Team Preview: Chicks Ahoy!

	Wins	Losses	+/ –	Notes
2010 Regular Season	2	1	+192	Returned to 2nd overall (3rd in ’09)
2010 Playoffs	1	1	-40	First decisive victory over Dolls in 2 years.

In 2010 the Chicks played in their third championship in 4 years (all against the Gore-Gore Rollergirls). (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

2010

After a championship run in ’08 was followed by a disappointing ’09 that saw them eke out a 3^rd place finish with a last-gasp victory over the Death Track Dolls, it seemed like that talented squad of Chicks Ahoy! who’d gone to back-to-back finals had run its course. But electing instead to shore up holes in the lineup with veteran free agents as opposed to dipping into the draft, the Chicks seemed committed to making one more run to the boot in 2010. And it paid off.

Despite a shaky start to the season, the experienced group of Chicks gelled as the season went on and looked primed for the playoffs after ending their regular season with a record-setting 224 point romp over the Smoke City Betties. They answered their remaining skeptics with a confident 36 point victory over the Dolls in the semifinals (the previous two bouts between these opponents had gone down to the wire). But The Boot would be out of reach for the Chicks as they were dominated defensively in the final, only able to put up 31 points in a one-sided loss. With such a veteran lineup incapable of making taking that final step, change was in the air.

LOSSES AND GAINS

Replacing perrenial triple threat Mach Wheels will be a tough task. (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

2011 marks the greatest change for the Chicks Ahoy! in its history. League stalwart Fubar Bundy, veterans Fireweed and Blammo, talented jammers Kari Mia Beere and Marvellous Maven, and fresh export Crimson Shivers are all gone from the lineup. But the biggest loss, is that of Mach Wheels. The most talented skater in ToRD’s early history, Mach Wheels became ToRD’s quintessential all star and defined the triple threat role that has become so prominent on ToRD teams. Her knowledge and experience helped shape Toronto Roller Derby and her leaving will be felt throughout the league; co-captain Candy Crossbones, a veteran of many battles with Mach Wheels, has admitted that the team is still recovering from that change.

But with change comes the necessary injection of fresh faces, something that the Chicks haven’t had in a while, and this has brought a new positive dynamic to the team. “Having so many new, hyper-enthusiastic skaters has really reminded everyone else why we love derby and how much we like to skate together,” Candy said, expressing an upbeat mood for the team.  “It’s really brought team morale up a lot.” With six new faces added to the roster via draft, this is clearly a new Chicks Ahoy!

Marmighty and Nasher the Smasher both had big years in the pack last season.(Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

BY POSITION

The Chicks also added new blood on the bench, and after a year-long apprenticeship spent closely analysing the sport, Flyin’ Bryan Killman will be making his ToRD debut this season as the Chicks’ new bench manager. He’ll have a talented pool from which to build lines.

Pivots: Even with the off-season changes, this is a team that looks strong up front. Rebel Rock-It and Nasher the Smasher, two of the league’s top pivots, return in 2011 to lead the pack, while co- captain Tara Part will also be involved up front. Over 2010, however, Mega Bouche took on an increasingly versatile role in the pack, and ended the year second in pivot percentage on the team. While it remains to be seen whether or not a rookie can step up to pivot so early in her career, Snappin Cooter could be a preseason consideration. “She has a great sense for what’s going on around her,” Candy Crossbones says of the newcomer, pointing out that she is a noticeably improving each practice.

Candy Crossbones has been one of ToRD's most consistent jammers. (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)

Blockers: A good mix of experience (Cheri Nova, Furious Georgia) and youth (Marmighty), hard hitting strikers (Dolly Destructo, Dyna Hurtcha) and positional blockers (Hum Dinger, Hoff), this is a Chicks lineup that has a lot of depth in the pack. But this is also a position where a lot of players have the opportunity to step up. Candy Crossbones points to third-year blocker Robber Blind as a skater primed to have a breakout 2011.  Tess D’urb-Evil and Red Light Roxy are both showing signs of being natural pack players, and according to the Chicks captains, newcomer Bam Bam Hiterlow is living up to her name and is developing a “bad ass hit” that once perfected could be unstoppable.

Jammers: The position most affected by the losses in the lineup (Mach Wheels and Kari Mia Beere led the team in jam % last season), the Chicks’ attack will be a work in progress. Led by the dependable Candy Crossbones who is one of the top three four rated jammers in ToRD’s history, look for Dyna Hurtcha to take on more of a role with the star this season as the rookie crop develops. Although Rebel Rock-It has proved to be good for a record-setting jam here and there, and Dolly Dstructo has some history at the position, look for the Chicks to begin developing jammers out of the draft pool. Early on it looks as if Kookie Doe (who got some valuable experience in a recent exhibition bout in Ottawa) and Bala Reina are potential candidates. Candy Crossbones has compared Kookie Doe’s strong skating style to that of Mach Wheels, while Bala Reina is “fast and nimble” and is soaking up the strategies.

Last season's Betties vs. Chicks bout was a one-sided affair; this season's should be much closer. (Photo by Joe Mac)

EXPECTATIONS

With such change comes diminished expectations, which could actually play nicely into the hand of an exuberant, youthful team still bolstered by a strong veteran core. A fresh injection of youth may have been exactly what this Chicks team needed and if preseason fervor is any indication, the change has been positive. While they won’t dominate the upcoming season opener the way they dominated last year’s bout against the Betties, they could still enter the bout as favourites. Either way this bout will go a long way in describing how things could play out for ToRD in 2011. Free of the burden of high expectations, the Chicks Ahoy! could play loose and relaxed all year. Depending on how quickly and how well the fresh faces integrate, this Chicks team could be an intriguing story by the end of the season.

2010 REGULAR SEASON STATS HIGHLIGHTS

• Counting exhibition bouts, the Chicks went 4-5 in 2010. They made their third appearance in ToRD’s Battle for the Boot in 4 seasons.
• Rebel Rock-It led the team in total +/- (+183). Mach Wheels led among jammers (+97).
• Mach Wheels led the team in scoring (106 PTS) and recorded a remarkable 75% lead percentage. Candy Crossbones led in PPJ (4.3), and she and Rebel each tied a ToRD single-jam record with 25 points.
• Nasher the Smasher led the team in assists (15), blocks (35) and knockdowns (9).
• Dolly Destructo (on for 53% of her team’s jams) and Nasher (51%) led the team in total track time. While Nasher had the most minors on the team with 39 (highest in the league), Dolly recorded the most majors in ToRD (11) and also had the most total penalty minutes (15).

* Chicks play the Betties in the season opener for both teams on Saturday, March 12. Tickets for the bout are available online, or at various outlets down town. Doors of The Hangar open at 6:30, opening whistle at 7:30

*To get warmed up, you might want to got to layer9 to check out the defensive gem that these two teams put together in 2009 (68-61 for the Betties; this was also the first official bout played at the Hangar).

ToRD Championships: The Battle for the Boot

#2 Chicks Ahoy! (3-1) vs. #1 Gore-Gore Rollergirls (4-0)

In the future, when people look back at the early history of ToRD, no two teams will feature more prominently than the Gore-Gore Rollergirls and the Chicks Ahoy!. On Saturday, November 13, 2010, these two teams will meet in the ToRD Championship for the third time in four years. The defending champion Gores will be looking for some measure of revenge this year: that loss to the Chicks in the 2008 final marked the only time they failed to win the title  and was also the last time they suffered a defeat in ToRD play, regular season or playoffs. The Chicks, on the other hand, are still looking to regain their championship form.

These two teams have had far different seasons. A team stacked with vets, the Chicks started slow in 2010 with unfocused exhibition showings at the Beast of the East and in Tri-City. The Gores started 2010 where they left off 2009, finishing fourth in the annual Montreal tournament (and first among the non-MTLRD teams), and then opening the season with a dominant victory over the Smoke City Betties to set the tone for the campaign. The Chicks certainly came together as the season went on, rounding into shape at just the right time and saving their best games of the season for the end (including an impressive win over the Death Track Dolls in the semifinals). The Gores completed their second straight undefeated season winning each game by no less than 44 points.

This is the 3rd time the Gores and the Chicks have battled for the boot. (Tara Part and Dust Bunny in a 2009 bout at George Bell Arena)

THE OPPONENTS
While these two teams boast a majority of the members of ToRD’s all-star team, CN Power, they are not exactly uniform in their styles. The Chicks have spent this season focusing on their pack play, and refining the defense that has taken them so far in the past. After a disorganized beginning to the season, the Chicks pack tightened up as it went on and was the difference in their last two victories. Fast moving front walls, and deadly slow back ones (with a heavy hitter lurking on the margins ready to strike) typify their game.

The Gores have a deep arsenal of jammers and that dictates their style of play. Great individual blockers free up space and control pace through disrupting the strategies of their opponents: look for pivots and strikers to crack holes in the Chicks’ walls while the more positionally minded follow through and aid their jammers. The Chicks have shown an ability to adapt this season, while the Gores have been (for the most part) comfortably dictating play. This could come together in an interesting clash over the shape and direction of the championship bout.

Nasher the Smasher is once again one of the top pivots in the league.

THE MATCHUP

In terms of experience, no ToRD team can measure up against the Chicks Ahoy!. After an “off” 2009 (by their own high standards) in which they often looked undisciplined and a step-or-two behind the competition, the Chicks have stormed back in 2010. The pack play has been the leading aspect of the team’s improvement this season, and that transformation has been led by their talented pivots. Veteran pivots Rebel Rock-It and Nasher the Smasher are as good a one-two punch at the front of the pack as the league can deliver and both have had exceptional seasons. Hoff and Hum Dinger have also been predictably reliable this season, and Mega Bouche has been her usual devastating self. The inspirational return of Tara Part has only added more experience to an already deep pack, and stand out-rookie Marmighty looks extremely comfortable on the track. Triple Threats Mach Wheels and Dyna Hurtcha have been in and out of the lineup all season, but are in game shape right now and with Candy Crossbones in form as well, this marks the first time all three of these jammers will be available in the same bout this year.

The Gore-Gore Rollergirls did not have the same stability in their lineup as the Chicks did, incorporating a handful of rookies while at the same time making space for the return of two vets, Foxy Sinatra and original Toronto rollergirl Kandy Barr. But with such a stable core and solid leadership (including long-time manager Reverend Ramirez), the rookies have not looked out of place this season. The athletic Hurlin’ Wall has stood out in large part because of the ease with which she carries herself on the track: a strong positional blocker, her timing has been improving as well, and she’s more and more capable of making the big hit. Santa Muerte, Aston Martini and Gamma Rei have also looked strong in pack, and Pinky Violence’s role as a potential depth jammer became more defined in the semi-finals. But this is a team that is built around a solid core of more-than-capable vets. Junky Jenny and Molly Boom are steady presences with the stripe, while Lady Gagya has continued her rise as an effective striking blocker. The emergence of Brim Stone as a triple-threat has given the Gores a reliable weapon to complement the amazing jammer trio of Dust Bunny, Bambi and Lunchbox.

Expect Chicks' triple threat Mach Wheels and Gores' pivot Molly Boom to have more than a few battles

THE OUTCOME

At the beginning of 2010, it didn’t look like any team could compete with the defending-champion Gores, but as the season progressed there have been some signs of vulnerability in the seemingly impervious Gores’ game play. The Dolls dominated large swathes of the first half of their August bout, and the Chicks controlled the pack, and therefore the play, in isolated parts of their bout against the Gores in July. Also, the Chicks don’t look anything like the team that stumbled out of the gates at the start of the season. They also had the stiffer, more challenging test in the semis in a hard-fought bout against the Dolls, while the Gores had a comparatively easier time with the Betties.

It could come down to how well the teams respond to the atmosphere at The Hangar. Raucous and involved on a regular night, the sell-out crowd surrounding the track, coupled with the bright lights of the TV cameras and expanded media presence at the championship, will put a level of pressure on these clubs that has yet to be experienced at a ToRD championship. While almost all of the Chicks have experienced this big-game pressure (and mostly together), it remains to be seen how the Gores’ rookies will hold up. However it plays out, one thing is for certain: this is a bout that will live up to all historic expectations.

The defending champion Gore-Gore Rollergirls are looking for their 3rd ToRD championship.

Doors at The Hangar open at 6:30pm on Saturday, November 13, 2010. Bout time is 7:30.

Word on the track is that available tickets are few and far between. Online tickets sold out in record time last week, and a few ticket outlets are reporting sell-outs too, so call ahead.

If you can’t get tickets, don’t despair! For the first time in ToRD history, The Battle for the Boot will be televised. A bout replay will air on Rogers TV on Saturday, December 4, at 8:00pm.