ARRG’s Legacy Teams Aim For First 2010 Victory
by Hells LaBelle
Bout One of the Arch Rival Roller Girls’ 2010 season had it all…
- A raucous crowd of over a thousand
- 228 total points scored
- One Roller Girl with over 80-points as a jammer
- Big Collisions
- Screaming Jeerleaders
- Adrenaline
- Tempers flaring
And when it was all said and done, it was the defending ARRG Champion, the Stunt Devils, that emerged with a 52-point victory in the rematch of last season’s championship.
If the Stunts were out to send a message to the city that their title last year was not a fluke - mission accomplished! They worked very well together. The Stunt Devils seemed to have the luxury of a long bench and a deep roster of talented skaters for the first time in their existence.
One of the league’s highest scorers as a jammer, South City Shiner, didn’t take the track as a jammer until the second half last month. That shows you how much depth the Stunts have.
Newcomers Morgan La Faetal, Baretta Michaels and Whip Scream but saw significant time on the track as jammers and both looked great. Domme E. Nation made a great debut as a vicious hitter. And Starry Starry Fight stole the show with an 83-point performance.
The M-80s (0-1) looked good at times and never lost their good spirits on the bench. They constantly shouted encouragement to the skaters on the track and made sure they kept their chins held high despite the game getting further and further out of their reach.
They did so without the services of one of the league’s fastest jammers, Keligula. Had Keligula been in the game, I’m not saying the outcome would have been different, but the dynamic of the bout itself certainly would have been different.
The M-80's Keligula
Keligula is a pure scorer. She’s always a threat when she jams. The complexion would have been different if suddenly you throw and impact player like the into the mix.
Now, I THINK she will be back in the line-up for this bout, but it looks like the M-80s lose another impact player for a game in Enya Nightmare. It appears as though Nightmare will probably have to sit this game out as punishment for throwing a kick at an opposing player during last month’s bout. Enya Nightmare did a significant amount of jamming for the M-80s and is one of their best leaders, so missing her will be crucial.
The M-80s will need the rest of their already shortened roster to step up in her absence and get the job done. They certainly are capable, after witnessing the debut of Black Market Baby as a jammer. BMB had a solid first game. Nikki Vixen also served some jamtime for the M-80s.
The rest of the M-80 newcomers looked to get more and more comfortable out on the track as the game progressed. They have the first bout under their belts now, so the butterflies in the stomach shouldn’t be a factor heading into their second bout this Saturday.
Some skaters that just may experience said butterflies or pre-bout nervous jitters are the rookies on the Smashinistas. They have yet to play in a regular season bout, but that ends this Saturday. I spoke with a few of the new skaters at ARRG Trivia Night and the St. Louis Auto Show and let me tell ya, they have been chomping at the bit to get out there in actual game play.
And this is a VERY New-Look Smashinista Team. By my count, six of their twelve skaters are rookies. The Smashinistas bid farewell to two of the most talented jammers in the league in Jenny Bonebreak and Chokehold Chanel No.5.
So who will fill in those shoes…or, skates, I should say.
The Smashinistas' Punches Pileup
On any given night Choke and Bonebreak were capable of scoring 40 or more points each. The Smashies will have to find that scoring from other skaters now. Eli Wallop and Punches Pileup take over duties as Captains of the Pretty Pretty Princesses.
They still have plenty of experience in the line-up in The Educator, Polka Dot, Davey Blockit, and Shillelagh Spillblood. You can expect to see Punches, Educator, Beatn-Chix Kiddo, BOOM BOOM Pow, and Jean Slay to handle most of the jamming duties.
That is a much higher number of jammers than the Smashies used to throw out on any given night. The team used to just send Bonebreak and Choke every other jam with a mix of one or two girls in there to give them a break.
The Smashinistas are the only team left in the St. Louis local league that doesn’t have a local championship. And believe me, they do NOT enjoy ownership of that distinction. They are hungry for a title and will look to come out of the gate swinging and swinging hard.
I think the M-80s and Smashies are very evenly matched at all positions. Both teams have good jamming speed, good size at blocker and pivot, and good leadership. This could very easily turn into one of those games that could come down to the very final jam.
I look forward to seeing how the M-80s bounce back from a season-opening loss. It will be interesting to see what offensive sets the new-look Smashinistas come out and run. Come on out Saturday night and see the two teams that both have one thing on their minds: Dethroning the Stunt Devils.
I’ll see you there!
NEXT MONDAY IN THE NEWS SECTION: Find out which team got the “W” this weekend. PLUS, the ARRG Travelling All-Stars begin the 2010 season with a road trip to Memphis. We’ll preview the locals and their opposition!
Hells LaBelle and The Grand Poobah are bout announcers for the 2010 season of the Arch Rival Rollergirls. Check back in this section on Monday’s for the latest in ARRG News and Information.
