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).

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.

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)

Quad City Chaos Preview: CN Power

The Quad City Chaos is a four team round robin style tournament that will be played over the 27th and 28th of March at The Hangar. It will feature four of the best roller derby rosters in Canada, the all star teams from the leagues in Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Vancouver. The complete schedule can be found here. I’m going to start my four part Quad City Chaos preview with, who else? The hosts, Toronto’s CN Power.

CN POWER

Games: Vs. Vancouver‘s Terminal City All Stars (2pm on the 27th); Vs. Hamilton’s Eh! Team (4:30pm on the 27th); Vs. Montreal’s New Skids on the Block (1pm on the 28th).

CN Power kicked off 2010 with a lopsided victory over the scrappy Rideau Valley Vixens, exactly the kind of confidence booster that this squad needed after an uneven 2009. The 2010 version of CN Power looks focused and organized, and they’ll need both given the nature of the competition in this tournament.

The key to the victory over the Vixens was an uncontainable early onslaught by three of ToRD‘s top jammers, Lunchbox, Land Shark, and 2009 Jammer of the Year Defecaitlin (AKA: Dust Bunny). I don’t see CN Power veering too much from that strategy this this weekend, and the return of Bambi to the lineup will give them the depth that they will need as the weekend progresses. Over the course of the tournament, keep an eye out for jams from Betty Bomber, Memphis Kitty, 2009 rookie of the year Kari Mia Beere, and Marvel S. Maven, the standout sophomore who had an amazing 100% lead percentage in the bout against the Vixens.

Hit for hit, CN Power can go shoulder to hip with any team in the country. With the likes of Mega Mouth (AKA: Mega Bouche), Nasher the Smasher, Hoff, Lady Gagya and Dolly Destructo throwing hits, there will be no shortage of toughness on this squad. The return to the line up of 2009 Triple Threat winner Dyna Hurtcha will make up for the loss of Seka Destroy, who was excellent in her CN Power debut against the Vixens. Another big hitter, Jubilee, also has returned to ToRD after a year-long hiatus and will be making her 2010 CN Power debut at the tournament.

While they will need top jamming and big hitting to match up against Terminal City and The Eh! Team, in the key Sunday afternoon bout against The New Skids, CN Power will need to wrestle control of the pack from the pack-masters from Montreal; that means pivots Brim Stone, Rebel Rock-It , and Mach Wheels will need to control a tight pack when the stripe’s on their helmets. Also the consistency and calming influence of veteran Demolition Dawn will go a long way over the course of the grueling weekend. Look for sophomore skater Panty Hoser (who was also solid in her CN Power debut) to get some very important experience leading her pack.

THE DERBY NERD THINKS

Laying down the law early will be key for ToRD. It was the quick, efficient rotation of  ToRD’s top three jammers early on in the bout against the Vixens that sealed the deal in the season opener and they will need to establish that presence at Quad City. Also, keeping calm in the pack against the relentless grinding of the Hammer City girls and the shifty play making of the Skids will be key. This is going to be a long two days, so rotating the line up to keep everyone fresh and  limiting opposing power jams by staying out of the penalty box will be keys.

THE DERBY NERD PREDICTS

A close, early win over Terminal City will give CN Power the confidence they’ll need to pull off an upset victory over the WFTDA ranked Eh! Team (giving them some much needed revenge after a tough loss in 2009); unfortunately,  I don’t think things will go as well against the powerhouse Skids on Sunday, leaving the hosts with a second place finish. But let’s hope that CN Power proves me wrong!

ROSTER (with jersey number and club teams in parantheses)

Bambi (33, Gore-Gore Rollergirls), Betty Bomber (23 Death Track Dolls), Brim Stone (21:8 Gore-Gore Rollergirls), Defecaitlin (2 Gore-Gore Rollergirls), Demolition Dawn (36 Death Track Dolls), Dolly Destructo (e^[pii] Chicks Ahoy), Dyna Hurtcha (21, Chicks Ahoy!), Hoff (65 Chicks Ahoy), Jubilee (27 Death Track Dolls), Kari Mia Beere (06 Chicks Ahoy), Lady Gag-ya (212 Gore-Gore Rollergirls), Land Shark (1/3 Death Track Dolls), Lunchbox (7-11 Gore-Gore Rollergirls), Mach Wheels (V12 Chicks Ahoy), Marvel S. Maven (22 Chicks Ahoy), Mega Mouth (26er Chicks Ahoy), Memphis Kitty (56 Smoke City Betties), Nasher the Smasher (2by4 Chicks Ahoy), Panty Hoser (99, Death Track Dolls), Rebel Rock-It (7 Chicks Ahoy).

Bambi (33, Gore-Gore Rollergirls)
Betty Bomber (Death Track Dolls)
Brim Stone (21:8 Gore-Gore Rollergirls)
Defecaitlin (7 Gore-Gore Rollergirls)
Demolition Dawn (36 Death Track Dolls)
Dolly Destructo (e^[pii] Chicks Ahoy)
Dyna Hurtcha (Chicks Ahoy!)
Hoff (65 Chicks Ahoy)
Jubilee (Death Track Dolls)
Kari Mia Beere (06 Chicks Ahoy)
Lady Gag-ya (212 Gore-Gore Rollergirls)
Landshark (Death Track Dolls)
Lunchbox (1/3 Gore-Gore Rollergirls)
Mach Wheels (V12 Chicks Ahoy)
Marvel S. Maven (22 Chicks Ahoy)
Mega Mouth (26er Chicks Ahoy)
Memphis Kitty (Smoke City Betties)
Nasher the Smasher (2by4 Chicks Ahoy)
Panty Hoser (24, Death Track Dolls)
Rebel Rock-It (7 Chicks Ahoy)

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?

The Jammer Quotient

The JQ is a statistical comparison of jammers based on their rankings in five categories. The maximum JQ a jammer can receive is 50. The table below illustrates the evaluation of a JQ for the February 27th bout between ToRD’s CN Power and the Rideau Valley Vixens (only the top 5 are shown)*.

Jammer	Total Points	Points Per Jam	Plus/ Minus	Jam %	Lead %	JQ
Lunchbox (CNP)	48 (9)	4.36 (9)	+36 (9)	23.4 (8)	72.7 (9)	44
Land Shark CNP)	53 (10)	3.78 (7)	+45 (10)	29.7 (9)	57.1 (7)	43
Defecaitlin (CNP)	45 (8)	4.5 (10)	+29 (8)	21.2 (6)	70 (8)	40
Marvel S. Maven (CNP)	25 (7)	4.16 (8)	+20 (7)	12.7 (3)	100 (10)	35
Soul Rekker (RVV)	19 (6)	1.18 (4)	-35 (5)	34 (10)	50 (6)	31

CN Power’s Lunchbox received the highest JQ. Interestingly, she didn’t actually lead in any of the five categories but placed second in four and third in the fifth (the numbers in brackets designate the ranking points, 10 for first place, etc). So for this bout, consistency was rewarded, as I imagine it always will be. Overall, all of the CN Power jammers had their way with the Vixens; despite a huge effort by Soul Rekker, the difference was in the jammers. The game was essentially over after the fourth jam when Defecaitlin (that’s Dust Bunny to all you Gore Gore fans) skated to a double grand slam and more than doubled the lead to 19-2.

This particular example doesn’t provide ideal data for a number of reasons. For one, it’s just one game, and there were only eight skaters who jammed a statically significant amount of times (I cut it off at 6 jams). The more data available, the more accurate the JQ, so during ToRD’s regular season, the teams will play enough games and get in enough jams to make a much more accurate judge of the statistical significance a jammer has to her team.

The data in this example are also skewed heavily in CN Power’s favour given the one-sided nature of the bout (199-49). I wouldn’t expect such high JQs over an extended period of time or among a much more even playing field. .

In the next post I’ll look at each category in more detail and justify the decision to include it.

* These stats are unofficial and are based on post bout analysis of video shot by Layer9.

Introducing The Derby Nerd

Lady Gagya makes some space for Land Shark.

Like any other sport, you need to watch a lot of roller derby to really understand it. But it doesn’t take too long for all of that violent frenzy to turn into something a lot more coherent. For me it happened in Montreal during a La Racaille game. I know that because I clearly remember the moment, seeing the extraordinary Iron Wench cutting her way through a pack, grabbing jerseys, accepting assists, dodging shoulders. It was at that moment when I realized that all of the chaos was actually quite orchestrated.

It’s been a few years now since a sudden surge of roller derby in Canada saw teams emerge in Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, and other cities very soon after. We’ve gotten to the point now where the sport in Canada (at its very best) has developed to nearly the highest levels. It’s an exciting time to be a derby fan, and things just seem to keep looking up.

Almost as soon as I had my moment of derby clarity, my sports brain took over and I started to think of different ways to statistically compare the jammers. After a few false starts, I eventually developed something that I’ve been calling “The Jammer Quotient” or JQ. Its inspiration is varied, but basically it gives points to jammers based on their rankings in five different categories (total points, points per jam, plus/minus, jam %, and lead %). The top jammer in each category gets 10 points, the second 9, the third 8, etc (some fantasy sports players may recognize this points system). It might sound complicated, but it all adds up to one simple number between 10 and 50.

I’m working on a practice JQ comparison based on CN Power’s resounding 199-49 victory over the Rideau Valley Vixens on February 27^th. A one game analysis isn’t ideal, especially a bout so one sided, but it’ll make for a good practice run.

I’ll post it shortly.

coming soon: The Derby Nerd

the scores, the stats, the stories