2010 Season Preview: Smoke City Betties

Smoke City Betties 2010

RECORD	Points For (Per Game)	Points Against (Per Game)	Plus/Minus	Margin of Victory	Margin of Loss
2009: 2-1	260 (86.67)	251 (83.67)	+9	18.5 (2)	28 (1)

* Lifetime: 5-4 regular season; 0-2 in playoffs (semi-finalists in ’08, finalists in ’09)

* Vs. Gores ’09: 0-2 (including championship) / Lifetime: 0-4 (including ’08 semi-finals, ’09 finals)

THE BETTIES’ 2009

On July 19^th of last season, the Smoke City Betties won a gritty, defensive, low scoring battle against the Chicks Ahoy! (68-61) and finally broke the two year stranglehold that the Chicks and the Gore-Gore Rollergirls had held over ToRD. It was a team-defining victory that propelled an experienced Betties team all the way to their first appearance in the championship. Add that result to a third place finish at the Beast of the East and it was the Betties most successful season to date. Statistically, the Betties also had a successful season finishing second in most categories (tying the Chicks in points against and finishing third to them and the Gores in average margin of loss).

Memphis Kitty will play a key leadership role in 2010

VETERANS/RETURNING PLAYERS

No team changed as much as the Betties did this past off season. With retiring skaters and team-to-team player movement, the Betties don’t have nearly as many returning veterans as the other teams in the league. Hot Roller, Memphis Kitty, Pretty Peeved and Lacy Brawler make-up the returning core of the 2009 finalists; Second-year players Lady Scorcher and Rage Virus, former Gores, shifted to the Betties after gaining valuable experience in their championship run and will be expected to take on a leadership role with this young team.

ROOKIES

With so few veterans, the 2010 Smoke City Betties are mostly built up by an exciting group of young skaters (an astounding ten skaters will be making their ToRD debuts in 2010). So much of the Betties’ season hinges on how well (and how quickly) this group can gel. Many of the rookies (including Sail Her Poon, Tropic Thunder, Mouth of the South, Platinum Bomb and titmouse) gained valuable experience at the Beast of the East against strong opponents.

BY POSITION

Rookies like Platinum Bomb will be relied upon to play big roles

Pivots: Look for the veterans to step up at this position, and expect to see Hot Roller, Lady Scorcher, Lacy Brawler and Pretty Peeved take their turns with the stripe. The quickly evolving role of the pivot in flat track derby means that the steadiness of a more experienced player can make all the difference. As the season progresses, some of the rookies will inevitably begin to step up and take on this all important role.

Blockers: Given the lack of returning players, the rookies have no choice but to shoulder a lot of the load in the pack. P Doddy and Grim Avenger also got valuable track time at the Beast, but fans of ToRD will quickly get to know the names of Genuine Risk, Diva Zapata, Sin D Drop-Her as well, as they will have to be relied upon to eat up a lot of track time.

Jammers: Long-time standout Memphis Kitty will lead a rookie group of jammers in the Betties’ offense in 2010. Sail Her Poon took a lot of jams with the star at BOE, while Tropic Thunder also looked good against much more experienced competition. Tropic Thunder also registered a good performance in this preseason’s Rookies (’09) vs. Fresh Meat (’10) scrimmage. Following Kitty’s lead, these two young jammers could become key pieces of the Betties’ offense this season.

SEASON OUTLOOK

A superfan and a former champ will be running the bench for the Betties this season: ToRD track rat Quickdraw joins Mia Culprit (ToRD vet and winner of The Boot in 2009 with Gores) as the new (rookie) bench managers of this young team. The Betties open their season against the Gores and will be in tough against a team that looks poised to defend its championship. And while 2010 could end up as a rebuilding season for the Betties, this promising collection of rookies provides the foundations for a bright future.

See the full roster here.

For a visual preview of the season opener, watch layer 9’s coverage of ToRD’s 2009 championship game (Gores 128 vs. Betties 88).

RECORD	Points For (Per Game)	Points Against (Per Game)	Plus/Minus	Margin of Victory	Margin of Loss
2009: 2-1	260 (86.67)	251 (83.67)	+9	18.5 (2)	28 (1)

Lifetime: 6-5 (Semi-finalists in ’08; finalists in ’09)

Vs. Gores (’09): 0-2 (including championship) / Lifetime: 0-6 (including ’08 semi-finals, ’09 finals)

THE BETTIES’ 2009

On July 19^th of last season, the Smoke City Betties won a gritty, defensive, low scoring battle against the Chicks Ahoy! (68-61) and finally broke the two year stranglehold that the Chicks and Gores had held over ToRD. It was a team-defining victory that propelled an experienced Betties team all the way to their first appearance in the championship. Add that result to a third place finish at the Beast of the East and it was the Betties most successful season to date. Statistically, the Betties finished second in most categories (tying the Chicks in points against and finishing second to them in average margin of loss).

VETERANS/RETURNING PLAYERS

No team changed as much as the Betties did this past off season. With retiring skaters and team-to-team player movement, the Betties don’t have nearly as many returning veterans as the other teams in the league. Hot Roller, Memphis Kitty, Pretty Peeved and Lacy Brawler make-up the returning core of the 2009 finalists; Second-year players Lady Scorcher and Rage Virus, former Gore-Gore Rollergirls, shifted to the Betties after gaining valuable experience in their championship run and will be expected to take on a leadership role with this young team.

ROOKIES

With so few veterans, the 2010 Smoke City Betties are mostly built up by an exciting group of young skaters (an astounding ten skaters will be making their ToRD debuts in 2010). So much of the Betties’ season hinges on how well (and how quickly) this group can gel, but there is no doubt that this will be a rebuilding year. Many of the rookies (including Sail Her Poon, Tropic Thunder, Mouth of the South, Platinum Bomb and titmouse) gained valuable experience at the Beast of the East against strong opponents.

BY POSITION

Pivots: Look for the veterans to step up at this position, and expect to see Hot Roller, Lady Scorcher, Lacy Brawler and Pretty Peeved take their turns with the stripe. The quickly evolving role of the pivot in flat track derby means that the steadiness of a more experienced player can make all the difference. As the season progresses, expect to see some of the rookies begin to step and take on this all important role.

Blockers: The rookies have no choice but to step up and take on a lot of track time. Fans of ToRD will quickly get used to the names of P Doddy and Grim Avenger also got valuable track time at the Beast, but get to know the names of Genuine Risk, Diva Zapata, Sin D Drop-Her as well as they will have be relied upon to eat up a lot of track time.

Jammers: Long-time standout Memphis Kitty will lead a presumably rookie group of jammers in 2010. Sail Her Poon took a lot of jams with the star at BOE, while Tropic Thunder also looked good against much more experienced competition. Tropic Thunder also looked good in this preseason’s Rookies (’09) vs. Fresh Meat (’10) scrimmage. Following Kitty’s lead, these two young jammers could become key pieces of the Betties’ offense this season.

SEASON OUTLOOK

A superfan and a former champ will be running the bench for the Betties this season. Quickdraw takes the helm of his first team in 2010, joining Mia Culprit (ToRD vet and winner of The Boot in 2009 with Gores) as bench managers of this young team. The Betties open their season against the Gores and will be in tough against a team that looks poised to defend their championship. And while 2010 could end up as a rebuilding season for the Betties, with such a promising crop of rookies the foundations for a bright future seem to be in place.

See the full roster here.

For a visual preview of the season opener, watch layer 9’s coverage of ToRD’s 2009 championship game (Gores 128 vs. Betties 88).

Beast of the East 2010: Recap

Beast of the East 2010 Trophy

The pack-control evolution that entered the derby mainstream at last year’s WFTDA Nationals has made its way into Canadian roller derby. Starting at the Quad City Chaos in Toronto, it is becoming apparent that the team that controls the pack, controls the bout. It was obvious early on that this adage would hold true at BOE 2010 as well.

DOUBLE ELIMINATION

In terms of results, the opening bouts went as planned. One-sided victories by the three MTLRD teams and impressive performances by Thames Fatales and the Green Mountain Derby Dames were expected.  But the playing field was blown wide open with some unexpected performances. A new-look Death Row Dames, who were barely a presence in 2009, roared out of the gates in 2010 putting up 63 points against the Venus Fly Tramps, while GTA’s Derby Debutantes shocked cross-city rivals and defending ToRD champions Gore-Gore Rollergirls with a back-and-forth bout that the Gores eventually were able to rein in (43-22). And 2008 BOE champs, The Hamilton Harlots, could only put up 6 points against Les Filles du Roi in a surprisingly one-sided loss.

Eventually the Green Mountain Derby Dames and the three Montreal teams won their second bouts and advanced straight through to the quarters. The first major upset in 2010 came in an exciting (and controversial) bout between the Derby Debutantes and 2009 quarter finalists Death Track Dolls that saw the derby girls from GTA gain their first ever BOE victory 38-29.

In the third and final round of the Double Elimination bouts, Thames Fatales eliminated The Venys Fly Tramps, the Death Row Dames continued their impressive run with a 42-34 upset over the Chicks Ahoy which left the Gore-Gore Rollergirls (who eliminated the Harlots) as the sole remaining ToRD team. Tri-City’s Vicious Dishes ended the impressive run by the Derby Debutantes with a 52-14 victory.

QUARTER FINALS

La Racaille and Les Contrabanditas opened the quarter finals with victories to set up one all-Montreal semifinal, while Les Filles du Roi had their hands full against against a scrappy Thames Fatales team, who were the first team to put up a double-digit score against the defending Montreal champions. But the most thrilling bout of the quarter finals saw the Gore-Gore Rollergirls end Green Mountain’s BOE run with a 45-22 victory that seemed even closer than the final score indicated.

SEMIFINALS

La Racaille and Les Contrabanditas kicked off the semifinals with an absolutely amazing bout that featured some of the biggest hits and most controlled packs of the tournament. The traps that both these teams employed with ease early in the tournament were defended beautifully in this bout, with neither pack able to take any clear advantage.  In the end it was a late power jam taken advantage of by the Iron Wench that was the difference as La Racaille pulled away with a 69-46 victory.

The second semi-final pitted the defending champs from Montreal and Toronto (Les Filles du Roi and Gore-Gore Rollergirls respectively) against one another. The Gores’ jammers (Lunchbox, Bambi, and Dust Bunny) were the difference early on as they matched up well against FDR’s jammers, keeping things tight for the first five minutes. But it was the pack control of the Montreal team, led by pivots Jess Bandit and Lady J, that eventually was the difference, frustrating the Gores and leading to pack advantages and power jams for FDR. Les Filles made sure it would be an all Montreal final with a 65-1 victory.

Les Contrabanditas would defeat the Gore-Gore Rollergirls for the second time on the weekend to take third place (91-21).

MTLRD finishes 1,2,3

FINAL

16 teams, 2 days, 27 bouts and it came down to La Racaille and Les Filles du Roi. FDR essentially marched to the final never giving up more than 12 points or winning by less than 64, while La Racaille managed an astonishing shut out in the double elimination round, but did face a considerable challenge against the Ditas in the semifinals.

The final lived up to all expectations. These two extraordinary teams provided a highly fast-paced and hard hitting final. The Iron Wench was key again for La Racaille, even skating back-to-back jams at one point (and pulling off at least one bafflingly amazing strategic move that has to be seen to be believed), though she was admirably aided by Wrath Poutine and Lyn-dah Kicks. Smack Daddy was often used as a physical counter to the Iron Wench and Lil Mama provided some key strategic jams for FDR.

While neither pack could control the bout quite as it had throughout the weekend, pack control was once again the key. For FDR, Jess Bandit and Lady J continued to wear the stripe almost exclusively, and controlled their packs exceptionally well. K-Dawg, Striking Viking and Bone Machine countered for La Racaille, and the battles led by the pivots was extraordinary. In what could have been the turning point in the bout, Lady J led a brilliant pack defense on a power jam being skated by Lyn-dah Kicks, holding off the La Racaille jammer until Smack Daddy could reenter and force the call. After that Smack picked up 4 on a jam in which Wrath Poutine took a penalty. Jess Bandit slow-skated 4 points on the following power jam to strategically take a ton of time off the clock. La Racaille could only  chip away from that point on, with FDR holding on for a 36-20 victory and their first ever Beast of the East championship.

THE NERD’S PICKS

Jess Bandit: BOE 2010 MVP

MVP: Jess Bandit (FDR)

This was a tough call, with the Iron Wench continuing to be one of the best jammers in the game, and Ewan Wotarmy emerging as one of the best two-way players in Canada (though she got a lot of help on the Ditas from her triple-threat teammates Georgia W. Tush and Cheese Grater). But in a tournament all about pack control, FDR’s master pivot Jess Bandit led the way. She ran her pack with precision and ease throughout the weekend, all the while remaining calm and level headed. In the final, it was her ability to contain the Iron Wench that was a key component in holding La Racaille to only twenty points, while her ability to evade or break-up La Racaille’s formidable pack traps allowed her team to stay ahead of things after they established the lead.

Breakout Player: That’s What She Said (FDR)

Again, this one was tough to call. There were so many amazing performances this weekend by players who may not have yet drawn the attention of the derby masses. Killson proved to be an explosive jammer and was a key in Thames Fatales’ run to the quarterfinals, while Gore-Gore Rollergirls’ rookie Santa Muerte was a huge physical presence, and did her best to stymie Les Contrabanditas’ pack traps in their two bouts. K-Dawg was a standout wearing the stripe for La Racaille as well, and Ninja Simone looked comfortable up front for the Ditas. But it all came down to looking at the role  That’s What She Said played on the champion FDR. This rookie was one of the key jammers all weekend and didn’t flinch at being played in key moments against much more experienced jammers in the final against La Racaille. Look out for this jammer in 2010.

Death Row Dames: Breakout team at BOE 2010

Breakout Team: Hammer City’s Death Row Dames

GTA’s Derby Debutantes were the front runners for this early on; Thames Fatales and Green Mountain Derby Dames had amazing performances too, but in the end I thought Hammer City’s Dames were clearly deserving of this designation. After forming in the shadows of the great Hamilton Harlots (and in the wake of the Steel City Tank Girls), the Death Row Dames were completely overwhelmed in their debut at the 2009 Beast of the East. But after an off season shake-up (and picking up former ToRD standout Lock N Roll) the Dames entered this year’s tournament revitalized and refocused, and with a strong core of veteran players (including Bitchslap Barbie, Eduskating Rita, Mean Little Mama, Hozone Slayer, and Ivy Rupted just to name a few) this is a team that looks poised to continue their breakout throughout 2010.

A special thanks once again to MTLRD for putting on another extraordinary tournament (and one that ran completely on time!). All the footage was live boutcasted and has been archived here. For a high-def track-side seat, check out layer 9’s footage.

For a different perspective on the tournament, read Derby Luv’s excellent recap.

Beast of the East Preview (2)

BOE 2010 Poster

This past year has been a particularly important one in flat track roller derby: the sport has continued its evolution at a rapid pace, moving farther and farther away from its bank-track roots. The bouts played at last year’s WFTDA Nationals bore only a superficial resemblance to those first played earlier this past decade. At the 2009 WFTDA Nationals big hits and jammer sprints were, for the first time, overshadowed by pack strategies and positional control. Special-team situations (pack advantages/disadvantages and power jams) are playing a larger and larger role (as evidenced by Montreal’s dominant performance at the recent Quad City Chaos); teams are now better trained and better coached than they were before; raw athletic ability alone is no longer enough to be successful at the top level of  flat track roller derby. The third annual Beast of the East will undoubtedly continue this evolution here in Canada

THE COMPETITION

With fourteen returning teams at this year’s Beast of the East (including defending champion La Racaille), there will be a lot of familiar teams, and a lot of opportunities for revenge. The Riot Squad, the latest team from Rideau Valley, and the lone American team, Green Mountain Derby Dames out of Vermont, represent the newcomers. The RVRG had a fantastic 2009 that began with the Slaughter Daughters’ run to the quarter finals at BOE ’09 and led to the addition of the second home team and a travel team, The Vixens, who played their first bout at The Hangar in February. Green Mountain is not unfamiliar to Canadian derby playing three Canadian teams (including losses to the Slaughter Daughters and MTLRD’s Sexpos and a victory over the Derby Debutantes).

Teams representing ToRD, Montreal Roller Derby, The Tri-City Rollergirls, The Hammer City Roller Girls, and the stand-alone Derby Debutantes (the GTA Rollergirls) and Thames Fatales (Forest City Roller Girls) round out the sixteen team lineup.

OPENING ROUND

Toronto Roller Derby's Smoke City Betties

The only set matches are the opening matches of the first round. The BOE has 20 minute, double-elimination first round bouts, and is then sudden death from the quarter finals on. This year’s opening round bouts offer some fascinating match ups. The rebuilt Smoke City Betties and the Thames Fatales will kick off the tournament early Saturday morning in what could be a very entertaining bout. This year’s edition of The Betties features a very altered line up, and it remains to be seen how quickly this team can come together, but a tournament like the BOE provides a great opportunity to do so. The second bout features two former champions from Montreal and Toronto, the defending BOE champs La Racaille, and the Chicks  Ahoy! These two teams battled in a memorable first-round bout last year, and there is no reason to think that this year’s edition will be any different. The two rookie teams, Green Mountain and The Riot Squad, will have the great opportunity to gain valuable experience against each other. Tri-City’s Venus Fly Tramps and Hammer City’s Death Row Dames should provide even competition.

The second bracket will be a much more challenging one as it includes MTLRD champions, Les Filles du Roi; ToRD champs, Gore-Gore Rollergirls; Tri-City champs, Vicious Dishes; BOE ’08 champs and Hammer City champs, The Harlots; not to mention last year’s finalists Les Contrabanditas and the quarter finalist teams Death Track Dolls and Slaughter Daughters. Whichever teams manage to crawl out of this bracket could be at a disadvantage in the quarter finals.

Forest City's Thames Fatales

THE DERBY NERD PREDICTS

While I do think that there will some extraordinarily tight bouts in the opening round, the closest to an upset will be Thames Fatales’ victory over The Smoke City Betties. I won’t be surprised to see The Betties improving as the tournament goes on, but I think the veteran squad from Forest City will just be too organized: some of these girls have been playing together for a long time, while the Betties will just be beginning to search for their chemistry. The most exciting bouts will be a La Racaille victory over Chicks Ahoy and Les Filles du Roi over The Harlots.

I predict that the quarter finals will feature

(G21)La Racaille vs. The Death Track Dolls (La Racaille will take this rematch from last year’s quarters)

(G22) The Gore-Gore Roller Girls vs. The Chicks Ahoy! (Gores take this all ToRD match up in a tight one)

(G23) The Death Row Dames vs. Les Contrabanditas (Ditas return to the semi-final)

(G24) Les Filles du Roi vs. Thames Fatalles (Les Filles will guarantee that all three MTLRD teams are in the semis)

In what I predict will be the bout of the tournament, La Racaille will take a close one against The Gores in one semi final, while Les Filles will deny Les Ditas a return to the finals in the other. 2009 was almost a perfect year for Montreal’s Filles du Roi, an unbeaten season led to their regaining the league championship, and skaters had stand-out seasons on both of MTLRD’s travel teams; the only blemish on this otherwise perfect record was a BOE semi-final loss to eventual champion, La Racaille. In 2010, Le Filles will have their revenge.

THE DERBY NERD THINKS

The Derby Nerd predicts that Les Filles du Roi will win this year's BOE.

There could be a must-win, double-elimination bout between The Harlots and Les Contrabanditas (G19) that could be an exciting one. I also think that this round will see a tight bout between the evenly matched Slaughter Daughters and The Death Track Dolls.

A dark-horse pick is ToRD’s Gore-Gore Rollergirls. At last year’s BOE, The Gores looked amazing early and were one of the pre-tournament favourites. They managed an extraordinary 103 points in their opening bout before gaining solid victories over the Death Row Dames and Les Contrabanditas. Then a devastating injury to one of their key players would cause them to pull out. It remains to be seen if their depth at jammer can compete against the pack advantage of La Racaille and Les Filles, and if their own pack can stop La Racaille’s equally formidable jammers. But The Gores went on to complete 2009 unbeaten, leaving that one tantalizing “what if?” that could be answered this weekend.

Don’t agree? Look for me track side and convince me otherwise! See you all in Montreal.

Blocker Stats: A Look Back at 2008 (2)

ToRD's 2008 Championship Poster

While ToRD’s second season saw the Gore-Gore Rollergirls and Chicks Ahoy! put up impressive regular seasons and return to the championship bout once again, they by no means ran roughshod over the competition. Members of the Bay Street Bruisers, Death Track Dolls, and the Smoke City Betties all figured prominently in the 2008 blocker stats. While some of the DVAS had great seasons (including Mia Culprit, Seka Destroy and Betty Bomber, whose triple-threat potential became apparent in 2008), the responsibility was passed around much more; the numbers more evenly distributed. After dominating 2007, Lock N Roll  (now with the Dolls) followed up with another strong campaign, but it was her former Gores teammate Foxy Sinatra who put up the most consistent numbers,  leading the league in hits and knockdowns, while finishing tied for first in assists and fourth in knockdown %. The Chicks’ Dolly Destructo appears in all categories as well, while also picking up 8 JQ points as well. But after scoring a very high JQ in 2007, In 2008 Dolly Destructo would move clearly into the role of fearsome pack terrorizer that she maintains today.

ASSISTS

Blocker/Pivot	Assists
Monichrome (BSB)	24
Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	24
Lock N Roll (DTD)	18
Nasher the Smasher (CA!)	16
Spee Dee Ramone (DTD)	15
Candy Crossbones (CA!)	14
Kandy Barr (GGR)	13
Trashzilla (GGR)	13
Dolly Destructo (CA!)	12
BullNuts (GGR)	11

While the Gores and Chicks would rank seven skaters in the top ten in assists (which undoubtedly had a lot to do with the impressive jammer numbers by their teammates), it was the Bruisers’ Monichrome (now of the Dolls) who would lead in this category, putting up big totals pushing and giving arm whips. Candy Crossbones finishes sixth in this category while also putting up consistent jammer numbers for the second straight season.

HITS

Blocker/Pivot	Hits
Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	94
Dyna Hurtcha (SCB)	83
Lock N Roll (DTD)	75
Audrey Hellborn (DTD)	72
Jewel Kicker (SCB)	64
Mega Bouche (CA!)	62
BullNuts (GGR)	59
Miss Behaviour (SCB)	59
Dolly Destructo (CA!)	58
Golide Lock N Load (SCB)	57

Foxy Sinatra dominated this category, but the top skaters in this category tell a tale that is still being told today. In 2008 Dyna Hurtcha took the first steps toward becoming the force who would eventually help lead the Betties to a berth in  the finals in 2009; Audrey Hellborn emerged as one of the most feared hitters in the game; and the versatile Jewel Kicker showed that she was much more than just a (fantastic) jammer.

KNOCKDOWNS

Blocker/Pivot	KD
Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	38
Lock N Roll (DTD)	23
Audrey Hellborn (DTD)	21
Rebel Rock-It (BSB)	20
Dolly Destructo (CA!)	18
Dyna Hurtcha (SCB)	18
Coupe de Kill (GGR)	16
Monichrome (BSB)	16
Pretty Peeved (BSB)	16
Nasher the Smasher (CA!)	14

Foxy Sinatra ran away with this one too, registering a remarkable 15 more knockdowns than second place Lock N Roll. Lock and Audrey Hellborn proved to be a frightening duo for the Dolls in 2008, while the star pivot Rebel Rock-It, who now wears the stripe for the Chicks, led three of her Bruisers into the top ten.

KNOCKDOWN % (minimum 60 jams)

DVAS vs. Bruisers (August 9, 2008)

Blocker/Pivot	KD %
Kandy Barr (GGR)	72
Pretty Peeved (BSB)	50
Sue Deuce (SCB)	48
Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	40
Rebel Rock-It (BSB)	37
Dolly Destructo (CA!)	31.03
Monichrome (BSB)	30.77
Lock N Roll (DTD)	30.67
Wyld Wench (BSB)	30.56
Audrey Hellborn (DTD)	29

Kandy Barr may not have thrown as many hits as some of her counterparts in 2008, but when she did, her opponents certainly felt it being knocked down a remarkable 72% of the times that she hit them. But this is not to diminish the impressive numbers of Sue Deuce and especially of Pretty Peeved (now of the Betties) who finished with an impressive 50% despite throwing almost twice as many hits as Kandy Barr. Members of five of the six ToRD teams were ranked in the top ten in this category, rounding out a well balanced season in terms of hitting and blocking.

We’re only one week away from The Beast of the East! A full preview of the tournament will begin on Tuesday.

Blocker Stats: A look back at 2007 (2)

ToRD 2007 Championship Poster

In hockey they say that offense wins games; defense wins championships. In roller derby, you could say something similar: jammers win games; packs win championships.

Looking back at the blocker stats from ToRD’s 2007 season, the prevalence of members of the Chicks Ahoy! and the Gore-Gore Rollergirls speaks to the dominance of the two teams. The Gores’ Lock N Roll would prove to be the most dominant blocker in ToRD’s first full season, registering in the top ten in all four major categories including leading in total assists (19), and coming second in both total hits (109) and knockdowns (25). Her value to the Gores was evident also in the fact that she was on the track for 63% of her team’s total track time.

ASSISTS

Blocker	Assists
1. Lock N Roll (GGR)	19
1. Kinky K (DTD)	19
3. Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	18
4. Bones Brigade (DTD)	12
4. Midnight Snatch (DTD)	12
6. Nasher the Smasher (CA!)	10
7. Monichrome (BSB)	9
7. Tara Part (CA!)	9
7. Aimme Zing (CA!)	9
7. Rated R (DVAS)	9

The number of assists reflects a blocker/pivot’s total of whips, pushes and bulldozers. A couple of Gores held the top of the list, but the bottom half was dominated by the Chicks and Death Track Dolls. A lot of these names would become well known to ToRD fans in the coming seasons, with the Chicks blockers forming a sold core that continues to exits (for the most part) in 2010.

HITS

Blocker	Hits
1. Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	121
2. Lock N Roll (GGR)	109
3. Brimstone Cowgirl (GGR)	103
4. Bones Brigade (DTD)	91
5. Tara Part (CA!)	69
5. Mia Culprit (DVAS)	69
7. Sierra Hotel (CA!)	62
7. Junkie Jenny (GGR)	62
9. Chili Diablo (BSB)	61
10. Aimee Zing (CA!)	59

The amazing positional blocking and hitting of the Gores showed in the total hits category as they managed to lock up the top three spots. Brimstone Cowgirl makes her only appearance in these stats, but it’s a name that will become synonymous with solid blocking and confident pack leadership in ToRD. Tara Part had a solid showing too, part of a very consistent year for the Chicks’ blocker. The Gores’ Foxy Sinatra really ran away with this category, laying out more than double the number of hits than tenth place Aimee Zing.

KNOCKDOWNS

Blocker	Knockdowns
1. Chili Diablo (BSB)	26
2. Lock N Roll (GGR)	25
3. Dolly Destricto (CA!)	22
3. Foxy Sinatra (GGR)	22
5. Mega Mouth (CA!)	17
6. Mia Culprit (DVAS)	16
6. Midnight Snatch (DTD)	16
8. Sierra Hotel (CA!)	15
9.  Tara Part (CA!)	14
9. Nasher the Smasher (CA!)	14

While the Gores may have had more overall hits, the Chicks laid the most bodies down on the track accounting for five of the top ten spots in total knockdowns. Dolly Destructo, who also had a sold year jamming, shows up here, proving herself to be on of the most versatile ToRD players of 2007.  Mia Culprit made sure that the DVAS had representation in these stats also, showing up in three of the four categories.

KNOCKDOWN %*

Blocker	KD %
1. Chili Diablo (BSB)	43%
2. Midnight Snatch (DTD)	36%
3. BlacknBlue Barbie (DTD)	32%
4. Mega Mouth (CA!)	30%
5. Nasher the Smasher (CA!)	25%
6. Sierra Hotel (CA!)	24%
6. Creepella (CA!)	24%
8. Lock N Roll (GGR)	23%
8. Mia Culprit (DVAS)	23%
10. Tara Part (CA!)	20%
10. Coupe de Kill (GGR)	20%

*minimum 45 jams as pivot / blocker

Gore-Gore Rollergirls vs. Chicks Ahoy! in ToRD's 2007 championship bout.

The 0-3 Bay Street Bruisers’ Chili Diablo takes her second category, while two Dolls round out the top three. But once again the Chicks flexed their collective muscle in this category; of the five girls in green represented, Nasher the Smasher and Mega Mouth put up the biggest knockdown percentages showing that despite all of the changes ToRD has gone through in the three years since its inaugural season, some things have stayed the same.

2008 stats are on their way; Beast of the East review/preview still to come too.

Word on the track

Ewan Wotarmy lines up Lady Gagya; Rebel Rock-It attempts to cut through the pack (New Skids on the Block vs. CN Power 03/27/10)

MONTREAL HOTTEST TEAM IN  WFTDA?

In a Quad City Chaos preview I’d speculated that Montreal’s New Skids on the Block may have been the hottest WFTDA team in 2010. I was basing my statement on the fact that after opening 2010 with 2 tough losses to highly ranked WFTDA teams, the Skids have won their final five bouts by huge margins (not to mention a couple of one-sided victories against non-WFTDA teams). So, with all that in mind, are the Skids really the hottest WFTDA skaters in 2010?

According to the numbers on  flattrackstats.com (WFTDA points and 0verall rankings), there are four teams in the running, but I’m not going to count the Oly Rollers because their biggest leap in points actually occurred at the 2009 WFTDA Nationals (even if only reflected in the opening standings of 2010). So that leaves Montreal against the Bellingham Roller Betties and the Slaughter County Roller Vixens. In terms of point differential (flattrack stats uses a very precise, complicated and fascinating algorithm to determine its points; you can read all about it here), Slaughter County has made the greatest leap in 2010 (75.55 points). This is only slightly higher than Bellingham’s 65.89 point leap and Montreal’s 62.88 point leap. What is important to note though, is how each team’s ranking has changed. Bellingham has only moved 3 spots from 72nd to 69th overall (and upon further inspection, did so based not on their own victories, but on the losses of others). Similarly, while Slaughter County had the biggest points increase, they only  jumped 13 spots (70th -57th), and they too relied upon the losses of others (and their own losses to highly ranked teams), and one big victory over Central Coast. In terms of rankings, Montreal is the clear winner in this category, jumping a remarkable 24 spots so for in 2010 (from 58th to 34th, and 13th to 8th in the Eastern Region). More importantly, they did so based not on the misfortunes of other teams, but on the strength of their own victories. So what had begun as simple hyperbole, has turned out to be true: Montreal’s New Skids on the Block are indeed the hottest team in WFTDA.

(Check here for a recap of the Skids’ recent 3 game, east coast road trip).

OLY ROLLERS APPROACH ANOTHER LANDMARK

Speaking of hot teams! With their 170-119 victory over 11th ranked Madison, the top ranked defending WFTDA champion Oly Rollers took one more step toward a big record with their 14th consecutive WFTDA sanctioned victory. They are now only 4 wins away from Gotham‘s record of 18 strait victories; a two-year streak that ended last year. (The DNN roundup of Oly’s victory also includes a very good recap of the Hammer City-hosted WFTDA sanctioned bout between the Eh! Team and the New Skids on the Block prior to The Quad City Chaos.)

MEN’S ROLLER DERBY???

Although men’s bouts have been happening since the start of derby’s modern revival, and random teams having been popping up all over the place (including Western Canada), for the first time an organized league has been formed. The Men’s Derby Coalition (MDC) (featuring teams in Baltimore, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts) kicked off play on March 27th, 2010. (The Derby News Network provides a great season preview.)

DERBY SISTERS KICK OFF REGULAR SEASON EARLY

While most eastern Canadian leagues kick off their home leagues in May, the Tri-City Roller Girls are starting their season pre Beast of the East this year, on April 10th, with a bout between defending champs The Vicious Dishes and their Tri-City rivals The Venus Fly Tramps. Both teams will be looking to get some important game-practice in leading up to BOE 2010.

COMING SOON:

Look for a look back at Beast of the East ’09, a preview of BOE ’10, and team previews for the upcoming ToRD season.

Quad City Chaos Preview: Terminal City All Stars

For most derby fans here in the east, the Terminal City Roller Girls are an unknown quantity; unfortunately, the same goes for the Derby Nerd. But I’ve got scouts working out west and have been watching my fair share of video to prepare this Terminal City primer for all the fans at Quad City Chaos. Part of the original wave of derby growth in Canada in 2006, Terminal City has grown into a well established three-team league. The play widely in western Canada, but also south of the border where they’ve earned their cred playing some of the finest derby teams on the left coast (including representatives from the Oly Rollers and Rat City). Last year, Bad Reputations took the TCRG league championship against the Riot Squad (Faster Pussycats rounds out the competition in the league).

THE TERMINAL CITY ALL STARS
Bouts: Vs. Toronto’s CN Power (2pm on the 27th); Vs. Montreal’s New Skids on the Block (6:30pm on the 27th); Vs. Hamilton’s The Eh! Team (3:30pm on the 28th).

Starting up front, expect to see Tiki Timebomb and Bustylicious spend their fair share of time wearing the stripe and leading the way, with pack support from big hitter Barra Couga, Shift Kicker, and Sissy Straight-edge, while LA Gunns supplies  assists for her jammers, 8-Mean Wheeler holds the line. Expect triple threats Luludemon and former “most feared” award winner Lucrushya Boardya to also have a big impact in the tournament.

The Terminal City All Stars look as if they also have a lot of depth at jammer with many girls able to step up and wear the star. The champion Bad Reputations will be well represented at the jam line lead by veteran skater RollerGirl. Look for her to share duties with former rookie of the year Avi Hater, Lamb Baste-her (who can also provide some solid hitting), Collide-O-Scope Kid, and Booty Quake.

THE DERBY NERD THINKS

They’ll need top performances from all of those potential jammers to match up with the depth of jammers in the tournament, particularly from the New Skids, but they’ll also need to be willing to be defensive against the aggressive jammers from CN Power. In the pack they’re going to need to maintain the scrappiness and persistent aggression that they’ll face against the Eh! Team, but keep control of things against the the Skids’ tight packs and CN Power’s active pivots.

THE DERBY NERD PREDICTS

The Derby Nerd picked victories for the other teams against the Terminal City All Stars, but honestly the Terminal City skaters could very easily come east, pull an Oly Rollers and completely dominate the whole tournament. Like the Derby News Network says, watching video “aint at all like being there!”, so earlier predictions were based on video comparisons, which just don’t cut it. What I can safely predict, is that this is going to be an amazing and competitive tournament featuring the highest level of roller derby yet seen in Canada.

ROSTER

(Jersey number and club team in parentheses)

Avi Hater (747 Riot Girls), Barra Couga (25 & Under  Bad Reputations), Booty Quake (8.0 Bad Reputations), Bustylicious (33 Riot Girls), Collide-O-Scope Kid (3 Bad Reputations), 8-Mean Wheeler (18 Faster Pussycats),  LA Gunns (0.45 Bad Reputations), Lamb Baste-Her (K0 Bad Reputations), Lucrushya Boardya (4 Riot Girls), Luludemon (44 Riot Girls), RollerGirl (77 Bad Reputations), Roxie Hardknox (16 Riot Girls), Shift Kicker (27 Faster Pussycats), Sissy Straight-edge (2 Faster Pussycats), Tiki TimeBomb (3.2.1 Faster Pussycats)

Quad City Chaos Preview: The Eh! Team

This should be a huge year for Hammer City. The Eh! Team is currently ranked 17th in WFTDA‘s North Central division, and look to move forward from there. The experience they will gain and the quality of competition they will face will undoubtedly expedite their growth.  They opened 2010 with a tough loss against The Fort Wayne Derby Girls Bomb Squad, but will only get stronger as the year progresses. Like the Skids, their roadtrip featured a fairly lean roster, so they’ll have a lot of skaters eager for action at the Quad City Chaos.

THE EH! TEAM

Games: Vs. ToRD’s CN Power (4:30pm ont he 27th); Vs. Vancouver’s Terminal City All Stars (3:30pm on the 28th).

Up front , The Eh! Team is going to need to make sure that they keep their packs tight and quick. Look for the solid Perky Set and Judge Jodie to be leading the way pivoting, but it will be imperative that the big hitters in the pack like Ivy Rupted, Haykeye Pierce, Eduskating Rita, and Dicey keep things together and make sure that they stay unified in their defense.  Expect Bitchslap Barbie to throw more than her fair share of shoulders and hips around the track. Also watch for the return to The Hangar of former ToRD standout Lock N Roll, who will certainly be relied upon for her blocking abilities and could potentially run a few jams as pivot.

The workhorse Carla Coma and the speedy Vicadoom twill take the jam line as the Eh! Team’s 1-2 punch, but you can expect scrappy jams from the tough-as-nails Mean Little Momma and the fearless Dicey too. It will be key for Hammer City’s jammers to hold their own against the opposing jammers, including stepping up defensively when necessary.

THE DERBY NERD THINKS

The Eh! Team will need to keep an active pack if they want to succeed at Quad City, and that means keeping things tight and maintaining a physical level of play. They’ll also have to follow the lead of their pivots and help their jammer when needed. While the Hammer City girls can hold a mean line, they’ll also need to be sure that they aren’t getting beaten to the outside. Their jammers will be relied upon defensively too and will need to take an active role in neutralizing the opposing jammers.

THE DERBY NERD PREDICTS

1-2 and third place in the tournament. Things could get tough for Hammer City; they have to contend with a fired-up CN Power in front of their home crowd, and Montreal has far more bouts under their belts at this point in 2010 and could be a step or two in front of everyone because of this. The Eh! Team will be hungry for a victory by the end though, and are bound to take out their frustrations against the Terminal City All Stars.

THE ROSTER

(Jersey numbers and club teams in parentheses)

Bitchslap Barbie (98 Hamilton Harlots), Boom Boom Betty (31 HamiltonHarlots), Carla Coma (621 Hamilton Harlots), Chainsaw Mary (NC17 Hamilton Harlots), Cut Off (706 Death Row Dames), Dicey (905 Hamilton Harlots), Eduskating Rita (2009), Hawkeye Fierce (4077 Hamilton Harlots), Hozone Slayer (Death Row Dames HO3), Ivy Rupted (4 Death Row Dames), Jett Girl (15 Hamilton Harlots), Judge Jodie (67 Hamilton Harlots), Little Red Rollerhood (7 Death Row Dames), Lock N Roll (00), Mean Little Mama (0 Death Row Dames), Miss Carriage (33 Death Row Dames), Perky Set (3 Hamilton Harlots), Snuffette (822 Hamilton Harlots), Tori Nado (8 Death Row Dames), Vicadoom (420 Hamilton Harlots)

Quad City Chaos Preview: New Skids on the Block

Montreal’s New Skids on the Block have certainly been the busiest team in Canada in 2010, and just may be the hottest team in WFTDA! Having played in a number of games south of the border this year, the skaters are coming to Toronto in game shape. They’ve just returned from an east coast road trip that saw them go 3-0 making some pretty good competition look pretty bad. According to flattrackstats.com, their current winning streak has them sitting in 8th place in WFTDA’s Eastern Region, a huge leap from 13th where they started the year. Needless to say, this is a very good team with very few weaknesses. To make matters worse for the competition at Quad City, the Skids only carried an 11 person roster on their road trip, meaning they’ll have plenty of fresh faces for the tournament.

NEW SKIDS ON THE BLOCK

Games: Vs. Vancouver’s Terminal City All Stars (6:30pm on the 27th); Vs. ToRD’s CN Power (1pm on the 28th).

The New Skids on the Block are making quite a name for themselves by their ability to handle a pack, and who’s going to argue with players like Smack Daddy, Trash ‘N Smash, Nameless Whorror, Bone Machine, Wrath Poutine, Jess Bandit…well you get the idea. This is not a pack to take lightly. There is power, skill and depth up front and it will take a huge effort by an opposing pivot to wrestle control away from them. Word on the track is that key veteran Beater Pan Tease has been nursing a knee injury that caused her to sit out the recent round trip. Although her name is penciled into the roster, it remains to be seen how much of a role she will have at Quad City. For the fan’s sake, let’s hope she’s healed up and ready to go.

There is no less depth at jammer on this team. Led by the phenomenal Iron Wench, the Skids will undoubtedly rotate Georgia W. Tush, Izzy Skellington,  Ewan Wotarmy, and Romeo at the jam line, but don’t be surprised to see some of the blockers mentioned above (and even some who haven’t been!) get a shot with a star. This is a diverse, well-organized team that can mix it up positionally based on the situation.

THE DERBY NERD THINKS

Their jammer’s ability to neutralize the other team’s jammer will be key.These are jammers who can mix it up with other jammers and even blockers if needs be, but they also have the endurance to out pace a pack. But despite the unbelievable depth at jammer, victory in this tournament will be based on the Skids’ pack control. Their ability to trap blockers and pace packs will be what separates them from the competition.

THE DERBY NERD PREDICTS

The Skids will go undefeated in the tournament and take first over all, but it won’t be easy. While I don’t think the Skids are invincible (and The Eh! Team was within spitting distance in a bout against them last year, losing by only 4 points), they are simply too hot right now. They have burst out of the gates in 2010 and have been playing a lot of games against some solid competition, so I think they are ahead of the other teams in terms of game-readiness.

THE ROSTER

(Jersey number and club team in parentheses)

Beater Pan-Tease (1976 Les Filles du Roi),  Bone Machine (1111 La Racaille), Cheese Grater (289 Contrabanditas), Ewan Wotarmy (7734 Les Contrabanditas), Georgia W Tush (Contrabanditas), Iron Wench (516 La Racaille), Izzy Skellington (182, La Racaille), Jess Bandit (8 Les Filles du Roi), Lady J (86), Lyn-dah Kicks (75 La Racaille), No Holds Bard (2X4 La Racaille), Romeo (222 Les Filles du Roi), Smack Daddy (3X Les Filles du Roi), Trash N’ Smash (1.18 Contrabanditas), Karla Shnikov (AK 47 Contrabanditas), Lil Mama (2 Les Filles du Roi), Nameless Whorror (202 Les Filles du Roi), Rae Volver (38 Les Filles du Roi), Wrath Poutine (30 La Racaille)

Beater Pan-Tease (1976 Les Filles du Roi),  Bone Machine   (1111  ), Cheese Grater (289), (Ewan Wotarmy 7734 Les Contrabanditas), Georgia W Tush (Contrabanditas), Iron Wench (516 La Racaille), Izzy Skellington (182, La Racaille), Jess Bandit (8), Lady J (86), Lyn-dah Kicks (75), No Holds Bard (2X4), Romeo (222 Les Filles du Roi), Smack Daddy (3X Les Filles du Roi), Trash N’ Smash (Contrabanditas), Karla Shnikov (AK 47), Lil Mama (2), Nameless Whorror  (202), Rae Volver (38), Wrath Poutine (30 La Racaille)

Word on the Track

Cardinal Skate Co.

The Derby Nerd can’t be about stats all the time ( at least not until the regular seasons when there actually are stats all the time…), and even though ToRD’s regular season hasn’t started yet, everyone knows that the roller derby season never really ends.

NEW DERBY RETAIL OUTLET

Toronto finally has its first roller derby retail outlet! Cardinal Skate Co. opened its doors this weekend in Bloor West Village, and it features the physical manifestation of the popular roller derby web shop Rollerbug.com. I popped by the stylish little shop on Friday night and it was amazing to walk into a store and see a wall lined with derby skates. Stop by to show your support! Tell all your friends!

FAN”S CHOICE SCRIMMAGE

ToRD hosted its third preseason scrimmage on Saturday evening. It was another well attended and entertaining affair with only one difference: a closely contested bout between two evenly matched teams. The first 32 fans in attendance were given either a black or a white tee; twenty minutes before the bout was to begin, the fans were instructed to give the tee to the roller girl of their choice. Team Black, made up by a lot of ToRD players, quickly gelled and had doubled up Team White by the end of the first half. In the second half  White, made up of a lot of visiting skaters and ToRD rookies, finally came together and poured it on, eventually winning 101-92.

There were a lot of great showings from members of ToRD’s 2010 rookie class, and some of the skaters from sister leagues continue to put up impressive showings in these scrimmages. Thames Fatale‘s Mirambo looked great playing in only her second scrimmage since returning from a long stay on the injury reserve. Her Forest City leaguemate Killson dominated the second half from the jam line, putting up a lot of White ‘s 70 second-half points. Tri City‘s Barleigh Legal laid down some huge hits for White and was another key in the comeback.

TOURNAMENT UPDATE:

ToRD is still playing coy about its upcoming tournament (March 27-28), but word on the track is that four travel teams will be playing a round robin tournament beginning Saturday afternoon and continuing into Sunday evening. One guarantee is that the derby will be amazing: CN Power will be hosting The Terminal City All Stars (Vancouver), Hammer City‘s Eh! Team (Hamilton), and Montreal‘s New Skids on the Block, arguably, the four best teams in the country. Considering that The New Skids and the Eh! Team are the only two WFTDA ranked teams in Canada, this tournament provides a great opportunity for CN Power to see how it stacks up against some of the best competition on the continent.

Look for a full tournament preview (including possible lineups!) early next week.

PS: SPEAKING OF WFTDA…

Recently, there have been a few major blowouts stateside, including  a ridiculous 409-22 Charm City victory over River City (March 14th), and an amazing 305-31 Rocky Mountain victory over Bellingham. Anyone know what the WFTDA record is for total points / margin of victory?