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| KO challenging Red Rager at the The first NW"champs" tournament. Eugene, OR 2009 |
This past weekend I had a wonderful opportunity. I got to announce at the NW Jr Championships. The 6th one, actually. OK, that in and of itself wasn't so rare, I have announced at every single one of them. What *was* rare was that this year the team I started with won the champs for the first time after coming in second or third for all 6 championships.
Junior derby has changed much in the intervening years. The level of play at the upper echelons has skyrocketed to the point that those who choose to continue playing derby are stepping directly from their junior teams onto some of the elite Division 1 WFTDA or highly ranked USARS teams. But we all know this. That isn't so rare either, and it's not really that surprising that the level of play continues to improve. No, what was different this year was the defense, discipline and dedication.
In the past, a star jammer would dominate. In the age of one minute penalties, a power jam could mean a 30-40 point swing. Even with the 30 second penalties, 20-25 points in a power jam is not unheard of, but this year there seems to have been a focus by the top tier teams on some *serious* defense; strangling those power jams down to a single 5 point pass, maybe 2. In the final game, the highest scoring in a power jam was 14 points. That kind of defense changes the game.
Jam after jam would be one or two or maybe even a full four point pass before calling it off and holding the other team scoreless. Jammers had to not only have the speed of the past, but the power and agility to deal with soul crushing formations and heads up play. The jammers would have to rely on those defenses to have more than a single pass. The teams with the strongest defenses were able to rattle off 10-15 point jams while holding the opposing jammer in the pack or off the track. They would force their opponents to play at their own pace. That kind of defense wins championships.
But that kind of defense also requires some serious discipline. The teams I saw having the most success this weekend skated and worked like a well oiled machine. Even their cheers were done with discipline and their warm-ups? They plain looked scary. Through drill and practice they worked as one. On the track, they worked as one voice, each of them knowing their places and doing their jobs. They entered with a plan and they made that plan happen. That kind of discipline wins championships.
And that kind of discipline requires some serious dedication. The entire team has to buy into the program. They each have to dedicate themselves not only to being the best they can be, but being the best their team can be. The must practice hard to maintain that discipline and execute that defense. They must buy in fully to the team's program and philosophy, and dedicate themselves to their coaches, teammates and themselves. Only in doing so can they achieve the level of play required. That kind of dedication wins championships.
Defense, discipline and dedication. While each and every team who came to champs this year could have smashed those teams who showed up on a blistering hot July weekend in Springfield, OR at the Willamalane sports complex in 2009, the top three separated themselves just that much farther. They skated well together and they executed well. And the difference was very clearly in the D.
My profound and heartfelt congratulations to I5 (third place), Reservoir Dolls (2nd place) and the Galaxy Girls (1st place). I look very froward to seeing I5 and The Galaxy Girls take it to the rest of the nation at the JRDA champs at the Showare Center in Kent. July 10-12 and to all of the skaters on those teams and other making up Team USA West for the world cup. It's going to be an excellent time!
