And it's official...

ROSEBUDS!



Rose City Rosebuds with 1st place trophy.  Photo by Bradley Bartlett

That's right, the Rose City Rosebuds completed their season with an undefeated run in the championship tourney, winning three EXTREMELY close bouts.  Add to that their wins in every bout they played this season, and you have an absolutely astounding undefeated team.

But as someone said this weekend, a lot of the bouts amounted to who was ahead when the time ran out.  Yes, these bouts were that close, these teams that closely matched.  While there was only one switch in the championship results from the season standings, it could have very easily been completely switched up.

Bout one saw the Galaxy Girls vs the Reservoir Dolls, and the tourney was off with a bang.  Galaxy took a tough fought bout in this one. 

In bout two, Kitsap took to the track against the I5 Rollergirls.  While I5 took the victory, Kitsap was clearly in control for a good portion of the bout, keeping the I5 speed team in check with some extremely tight pack work and some seriously well timed jamming.

Game 3?  The Galaxy Girls, winners of bout one, faced off with the Rosebuds.  This one, quite literally, came down to the last jam.  With the Galaxy Girls up by just a few points and a scrum holding back the jammers, Jesus Feist took a star pass and managed to score four points, taking the lead (a feat they would repeat later on down 13 in the last jam against I5 in game 5).

See what I mean?  Every team brought everything they had and left it on the track.  Both I5 and the Galaxy Girls played four bouts through the weekend as they would their way to 2nd (I5) and 3rd (Galaxy Girls) place finishes, while the Buds and Dolls played 3 of their own in the stifling Sk8 Town heat. 

I saw girls fighting through pain and fatigue to keep the jams going, girls who were clearly at the end of their reserves dig deep and find something else to keep on skating.  There were apex jumps, muscling through scrums, extreme agility as they shrugged off hits or barely kept their feet inbounds to force a track cutting penalty on a passing jammer, and a Pegassist (Jesus Feist lifting Anaphylactic Shock past the scrum with I-5 to snag lead jammer).  I saw refs, NSO's and volunteers giving everything THEY had to keep each other going, and trying to keep up with these phenomenal girls. 

In short, while the Rosebuds went home with the 1st place trophy, the real winner was roller derby.  If anyone had any doubt about junior derby going into this weekend, they should not have a shadow of a doubt going out.  This was, far and away, the best derby I have seen this past year.  These girls amaze me, these people amaze me, and I am so very proud to have been a part of this event.  Thank you, girls.  Seriously.

2012 has been great, and 2013 cannot come soon enough!

And now, three cheers for each team!  Each of them is chosen for their excellence during this tournament.  While these are the three from each team who stood out in my kind and in the stats I tracked while I was not annoucning, there are so many more I could call out for each team!

5th place - Kitsap Derby Brats
Quarter Poundher
Red Rager
Little Mean Sunshine

4th place - Reservoir Dolls
Spunkee Bruizer
Rattle Skate
Tiny Badness

3rd Place - Galaxy Girls
Enurgizer Bunny
Flyin' Hawaiian
Beatin' Bam!!B

2nd Place -  I5 Roller Girls
Hunt-her Down
Smash Ketchum
Dee Stroir

1st place - Portland Rosebuds
Cheese Grater of Despair
Scream Cheese
Anaphylactic Shock

NOTE!!
Yes, this is not truly a recap of the blow by blow action.  As Elwood Bruise (who kept stats every game) compeltes his recaps, I will be putting links to those recaps.  Thanks for readin, and head on over to Elwood's page for more!

Game 1 - SDB v Reservoir Dolls
Game 2 - Kitsap v I5
Game 3 - Rosebuds v Galaxy Girls
Game 4 - Reservoir Dolls v Kitsap Derby Brats
Game 5 - Rosebuds v I5
Game 6 - Galaxy Girls v Reservoir Dolls
Game 7 - I5 v Galaxy Girls
Game 8 - Rosebuds v I5

There you go!  All 8 games from the tournament.

It's Championship time!

This is it!  It's that time of year again!  The 5 A level teams are washing their uniforms and getting those final gear adjustments done to be ready for THIS WEEKEND!  Since January, these teams have battled hard and displayed what many call some of the best derby in the world.  This weekend will NOT disappoint.

Saturday, July 7th and Sunday, July 8th at Sk8 Town in Port Orchard, The Portland Rosebuds, I5 Roller Girls, SDB Galaxy Girls, Kitsap Derby Brats and ECJG Reservoir Dolls will hit the flat track to battle it out for three very fine trophies created by local artist James Kelsey.

James Kelsey holding the third place trophy

Over the last month, the Reservoir dolls had a couple of well fought bouts against I5, the Rosebuds and Kitsap brats, bringing us to the final standings you see over at the right of your screen.

At the beginning of the season, the teams got together and agreed on a ranked season with those rankings deciding the seeding going into the final tournament.

I can now release to you, the bracket and day one schedule!

As of this writing, things will kick off at 11:30 with the Galaxy Girls up against the Reservoir Dolls, followed by I5 vs Kitsap with the Rosebuds having a bye in the first round.  The Buds will face the winner of bout one in bout three meaning each team is playing against a team at least two seeds below them in the standings.  The final game of Saturday will be the first elimination in the tournament with the losing teams from bouts one and two facing off, but the losing bracket teams also have a chance to battle back for first place!

I will be announcing half of the games (joining some of the best in the business), and will be ready with pen and pad in hand to write things out for the rest (joining Elwood Bruise, also one of the best in the business).

Do you want to know more?  Head on over the Elwoods Examiner page for his interviews with one of the greats from each team!

Who will you be cheering for?

Get your tickets now at Brown Paper Tickets!

Rosebuds roll to 4-0 over Galaxy Girls 190-92

All season long, the Rosebuds have displayed an impressive array of both offensive and defensive weapons, confounding their opponents with dazzling pack work, jammers both strong and speedy, and a seemingly unwavering focus on the track.  The Galaxy Girls have also been an incredible, physical presence able to strike quickly and take advantage of opportunities.  Saturday was no different.

It started off with the Galaxy Girls being blanked over a period of 5 jams.  Lilly Lightning, Dislykher and Flyin' Hawaiian could not seem to find the combination for the wall safe that was the Rosebuds' pack. With Lilly Lightning on the receiving end of some "love" from the referees, the Buds found themselves with multiple power jam opportunities and bolted to 31-5 within the first few minutes of the bout.

And that was not about to stop.  The Galaxy Girls found themselves either chasing the Buds' jammers and forcing early call offs, or being forced to call off their own.  Neither team seemed to be able to get much when both jammers were on the track. 0's, 3's and 2's dotted the score sheet, but when opportunities arose, the Rosebuds were able to capitalize in grand form, posting up multi-pass jams.  They just weren't seeming to give the Galaxy Girls those same opportunities.

Jam after jam, these two teams were battling in the pack, holding back jammers and each other, pulling out every stop (I even saw some interesting use of trickery, faking out a blocker who had been hit out of bounds by pretending to be the one who did the deed).  It was an amazing display of blocker prowess.  Galaxy was beginning to slowly claw back the points until about half way through the first half when the Girls gave up a 20 point power jam which put the Rosebuds up by 47 points.  The battle continued, but the Buds were on top 87-43 at the half.

The second half saw more of the same tough, physical play as the first.  The Galaxy Girls were fighting hard and matching the Rosebuds point for point.  In fact, until the last few minutes of the game if you took into account only the second half, Portland only had a 1 point advantage (44 - 45).  The last four jams saw the Galaxy Girl jammer in the box, allowing a 58 -8 point romp by the Rosebuds.  When the final whistle blew, the Buds took the first lap with the scoreboard reading 192 - 90.

Three cheers for Portland -

Sumthang Sassy- This skater was amazing on the jammer line.  With 2, 20+ point jams to her credit, she contributed in a very big way. 

Jesus Feist - While she did get a good power jam with 15 points of her own, Jesus was, as usual, a force in the pack.  With opening for her jammer and multiple assists, as well as big hits, Jesus gets the second cheer.

 Tempest Fuget - Always a force in the pack, Tempest was off particular note as a leader amongst blockers.  With multiple stops and big hits to her credit, she is my pick for the third cheer

Three cheers for Seattle -

Rosie D Kreamher - Two shoulders, no waiting.  One jam saw her sweep left and remove half the Buds' blocker corps, then sweep right and remove the other half.  Holy wow, this girl can hit!

Evil O - Also a force ion the pack with jammer stops and big hits of her own, Evil O deserves some serious recognition.  Her ingenuity should also be recognized.  the second cheer goes to Evil O!

Beatin' Bambi - In a game that did not see a lot of bright spots for the Galaxy jammers, Bambi seemed to have the Buds' number.  An 87% lead jammer rate (7 of 8) definitely earns her the final star for the Galaxy Girls.

NOTE!

The I-5 Roller Girls pulled out a tough bout against the Reservoir Dolls 163 - 141 to gain a solid hold of second place for the season. Congratulations, I-5!

It's almost July! SO MUCH DERBY!

Last weekend, there was an awesome bout between the Portland Rosebuds and the Reservoir Dolls. While I was not there, someone else was and wrote an awesome article about it.

That bout set up this weekend's A team bouts so very nicely!  With three teams (I5, SDB and the Rosebuds) completing their divisional play schedules this weekend, the picture in July is beginning to take shape!  remember that the tournament in July is seeded based on the rankings in the regular season with the first place team getting a bye in the first round.

First up is the Rose City Rosebuds v SDB Galaxy Girls.  The Buds are going into this weekend 3-0 in A team play (and undefeated in all play this season... 5-0?).  Galaxy has lost one game, against I-5, right at the beginning of their season putting them at 2-1.  Should they win against Rose City, both teams will be at 3-1.  But that's not all!

I-5 is travelling down to Eugene this weekend to play against the Reservoir Dolls themselves.  Also at 2-1, an I-5 win there along with an SDB win would give us a three way tie for first, meaning the tie-breakers agreed on at the beginning of the season would take effect.

But what if I5 and SDB lose?  Then we have a two way tie for second (with both teams at 2-2), with a potential three way tie when the Dolls finish off their season at the end of June against Kitsap.

So, in short, there are a lot of fun scenarios heading into July.  This weekend is going to be one to watch!  I will be at the SDB v Rose City game, through I wish I could clone myself and be in both places this weekend.  It's going to be exciting!

As if that weren't enough Junior derby for the weekend, Port Scandalous Roller Punks are taking on the Cherry Bomb Brawlers from Spokane in Port Orchard this weekend.  Right, I need 3 of me?  No, 4.  My own SJRD girls are participating in a 15 minute positional expo at the OWRD bout on Sunday.

Oh, and just because, here's an awesome video Jesus Feist made.

I5 B's win on the road against Lilac City Pixies 285-131

Photo by Bradley A Bartlett

Written by Shannon Green

The I5 Rollergirls traveled to Spokane to play against the Lilac City Pixies in their very first travel team bout of the season. The Pixies were very excited to represent east of the mountains and took their mission seriously. They faced a tough team but proved to be up for the challenge by leaving it all on the track.

Both on the track and off, each of these teams exuded good sportsmanship and positive attitudes.  Their strong communication and cohesiveness really stood out. 

I5’s persistent jammers and stand out blockers, such as Karmic Death, SyRum and Little Miss Chaos as well as big hitters Barbie Brutal and Helle Diablo proved a formidable foe.

Despite I5’s early lead the Lilac City Pixies did not give up, they fought hard throughout the entire bout bringing a strong defense and a great scoring run by Pulchritude Punk who gained lead jammer status and made a good comeback with multiple scoring passes on a single run.

Photo by Bradley A Bartlett

The Pixies held I5 to a 67-84 second half score. All in all, the Pixies put up a tenacious fight! They had a good mix of new and experienced skaters who communicated well in the pack. They put together some tough walls and delivered hard hits to the I5 jammers, throughout the entire bout making the I5 team step up to the challenge every time they stepped on the track.

In the end, the I5 B’s took the victory lap with a final score of 285-131

Three cheers for Lilac City

Tap Out-She played a strong first half and earned herself the MVP. She gained lead jammer status on several of her jams and battled her way through multiple walls.

Ferjinja-Also a strong jammer for Lilac City Pixies, she proved to be a strong fighter with endurance to withstand multiple jams for her team.

Feisty-This blocker was everywhere, great lateral movement and communication skills combined with the ability to make solid hits on the jammer on almost every run made her stand out as leader in the pack. She is a force to reckon with.

Three cheers for I5

Maky Splatterhead A solid jammer who made several multi-pass jams with remarkable endurance to not only jam a total of 8 jams but also score 85 points for her team 26 of which were in one scoring run.

Tiny Terror- She was able to gain lead jammer in every one of her jams and put up a solid 70 points for her team. She found her holes and even delivered some solid hits in the pack.

Re Pound Skull- A fantastic blocker with multiple big hits and holes made for her jammers. She has great pack awareness and timing along with solid hitting skills that her allowed her jammers to slide by on a friendly side.

Rosebuds move to 2-0 record, win 180-130 over KDB



Photo by Axle Adams

Sunday before last, I once again found myself on the ferry headed to Sk8 Town in Port Orchard.  This time, I was headed over to see two of my favorite squads battle it out: a revitalized Kitsap team and the Rose City Rosebuds in what promised to be a great game.  I was not disappointed.

The dancing started before the first whistle, and didn't stop.  That's right, this bout had 100% more dancing.  I ask you, who can possibly be disappointed by that?!

And there was roller derby!

Photo by Axle Adams

The Rosebuds came out quick, hitting for a quick 9 points before KDB found their footing... and find it they did, outscoring the Buds 19-3 over the next three jams on the back of a 15 point power jam effort by Punches and Cream.  They would maintain it for three more jams before the Buds put on a power jam clinic of their own and seized the lead back 34-30.

Not satisfied with a four point lead,  they widened thing up against Kitsap for a further 4 jams while the Kitsap jammer racked up three separate penalty minutes. At the end of the 14th jam they had completed a 7 jam, 53-5 run.  KDB managed to claim a few points back, but the penalty minutes had hurt them badly.  At the end of the half, the Buds stood tall, 80-50.

The second half started and it was quickly clear the Buds were firing on all cylinders as Jesus Feist snagged lead in the first jam over a stymied Punches and Cream and put up two grand slams the hard way, lapping the full pack.  Two jams later, her sister, Foxy Shazam, decided that her sister's feat looked pretty fun and put up one more 5 pointer, but  Red Rager had managed to break through the pack and forced her to call it after gaining only four on her second pass.

From here on out, it was a slugfest.  Once again, jammer penalties took their toll on the Kitsap team, allowing the Rosebuds to widen the lead to as much as 70 points.  Kitsap took advantage of some last minute penalties on behalf of the Buds, but they were unable to overcome the gap.  The final whistle gave the victory to the Portland Rosebuds, 180-130.

Three cheers for Portland -

Jesus Feist - She straight out lit up the stats at this game:  jamming, blocking, and dancing.  While I have lost my notebook containing the game's notes, I can recall that she led the entire game in blocker stats (openings and stops with a good smattering of assists).  And in her jamming stats and the grand slams opening the second half, and she has earned her cheer in spades.

Foxy Shazam - With an impressive 71% lead jammer rate and over 30 points to her credit, Foxy Shazam was a force to reckoned with when she had "the star upon hars."  For her jamming awesomeness, Foxy gets cheer number two for the Buds!

Little Bo Weep - 55 points, multiple non-penalty grand slams and getting through the pack to force the call off when you don't get lead?  That's a damned fine jammer in my book!  Little Bo Weep has proven herself wortthy of cheer number three!


Three cheers for Kitsap -

Gaines Slayer - Once again, I lost my notebook for this game, but 888 was a number I was writing next to quite a lot as I kept the blocker stats.  She's got hit after hit, and she doesn't seem to be likely to be played out of them any time soon.  It's a thrill to watch as she sets up and lets the blockers fly, all in the name of getting her jammer through for the score.

Punches N Cream - In a game that saw half of the Kitsap jammers held below ten points for the game, TKO managed to rack up 38 points in four jams, averaging 9.5 points per jam. That takes some serious effort.  Punches definitely wins cheer two for KDB!

Red Rager - While also garnering her share of the blocker stats, it is her 20 point power jam at the end of the game which brought her team back from a 70 point deficit which earns her this final star.  Can you say triple threat?  I knew you could!

Coming soon!  I5 B team played a couple of games recently against the Spokane Pixies and the Port Scandalous roller punks.  Stats have been retained and are being scoured.

Also of note!  The I5 v Reservoir Doll game April 28th has been cancelled, I await word on the rescheduled date.

Photo by Axle Adams

Featured Skater for April 2012 - Jesus Feist!



Jesus Feist gives a whip to Foxy, Photo by Axle Adams

Jesus Feist lit up the actions list last game, and every game I have seen her in so far this season.  Always a blocking powerhouse, her knowledge of derby has grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years.  At 15, she looks to be a feared force in the pack for the Rosebuds for quite some time to come!

At the Big O, I had the opportunity to announce with Mike Chex, who declared Jesus Feist to be one of the smartest derby players he has seen.  I must agree.  She has an uncanny ability to stop on a dime, predict where the jammer will be, and help her team get there as well. 

Photo by Axle Adams

Ms Feist kindly agreed to answer some questions, so without further ado, I give you Jesus Feist!

NWJRDBlog: At what age did you start skating?
JF - My first practice was on March 7th 2010. I was 13.

NWJRBlog: So what brought you to roller derby?
JF - My mother Darcie McIntosh, did merch for RCR home team the Break Neck Betties back when the league was in its 1st or 2ond season. She is also friends with former RCR skater Rita Riot. The first bout I ever saw was on June 23 2007. I remember really liking it, but I don't think I ever saw myself playing the sport. Derby wasn’t brought up much after my mom stopped working merch. Until a former classmate and new neighbor (Cheese Grater of Despair) brought up she skated for the Rose City Rosebuds! I knew then that I wanted to join along with my sister Sydney McIntosh (now known as Foxy Shazam). On the day of tryouts, I was really scared and even decided I wasn’t going to skate once we got out of the car. My sister and Grater found me skates to borrow that day and practically forced me on the track. Getting on the track that day despite my fear, was the smartest decision I have ever made.

NWJRDBlog: Before roller derby, did you have any experience playing any other sports? Or did you follow any other sports?
JF - Oh boy did I ever! About 3 or 4 years B.F. (Before Feist) I attempted to play Soccer, Basketball and Volley Ball. To say the least...none of them worked out. I think the main reason I didn’t stick with any of the other sports was the lack of community. We didn’t work as a family or even a team. It was mostly about egos. There was the star player and that was it. The Rosebuds have been my family since day one. They taught me no matter what stepping stone you are at in your roller derby carrier you are an important part of the team. I remember after my first day A-Shock came over to me and gave me a huge hug and told me how excited she was that there team was getting more new girls. That was when I knew I would be skating till I died.

NWJRDBlog: What are some of your favorite memories about skating with your team?
JF - A memory I will carry forever was getting the opportunity to travel with my team to Denver CO, to play the Rocky Mountain Roller Punks! It was such an honor to travel so far with the people I love so much, to play the sport we all live to play. Being able to meet and become friends with skaters our age from further away from our state was unreal. We created new sisters that weekend that we will have forever! Another would be after the I5 vs Rosebuds Bout at WWS 2012. Watching the last jam from the bench and seeing everyone in the building jump up in pure jubilation at the last seconds upon seeing we had won. That feeling right there is beyond anything I have ever experienced. That bout was one of the best bouts you could ever have the honor to skate in.

NWJRDBlog: Who are some of the skaters, junior or otherwise, you look up to?
JF - This one is going to be hard... I look up to so many skaters worldwide. But I have a special place in my heart for my lovely ladies on Rose City! I think the skaters I look up to the most would be my coaches! I am so thankful for every skater that dedicates time to help our Jr teams grow stronger and smarter on the track. Other skaters I look up to a lot would be Cadillac #V8 and Hurricane Skatrina #82 for their physical and just overall amazing blocking skills. As well as Scald Eagle #50 for her heart stopping footwork and agility on the track! I hope to one day have the pleasure of skating alongside these fabulous women!

NWJRDBlog: Which is your favorite team to play against and why?
JF - I don’t know that I have a favorite. I enjoy skating with and against everyone! Though I really like seeing how our team plays against I5 throughout the season. Its always a challenge, you never know what the end score will be when we face each other in battle. Also the girls on that team are just such sweethearts!

NWJRDBlog: I think many people have seen your movies on Youtube. Any plans for a new feature?
JF - Oh man are we really going to break into this youtube thing? Ha-ha :) Yes for those who haven’t seen Ms. Jesus at her finest, I like to dance, and I dance a lot! So much that I decided to leave the camera on one day and crank the radio. This resulted in something so ridiculous that I said “Why not embarrass yourself further and put these videos on Youtube!” As far as a new feature goes, I think more Con Bro Chill and 80’s music videos. That’s the stuff that really gets me dancing!

NWJRDBlog: When you're not doing derby, what do you do for fun?
JF - Well, like I said before, I really like to dance! Belly dancing, and hoop dancing have been something I have been trying to tackle for the past year now. Both are a lot of fun!

NWJRDBlog: What advice would you give skaters just starting out in Jr. Derby?
JF - To every new Jr skater or girls who are thinking of entering the beautiful world of the derbz, first things first, to all those who don’t think they can do it, DONT GIVE UP! This sport is full of so many talented skaters that got where they are now because of years of training! As much as you think Bonnie Thunders was born with a set of mini skates laced on her feet, you are wrong. It takes time, and remember, everyone learns at different paces! Once you reach your skating goals, SURPRISE there will be more to learn! The most important thing is (drum roll)...have fun! It might sound cliché, but really it’s so much easier to learn when you’re in a good mood, and what gets a bigger smile on your face that dancing? Really dancing makes everything better. Keep skating and keep dancing!

Photo by Axle Adams

~ Jesus Feist ;)