SECOND ROUND MATCH-UPS SET FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 12

by the Grand Poobah

(ST. LOUIS, MO) Two ARRG intraleague squads successfully took initial strides toward the championship trophy Saturday night at the first round of the 2011 playoffs.

Top-seeded Rebel Skate Alliance defeated the M-80s 146-99 while the second-seeded Smashinistas bested the Stunt Devils 87-58 in front of 1,000+ at the All-American Sports Mall.

With the victories, RSA and the Smashinistas now face each other in the playoff’s second round, to be held March 12 at the All-American.

Meanwhile, the Stunts and the M-80s face each other in the other round two match-up.

And although wins for RSA and the Smashies in round one does not automatically result in a trip to the league’s championships in April due to ARRG’s unique playoff structure (which will be addressed next Monday in the ARRG Newscenter), the victories did provide a little breathing room heading into March’s bout.

REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE  146   M-80s 99

The battle between the first and fourth seeds saw the Rolling Rebs capitalize on powerjam situations early and often in the first half.

Party Foul would net a 10-pointer with a red jammer in the sin bin nine minutes in to give RSA a 23-6 lead.

To their credit, the M-80s would pull to within 27-25 thanks to Black Market Baby’s 19-pointer at the 16:47 mark.

RSA would go on a 15-0 run in the bout’s next four jams. Punctuated by a four-pointer by Smarty McFly, the Alliance stretched the lead to 42-25 with 13:00 left in the first half.

RSA pulled out to a 67-32 thanks to Starry Starry Fight’s 20-pointer six minutes later.

At intermission, the top seed maintained a 74-47 lead.

The M-80s, implementing a different strategy, went on an 8-0 run to begin the second half. Science Friction and Madame Moonstruck scored four apiece to narrow the gap to 74-55 five minutes in.

RSA fended off the pesky firecrackers as the half progressed and then capitalized on another powerjam with 20:00 remaining. Fight’s 15-pointer extended the lead to 96-59.

McFly’s 25-pointer scored seven minutes later would essentially clinch the first round playoff victory.

RSA would outscore the M-80s 72-52 in the second half to give the franchise its fourth consecutive win, albeit this one was an exhausting one.

“I want to give a shout out to the M-80s because they definitely gave us a run for our money,”said McFly, who scored 64 points to pace RSA. “That was a tough game. I’m really tired. I don’t have anything left now.”

RSA’s Starry Starry Fight scored 58 while Party Foul contributed 24.

For the second bout in a row, the M-80s posted high numbers against the top seed. EnYa Nightmare scored 31 to lead the M-80s, while May Require Stitches and Black Market Baby contributed 30 and 28, respectively.

The amount of points scored against them has the RSA co-captain believing that her team needs to tighten up the laces defensively for March’s second round battle against the Smashinistas.

“I think more than anything we realized we have a lot more work that we need to do,” said McFly. “There’s a lot more work that I need to do. The Smashies are really dangerous. If we don’t win our next game and don’t have enough of a point spread, we’re not going to the championship.”

Yet, one will have to admit that the expansion squad is smart enough to put that schematic into place, which could inevitably lead to an April title tilt.

“We definitely want 2011 to be the year of the nerds,” McFly said. “The first year of the nerd should always be the year of the nerd.”

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

Rebel Skate Alliance: Smarty McFly 64, Starry Starry Fight 58, Party Foul 24

M-80s:  EnYa Nightmare 31, May Require Stitches 30, Black Market Baby 28, Madame Moonstruck 6, Science Friction 4

SMASHINISTAS 87   STUNT DEVILS 58

When the seedings were set in January, the #2 vs. #3 pairing offered the potential of a nailbiter. In picking a winner, one essentially had to flip a coin.

However, a key piece of the offensive puzzle was missing for the defending champions Saturday. Stunt scoring powerhouse Artemischief would not be a part of Saturday’s roster due to a pre-arranged absence. The subtraction of a jammer who averages 30+ per bout left a gaping hole in the lilac lineup.

Even with Artemischief’s omission, the bout still resembled a heavyweight prizefight on quads.

The Stunts came out swinging in the bout’s first two jams with a pair of 5-pointers by jammers South City Shiner and Mighty Mighty Boston to give the defending champs a 10-0 lead.

The Educator and Downtown Dallis would retaliate with four apiece to cut the gap to 10-8 at the 26:00 mark.

Leads would change perpetually during the bout’s next ten minutes. The Smashinistas sported a 19-17 lead midway through the half.

The Stunts would capitalize – and regain the lead – with a powerjam. The resulting 10-pointer for Shiner gave the Stunts Devils a 27-19 lead.

Morgan LaFateal’s four-pointer followed to give the defending champs a 31-19 lead with 11:29 remaining.

The Smashinistas would chip away at the lead and then some, going on 18-1 run with the bout’s next four jams, resulting in a 37-32 lead for the camo-clad troopers with 5:00 left.

The Stunts would answer with a run of their own, tying the score at 40-40 with one jam remaining in the half. LaFaetal would score four the round out the first half scoring and give the Stunts a 44-40 lead at intermission.

In a derby donnybrook that already contained numerous lead changes, the second seed figured they needed a change of strategy for the second half.

“Our bench coaches and Eli (Wallop) put a plan together that would tighten up our walls, help our jammers through the pack and cut down our penalties,” said Smashie co-captain Dallis of the four-point halftime deficit. “It would help us play smart.”

And it didn’t take that long for that plan to hatch in the second half.

Following a four-pointer notched by the Stunts’ Boston, the Smashies would go on a 14-0 run. The Educator would collect nine and Dallis would contribute five on the bout next two jams, resulting in a 54-48 Smashie lead at the 25:00 mark.

LaFeatal would collect two non-lead points for the Stunts two minutes later to cut the gap down to four.

Then the Smashies, referring back to their halftime “camo-print,” would frustrate the Stunt Devils with another uncontested scoring run. A 13-0 Smashie streak extended the lead to 67-50 with 10:00 remaining.

Dallis’ nine-point strike with four minutes left sealed the first round victory for the playoff’s second seed.

More importantly, the Smashies were able to shut down their high octane opponents defensively in the process. The Stunts were held to an uncharacteristic 14 points in the second half.

“Everybody did what they are best at,” said Dallis, who scored 53 points in the win. “We trusted each other. Everybody made each other better. It’s making us confident”

The Educator added 29 for the Smashinistas, who picked up their third straight victory.

South City Shiner scored 26 points to lead the Stunt Devils, who face the M-80s in the second round next month.

And for the Smashie co-captain, she and her troops anticipate the tangle with RSA on March 12, where the winner automatically advances to the league’s championship bout in April.

“They’re nerds and so are we,” said Dallis. “We can’t wait!”

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

Smashinistas: Downtown Dallis 53, The Educator 29, Shimmy Hoffa 4, Punches PileUp 1

Stunt Devils: South City Shiner 26, Mighty Mighty Boston 24, Morgan LeFaetal 8

ARRG TO APPEAR AT SPORTS TRIVIA CHAMPIONSHIP

(ST. LOUIS, MO) The lovely ladies of the Arch Rival Roller Girls will be a part of the 8^th Annual Sports Trivia Championship to be held this Friday night at Chaefitz Arena in St. Louis.

The event – which raises proceeds for St. Patrick Center – will have over 1,100 participants compete for the ultimate sports fan package in the world’s largest sports trivia contest.

ARRG will be out and about during the event, handing out complimentary t-shirts and Dad’s cookies to the participants.

Last year’s event raised over $860,000 in revenue and contributed good and services to benefit St. Patrick Center’s homeless and poor clients and their families.

To find out more about the Sports Trivia Championship, CLICK RIGHT HERE.

ARRG HELPS HEAT UP ST. LOUIS

(ST. LOUIS, MO) The Arch Rival Roller Girls participated in the annual “Rise and Shine” fundraiser at two St. Louis Hardee’s locations last Friday.

Proceeds benefitted Heat Up St. Louis, which assists the elderly, the disabled and low-income families with children in paying their heating bills. Since 2001, Heat Up St. Louis has assisted over 100,000 people in 17 counties in Missouri and Illinois.

ARRG will continue its community outreach efforts as 2011 progresses. We’ll keep you updated in the newscenter on future appearances.

ARRG ASSISTS LIVE TV MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

(MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO) ARRG has been involved in some interesting requests in the past…..but this one literally takes the cake.

And it will inevitably lead to a wedding cake.

On Friday’s “FOX 2 News at 5pm,” an ARRG season ticket holder made a marriage proposal to his girlfriend during the live newscast. The unsuspecting – a producer at KTVI-TV – has been a hardcore ARRG fan since 2009.

The proposal – which took place at the station’s facilities in Maryland Heights – included appearances by ARRG’s Mayor Francis Slayer, Dannika Doom and Ginny Beastley, who presented the newly engaged couple with Valentine’s Day gifts.

To see video of the marriage proposal, CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Congratulations to two of ARRG’s most passionate fans. Thanks for letting ARRG become a part of your special moment!

NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULEZ! The ARRG Jeerleaders get ready for the St. Louis Mardi Gras. Plus, what was with all the video cameras at Saturday’s doubleheader?

Check back in this section on Mondays for the latest in ARRG news and information.

SECOND HALF SETBACKS LEAD TO SEASON OPENING LOSS

by the Grand Poobah

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN)  In a city that’s synonymous with fast objects on four wheels that make continuous left turns, the Arch Rival Roller Girls battled an I-70 rival who claimed to be the Circle City’s fastest on eight.

In the process, ARRG was handed a season opening loss that at one point was ripe for the taking.

The Naptown Tornado Sirens defeated the ARRG All-Stars 152-105 in WFTDA-sanctioned action Saturday night in front of 3,500 at the Indiana Convention Center.

For the Gateway City’s finest on quads, the stakes were high. A win over the rapidly-improving Indiana franchise that sat five spots ahead of them in the WFTDA North Central regional rankings would send the message that the ARRG squad of 2011 was one to be reckoned with.

The methodology was in place perfectly heading into the bout – however, the execution was spotty at times.

The “pink and black attack” posted a 10-4 lead following the bout’s opening jam. An early penalty to Naptown jammer Amooze Booche enabled ARRG’s South City Shiner to capitalize with the double digit strike.

Naptown would counter two minutes later with a 9-4 tally – yet ARRG maintained a 14-13 lead at the 25:00 mark.

And that would be the last time that ARRG would have the lead for a long time.

The Tornado Sirens would go on a 35-0 run in the bout’s next five jams. Contributing powerjams by Willah Hoeflinch and Booche – each 14-pointers – would extend the Naptown lead to 48-14 with 19:30 left in the first half.

As the half progressed, ARRG would methodically chip away at the deficit. Black Market Baby would score four at the 14:20 mark. Shiner would post eight on the next jam to close the gap to 48-26.

Naptown’s Blue Messiah and Maiden America each tallied three to stretch the lead to 54-26 with 10:00 remaining.

Then a complete “roll-reversal” occurred – and when the dust had settled, ARRG found itself in a position that perhaps they, or anyone else, could have imagined at the moment.

ARRG would go on a 41-6 streak in the first half’s final ten minutes. In the process, Downtown Dallis posted a 14-pointer to cut the gap to 57-44 with 5:33 remaining.

Two jams later, Naptown would be sent to the pits – figuratively and literally. A trio of Tornado Sirens – including jammer America – was sent to the sin bin, which resulted in a powerjam for ARRG’s South City Shiner. The co-captain would rack up 23 points, silence the Hoosier-heavy horde and give ARRG its first lead in over 20 minutes.

A 67-60 ARRG advantage at the intermission break was a welcomed surprise for the ARRG cheering contingent – who was outnumbered by the Indy fans by a ratio of 70-to-1.

ARRG tallied points in the second half’s first two jams. Five and four points collected by Shiner and The Educator respectively extended the lead to 76-63.

And then it seemed that history repeated itself – a flat-track version of Groundhog’s Day – which in turn immobilized ARRG.

Naptown went on an identical 35-0 run in the bout’s next eight minutes. Blue Messiah posted a 13-point power jam at the 23:00 mark to tie the score at 76-76.

Then following a Siren four-point tally by Booche and a trey by America, Hoeflinch barreled out to a 15-point jam to give Naptown a 98-76 lead with 17:35 remaining.

ARRG would counter with a mini-rally of its own, posting 18 points in under four minutes. A contributing pair of eight pointers by Enya Nightmare and Educator would whittle the gap down to 108-94 with 12:00 remaining.

Naptown would capitalize on ARRG penalties down the stretch and finish the bout with a 44-11 edge to preserve victory.

The Tornado Sirens outscored ARRG 92-38 altogether in the second half to remain undefeated in 2011 and extend their WFTDA-sanctioned record to 4-0.

Four different Naptown jammers posted 30+ points in the bout. Maiden America topped the Indy scoring with 50, while Hoeflinch and Booche each posted 36.

ARRG’s South City Shiner paced the locals with 55 points, followed by the Educator’s 20.

For 2011′s version of ARRG’s best, hearts and spirits were broken with the loss on Saturday. Yet one has to believe that a bout filled with thorns should – with a few adjustments – inevitably lead to roses as the season progresses.

The ARRG All-Stars (0-1) are next in action on Saturday, April 23 as they travel to Evansville, IN to face the Demolition City Roller Derby Dynamite Dolls.

LATER THIS WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: The 2011 ARRG Playoffs are this Saturday night. Four teams have equal opportunities to raise the championship hardware in April. Their quests begin at this weekend at the All-American Sports Mall in St. Louis. We’ll preview the first round pairings in a special column on Wednesday.

The Grand Poobah and Hells LaBelle are bout announcers for the Arch Rival Roller Girls. Check back in this section for the latest in ARRG news and information.