs. I-5 Roller Girls
4:30-4:45 Speed Dealer show
4:45 or 5:00 Game 3 Losers of 1&2 (30 minutes)
5:15 or 5:30 Game 4 Winners of 1& 2 (30 Minutes)

KO and I will be announcing the I5 v Portland game, and hopefully one of the final two as well.  I will also have pen and paper in hand to take notes on the other games and will have the recaps up as soon as possible next week!

I5 Rollergirls win squeaker over Fort Wayne

Death by Beth and Gory Locks combine to stop a Fort Wayne jammer
Photo by Whamsday Adams

If Fort Wayne had any questions about how the Northwest game of roller derby was played before they played the Galaxy Girls, they were definitely gone when they faced the I5 Rollergirls on Saturday evening at the Southgate Roller Rink. Hard hits and physical play were the order of the day and both teams were more than happy to deliver!

The bout had more lead changes than I have fingers (by one) and one of the most amazing finishes I have seen this year.

I5 started it off in their usual way with Lex Celerator showing her speed skating greatness and picking up a 9-0 decision, but Fort Wayne was not deterred. Malibruise Barbie, Mac Attack and Cleo Paintra all slapped some points on the scoreboard on their way to the first lead change, but it was Cleo's 14 point jam while Audrey Headburn was sitting in the penalty box along with some very impressive blocking by Liv-R-Die and Buttercup which brought them to a 24-21 advantage in the 9th Jam.

That seemed to light a fire under the I5 blockers and the physical game stepped up a notch. Over the next five jams I-5 outscored the Fort Wayne lineups 13-0, but only to the tune of a few points per jam as both teams began to slog it out in the pack and the penalties began to mount. Fort Wayne clawed back once more to take the lead (48-47) powered by some awesome blocking by Bad Kitty and Liv-R-Die as they opened lanes on I5, but at the half it was I-5 on top by a mere two points! This was a definite omen of things to come!

The second half saw I-5 employing the 4 and out strategy which is a hallmark of strategic roller derby. Get your jammer through for lead, grab your four points and call it before the other jammer can get back into the pack. This worked very well and they managed to get a 22 point lead (the largest of the game) before Hunt-Her-Down gave up a 17 point power jam to Mak-Attack which launched Fort Wayne right back into the game! They continued riding that momentum all the way the lead at 102-108, but I-5 took it right back with a 9 point blast by Lex Celerator.

Liv Vicious tried to extend the lead, but the Fort Wayne blockers were having none of it! The entire pack seemed to swarm Liv wherever she tried to get through. Bad Kitty, Buttercup, Cleo Paintra and Trademark were a site to behold as they stopped Liv cold and allowed Mak Attack to post up 13 points and take the lead yet again!

The next two jams were a see-saw affair and both teams gained the lead over the other before the final two jams were in the offing. And these? These were two of the most exciting roller derby I have seen!

Lex Celerator and Traqdemark started off the jam with I5 ahead 116-115with 2:00:02 left on the clock Lex fought through for lead jammer and slapped up four points before being called off for cutting the track a little over a minute into the jam! Trademark had already answered back for four of her own so all she had to do was score two more points and run out the clock. She got her two and sped around to try to get four more as the jam clock wound down. Reed d Rules whistled the jam finished with 2 seconds left and I5 coach Nasty Nicky ran onto the track with her hands in a T screaming for her time out to stop the clock! Two seconds left, Lex Celerator standing in the box and the Fort Wayne phenom Mac Attack standing on the jammer line with a 121-120 lead waiting for the time out to finish... but that was not how it would turn out!

During the time out, the refs conferred and determined that Trademark had run into the back of an I5 blocker for a major penalty! She would be sent to the box and there would be no jammer to start the jam! With Lex already standing which meant that Trademark would have about a minute to serve while her team tried to stop on of the best jammers the Northwest has to offer while holding only a one point lead!

Lex clawed her way through the pack as the Fort Wayne Blockers tried desperately to stop her and gained lead jammer, then fought through again for the grand slam before slapping her hands to her hips to end the game! I-5 had the lead and the victory by a mere 4 point margin 125-121!

What a finish! An extremely strong reminder, as Elwood said in his article, that if you are not watching junior derby, you are definitely missing out!

Three stars for Fort Wayne -

Buttercup - This girl was a force to be reckoned with during this bout! I saw her lay down several big hits which cleared the line for her jammer, sending the I5 blockers scattering over line while she skated on looking for her next target. She also slapped the star and stripe on her lid pulling triple duty. She definitely caught my attention as one to watch!

Liv R Die - Just like the previous night, this young lady was amazing! She didn't just open lanes, she was a highway wrecking crew sending multiple I5 blockers to the floor at least 3 times that I was able to count!

Mac Attack - What a jammer! She scored nearly half of her team's points, got lead jammer 50% of the jams she was in (most of which were against Lex Celerator) and had a +/- of 28 (meaning she scored 28 more points than her opponents on the jammer line). She definitely wins the stats line and a star for her jamming prowess!

Three stars for I5 Rollergirls -

Hunt-Her Down - Not only was she on the track more than anyone but Lex Celerator, she proved to be one of the strongest forces in the I5 pack, and even took several turns as Jammer putting up nine points. As I mentioned in her featured skater post, this woman is very much one to watch out for. Her 3.64 average blocker +/- (her team scored an average of 3.64 points per jam more than the opponents when she was blocking) and her over all avg +/- of 1.84 (tops for her team) give her this star!

Lex Celerator - 72 points, 79% lead jammer and amazing play in the pack when she wasn't pooring on the speed. Lex Celerator proved once again why she is considered one of the best. This skater is a superstar!

Death by Beth - Last year this skater was with SDB and I had the opportunity to see her play on numerous occasions. This past year I have watched her grow in skill by leaps and bounds! This past bout I saw her stopping jammers and playing defense like I had not seen before. She is definitely going to be one to watch out for next season!

This was one of the best bouts I have had the pleasure to watch and announce.  Those last 3 minutes were so intense!  I think I yelled myself hoarse over the microphone!  A huge thank you to Reed D Rules for getting me the stat sheets!  They really make things easier when I haven't had the chance to write things down due to my announcerly duties!

Fort Wayne finds what they were looking for

This past weekend, the Fort Wayne Derby Brats travelled across the country. Before coming, they did an Interview for a podcast with NIPR with WBOI's Sean Beuter. In it, they talked about their desire to test themselves. They had not had one defeat in their history, and they were beginning to wonder if there was stiffer competition elsewhere in the country. In the Great Northwest, they found it.

Friday evening they met the Seattle Derby Brats in a fierce battle. These two teams had never seen each other before, of course, and I don't think either team really knew what to expect. The Galaxy Girls were used to the play style of the northwest teams and Fort Wayne was not ready to play that way.

Tough, physical play seemed the order of the day for Fort Wayne, and it seemed to catch the Galaxy Girls a bit by surprise in the first 7 jams as Fort Wayne jumped out to a 27-17 lead using five different jammers over Mal Intent, Rockin’ Red and Random Max of Violence before Galaxy Girl freshman, Beatin!!BamB, entered the game and took advantage of a power jam to rattle off 12 points and give SDB the lead.

Three jams later, Aussie Bossie brought home 10 points of her own and gave Fort Wayne the lead again, But Max had found her Random groove and blasted through the pack 3 times for 15 points and snagged the lead back for the Seattle Brats.  Fort Wayne fought hard to get it back, but the end of the first half saw them down 62-57.

The first 9 jams of the second half were almost all Galaxy Girls.  While the Fort Wayne jammers were extremely proficient at getting lead jammer (4 of those 9 jams), they also found themselves on the receiving end of some major penalties on their jammers allowing SDB to expand their lead to 45 points before they began to claw their way back in. 

Liv-r-Die and Bad Kitty were fiercely holding strong in the pack and were NOT going to let their team be blown out.  The Fort Wayne Pack slowed down the pace and began to punish the Galaxy Girls with big hits and some impressive positional play.  This really seemed to break the Galaxy Girls’ stride as Random Max, Flyin’ Hawaiian and Rockin’ Red were all held to single digit jams while Mak Attack found open lanes and lapped the SDB jammer twice for 13 points in the 16^th to bring the lead back down to 23, a not impossible task in the final jam of the game.  Mak Attack and Evil O lined up for the final jam, but Mak was called out for cutting in the, allowing Evil O to close the door on Fort Wayne’s come back, and close out the game with a grand slam for a 137-109 Galaxy Girl victory

3 Stars for Fort Wayne!

Aussie Bossie - This skater was awesome on the jammer line, skating for 43 point and getting lead jammer in 89% of the jams she was in!  She also contributed heavily in the pack with defensive play. 

Bad Kitty – What more can I say?  Blocker extraordinaire!  She punished the Galaxy Girl Jammers on just about every pass and made them earn every point when she was on the track

Liv-R-Die – Along with Bad Kitty, she kept her team in this one, leading all blockers with hits and stopped SDB jammers as well as opening up huge lanes for her own.  Do NOT get in her way!

3 Stars for the Galaxy Girls!

Random Max of Violence – I have said it before, and I am 100% certain I will be saying again, this skater is amazing to watch.  Max was up to her usual standards and the Fort Wayne girls had trouble hitting a jammer who was there one second, and had her body in some weird position avoiding their hits the next.

Rosie D KreamHer – Her huge hits and strong pack play contributed heavily in this victory, but more astoundingly, she spent zero minutes in penalty box while doing it!

Thumpurr – Partnered with Rosie D Kreamher and playing in what is likely to be her last junior bout before going to Jet City (She was injured in the bout and her status for next weekend is unknown at this time), she had a +/- of 9 points and, just like Rosie, did it without hitting the penalty box once.

I should have the stat sheets for the I-5 game very soon and will be doing the writeup for that game as soon as I get them.  In the meant time, as Promised, you can find two great write-ups from Elwood Bruise on this weekend's action with Fort Wayne at the Examiner!

Galaxy Girls v Fort Wayne
I5 v Fort Wayne

I want to personally thank Fort Wayne for coming out.  It was great to see such exciting play from elsewhere in the country, and it fills me with hope and expectation for the the future!  Nationals, anyone?