Roll out the derby!

DERBY VODCAST: VOLUME 2!

You know it’s a derby match in Wisconsin when the stands are filled with fans despite the frigid temperatures – and when the half time show features the Beerleaders dancing a polka with audience members to the oom pah pah-powered sounds of “Roll out the Barrel.” Polka hits were provided by the tuba and accordions of The Squeezettes.

The Vital Source crew – from the comfort of the Bruisers’ new PRESS BOX – shot track footage and interviews for the vodcast (above! just hit play! -ed.) and sent live updates to Vital Source’s Twitter feed (keep up: twitter.com/VitalSourceMag). We were joined by the talented Geoffrey Saucer of the Derby News Network (derbynewsnetwork.com) who writes recaps on the Bruisers and Madison’s Mad Rollin Dolls.

MAIDENS MONKEY WRENCH THE NINJAS!
Maiden Milwaukee, 99 wins over Crazy 8’s, 60

It was a great night for the Maidens who won big over the Crazy 8’s in an upset victory. This was the first loss this season for the 8’s who were last season’s championship winners.

The Maidens showed a lot of energy and remarkable team work. Jammers Rejected Seoul (with 36 points), Romaniac (38 points), and Super Hera (25 points) tore up the track with incredible performances, zig zagging through the pack. Rejected Seoul and Super Hera both got alone time on the track early on in the game because the 8’s jammers had fouled out. This allowed the Maidens to quickly rack up the points, and just 5 jams into the game they had built a 38-6 lead. Super Hera commented on her team’s success.

“Saturday demonstrated the momentum of the Maidens when we work together. We won because we remembered the fundamentals and played as a team. The Maiden blockers really stepped up their game, paralyzing the 8’s defense and making it easy for the jammers to rack up the points. If we continue playing at this level, there is no doubt that you’ll see the Maidens in the championship,” Hera said.

The 8’s are still down to twelve players this season due to injury and other factors, and it looks like it might be beginning to wear them down. Blockers and pivots Servin Justice, Termiskater, Kat Scratch Fever, and Little Miss Tuffhit were all out on the track for 60-70% of the game. If you compare that to the other teams, only a couple of skaters were on the track past the 50% mark. Jammers Abba Zabba (15 points), Pabsty Cline (6 points), and team Captain Cookie Ciano (39 points, making her the highest scoring jammer for every bout this season), along with the rest of the short staffed team, couldn’t close the gap.

8’s blocker Andicent Proposal spoke about her team.

“The Maidens are an incredible team this season. They have a lot, and I mean A LOT of fierce ladies skating with them. We had an uphill battle during this bout with a number of our players out due to injuries. I think that we played hard and fought to the best of our abilities, but we were missing a certain element,” Proposal said, and added, “The 8’s don’t know defeat, so let’s just consider this a log on the fire. With this loss behind us, I feel as though it will fuel our fire and you will see a stronger, more determined team the rest of the season. Beware!”

Collecting 39 minor and 14 major penalties didn’t make life easier for the 8’s. The Maidens skated away winning 99-60.

COLD WAR CONTINUES!
Rushin Rollettes, 95 win over Shevil Knevils, 54

The Shevil Knevils suffered another loss, this time at the hands of the Rushin Rollettes, with the Rollettes winning 95-54.

One of the things that make the Rollettes such a tough team to beat is their extensive, rotating line up of jammers. Jackie O’Nihilate (18 points), High D. Voltage (20 points), Sevo Floor ‘Em (4 points), Fly Girl (11 points), Rhoda Ruin (12 points), Reina Pain (16 points), Hacksaw (14 points), and Poptart all had track time as jammers. Add to that a tough defense including Pound Anya, Hacksaw and many others, and you’re looking at a team that requires a lot of stamina to outskate.

The Knevils have many talented jammers, pivots, and blockers, which must make their 41 point loss to the Rollettes and their losing record this season frustrating. Hopefully a winning strategy will fall into place for them. Jammer Moby Nipps (with 8 points) seems confident about her team and next month’s match up against the 8’s.

“The Shevils are everyone’s favorite team because we put our heart and soul into everything we do. Just because we don’t always win doesn’t mean the Crazy 8’s shouldn’t be shaking in their skates when we play them in February,” Nipps warned.

As for the Rollettes, we will see if their gang of jammers can take the hot shot Maiden skaters at the next bout. The Rollettes, Maidens and Crazy 8’s now have tying records with two wins and one loss each. That means that the only sure thing is that all bets are off!

WHO IS SEA HAG?

One of Milwaukee’s great mysteries is the masked Sea Hag. For three seasons everyone has been wondering what lies beneath that hideous seaweed-hued façade. Who is Sea Hag? Vital Source’s paparazzi team is determined to find out! Stay tuned to future columns/vodcasts.

The next bout is February 21. The Crazy 8’s (2-1) will take on the Shevil Knevils (0-3) and the Rushin Rollettes (2-1) will go skate to skate with Maiden Milwaukee (2-1). Tune next time, follow us on Twitter, or visit the Bruisers online for more info!