Chilled to the Bone preview

Dec 11, 2018 | Bout News

December. It’s time to wrap the gifts AND the windows in cellophane.

December. Time to slow down on the roads and time to burrow someplace warm. We recommend the well-heated Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

December. it’s time for the red and green teams in roller derby’s finest league to play one another.*

Let’s get to it.

Previously…

The Rockits roared to their first win of the Golden Skate season, topping the ABS 230-118. Meanwhile, the Garda Belts overtook an early lead by the Dagger Dolls and took the victory 155-130.

Rockits (1-0) vs Garda Belts (1-0)

YES, this month the Rockits and Gardas have their traditional holiday-colored bout…but this one will give an opportunity to go ahead for one team.

The Rockits are well ahead in the standings after one game (a win and +112 point differential) in the all-important rankings for the hometeam trophy. Another win will lift them to a score that it’ll be hard to beat. (the team in first place after the round-robin plays the 4th-seed in the semis- in February).

The Gardas, up one win with +25 point gain can even up the point differential with a significant win and set up well for their last game. They’ve got a bigger mountain to climb, but a 44-point victory will put them in first with one game to go and a win in hand.

The unstoppable forces of Switch Please and Ida Sockher

The Gardas have six (!) players that jammed more than a few against the Dolls. Last game, the stars of the show were Switch Please and Ida SockHer. We’ve talked at length about the Switch Beast, but don’t overlook Ida. Ida only jammed six times, but scored 43 points – including 25 against no less than itchesbetrippin’ of the Dagger Dolls. Switch took 29 against Kung Pow. The Rockits can’t let their jammers get stuck; these two will just keep lapping the teams and scoring all the points.

RockitPod 1 IS GO

Just about all of the Rockits had a phenomenal game in November…but if you want to watch a group of four in their prime, look no further than Hater Tot, Whacks Poetic, Surly Bird, and Brutal Brit. This Rockit pack (Pod 1) held back the ABS jammers all night long, allowing no more than 17 points over 11 jams (about a third of the game). They protected their own, they don’t get penalties, they play together…these four are going to stop you.

Two more to watch out for

YzerSlam: Watch for this new Garda blocker on the scene. Green #1983 is no green** rookie; slam’s been playing for four years now on the east coast. She’s been put into a limited number of lines as the Gardas work out where she blocks best…but Garda fans should get ready for another new favorite.
Oh-No-It’s-Jacked Pipes: Ever since the former All-Star made her way to the Rockit launch pad, Jacked Pipes has continued to take every blocker’s worst…and come out scoring. Pipes – now in her sophmore year as a Rockit – went 7-for-9 leads against the formidable ABS defense. Scoring 71 points in November, that’s almost eight points for every jam she put on the jammer cover.

Atomic Bombshells (0-1) vs The Dagger Dolls (0-1)

This is a bout where both teams want that essential first win of the tournament. Both teams have had a lot of turnover in the past year, and both teams are sporting jammers that can put up the points.

Of the four teams, the ABS are – for now – sitting in last (-112 on the point differential, no wins) and will be tested against the Dagger Dolls (-25, no wins). The two teams put up similar scores in November. The Dolls took fewer penalties, while the ABS has more clutch jammers. Let’s review.

Let’s talk ABS jamming

The Bombshells have never wanted for quality jammers, and this year’s no different. Homo Erratic (Rat), Lazy Susan, Wheelie Nelson, and Peppers all scored more than 20 points in the November bout. Rat in particular had a phenomenal game, pulling 26 points in a handful of jams she started herself…then pulling double-duty in the second half and taking star passes as a pivot.

Dolls for the block

We spend a lot of time talking about the jammers in roller derby, but some of the best work gets done by the blocking staff where – quietly – a jammer gets stopped and sometimes no one knows why it happened.

Minnesota’s crack stats team knows, so let’s call out a few of those on the Doll Staff that keep their opponents from scoring. Pink #60 (BB-SK8)? She’s amazing; Dolls only let 19 points through when she was on the track last month. Mischief Managed (#394)*** pulls double as blocker and jammer and helped her team score significantly more when on the track as a blocker. And Doll fans, you already know Duggy (Pink #981). When she’s wearing pivot? That might not be great for the Bombshells as well…

Final program notes

Need tickets? Get advance tickets at a festive discount through these ticket outlets.
Getting there early? The first 200 in the gates will get a limited edition t-shirt. The magnificent Sleigh Belle Dancers will provide the pre-show.
HALFTIME: World-famous polka experts Tubby Esquire return for a second month!

*Is there a December-appropriate reason to have the Atomic Bombshells and the Dagger Dolls play?

**It’s an expression.

***House Ravenclaw