ALL-STARS NET SECOND STRAIGHT, CHIX REMAIN UNBEATEN!

by the Grand Poobah

Both ARRG travel teams emerged victorious Saturday night in Evansville, IN. The ARRG All-Stars defeated North Central rival Demolition City 198-68 while the Saint Lunachix defeated Demolition City’s B-team 101-49.

Both teams are next in action at home on Saturday, May 14 at Midwest Sport Hockey in Ballwin, MO. The ARRG All-Stars (2-1) face North Central rival Ohio (5-2) while the Saint Lunachix face Springfield (MO).

Tickets are available online at a discount at Brown Paper Tickets.

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

TWIN BILL HAS LOCALS PAIRED WITH NEW NC REGION FOE!

by the Grand Poobah

A pair of renegade rollers hopes to deliver a lethal one-two punch in the Hoosier State this weekend against a new North Central Region rival.

The ARRG All-Stars (1-1) face the Demolition City Dynamite Dolls (1-3) of Evansville, IN this Saturday in WFTDA-sanctioned action while ARRG’s developmental squad – the Saint Lunachix (4-0) – battles the DCRD Destruction Dames (1-2) on the undercard.

The doubleheader takes place at the Evansville Memorial Coliseum (300 Court St, Evansville, IN). Doors open at 5:30 pm. First bout starts at 6:30 pm.

Tickets are $10 in advance online RIGHT HERE or $15 at the door for ages 13 and up. Tickets for children ages 7-12 are $7 and should be purchased at the door. Children 6 and under are free.

The ARRG All-Stars – currently ranked eleventh in the WFTDA North Central region – are looking for their second straight win following a 155-101 victory over Pikes Peak on March 19. In that WFTDA-sanctioned bout, ARRG bested the Coloradan team ranked tenth in the WFTDA’s West Region.

The triple-attack of jammers Artemischief, South City Shiner and Downtown Dallis leads the charge offensively for the ARRG All-Stars.

The Demolition City Dynamite Dolls are one of the newest members of the WFTDA North Central Region. The Dolls were pummeled by the hard-charging Naptown Tornado Sirens 271-33 last weekend in Indianapolis. The Dolls also have been handed a pair of heartbreaking losses by Derby City (105-104) and Paper Valley (126-122) in 2011.

Their lone win this season so far came at home against Rockford (325-49) on February 12.

Even though they have only been WFTDA-sanctioned since June, the Dynamite Dolls have been skating together as a league since 2007 and have numerous derby vets on the primary roster.

Look for jammers Godjilla, Lillith of the Valley and Shelby N. Pain to provide a bulk load of the offense for the Dolls.

In the opener, the Saint Lunachix are in a quest to keep their perfect 2011 record intact with their match-up against the Destruction Dames.

The Chix outmuscled Rockford 191-58 on March 26 in Ballwin, MO. Jammer Mighty Mighty Boston barreled out 88 points in the victory while May Require Stitches collected 65. An additional surprise in scoring was found in Jezebelle – a blocker by trade – who scored 30.

Meanwhile the Dames are looking to even their mark in 2011. The Dames were blasted by Naptown Warning Belles last weekend 221-62. The Dames have a victory over Rockford’s B-team (111-77) in February.

Wins are imperative for both ARRG squads this weekend. The ARRG All Stars can ill afford to go 0-2 in North Central regional play.  With three WFTDA sanctioned bouts against North Central rivals on tap for May, a dominating win over Demolition City will potentially help St. Louis’ best on quads to break into the region’s top 10. Meanwhile, the Chix would like to keep momentum rolling in their unblemished 2011.

The trip to Evansville is relatively short and the locals would love to have the support. We’ll see you in Evansville on Saturday.

BI-STATE DERBY WEEKEND WRAP-UP

In other Missouri and Illinois derby action from the weekend.

The ARRG Rookie Rivals fell to the CoMo Derby Dames Wreckoning Crew 75-40 Saturday in Columbia. This was the first bout of 2011 for the Rookie Rivals.

The Springfield Roller Girls defeated the CoMo Derby Dames All-Stars 131-103 Saturday to improve to 2-0 on the season.

The St. Chux Derby Chix of St. Charles County thrashed the Cape Girardeau Roller Girls 217-44 Saturday in Cape. The Chix (2-0) next play at home vs. Bleeding Heartland’s B-team on May 7.

The Twin City Derby Girls of Champaign/Urbana picked up a pair of wins Saturday night in Marion, IL. The TCDG Travellers upended Southern Illinois Roller Girls 168-66 while TCDG’s Plan B defeated SIRG’s B-team 192-36.

In local men’s derby, the Dogtown Rockets defeated the South Grand Slammers 138-105 Saturday night in intraleague action in bout two of the inaugural season of the STL GateKeepers. The Rockets (1-0) face the Riverfront Crimes (1-0) at the league’s next bout on May 21 at Midwest Sport Hockey in Ballwin.

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

STITCHES’ 75 POINTS HELP M-80s SEW UP THIRD PLACE!

by the Grand Poobah

(BALLWIN, MO) Just nine months ago, the expansion Rebel Skate Alliance, an intergalactic counter-clockwise coalition consisting of derby veterans, transfers and rookies, took to the flat track for their first team practice. Sure, they were familiar with each other. Individually, there was plenty of talent to be found.

But the questions had to be asked by the critics. How would this group perform as a cohesive unit?

The result exceeded its own humble expectations.

Paced offensively by three scorers who notched over 40 points apiece, RSA defeated two-time defending champions the Stunt Devils 131-53 to win the 2011 Arch Rival Roller Girls Championship Saturday night at Midwest Sport Hockey in Queeny Park.

With the win, RSA finished their inaugural campaign undefeated, winning all six bouts they competed in.

In ARRG’s third place bout, rookie May Require Stitches scored 75 points to help the M-80s score a 127-107 victory over the Smashinistas.

The double-header of ARRG derby action, making its debut at a new venue in front of a crowd of 1,000, put the finishing touches on a successful intraleague season.

2011 CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT: RSA 131  STUNT DEVILS 53

When these teams last faced each other in December, Rebel Skate Alliance won a three-point nailbiter.

But things were different heading into the rematch.

First, RSA jammer Party Foul, who was sick for the December head-to-head battle, would be in the starting line-up. For a team that routinely utilizes a three-jammer rotation, her offensive presence was necessary.

More importantly, the Stunts were forced to make a change in their jammer rotation due to injuries. Starting Stunt blocker Dannika Doom would be out of the line-up after an injury in last month’s playoff round. That, added along with early season losses of blockers Grave Danger and Whipped Scream, resulted in a blocking schematic that needed some veteran help.

The Stunts strategy was to use Artemischief, a high-scoring jammer by trade, to fill the role up front. The Stunts’ smallest player did everything possible to keep the powerful RSA blockers at bay.

But the depth of RSA veterans, and the steady improvement of younger talent, proved overwhelming early for the two-time defending champs.

Following a bout-opening three-pointer scored by the Stunts’ South City Shiner, RSA went on a 21-0 run. A four-pointer by Starry Starry Fight was followed by a 15-pointer scored by Party Foul. RSA’s Smarty McFly would finish the streak with a two-pointer to extend the RSA lead to 21-3 six minutes in.

Unfortunately for the Stunts, RSA was just warming up. Party would notch another 10-pointer midway through the half to extend the lead to 46-10.

RSA would continue the attack as the half progressed, resulting in a 36-10 run in the last ten minutes of the half. Thanks to McFly’s nine-point tally and Fight’s 13-pointer to conclude the first half, RSA sported an 82-20 halftime lead.

The Rollin’ Rebs would put the mothership into cosmic cruise control for the remainder of the title bout.

The jamming trio of Starry Smarty, Party – thanks to the unstoppable RSA blocking up front – would maintain the cushion in the second half, never allowing the Stunts within 70 points.

“They are consistent, reliable and powerful,” said RSA co-captain Chewblocka of the triple-tiered offensive attack. “That’s what we wanted in our jammers.”

RSA would outscore the Stunt Devils 49-33 in the second half to coast to the 78-point margin of victory, and in the process give the expansion franchise an undefeated championship season.

“I was one of the first people who stepped up and wanted to be a part of this team because I knew it was going to be awesome,” said RSA blocker The Bevo Kill. “Guess what? It was awesome.”

“We worked really, really hard for it,” added RSA jammer Starry Starry Fight, who finished with a team high with 47 points. “We were known as underdogs this season. We weren’t expecting to win. It’s really gratifying.”

RSA’s Party Foul contributed 43 while McFly added 41.

But all three jammers will be quick to point out the MVPs of the bout, the blocking battalion consisting of Chewblocka, Domme E. Nation, The Bevo Kill, Stabby McCutcha, Sue She and a whole host of others.

“I couldn’t have imagined it if I didn’t have those people out there,” said Party Foul. “They did all the work for me.”

“They made our job easy,” added Fight. “They were really focused on shutting down their jammers, but they were out to help us out as well.”

Morgan LeFaetal finished with 21 points to pace the Stunt Devils, while South City Shiner added 17.

If you ask any one of the Rebs about the undefeated inaugural season, you’ll find that the key to success was to take each bout one at a time…and to not get cocky when things fell into place.

“I think it’s amazing but we’re all still pretty humble about it,” said Fight. “We won’t go into next season any different.”

Yet, the feeling of a trophy hoist Saturday night is still euphoric.

“Oh my god, it is so great,” said RSA’s The Bevo Kill. “The sense of relief and the sense of ecstasy is overwhelming.”

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE: Starry Starry Fight 47, Party Foul 43, Smarty McFly 41

STUNT DEVILS: Morgan LeFaetal 21, South City Shiner 17, Mighty Mighty Boston 15

 

THIRD PLACE BOUT: M-80s 127 SMASHINISTAS 107

Going into this bout, both teams knew full well that a loss would just not suffice.

For the Smashinistas, it would mean a tough finish to a season that held so much promise. The memories of a four-bout winning streak in the 2010-11 campaign would be all but erased.

For the M-80s, it would mean a big goose egg in the win column altogether for the season. And for a team that had in prior ARRG history held back-to-back championships and an eight-bout winning streak of their own, a season that contained nothing but defeat would be devastating.

With so much pride on the line, a third place win was what both teams needed.

Following dead-locked jams off the start, the M-80s built an early lead six minutes in. Science Friction’s four-pointer scored at 24:00 mark gave the ladies in red an 8-0 advantage.

The M-80s continued to add onto the lead with three consecutive lead jams. Munchausen by Foxy, The Siege and May Require Stitches would collectively add 10 points to the tally. At the 19:30 mark, the M-80s stretched the lead to 18-3.

Smashinistas co-captain Downtown Dallis would counter with a grand slam on the next jam, pulling the score to 18-8.

Then at the 16:00 mark, something rare for the M-80s – and for that matter the league in 2011 – occurred that began to shape the bout’s outcome.

The “firecrackers on quads” – and more specifically May Require Stitches – capitalized on a powerjam, as well as additional Smashie penalties, to gain a huge advantage. The rookie cranked out a 30-point mega jam, resulting in a 48-8 M-80s lead midway through the first half.

The Smashies, to their credit, retaliated effectively following a necessary timeout, going on a 28-4 run in the next eight minutes. Dallis’ triple set of four-pointers and a 14-point powerjam pulled the camo-clad troops to 52-36 with 7:00 left in the first half.

The M-80s would counter the Smashies streak with a 14-0 run of their own. Black Market Baby’s 5-pointer would be followed by Foxy’s nine point tally to extend the lead back to 66-36.

Dallis scored three for the Smashinistas to round out the first half scoring. Nonetheless, ARRG Nation was still surprised to see the M-80s, a team that had not tasted victory in quite a long time, in command with a 66-39 halftime lead.

But the best was yet to come from the ladies in red in the second half.

Following, an opening two-pointer scored by the Smashies’ Punches PileUp, the M-80s would go on a 30-0 run. In the process, a 13-pointer scored at the 27:00 mark by BMB was followed by Stitches’ 14-point jam, extending the lead to 96-41.

With the M-80s cruising 109-50 midway through the second half, it seemed that the third place bout was all but decided.

Well, not quite.

With 13:50 left, the Smashinistas began a 39-0 streak with the bout’s next three jams.

The Educator posted a 17-pointer, Dallis followed with 13 and Educator returned to score nine. When the dust had settled, the once comfortable 50+ point margin by the M-80s had been whittled down to 113-89 with under 10:00 remaining.

But the M-80s would never let the Smashies get closer than twenty points down the stretch, culminating in a 127-107 vcitory to claim third place.

“It felt really awesome,” said M-80s co-captain Black Market Baby. “It was really great to see everybody step up. With only ten skaters on our team, I saw that everybody wanted to make it work and they did.”

May Require Stitches finished with a career high 75 points to put an exclamation point on her first full season for ARRG.

Downtown Dallis scored 66 points to pace the Smashinistas while The Educator added 39.

For the M-80s, a team that had faced numerous obstacles throughout the season, the lone win of 2011 proved not only satisfying, but perhaps provided ARRG Nation a glimpse of the future.

“A lot of our team saw this year that they had to step it up,” said BMB, who finished with 21 points. “They’ll do it more next year. I feel that we’re going to demand more responsibility out of each player next year.”

And for Joanie Rollmoan, one of the founding members of the M-80s, the “W” might mean the start of a new tradition.

“The M-80s are back,” said Rollmoan. “This is the first of a new consecutive win record….hopefully.”

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

M-80s: May Require Stitches 75, Black Market Baby 21, Munchausen by Foxy 19, Science Friction 8, The Siege 4

SMASHINISTAS: Downtown Dallis 66, The Educator 39, Punches PileUp 2

ARRG ROOKIE RIVALS TRAVEL TO COLUMBIA SATURDAY!

The future of ARRG steps onto the flat track this weekend.

The ARRG Rookie Rivals - ARRG’s developmental squad consisting of rookies and unrostered skaters – will face the CoMo Derby Dames Wreckoning Crew this Saturday in Columbia, MO.

The bout is the opener of a doubleheader that also features the CoMo Derby Dames All-Stars vs. Springfield (MO) Roller Girls at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Columbia. First bout is at 6 pm. For more info, GO HERE!

What’s great about the ARRG Rookie Rivals is that it gives us a preview of who could potentially be an ARRG starter next season. Since its formation last season, the Rookie Rivals have featured the talents of current ARRG stars prior to their official flat-track careers. Skaters such as May Require Stitches, Munchausen By Foxy, The Forecloser, Hydrogen Bombshell and The Punctuator saw their first full bout play with the Rookie Rivals last year.

The Rookie Rivals are 1-0 as a franchise following a 112-80 victory over the St. Chux Derby Chix on June 11, 2010.

To make this story come full circle, a featured skater for the CoMo Wreckoning Crew is former St. Chux Derby Chix P. Diamond, a top-notch skater from St. Charles County who transferred to CoMo during the off-season. In September 2010, Diamond notched a 110-point bout for the Chix against the team she mentors now. She serves dual roles as skater/captain for the Wreckoning Crew.

She also remembers the 32-point loss the Rivals personally handed her last season. Expect a bit of retribution to be on the mind of the Crew’s leader.

Best of luck to the ARRG Rookie Rivals this Saturday in Columbia!

ARRG TO APPEAR AT RANKEN TECH’S CAR SHOW SUNDAY!

This Sunday, the Arch Rival Roller Girls will be a part of Ranken Technical College’s 8^th Annual Car Show and Alumni Reunion, held this Sunday at Ranken’s campus (4431 Finney Ave., St. Louis, MO).

The event runs from 9 am- 4 pm, is open to public and free for all spectators.

There will be plenty of activities at the car show, including food vendors, live DJ music, a huge raffle….and yes, appearances by St. Louis’ hottest on quads!

You can still register your ride for the car show, even up to Sunday morning! Registration is $10 per vehicle. The first 100 entries will receive a dash plaque for entering.

For more information about this event, GO RIGHT HERE!

ARRG is proud to be associated with Ranken Technical College this season and are appreciative of their support! To see if you’re Ranken material, GO RIGHT HERE!

NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: The ARRG All-Stars take a trip to Evansville, IN to battle Demolition City, one of the newest additions to the WFTDA North Central region on April 23. A win is imperative to plant the seeds for a potential 2011 WFTDA post-season berth. Along with that, the Saint Lunachix - ARRG’s developmental squad – face the Demo’s rookies on the undercard. We’ll preview a double dip of ARRG travel action in the Hoosier State.

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

M-80s TOP SMASHIES BY 20 TO WIN THIRD PLACE!

by the Grand Poobah

(BALLWIN, MO) The storybook expansion season of the Rebel Skate Alliance has written its final chapter – one that has ended “happily ever after.”

Paced by three jammers who scored 40+ points, RSA defeated two-time defending champions the Stunt Devils 131-53 to win the 2011 Arch Rival Roller Girls championship Saturday night at Midwest Sport Hockey in Queeny Park.

RSA, an expansion squad who skated collectively for the first time late last summer, raced out to 82-20 halftime lead. The Rollin’ Rebs outscored the Stunts 49-33 in the second half to win the title and remain undefeated as a franchise.

RSA jammer Starry Starry Fight paced the champs with 47 points, while Party Foul and Smarty McFly scored 43 and 41, respectively.

The Stunt Devils were paced by Morgan LeFaetal‘s 21 points.

In ARRG’s third place bout, rookie May Require Stitches scored 75 points to help the M-80s defeat the Smashinistas 127-107.

The M-80s took a 66-39 lead into intermission and never looked back to upend the Smashies, who were paced by Downtown Dallis‘ 66 points.

A full recap of both bouts from Saturday will be featured on Monday morning in the news section of archrivalrollergirls.com.

RSA VS. STUNTS TOP DOUBLEHEADER AT QUEENY PARK!

by the Grand Poobah

(ST. LOUIS, MO) After nine grueling months of preparation and competition, four teams take to the flat track this weekend in quest of victory.

For one of those squads, a “W” Saturday night results in a trophy hoist!

The Arch Rival Roller Girls present the 2011 Intraleague Championship this Saturday at Midwest Sport Hockey, located at Edgar M. Queeny Park (570 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO). The doubleheader begins at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

General admission tickets are $15 apiece. Children 10 and under are free. Advance online tickets can be purchased for a savings of $3 per ticket at Brown Paper Tickets RIGHT HERE! Limited tickets will be also available for purchase at the door.

In the ARRG 2011 championship bout, two-time defending champions The Stunt Devils look for the “three-peat” against the expansion Rebel Skate Alliance. Prior to that match-up, The Smashinistas and The M-80s battle in ARRG’s third place bout.

In a season that has seen numerous unprecedented performances, this weekend’s double-dip of derby action promises to put an exclamation point to prose still being written heading into ARRG’s final intraleague bouts of 2011.

A look at Saturday’s match-ups:

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT: THE STUNT DEVILS VS. REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE

Following last month’s playoff round, Rebel Skate Alliance co-captain Smarty McFly went to congratulate Stunt Devil blocker Deathica Steele on her team’s championship title berth.

The two know each other well. For two years, the duo was Stunt Devil teammates. The future now saw them as competitors for the league’s big brass ring.

“It was poetic,” said McFly of the exchange. “Deathica said ‘thank you…..and I hate you.’”

All kidding aside, the template was set for Saturday’s match-up. The defending champions, looking to solidify their legacy, would have to fend off the wily RSA – a team that contains five members of the 2010 Stunt Devil squad.

“This game is a really big deal because we’re playing a team that has many players who helped us win the championship last year,” said Stunt co-captain Mayor Francis Slayer. “We feel like that after the really rough year we’ve had this year that we have something to prove.”

Slayer’s reference to “rough year” alludes to the Stunts’ 1-2 regular season record, a post-season split and a multitude of team injuries which included two starters lost for the entire season.

Critics could arguably state that the Stunt Devils should consider themselves fortunate to be in the title bout. A come-from-behind two-point victory last month over the M-80s was aided by a lopsided RSA win over the Smashinistas.

The Stunts could counter they merely capitalized on opportunity as playoff point differential played in their favor. Regardless, the present is what matters most to this hard-working group of athletes. They’ve battled adversity in prior seasons to achieve success. In fact, this mindset is what gave the ladies in purple their first championship in 2009.

After claiming a second championship in 2010, a dynasty was being cultivated. A win Saturday night solidifies that.

“It means we have a hell of a lot of work to do,” said Stunt jammer Artemischief. “We’re going to do it.”

The Stunts have been paced offensively by South City Shiner, whose 62 points in two post-season bouts have propelled the defending champions into the 2011 trophy tilt. The scoring is impressive for a jammer who at mid-season suffered a career-threatening injury. Shiner has rebounded…and rebounded well.

Also mixed into the offensive attack are sophomores Mighty Mighty Boston (38 points) and Morgan LaFaetal (26 points).

But perhaps the “boutmaker” could be Artemischief, who scored 21 points in her lone post-season bout last month, 13 of them in the last jam that provided the catalyst for the Stunts’ appearance in the 2011 finale.

This quartet is impressive. They all have to have career bouts to pick up their third consecutive title.

“Everybody’s gonna have to pull together for this one,” said Artemischief. “We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.”

The task won’t be easy against a squad that contains an imposing intergalactic arsenal.

In their inaugural ARRG season, the members of Rebel Skate Alliance have been consistently exceeding expectations. A trip to the 2011 title bout was not in the original cosmic blueprint. Some critics might have considered it fantasy when the team was chartered last July.

“I would like to say that the goal before the season was to win a trophy,” said RSA co-captain Chewblocka. “Honestly, the goal was just to win one game at a time.”

After five straight wins, fantasy has now become reality for RSA.

The Rollin’ Rebs have outscored their opponents in the post-season 301-176, including a 78-point victory last month.

A primary factor in the post-season success is the twin-attack of jammers McFly (131 points in two bouts) and Starry Starry Fight (117 points). To their credit, the duo will acknowledge their blockers for the output. But let’s be honest, without one of these two all-stars, RSA potentially loses 60 points on the scoreboard. They’re that vital to the offense.

Also supplemental to the scoring is Party Foul, who has quietly notched 57 points in the post-season. The trio is aided by a solid blocking schematic featuring Chewblocka, The Bevo Kill, Domme E. Nation and rookie Stabby McCutcha.

There’s plenty of personal history between both teams heading into their title tussle. RSA stopped The Stunts’ eight bout winning streak back in December.

Conversely, the Stunt Devils became the closest to beating RSA this season – a three-point nailbiter on December 4.

“I’m really excited that we meet the Stunt Devils in the finals,” Chewblocka said. “It will be a lot of fun.”

Perhaps that’s an understatement. Regardless, the defending champs are out to put another purple mark on the trophy Saturday.

“I didn’t think we were going to get a chance to do a three-peat,” said Slayer. “We feel like we have been given an amazing opportunity.”

In the end, one of two things will occur after the final whistle blows: either history will repeat itself or a new chapter will be written.

THIRD PLACE BOUT: THE SMASHINISTAS vs. THE M-80s

Saturday’s opener will see two teams on the rebound looking to end their season on a positive note.

The Smashinistas stumbled out of the gates early last month and it hurt them in numerous ways. Not only did the 155-77 loss to RSA on March 12 halt a four-game winning streak, the margin of defeat also pushed them out of the title picture.

This had to be unsettling for fans of the camo-clad troops. This team was poised to potentially win it all in 2011. To be on the outside looking in left a bitter taste in their mouths.

But to its credit, this talented team refuses to throw a mustachioed pity party. And why should they? The post-season firepower provided by co-captain Downtown Dallis (89 points in two bouts) can provide the instant ammo needed for victory.

Surplus offense is also provided by jammers The Educator (41 points) and Shimmy Hoffa, who notched 26 last bout. The blocking battalion of Eli Wallop, The Forecloser, BeatN’Chix Kiddo, Punches PileUp and Jezebelle are primed and ready to go.

When in control, the Smashies are extremely dominant. They need to be firing on all cylinders Saturday against a team that has newfound confidence.

Last month, the M-80s almost notched their first victory of the season. And in hindsight, the lone win (thanks in part to other bout’s point differential) would have given them a trip to the championship bout. Alas, the improbable never came to fruition.

But even in defeat, the legacy group of ARRG transformed itself into quite an impressive unit thanks to a new methodology. Youngsters were sent to the line with a star on their helmet while veteran jammers-by-trade were sent in front to block. The strategy worked, and it nearly overhauled the complexion of the post-season.

Expect the “firecrackers on quads” to implement the same game plan this weekend. Rookie May Require Stitches (67 points in two playoff bouts) leads the charge for the M-80s. Munchausen By Foxy posted a career-best 26 points last month in a newfound jammer role. Sophomore Black Market Baby brings a 20-point average to the dance.

More importantly, this group has been improving in keeping their opponents’ scores down. Science Friction, the Siege, Bareknuckle Smack and Joanie Rollmoan are the focal points of blocking.

The ladies in red were met with a major setback late last week when starter EnYa Nightmare fell to injury. On a team that has seen numerous players beset with injuries in 2011, this latest addition to the M-80s’ “IR” couldn’t have come at a worse time. Yet, youngsters like Madam Moonstuck, The Punctuator and D’Wicked Pirate are up for the challenge. 

This bout could be decided in the trenches. A low score is quite possible here. And when the smoke clears, both teams will know that they have been in a battle.

While you’re in attendance this Saturday, be sure to stop by ARRG’s charity raffle table to see what you can win. Raffle tickets are $1 apiece or 6 for $5.

After the bouts, you can continue the derby fellowship at the official ARRG post-bout after party at Iggy’s Mexican Cantina (13654 Big Bend Road, Valley Park, MO). There will be live music, dancing and drink specials throughout the evening. Plus, it’s a chance to congratulate your favorite ARRG athlete for a job well done this season.

And even though Saturday’s twin bill puts the final touches on intraleague action in 2011, more ARRG bouts will be held at Midwest Sport Hockey throughout the summer. The ARRG All-Stars have a trio of WFTDA-sanctioned bouts scheduled against North Central rivals and wins against them all will help push ARRG into the WFTDA post-season tournament. Come cheer St. Louis’ best on quads on May 15 vs. Ohio, June 11 vs. North Star and July 16 vs. Grand Raggidy.

It promises to be another fun night of derby that you’ve come to expect from the Arch Rival Roller Girls! We’ll see you Saturday night.

COMING UP NEXT MONDAY IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: Will it be a three-peat for the Stunts? Can the RSA put the final touches on an unprecedented year? Will the Smashinistas roll to victory or will the M-80s leave the Smashies clean-shaven? We’ll have full coverage of Saturday night’s doubleheader.

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