Toronto Teams Go 6-0 at a Thrilling 2015 Quad City Chaos

Toronto proved to be ungracious hosts on the track, sweeping both the A and B-team portions of an extraordinarily exciting tournament.

The 2015 QCC featured incredibly close action, with an average differential of 36 points in the six D1 games. (Photo by Neil Gunner)

Early on in Toronto Roller Derby’s 6^th annual Quad City Chaos, the dominant narrative looked as if it would the upsets, but as they games progressed that story was tweaked and what emerged was a tournament dominated by parity, at least on the A-team level, with the average point-differential over the six-game round robin tournament being a measly 36 points, with most (if not all) of the games looking like they could have gone either way. The widest gap of the weekend was a 55-point Toronto win over Boston that was actually much closer than even the score would indicate, evidenced by the seven lead changes that occurred in the game (although they all did occur in the opening half). It was an extraordinary bit of scheduling for the organizers from Toronto Roller Derby, so much so that all of the teams can leave feeling pretty happy about their results.

DIVISION 1 GAMES

An expected CN Power rebuild looks more like a rebirth after a 3-0 weekend. (Photo by Neil Gunner)

One of the questions coming into the game was how a rebuilding Toronto roster would perform against three WFTDA D1 teams whose rosters remained relatively intact from the 2014 season; by the end of the weekend, it was clear that this CN Power team is going through a rebirth more than a rebuild: with a new jammer rotation and a completely new bench staff, Toronto actually looked reenergized and refocused after a somewhat bland 2014 season in which the team appeared to have plateaued. Bolstered by some experienced transfers and a core of internally developed skaters who represent the first wave of graduates of the B-team program, Toronto seems ready for a competitive push up the D1 rankings this season. It was the first time since 2012 (and only the second time ever) that 28^th ranked Toronto has gone 3-0 at their own tournament, holding their rankings against the Rideau Valley Vixens (39^th) and (29^th) Steel City, while upsetting 25^th ranked Boston.

Rideau Valley (1-2 on the weekend) also has to be incredibly happy with the results. With the same roster that brought them all the way to the WFTDA D2 championship last year, the Vixens continue to defy expectations and climb the ladder with a team whose core has been together for years now. The Ottawa-based team played above their rankings on the weekend, looking every-bit the equal to all of their opponents. Kicking off the tournament with a significant upset over Steel City, the Vixens gave Toronto all the hosts could handle on Saturday night in a game that featured an incredible eleven lead changes (including nine in the opening half), but as they did all weekend, Toronto seemed to get stronger deep into games and Rideau couldn’t replicate the upset they managed the last time the teams squared off at QCC 2013. The Vixens had a remarkably similar result against Boston, a game in which they could not maintain their intensity through to the end, but looked strong throughout.

Boston jammer Maya Mangleyou duels with Toronto’s Renny Rumble while Lil Paine looks on. (Photo by Neil Gunner)

Boston (2-1) had an up and down weekend. Although they went nose-to-nose with Toronto for the first half of their Saturday showdown, the hosts pulled ahead early in the second, and Boston simply could not catch them. But the loss seemed to charge the team up, and after a shaky start against Steel City, managed to pull ahead of Pittsburgh at the midway point of the first half and held off their opponents through to the end; it was a similar performance against Rideau Valley on Sunday.

Steel City (0-3) went winless on the weekend, although they certainly didn’t seem like a team defeated and led for portions of all of their games; the difference early on in the 2015 season seemed to be consistency and focus for this Steel Hurtin’ team that had a hard time maintaining momentum. In particular, Pittsburgh led for much of the second half against Toronto, but could not put the team away, and CN Power patiently held on, eventually blowing by Steel Hurtin’ over a dominant final five minutes.

Despite the results, all four teams leave the 2015 Quad City Chaos having certainly improved their position in the WFTDA’s ranking system, showing that despite some criticism to the contrary, all things being equal, the ranking system rewards close, evenly matched games.

REGULATION GAMES

Rideau Valley’s Sirens and Toronto’s Bay Street Bruisers faced off for the first time ever. (Photo by Joe Mac)

We didn’t see quite the parity in the B-team portion of the tournament, as the Bay Street Bruisers continued a three-year unbeaten streak (7-0) at the event with an at times dominant run through the competition (including a 250-point rout of the Steel Beamers). However, the hosts were certainly challenged against the B-Party, with Boston leading for the vast majority of the game, and virtually the whole second half. But they could not put the hosts away, with the Bruisers managing to stay within 20 for most of the game. And then in the final moments, they surged past their Boston counterparts for the most thrilling, not to mention closest, result of the weekend: a 4-point win that highlighted the perseverance of Toronto’s B-team.

THE PERFORMERS

Steel City’s Nick Rollfiliac (seen here staying a step ahead of Boston’s Ginger Kid) was named blocker MVP. (Photo by Joe Mac)

On a weekend where there was barely anything separating the competition on the track, choosing MVPs was a challenging feat that lead to some interesting (but certainly always deserving) choices. Both Toronto and Boston’s packs were dominant at times, and pulling one out of the cohesive units was impossible, so it was Steel City’s relentless Nick Rollfiliac who took the honours as A-team blocker MVP. Most of the jammers also had a hard time maintaining consistency over the course of the weekend, but in the end it was Soul Rekker’s tireless play over all three games that led to her selection of MVP. Boston B-Party blocker MC SlamHer took home MVP for the regulation portion along side Bruisers’ jammer Devochka who had three strong, clean and consistent games for the hosts.

THE PENALTIES

Early on in the tournament, during the first B-team game, there were over 100 penalties called, filling the board and leading to large stretches of chaos on the track. It became, momentarily, a thrilling anomaly, with pictures of the white board snapped and buzz spreading from the venue and onto social media; but then, it quickly became clear that this was actually going to be close to a norm for the weekend, and the giddy buzz dissipated. Not only that, there were murmurs on social media indicating that early in 2015 this is a trend certainly not limited to the Quad City Chaos.

I write this not as a criticism of the officiating (the ref crew was staffed with some of the finest, highest certified refs in the region), but just to point out the apparent disconnect between the way the game is being officiated right now and the way it is being played on the track; it was, for some, as fascinating as it was frustrating, but it is clear that something’s got to give. It is reminiscent of the way things were leading up to the elimination of minors.

In sports, the roles of the officials are generally to ensure safety and fairness; in roller derby there is also a third, punitive arm to officiating; however, we’ve started to move away from this (with the slight relaxing of inadvertent cutting penalties, for example), but there still seems to be genuine confusion at times on behalf of the skaters on impact assessment but also on failure to return/reform penalties that were often called in rapid-fire succession against multiple players simultaneously, making it challenging (and confusing) for skaters to quickly and clearly reform (for example, there were twenty two out of play penalties called in the Toronto vs. Steel City game (and 116 penalties in total), leading to multiple instances of only four, three, or even just two blockers on the track). Historically, the WFTDA has shown the willingness and ability to cautiously evolve over time, and certainly these issues will be resolved. But in a time when the new norm seems to be 80, 90, and even 100 penalties in a game, there is a conversation that needs to happen, and it should be a constructive one, because I think everyone (officials and skaters alike) would agree that the current norm is not sustainable.

Nonetheless, the consistency with which calls were made across teams and games did mean that the parity between the clubs still won out in the end, providing the spectators with thrilling games and narrow results despite of the steady stream of skaters to the penalty box.

WFTDA DIVISION 1 RESULTS

Steel City Roller Derby (Steel Hurtin’) (29^th) 142 vs. Rideau Valley Roller Girls (Vixens) (39^th) 165 (watch)

Boston Derby Dames (Boston Massacre) (25^th) 174 vs. Toronto Roller Derby (CN Power) (28^th) 229 (watch)

Boston 169 vs. Steel City 127 (watch)

Toronto 186 vs. Rideau Valley 154 (watch)

Boston 182 vs. Rideau Valley 159 (watch)

Toronto 235 vs. Steel City 191 (watch)

REGULATION RESULTS

Bay Street Bruisers 253 vs. Rideau Valley Sirens 144 (watch)

Bay Street Bruisers 184 vs. Boston B-Party 180 (watch)

Bay Street Bruisers 319 vs. Steel Beamers 69 (watch)

 

**The games were streamed live by layer9.ca, with Saturday night’s games and the final game on Sunday simulcast on WFTDA.TV. Watch the archives here.

**Toronto Roller Derby skater Pr’Editor provided game-by-game recaps for Derby Central all weekend. You can read her work here.

Quad City Chaos 2015 Preview

This marks the sixth edition of the two-day round robin tournament featuring four WFTDA Division 1 teams and three B-team games.

Since 2010, Toronto Roller Derby’s Quad City Chaos has been a launching point for the Canadian travel-team season, and while last year’s technically featured four WFTDA D1 teams for the first time (Bleeding Heartland had slipped out of the Top 40 just weeks before the tournament began), this year it is official: this will be a complete WFTDA D1 tournament. And it features four teams with a lot to prove.

Hosts Toronto, looking to get off the plateau they’ve found themselves on for the past year, welcome Rideau Valley back to the QCC for the fourth time and first since 2013, while the historic Boston Derby Dames and Pittsburgh’s Steel City Roller Derby make their QCC debuts, both having begun to develop histories with the tournament’s host. The 2014 QCC was arguably the most thrilling on record, but given the quality and the relatively close rankings of the combatants, this year’s could top even that.

Toronto Roller Derby: CN Power (28^th)

The hosts have not always fared well at QCC, and after going 3-0 in 2012, have managed only a 2-4 record at the event since then. Last year, they played in two of the most thrilling games in the tournament’s history, a 17-point loss to Montreal (which remains the closest a Canadian team has come to defeating the Skids in regulation/sanctioned play), followed by a 14-point defeat at the hands of Ohio. Overall, Toronto has a QCC record of 9-6.

Toronto also has some form of a relationship with all three combatants. Although they sport a 4-1 record against the Rideau Valley Vixens, their last meeting at QCC 2013 (and the only sanctioned bout between the two) ended with a 13-point Vixens’ upset. Last year, they squared off against Steel City twice, both outstanding games, with Steel Hurtin’ taking the regular season showdown by 20 before falling in the consolation round of the playoffs to Toronto by 14. Boston and Toronto have only faced each other once, in the 2013 playoffs, with Toronto scoring a miniscule 6-point win.

Toronto has had little action so far this season, with only a closed, unsanctioned win over Queen City under its belt. And it is a slightly rebuilt roster from the one that went 8-12 last season, most notably in the jammer rotation (and of the four QCC teams, it is certainly the roster with the most changes). Last year’s core playoff rotation will not be on the bench at QCC, whether due to unavailability (Kookie Doe) or retirement (Dusty, Motorhead Molly). But bolstered by some very experienced transfers and a returning blocking core, Toronto may be able to weather this rebuild.

Boston Derby Dames: Boston Massacre (25^th)

One of flat track’s most venerable teams, Boston returns this season with its 2014 playoff lineup virtually in tact (one noticeable absence is playoff track-time leader Vixen Ta Hitcha). Although first time QCCers, Boston has a long history in Canada, largely as long-time frenemies of Montreal, but they do potentially enter the tournament with revenge on their minds, having last met Toronto in the 2013 playoffs, losing a heartbreaker by only 6 points.

Boston had a tough 2014, going 2-7 in sanctioned play (4-7 overall), and a 2-2 playoff record saw them finish 7^th in their Division. They have never faced off against Rideau Valley and haven’t seen Steel City on the track since 2011, but with a roster full of holdovers led by veterans Maya Mangleyou (no stranger to Canadian fans as a key piece of Team Canada 2014), Shark Week, Ginger Kid and Lil’ Pain, Boston may be the team to watch at this year’s Quad City Chaos.

This weekend will mark the first action of the year for Boston.

Steel City Roller Derby: Steel Hurtin’ (29^th)

As with Boston, Steel City makes its Quad City Chaos debut with its 2014 roster largely unchanged (also like Boston, there is one noticeable absence, with playoff track-time leader Athena gone from Steel Hurtin’s lineup). Pittsburgh managed a decent 2014 going 7-7 on the season, which forced it into a tough Division Play-in game against Arizona that it lost narrowly. Its tight games against Toronto last season make that match-up intriguing, and with a consistent roster, they could have an edge.

Steel City kicked off its 2015 season with a 215-154 victory over 73^rd ranked Charlottesville Derby Dames, and as with Boston is led into battle by a very experienced core led by Team USA skater Snot Rocket Science, but also long-time double threat Hurricane Heather, jammer Leannibal Lector, and blockers Stark Raven and Ally McKill.

 

Rideau Valley Roller Girls: Vixens (39^th)

Last year’s darlings of Division 2, RVRG’s 2014 success means the road will be that much more challenging in 2015, but also has the potential to be considerably more rewarding. The Vixens tore up their Division 2 playoff tournament last season, crushing the competition in the early rounds before holding off Bear City in the final, in one of the more thrilling games of the season. They fell to Detroit in the D2 final, but the appearance at Champs was enough to vault them into Division 1 for the first time.

In 2015, the Vixens are looking to build off of their most successful season to date, one in which they compiled a 9-2 sanctioned record (10-2 overall) with losses only to Calgary (by 28 points) and Detroit in the D2 final. Similar to Steel City and Boston, The Vixens return with virtually the same lineup this season. And the question remains not how good the likes of Soul Rekker, Shania Pain (jammers), Murphy, Reyes, Brennan, Bottema, Sister Disaster and Rudolph will be, but how much the supporting cast rises up around them. This team’s been riding a short bench for a few years now, and will need to start building depth looking forward, so against the level of competition at QCC, the key could be in skaters like Melanie Austin, Lackey and Restless Rose.

This is the fourth QCC for the Vixens, and the first since 2013. They’ve compiled a career record of 3-6 at the tournament

B-Team Showdown

Since 2013, the Bay Street Bruisers have hosted B-team games along side their big sisters, and this season, that portion of the tournament has expanded to three games, showcasing the B-squads of each A-team participant. The Bruisers have yet to be defeated at the QCC, compiling a 4-0 record. However, this year’s competition could be the fiercest yet. While they have never faced Rideau Valley’s Sirens or the Boston B Party, they did managed a one-sided 288-97 victory over the Steel Beamers in Pittsburgh last season. But in B-team age, a year can be an eternity.

Neither the Beamers nor the B Party have seen competition yet this season, while the Bruisers are coming off of a tough 170-155 win over Royal City (Guelph’s WFTDA team), and the Sirens tasted defeat against Montreal’s Sexpos. While that initial track time may give the Canadian teams a slight edge, it probably won’t be enough to intimidate their American opponents.

**Action begins at 10:00 AM sharp on Saturday, March 21. Day and weekend passes are available; separate tickets for Saturday night’s double header are also available.

**Every moment of QCC 2015 will be boutcast live by layer9.ca, with Saturday night’s double header and Sunday’s final game simulcast on WFTDA.TV. Full viewing schedule is available here.

**Check out this QCC 2015 trailer (produced by Tiffany Beaudin):

 

Catch Up on the Past QCCs!

 

2011 Quad City Chaos Poster.

Quad City Chaos 2014

Quad City Chaos 2013

Quad City Chaos 2012

Quad City Chaos 2011

Quad City Chaos 2010

Team Canada Releases Roster for the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup

Team Canada 2014

On Sunday, December 29th, 2013, Team Canada management released its 30-skater roster for the 2014 Blood and Thunder Roller Derby World Cup to be held in Dallas, Texas, on the weekend of December 4th, 2014.

The roster includes ten returning players (indicated with an *) from the 2011 team that came in second place, losing to USA in the final.

There are nine skaters from Montreal’s New Skids on the Block, Canada’s top ranked WFTDA team (15th in WFTDA, 1st in Canada). There are six skaters from Terminal City’s All Stars (37th, 3rd), five skaters from Toronto Roller Derby’s CN Power (29th, 2nd), and two returning skaters from the Rideau Valley Vixens (69th, 7th). The remaining Canadian leagues represented were Red Deer (4th in Canada) and Calgary (WFTDA Apprentice, 14th in Canada).

Team Canada will feature six skaters who play for US-based WFTDA leagues (after having only one in 2011). The represented leagues are the Texas Roller Girls (3rd),the Windy City Rollers (8th), Atlanta Rollergirls (10th), the Philly Roller Girls (14th), Boston Derby Dames (16th), and Detroit Derby Girls (28th).

The Roster

Bala Reina (Toronto Roller Derby –  CN Power)
Buffy Sainte Fury (Terminal City Rollergirls – All Stars, Public Frenemy)
Chasing Amy (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
Demanda Lashing (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block, Les Filles Du Roi)
Dusty (Toronto Roller Derby –  CN Power)
Dyna Hurtcha (Toronto Roller Derby –  CN Power)
Evada Peron (Terminal City Rollergirls – All Stars)
Eve Hallows (Terminal City Rollergirls – All Stars, Bad Reputations)
*Georgia W. Tush (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
Greta Bobo (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
Heavy Flo (Philly Roller Girls – Liberty Belles)
*Jess “Bandit” Paternostro (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
Kim Janna (Terminal City Rollergirls – All Stars)
KonichiWOW (Windy City Rollers – All Stars)
Kriss Myass (Calgary Roller Derby Association – All Stars)
*Lil’ Mama (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
*Luludemon (Terminal City Rollergirls – All Stars)
*Mackenzie (Terminal City Rollergirls – All Stars)
Maya Mangleyou (Boston Derby Dames – Boston Massacre, Nutcrackers)
Mel-e-Juana (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
*Murphy (Rideau Valley Roller Girls – Vixens, Slaughter Daughters)
Nasher the Smasher (Toronto Roller Derby –  CN Power)
Nattie Long Legs (Atlanta Rollergirls – Dirty South Derby Girls, The Toxic Shocks)
*Rainbow Fight (Toronto Roller Derby –  CN Power)
Sarah Hipel (Texas Roller Girls – Texacutioners)
*Smack Daddy (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
*Soul Rekker (Rideau Valley Roller Girls – Vixens, Slaughter Daughters)
Surgical Strike (Montreal Roller Derby – New Skids on the Block)
*Taz (Red Deer Roller Derby Association – Belladonnas)
USS DentHerPrize (Detroit Derby Girls, All Stars, Detroit Pistoffs)

Team Canada Management

Head Coach: Ewan Wotarmay (Montreal Roller Derby)

Assistant Coach: Mack the Mouth (Terminal City Roller Girls)

Manager: Flyin’ Bryan Killman (Toronto Roller Derby)

Toronto Levels Up at final WFTDA Divisional

Bay Area, Atlanta and Rat City round out the participants in Milwaukee.

Toronto Roller Derby’s CN Power continued the compelling international story at the 2013 WFTDA playoffs tangling with Melbourne, Australia’s, Victorian Roller Derby in the fifth place game at the final divisional tournament. Although CN Power ran out of steam in the second half of the game, the narrative for the weekend had already been set. It began with a major upset over Sacred City on Friday, followed by a stunning game against perennial powerhouse Atlanta before another tough upset over Boston assured Toronto of a surprising top six finish.

It was yet another remarkable finish for one of the three Canadian teams in WFTDA’s Division 1, and arguably, the best performance by a Canadian team at this year’s Big Five. Montreal finished 4^th in their division, but did so mostly based on a fairly clear path to the final four on account of their 2^nd seed in the tournament. Word on the track is that Montreal was probably closer to the 6^th or even 7^th best team in their division (with Rose City, at least, and even Arch Rival performing better than they did). Terminal City’s performance was also one for the ages: stunning upsets over Tampa and New Hampshire guaranteeing a three-spot jump on their ranking. But Toronto went one further with the win over Boston, and their performance in a loss against Atlanta was arguably the best game played by a Canadian team during this year’s playoffs.

Read Lex Talionis’s Sacred vs. Toronto game recap for Derby News Network (featuring photos by Donalee Eiri).

It has been a remarkable turn around for Toronto this season, but one that has been coming for some time, and one that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for the astute followers of the Canadian game. Over the past three years Toronto Roller Derby has worked hard to develop its base, and is now a league brimming with talent at every level. The farm team D-VAS has consistently finished in the final four of every  Fresh and Furious tournament they have played in. Similarly, since a 2-3-4 finish at the 2011 Beast of the East, ToRD house league teams have been consistently near the top of that tournament as well, with at least one team in the top three in the last three years. Finally, ToRD’s travel B Team, the Bay Street Bruisers, have been turning heads as well, especially since a 2012 RDAC Eastern Championship tournament victory. They have gone 8-1 in 2013 against consistently solid competition on both sides of the border, are clearly the top B Team in the country, and have even earned a spot in the discussion of the top teams in the country.

So with such a strong and well-developed base propping it up, this CN Power turn around has been in the works.

Read Beck Wise’s Atlanta vs. Toronto game recap for DNN (featuring photos by Donalee Eiri).

After a somewhat inconsistent start to the year (for a example, a phenomenal performance in a loss to mighty Ohio was followed by a stunning upset loss to Rideau Valley at this year’s Quad City Chaos), CN Power slowly began to turn it around and build toward this weekend’s peak performance. Arguably, it all started with a thrilling showdown against rivals the New Skids on the Block in Montreal in April. A game that saw them compete for about 40 minutes, before the big-game experience of Montreal kicked in and the Skids pulled away late. That was followed by a tight game against another much higher ranked opponent in Cincinnati, and finally the playoff-clinching 2-point victory against Bleeding Heartland.

As a team, Toronto has flown under the radar for the past few seasons, lacking the visibility that Montreal and Vancouver have enjoyed, but after this weekend, it has to be believed that this will no longer be the case. Toronto’s depth pushed it to success this weekend, but there were outstanding individual performances as well. At the top of the heap were Nasher the Smasher and Dyna Hurtcha. Long one of Toronto’s top blockers, Nasher finally had a stage upon which to display her talents and she did not disappoint. A tireless workhorse all weekend, she averaged 31 jams per game (easily a team high) and despite all the track time (most coming in two losses) still finished with a  +/- of +29. Prototypical Toronto triple threat Dyna Hurthca was also a phenom this weekend. A relentless blocker, she also showed her value to the team by jamming in certain situations, including in a tough second half against Victorian (in which she jammed 4 times, picked up two leads and averaged 2.3 points per jam).

Read Beck Wise’s Boston vs. Toronto game recap on DNN (featuring photos by Donalee Eiri).

Just below these stellar performances were those of Renny Rumble, BruiseBerry Pie and Jubilee. Bruisey was the go-to pivot for star passes in tough situations on the weekend and averaged 21 jams per game delivering some timely hits. Renny Rumble showed some extraordinary agility on defense and her eye for the track was obvious on the weekend. One of the keys to Toronto’s performance was its offense, and Jubilee, playing, arguably, the best derby of her career, was key on offense, reading situations well, and providing timely help when needed. Of course, the key to the success was in Toronto’s bench depth and ability to run out solid line after line (especially in the Atlanta game), a testament to the performances of all the blockers, led by Mega Bouche, Panty Hoser and double threat Candy Crossbones, who all put in significant track time on the weekend.

Speaking of depth, Toronto ran a fairly consistent four-jammer rotation all weekend, adjusting and filling in based on situation and opponent, and it was clearly led by a resurgent Bambi. A long-time ToRD veteran and still the houseleague’s all-time leading scorer, the home team success did not follow her to the travel team level early in her CN Power career. Last year, Bambi was beginning to look like a viable threat before a broken hand sustained in a game against Ohio held her back. There were no such setbacks in 2013, and she has steadily improved her game all season peaking, as the team did, at just the right time. She was easily the team’s most consistent jammer, putting up 258 points for the tournament (a 5.5 points per jam rate) with never more than 75 or less than 42 points in a game, and finished with a 50% lead percentage overall. Her footwork was phenomenal, and she used her size well, getting through the narrowest of gaps but also playing close to opposing blockers, avoiding hits and staying away from danger (important when you are virtually always the smallest skater on the track).

Read Beck Wise’s Victorian vs. Toronto game recap for DNN (featuring photos by Donalee Eiri).

She did get help from the rest of the rotation at timely moments as well. Bala Reina had a hot and cold tournament: absolutely dominant against Sacred City  (79 points, 6.2 points per jam, and a 62% lead percentage) and Boston (82, 6.8, 42%), she was completely neutralized against Atlanta, but bounced back against Victorian. Co-captain Dusty had her strongest game against Boston, where her jukey, scrappy style worked well (she has a knack for keeping her game in the middle of the track, avoiding the outside/inside lane drag backs that Boston was so proficient at). She led the team with a 56% lead percentage in that game and also managed 50 points (5.6 PPJ).

Despite running out of gas at the end against Melbourne (they led for much of the first half and went into the break tied at 75, but looked simply exhausted for much of the second half), it was nothing less than a phenomenal weekend for Toronto Roller Derby. Two major upsets and a team-defining performance against one of the sport’s best teams in Atlanta, topped off by a marquee international showdown with Australia’s top team, has put ToRD clearly into the roller derby spotlight, a spotlight that has often skipped over the city and its league. And, it should be noted, they did it while facing adversity as well, losing three skaters to injury in the week leading up to their departure for Divisionals (veteran blocker Rebel Rock-It, second-year jammer Kookie Doe, and long-time, on-track leader Tara Part).

During the last Team Canada tryouts, many felt that Toronto skaters were overlooked (I imagined an audible gasp could be heard from the east-coast derby community when Nasher the Smasher wasn’t even shortlisted); with another World Cup on the horizon and national team tryouts coming up, you get a feeling that won’t be happening again. It’s been a long road, but Toronto has finally arrived at the highest level of flat track roller derby.

WEEKEND PREVIEW: Skids set to make history; CN Power set to trample the Garden State

MONTREAL LOOKS TO MASSACRE BOSTON IN THE EASTERN REGION QUARTERFINALS

Montreal will make roller derby history on Friday night when they become the first international team to take part in the WFTDA playoffs. In a fitting coincidence, the sixth seeded New Skids on the Block will square off against the American team they have the longest history against: The third ranked Boston Massacre.

At this time last year, Montreal was little more than a novelty in WFTDA; a loud (in more ways than one), easy-going, bi-lingual Canadian team whose greatest claim to fame was their raucous cheering and after-party antics at Rollercon and the WFDTA Nationals. They charged into competition gamely but were often swatted away by their much more experienced opponents; 100 point loses were the norm for the Skids on their way to a 1-6 record in 2009 WFTDA sanctioned bouts. They ended the season ranked 13^th in the East and not even on the radar on DNN’s WFTDA Power Rankings (though Flat Track Stats had them at 52^nd).

Montreal's pack control has been the biggest difference in their rise as contenders (seen here trapping a Vancouver skater)

2010 began with a big loss against the fantastic Charm City All Stars (Baltimore), and a much tighter loss to Tucson. But for anyone who watched them, it was evident that something had changed. The persistence, patience and commitment to progress had begun to pay off. Absorbing everything they could during their string of losses, Montreal had emerged from its inaugural season as a much smarter, much more fit and more prepared team than perhaps any other had after their first season. While many had prophetically dubbed them a team to watch in the future, the Skids had every intention of being a contender in the present.

Montreal earned its sixth seed (and bye directly into the quarterfinals) by going on an absolute tear in 2010. Following the opening loses, they’ve won nine of their next ten bouts (not including unsanctioned victories over Toronto and Vancouver), many by considerable margins (including an extraordinary 261 point victory over Dominion at this year’s ECE). That one loss, though, is intriguing as it was against their Friday-night opponents: Boston Massacre (read a review of that bout here; watch it here). The difference in that

The Iron Wench has emerged as a devastatingly efficient jammer

May bout ended up being discipline and consistency, two things that come only by experience. But Montreal showed (for one half at least) that they have finally reached a point where they can compete with the best (the margin was 8 points at halftime), and certainly have all the pieces of the puzzle, whether dominant, position-defining pivots (Jess Bandit), exhilarating jammers (Iron Wench) or triple threats (Smack Daddy). It will be interesting to see how far they have come since May. While DNN still separates these two teams quite a bit in their power-rankings (Boston at 12th with Montreal 21st), Flat Track Stats has them much closer at 15th  and 17th.

Montreal and  Boston play Friday at 4pm. All bouts will be boutcast live on DNN. While Gotham and Philly are heavily favoured to dominate the Eastern Regionals, the third and final spot in the WFTDA Championship is up for grabs. Montreal will look to pull a Minnesota, and upset its way into the Championship (the 7^th seed in the North Central eliminated heavily favoured Detroit on its way to a shocking second-place finish two weeks ago). Windy City, Minnesota and Madison have already qualified.

CN POWER HEADS SOUTH TO STOMP ALL OVER GARDEN STATE

CN Power (3-2 in 2010) looks to rebound from its August loss to recent WFTDA apprentice graduates the Lake Effect Furies (110-79). Looking to take on all comers as they progress through their own apprenticeship, CN Power will travel to New Jersey this weekend to take on The Garden State Rollergirls. Garden State is another team that recently attained WFTDA status, and they too are coming off of a tough loss (to Harrisburg 216-99), so both these teams are looking to rebound and get things back on track.

CN Power had a strong start to 2010 going 3-1 out of the gates, including a lop-sided victory over the Rideau Valley Vixens (199-49) and victories over challenging opponents in Vancouver (97-79) and arch rivals Hamilton (89-87). Their only early-season loss came to powerhouse Montreal (229-45). Taking a break for ToRD’s home season throughout most of the spring and summer, CN Power returned in late August with the loss to Queen City (read a review of that bout here).

Now, they face another stiff test.

With the absence of key players, Brim Stone will be relied upon in various roles

CN Power has juggled its lineup quite a bit this season, and once again there’s a new look heading south. Lacking key jammers Dust Bunny, Bambi, Lunchbox and Candy Crossbones, CN Power will look to Land Shark to lead the attack with triple threats Dyna Hurthca and Betty Bomber also taking up some of the slack. This could also be an opportunity to see highly-coveted rookie import Wolverina in action against top North American competition (she looked impressive in her DVAS debut). Things seem fairly solid up front with pivots Rebel Rock-It, Nasher the Smasher and Brim Stone all making the trip. The absence of emerging pivot Panty Hoser and triple threat Mach Wheels could be offset by the return of Tara Part and the positional strength of Hoser’s Dolls teammate Monichrome. 2010 Betties’ stand out Lady Scorcher will join veteran teammates Pretty Peeved and Hot Roller on the squad, while CN Power stalwarts (and heavy hitters) Lady Gagya and Mega Bouche round out the lineup.

Both of these teams will be looking to close out 2010 with a bang, and a victory this weekend would go a long way in ensuring that.

CN Power’s next opponents, the Tri-City Thunder, will be heading to Detroit this weekend to face the Disassembly Line in their final tune-up before October’s big showdown between Canada’s two WFTDA apprentice leagues.

Word on the Track

WFTDA RANKINGS RELEASED: MONTREAL 6^th IN EASTERN REGION

The final, pre-regionals WFTDA rankings were released this month, and the match ups for each of the regional playoffs have been made. Montreal’s New Skids on the Block qualified in 6^th place in the Eastern Region, getting the final of the six byes into the second round where they will face their cross-border rivals, the Boston Massacre. The skaters on these two teams know each other well and this should be a fantastic bout. Montreal has been reeling in the Eastern Region teams at a remarkable clip all season. After suffering a 100-point blowout to this team in 2009, Montreal managed to cut the deficit in half the last time they met in May (and were actually within 10 points at the half before uncharacteristic penalty troubles allowed Boston to pull away). Despite the amazing development MTLRD has undergone this season, you have to wonder if it will it be enough to get them past Boston and into a potential semifinal showdown with the Philly Rollergirls. To find out, you’ll just have to buy some neon and join the New Skids on the Block’s Neon Army as it heads to White Plains, New York, on September 24^th for the Eastern Regionals.

Montreal plays Boston at Regionals

This year’s WFTDA Regionals will play out over four weekends stretching between September and October. The top seeds have remained the same all season, with Gotham (who were upset in last year’s Eastern final by Philly) holding on to top spot in the East. The defending WFTDA champion Oly Rollers, who are in the midst of a record-setting 20 bout winning streak, remain #1 in a very competitive Western Region, while traditional powers Windy City and Texas (last year’s finalists) stay on top in the North Central and South Central.

DERBY NERD ON HIATUS DURING A BUSY MONTH

Sadly, The Derby Nerd will be on hiatus for the next month, a month that happens to be packed with exciting roller derby action. But you can trust that I will be doing my best to spread the word to the far reaches of the globe.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7

One of the most anticipated roller derby bouts in Montreal’s history will be played on this night. The defending champion Les Filles du Roi will face their original Montreal rivals Les Contrabanditas. When these two teams met during the regular season it was a brutal tug of war that came down to the final jam and a single point. Both of these rosters are loaded with talented skaters at every position. This is going to be one explosive bout.

Across the border into Ontario on the same night, the Rideau Valley Roller Girls will be hosting two of their southern neighbours for a double header. The Riot Squad will face off against the GTAR’s Chrome Mollys (who have won their only two bouts this season), while the Slaugher Daughters will line up against ToRD’s Smoke City Betties. Facing such a strong opponent will be a valuable learning opportunity for the Betties during a critical part of a rebuilding season. With a group of eager rookies short on experience but big on heart, this bout couldn’t have come at a better time. With only one game left of the regular season, this could be an important step toward a strong showing.

ToRD hosts a mid-season travel team double header

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21

August 21^st will see The Hangar’s first double header, and it is a big night for a number of reasons. In what seems to be becoming tradition, the CN Power will host a mid-season neighbour from south of the border. QCRG’s Lake Effect Furies will be the visitors in CN Power’s first bout since ToRD’s acceptance into WFTDA’s apprenticeship (joining the Tri-City Roller Girls as they only other Canadian WFTDA apprentice league—TCRG Thunder will be in Syracuse, NY, on this night to take on Assault City).

Durham Region Roller Derby makes its debut

In another historic moment, two new teams will be making their debut to kick off the double header. Durham Region Roller Derby will be taking part in their first bout as a league. Featuring a small core of former ToRD skaters led by former Doll Bones Brigade, DRRD (playing out of Oshawa) are another exciting addition to an ever-expanding roller derby landscape: They’ve taken their time to get things right and this should be an entertaining debut. Speaking of exciting futures, they will be facing off against the resurrected D-VAS, only this version is a farm team featuring the skaters who will be eligible for ToRD’s 2011 off-season draft. It will be an interesting bout to watch to get a sense of the next generation of skaters.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 28

And finally, the Death Track Dolls will conclude their season a week later (on August 28^th) against the undefeated Gore-Gore Rollergirls (they actually haven’t lost to a non-Montreal team since the 2008 championship bout against the Chicks Ahoy!). The Dolls’ patience through restructuring seems to be paying off as they are having a statement-making year. They will look to add emphasis to that statement with a strong showing against the defending champs.

The Derby Nerd will return in September.

Weekend Recap: Boston ends Montreal’s winning streak

Boston Massacre (# 3) 111 vs. Montreal (# 9) 58

In a truly extraordinary display of tactical roller derby, the Boston Massacre (one of the original WFTDA leagues) came to Montreal and put an end to a remarkable seven game winning streak by the precocious New Skids on the Block with 111-58 victory at Arena St. Louis on Saturday night in a WFTDA sanctioned, Eastern Region bout.

The first half was a strategic masterpiece as both teams fought  for control of the pack. LCD and Maura Buse led the charge for the Massacre pack, with ample help from Harley Quinn and Ivanna Shankabitch, while Jess Bandit and Cheese Grater led the Skids’ packs. No team could take a clear advantage in the first as the score see-sawed early on, punctuated by neutralizing jammer battles between Georgia W. Tush and Krushpuppy, and especially Montreal’s Iron Wench and Boston’s Claire D. Way who both jammed beautifully (often to stalemates) in the first half. Boston managed to inch ahead just slightly, 46-38 by the break.

Early in the second half Boston’s experience began to make a difference. Their stifling pack (amazingly paced defensive jams, lightening fast recycling up front) slowly began to wear down the Montreal players who, lately, have been more accustomed to being the ones doing the stifling. A few well-orchestrated power jams allowed the Massacre to open up a wider gap and once they’d gained control, were able to maintain it through to the end as rare penalty woes for Montreal kept them from mounting any sort of comeback.

It was clear that as far as the Skids have come in 2010, there is still an experience disadvantage that can only be overcome with time, but this was in no way a demoralizing loss for Montreal. Only eight months ago Montreal lost to this same Boston team by one hundred points; four months ago  they lost by a similar score to Charm City (Baltimore). What this improved result announces is that this is a Skids team that deserves attention, and come the fall and the WFTDA Regionals, a team that cannot be taken lightly.

Rideau Valley Vixens 63 vs. Les Sexpos 136

In the opening bout of the double header at Arena St. Louis, the Rideau Valley Vixens–in their inaugural season–came to Montreal to play in their third bout of 2010. After suffering a one-sided loss to ToRD’s CN Power early in the year, the Vixens made adjustments and began to refine their game leading to a much better result against Steel City’s B team. Les Sexpos also opened up 2010 with consecutive losses, but were coming off of their most definitive victory ever, showing a form that they would bring into this bout as well, controlling things in a 136-63 victory.

Any notion of an overwhelming Sexpos win were put to rest early on as the Vixens showed that they have very clearly learned from their defeats; a renewed focus on positional play and pack control led by the excellent Semi Precious (and aided gamely by Surgical Strike, Screaming Meanie Massacre, Big Block and others). K-Dawg (despite some penalty problems), and Ninja Simone continued their emergence as top pivots, while rookies That’s What She Said (jamming) and Waxey McBush (positional blocking) had solid outings and that speaks to the bright future of this ever-improving Sexpos squad. A key jammer battle all night was between the Vixens’ Soul Rekker and the Sexpos’ Mange Moi El Cul, while Squarrior, Hymen Danger and Hustle Rose all had solid bouts doing double duty in the pack and with the star. Ripper Apart, Sister Disaster and DDT all fought through jams for the Vixens, but the Sexpos were eventually able to wrestle control away from Rideau Valley and cruised in the later stages of the bout to a 73 point victory.

Both bouts were boutcast live on ustream and have been archived here.

AND IN OTHER NEWS…

Hammer City’s Eh! Team continued their 2010 WFTDA season, traveling to Milwaukee to take part in the annual MidWest Brewhaha.  They faced a tough Grand Raggidy team on the opening day falling 160-69, and then followed that with another loss to Ohio 139-61 to fall to 0-4 in their 2010 season. Hammer City has a big schedule lined up for 2010 and are not backing down from any tough bouts, taking the lead, perhaps, from Montreal’s New Skids on the Block who took on (and lost to) any and all comers in their first season leading to a huge leap in ability and an improved 2010. It should be a fascinating season for Hammer City as they continue to develop into a top-tier team.

Coming up: season previews of ToRD’s Gore-Gore Rollergirls and The Smoke City Betties in advance of their May 29th season opener.