Seattle Brats victorious in b-team brawl, 137-59

Photo by Frank Blau

Last night at the Southgate Roller rink, there was history made, there was blood on the flat track, there was a huge crowd, and there was roller derby.  My, yes, there was roller derby! I-5 and the Seattle Derby Brats brought two teams each to captivate the crowd and show the world what the future of roller derby would look like.  I gotta say, they showed it pretty damned well.

First up was the B-teams in an abbreviated bout consisting of 20 minute halves.  Both of these teams consisted of players from the leagues' A teams who were not rostered for the later bout.  I-5 added in the top of their B-team and SDB brought in several of their home team players to round out their roster.  I have to say, personally it was a pleasure to see some of the home team players from SDB on the track, and to see the up and coming players from I-5.  It was clear from the outset that there is some serious talent on its way to the A team level.

Right out of the gate, Pooky Poundya and SDB went on a scoring tear.  Their jammers seemed to have a stealth field as they approached the back of the pack and their blockers had extremely solid three and four walls.  Blazin' Daze and Li'l Mame are going to be ones to watch as I counted multiple big hits, stopped jammers and opened holes for both of them.  SDB managed to outscore I-5 78-23 in the first half.

The second half found the I-5 B's on their heals, but fighting back hard.  This team never stopped.  While SDB smelled the victory, I-5 gave them some solid reminders that the game was only half over.

Their transitions from defense to offense in the pack were awesome, and they did a great job of causing chaos, allowing Maya Massacre to put up two double digit jams and Maky Splatterhead to round out the second half scoring in the final jam of the game.  While the final score found them down nearly 80 points, it was clear that the I-5 discipline was holding this team together.  As they get a little more sizer and experience, these girls are going to be awesome.

In the end, though, SDB stood triumphant, 137-59

Three cheers for SDB:

Since I had two scoring  helpers this time (Thanks Shannon and Heather!), I got the opportunity to track blocker stats.  Yes, I am "borrowing" the system of the great Elwood Bruise.  As he has said "have at it!" I am not feeling all too guilty.  basically, a blocker has three categories: jammer stops, open holes and big hits.  Jammer stops have to keep the jammer from getting through the pack in a significant way.  Big hits are, well, big hits, but they have to be clean and they have to be significant.  Open holes are awarded for creating an opening for your jammer to get through.  Remember, this is only based on what I can see.  If I missed a big hit for you, I am sorry!

Blazin' Daze - This girl was a blocking machine.  Four big hits, two open holes and two jammer stops to her credit made her the standout blocker not just of her team, but of the game.  Only complaint would be that she tends to throw high.  Get lower, Daze!

Lil' Mame - While she didn't have the big hits Daze did, this blocker was a positional goddess.  Clever positioning and good use of her shoulder gave her three stops of her own as well as two openings.  She definitely did her mama proud in the pack!

Pooky Poundya - Jammer, jammer jammer!  When I first saw her play a few years ago, I could see the potential.  Now?  That potential seems nearly realized.  She was a terror for the I-5 pack, putting up serious points in nearly every jam she was in.

Three cheers for I-5:

Lip Smack-her -  Three stops, three openings and a couple of big hits made Lip Smack-her a definite standout in the I-5 pack.  One of the A-team girls rostered on the B team for this bout, she definitely showed that she has what it takes to play both offense and defense against a strong SDB team.

Pit Bully -  This one was tough, because there were five I-5 blockers with some great stats, but Pit Bully  edged them out by a single stop, so she gets my second cheer!

Maya Massacre - While there was a lot of great potential on the I-5 jammer line, Maya Massacre taking 33 of the 36 I-5 points in the second half definitely earns her the third cheer for her team.  She seemed to borrow heavily from the SDB tactics and took full advantage of every opportunity.  Add to that, her blocker stats had her solidly upper echelons.  Watch this skater!


Blocker stats SDB 
Toni the Tiger  S-2
Retro Riot B-1, S-3
Blazin' Daze B-4, S-2, O-2
Azonic S-1
juVnile S-1
Lil' Mame S-3, O-2
Salami Stompson B-1, S-2

Blocker Stats I-5
Malice in Wonderland B-1, S-1
Miss B. Haver O-2, S-1
Lip Smack-Her B-1, S-3, O-3
Mag-I-Netic  O-1
Pit Bully B-1, S-2, O-1
Jess Trippin S-1, O-1
Maya Massacre B-1, S-2
Re Pound Skull B-1, S-1, O-1
Lil' Miss Chaos B-1, S-1, O-1
Izzy Xterminated S-3
Helle Diablo O-2
Maky Splatterhead S-1