MILWAUKEE’S VOLTAGE SPARKS WIN - LOCALS DROP TO 1-1
by The Grand Poobah
(ST. LOUIS, MO) In a battle of unbeatens, a jammer in gold left ARRG Nation in a state of shock.
High D. Voltage
Thanks to a 50+ point performance by jammer High D. Voltage, the Brew City Bruisers defeated the Arch Rival Roller Girls’ All-Stars 120-65 in WFTDA-sanctioned action Saturday night in front of 900 at the All-American Sports Mall.
Heading into the bout, both squads had posted lopsided victories in their respective season openers. ARRG was looking to carry the momentum from last week’s 172-92 win over Memphis into Saturday’s clash. A second consecutive win against a solid opponent from the Midwest would get the locals off to a flying start early in 2010.
The Bruisers, however, were able to shut the door on the ladies in pink from the onset. Their main mission was to take control of the contest by focusing their attention on ARRG jammer Artemischief, last year’s league scoring champion.
A defensive plan of attack was in the mindset of Brew City - silencing one of ARRG’s most prolific scorers could potentially provide the catalyst for a victory.
“We knew that Artemischief is a really dangerous jammer,” Voltage said following the win. “We knew that we needed to shut her down in order to be successful. No hard feelings, nothing personal, but that’s what we did.”
Indeed. The Bruisers held Artemischief to 12 points for the evening and effectively left the pink and black attack reeling against the ropes all bout long.
With their 55-point win, Brew City improves to 2-0 in the early stages of the 2010 season, while ARRG drops to 1-1.
Milwaukee’s best on quads proved that they were well-deserving of their current placement within the Top 25 of Derby News Network’s recent power rankings, as they quickly dashed out to a huge lead in the early stages of the bout and never looked back.
The Bruisers drew first blood on ARRG as Voltage’s 10-point opening jam quickly hushed the locals. Another two-pointer by Voltage gave Brew City a 12-1 lead five minutes into the bout.
ARRG answered back with a three-point jam by Artemischief to cut the lead to 12-4.
And then Brew City “rolled out the barrels” and flattened ARRG. A 22-0 run by the Bruisers - thanks to jams by Voltage, Carrie A. Hacksaw, Skittle and Rhoda Ruin - extended Milwaukee’s lead to 34-4 with 16:36 left in the first half.
Brew City’s multi-faceted attack was punctuated by Voltage’s seven lead jams in the first half, which equaled ARRG’s total amount of lead jams combined.
And as the bout progressed, many in the audience wondered if ARRG was ever going to make a comeback. A first-half-ending 13-point jam by ARRG’s Enya Nightmare gave fans a glimmer of hope, which cut the gap to 59-25 at the halftime break.
ARRG approached the second half with a different philosophy based on what had transpired in the opening frame - rather than going with an “all or nothing” approach to scoring, the missive was to whittle away at the Brew City lead with quick scoring pops.
It was a strategy that paid off early in the second half. Five consecutive scoring jams by ARRG - two by Nightmare and solo efforts by Artemischief, Starry Starry Fight and South City Shiner - resulted in 17-0 run for the ladies in pink, which cut the gap to 65-43 with 18:20 remaining.
And then Brew City decided that enough was enough. Voltage’s 11-point jam with 15:30 left led to another bout-changing momentum shift, which saw the Bruisers get back on track offensively and extend their lead to 78-44.
Milwaukee kept the pace rolling down the stretch, outscoring ARRG 35-11 in the bout’s final nine minutes. Voltage put an exclamation point on the evening with a 15-point jam to conclude the bout, and to maintain her team’s undefeated record. Voltage led the Bruisers with 55 points.
Enya Nightmare scored a team-high 23 points for ARRG, who return to travel team action on Saturday, March 13 against The Dirty South Derby Girls in Atlanta, GA.
SATURDAY NOTES FROM THE POOBAH
- Once again, women’s flat track roller derby proves that its one of the hottest tickets in town to get, as our crowd of 900 Saturday night was one of the largest in ARRG’s history for All-Star bouts at the All-American Sports Mall. This pushes our total attendance for 2010 near 3,000 after only three bouts. We can’t thank you - a member of the ARRG-loving public - enough for your continued support this season.
- Following the bout, MVPs (or perhaps I should say MVSs - as in Most Valuable Skaters) for each team were selected by the opposing team. The Arch Rival Roller Girls selected Brew City’s High D. Voltage as their top player, while the Bruisers selected blocker Eli Wallop as ARRG’s MVP.
- For a majority of the skaters in ARRG’s All-Star line-up, this was their third consecutive weekend of hard-hitting action. A small bout break until mid-March might just be what the doctor ordered. But as ARRG Nation is well aware, these ladies essentially have two speeds - on and off. You can expect these athletes to still have the same intensity and desire as they prepare for a road battle against Atlanta on March 13 before interleague play continues with a very important Stunt Devil/Smashinista match-up on March 20.
- Much thanks goes to my boutcast partner on Saturday night, three-time ARRG All-Star Overland Offender. The recently retired blocker brought her expert knowledge of the sport to the fans by providing plenty of background information on Brew City and some of the rules pertaining to WFTDA-sanctioned bouts. Her help was most appreciated. You can expect more of ARRG’s athletes to provide commentary as the season progresses.
- A special “thank you” goes out to the Twin City Derby Girls of Champaign, IL who attended the bout. Only a few months into their existence, this derby-passionate group of skaters used Saturday’s WFTDA-sanctioned bout to find out more about the “ins, outs and arounds” of the sport. Anyone who was around in ARRG’s infancy knows first-hand the challenges that face a newly-formed league. As one Twin City skater noted during the evening “We’re learning so much. We’re just like sponges.” We wish them the best of luck as they continue down their journey and we look forward to seeing them in the future. And when you ladies have your inaugural bout, you can expect some of ARRG Nation to come out and support you.
- Saturday morning, ARRG participated in the fifth annual St. Louis Walk For Wishes at West County Center. Thanks to those who contributed, as ARRG raised $450 for the Make A Wish Foundation.
The Grand Poobah and Hells LaBelle are bout announcers for the 2010 season of the Arch Rival Roller Girls. Check back in this section on Mondays for the latest in ARRG news and information.
