Canadian Power Rankings: June 1st, 2013 (Second Quarter)
| TEAM (League) | CHANGE | NOTES (Rollergirl.ca /WFTDA rank) |
1. New Skids on the Block (Montreal Roller Derby) |
– | Still the best until someone can knock them off, and while CN Power pushed them to the limit in Montreal, the Skids put in strong performances in losses to Bay Area and Philly, and managed a big win over Santa Cruz. They also climbed two spots in the latest WFTDA rankings. (1 / 15). |
2. Terminal City All Stars (Terminal City Roller Girls) |
– | Terminal City clings to second spot despite slipping down into WFTDA’s Division 2. Strong showings in losses to higher ranked Victorian and Sacred City allow them to hold their spot, despite the big loss to London and a so-so win over Silicon Valley. (3 / 43). |
3. CN Power (Toronto Roller Derby) |
– | CN Power is starting to play with a lot more consistency, but their impressive performances in losses to higher ranked Montreal and Cincinnati were not enough to pull them into second. (2 / 49). |
4. Tri-City Thunder (Tri-City Roller Girls) |
– | The Thunder finally started rolling at Spring Roll, losing to CT Roller Girls before pulling out a big, surprising victory over the Chicago Outfit. That victory allows them to hold on to their position. They still cling to a WFTDA Division 2 playoff spot as well. (4 / 56) |
5. Rideau Valley Vixens (Rideau Valley Roller Girls) |
– | The Vixens have not been able to build on their early season success and stalled somewhat in the second quarter losing to New Hampshire and narrowly defeating River City, which more than likely ended their chances at a WFTDA playoff spot this season. (5 / 73) |
6. Belladonnas (Red Deer Roller Derby Association) |
(unranked) | The Belladonnas finally got on the track in 2013 and they lived up to preseason expectations, surging into the rankings with an impressive tournament victory at Flat Track Fever (defeating Calgary, The Sugar Skulls and The Mindfox in the process). (8 / -) |
7. Sugar Skulls (Pile O’ Bones Roller Derby Club) |
– | The Regina skaters hold their spot after a solid performance at Flat Track Fever. They did manage a win over the Belladonnas in the preliminary round of the tournament, but Red Deer defeated the Sugar Skulls later in the tournament. (12 / -) |
8. Calgary All Stars: Calgary Roller Derby Association |
(unranked) | After years of rolling under the radar, Calgary has stepped things up in 2013 and is one of the more exciting teams in Canada right now. They had a strong showing at Flat Track Fever and traveled to Saskatoon and defeated The Mind Fox despite missing key players. A team on rise. (13 / -) |
9. The Mind Fox (Saskatoon Roller Derby League) |
-3 (6th) | The Mind Fox exploded out of the gates in 2013, but as the season has progressed, the rest of the west has started to catch up and even pass them. They defeated E-Ville, but suffered losses to the Belladonnas and Calgary that have dropped them. (14 / -) |
| 10. E-Ville Dead (E-Ville Roller Derby)
|
– | Despite rosters losses, this team keeps rolling along. They had a solid performance at Flat Track Fever (including trading wins with the Mind Fox) that has allowed them to cling to their Top 10 spot. (10 / -) |
The main story may be that there wasn’t too much change in the Power Rankings this quarter (the Top 5 remains completely unchanged), despite the fact that two teams dropped out of the Top 10. The West Kootenay Kannibelles have been slipping since their peak at RDAC Westerns in 2012. The had a strong showing at Spokarnage, but against untested teams, and still are sitting on that loss to current #10 E-Ville. And due to some upheaval in Alliston (and a lack of action), the Misfit Militia have also slipped out of the Top 10. The recently separated from their league (the Renegade Derby Dames) to go it alone, and it remains to be seen how they will respond to this change. They did recently score a large victory over unranked Les Duchesses (Quebec), but their lack of action against top-level competition drops them.
Which, of course, means that we can say hello to two new teams. First off, Calgary enters the Top 10 in the 8th position. Formerly considered a “bubble” team, Calgary is the fastest climbing team in Canada right now and it seemed to just be a matter of time before they cracked this list. After years of relative competitive obscurity, it’s been fascinating to watch the rise. Also surging into the Top 10 are Red Deer’s Belladonnas. Despite a late start to 2013, they haven’t seemed to have lost a step from their strong 2012 and handily won Flat Track Fever. They followed that up with a thoroughly dominant performance against an overmatched St. Albert.
ON THE BUBBLE
Not too much shift here either. Forest City’s loss to Capital City, despite the fact that they were very shorthanded, means that the Timber Rollers fail to progress here, but their strong performances this season (including a recent win over Border City) keep them hanging out on the bubble. The West Kootenay Roller Derby’s Kannibelles fall from the Top 10 but remain on the bubble after their impressive performance at Spokarnage. Finally, the Hammer City Roller Girls continue their top season ever in the WFTDA (their three WFTDA victories this season represents a massive jump from the one they’d won in the last three years). Also quite tellingly, their B-team and Fresh Meat team have been putting in strong performances, speaking to an ever-strengthening base.
TEAMS TO WATCH
Word out of the west is that that Mainland Misfits’ Anarchy Angels (Cloverdale, BC) remain a team to watch: they went 2-2 at Spokarnage and soundly defeated The Raggedy Rollers. Out of the east, Capital City’s Dolly Rogers (Ottawa) have been slowly putting together a string of solid results and most recently defeated Forest City’s Timber Rollers to catch the attention of the rankings crew.
*These rankings were compiled by the Derby Nerd, Captain Lou El Bammo, Dick Pounder and Andi Struction.
*Read the Canadian Power Rankings preview and explanation here.
*Missed the first quarter Power Rankings post? Get caught up here.
-Respectful disagreement and debate is encouraged!-
The Derby Nerd 
Just one note, you can’t change divisions in one year. Divisions are set after Champs and they don’t change, even if your rank dips into the lower division. Divisions and Ranks should be thought of separately. Water City could start the year ranked 60 and put into Div 2, but rise up to 34 through the year, however they remain in Div. 2 but are eligible for Div 1 playoffs. Terminal City have been in Div 2 all year despite their higher rank earlier. I know you probably mean they slipped out of Div 1 playoff contention.
Yes! Meant playoffs, thanks for clarification. I know the division thing is important (for game points calculations), but I was referring to their playoff chances.
Divisions don’t affect game points either. Rank does. Divisions are really there to just determine how many games and against which divisions you have to play to be eligible for playoffs, and to stay ranked. For instance, if you are in D1 you have to play a certain # of games against D1 teams. The reason the divisions don’t change is that it would be hard to meet your requirement if you scheduled a game against a D1 team and then they dipped to D2 before your game date. It can seem complicated for sure.
God! So confusing! I was thinking of game weight, but now that I think of it, I;m pretty sure that only comes into play for playoffs (Division 1 playoff games are weighted more heavily than Division 2 playoff games). But you’re right, all regular season games are weighted equally (I think!).
It IS confusing! But you got it now!
IIRC, the Belladonnas defeated the Mindfox in the FTF finals, not the Sugar Skulls. Not sure if that affects the positioning of Saskatoon and Regina relative to each other as the Mindfox were 2nd at FTF and the Sugar Skulls were 4th.
That’s right, but it doesn’t affect things here (Belladonnas still defeated the Sugar Skulls later in the tournament–just not in the finals).
Reblogged this on Capital City Derby Dolls and commented:
CCDD’s Dolly Rogers (DRs) are into their third travel season. The beginning of the season kind of snuck up on the league’s travel team, and after a bit of a stumble, the DRs are definitely hitting their stride. The tremendous efforts made by this team have not gone unnoticed; check out the Derby Nerd’s Second Quarter Power rankings. Listed as a team to watch has lit a fire under the DRs’ asses. While this team has always worked really hard, it wants to make sure its earned this mention.
The DRs will be facing Guelph’s Brutte-Leggers on June 15. Last season, the DRs lost to them by 11 points at RDAC’s Eastern Tournament. They’ll definitely be looking for a different result this time around.