ALL-STARS & LUNACHIX BATTLE NORTH CENTRAL FOES!

by the Grand Poobah, ARRG Bout Co-Announcer – Photos by Bob Dunnell (mrmcwheely.com)

WFTDA-sanctioned interleague action returns this weekend for the Arch Rival Roller Girls – and the locals have formidable foes at home to begin its 2012 campaign.

This Saturday night, it’s the Show-Me State vs. the Badger State as ARRG hosts the squads of the Mad Rollin’ Dolls from Madison, WI. In the main event, North Central Region action is featured as the #6 ARRG All-Stars face the #10 Dairyland Dolls in a war of perennial top tens. Prior to that match-up, ARRG’s Saint Lunachix battle MRD’s Team Unicorn.

The action takes place at Midwest Sport Hockey at Queeny Park (570 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO.) Doors open at 6:30 pm. The double-header action begins at 7 pm.

Tickets at the door on Saturday are $15 cash only. Children 10 and under get in free.  Save $3 per ticket in advance when purchased online at BROWN PAPER TICKETS by going to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE. Groups of 15 or more can save $5 per ticket online by going to this LINK RIGHT HERE. Online tickets are on sale until late Friday night.

For those of you already familiar with the local action of ARRG, get ready for the speed, power and intensity to be cranked up to a whole new level.

This is particularly true of the marquee bout, where both squads are hoping to solidify their placement in the North Central Region rankings with a season opening victory.

The Arch Rival All-Stars return to the flat-track this Saturday after a breakthrough travel season last year. After starting the 2011 travel season ranked tenth in the North Central, ARRG methodically worked its way up the region’s ladder and finished sixth overall with a 10-5 record – six wins and four ranking spots higher than 2010′s output.

ARRG's Black Market Baby

The turnabout in the win/loss column was attributed to numerous factors. Much could be said of a more-balanced schedule in 2011. ARRG found against itself against more comparable competition, which gave them the chance to further develop what was working. The boost in confidence also helped.

Repositioning within the line-up was also instrumental. Mighty Mighty Boston and Downtown Dallis found themselves with more responsibility at the jammer position. That, along with the steady work of South City Shiner and help down the stretch by Black Market Baby, resulted in a very stable quartet to pull from.

ARRG's Dallis, Chewblocka & McFly

With the changes at jammer, both Artemischief and the Educator moved to the blocking schematic, which proved to be one of ARRG’s strongest yet. Returning All-Stars Chewblocka, Eli Wallop, Mayor Francis Slayer, Grave Danger, Science Friction, Smarty McFly and Party Foul were joined by newcomers Shimmy Hoffa and May Require Stitches.

The good news? With the exception of the still-healing Hoffa, all of the aforementioned players return to the 2012 roster. Plus the addition of jammer Morgan LeFaetal and blocker PolkaDot YrEyeout adds further depth to the travel team charter.

It’s an impressive line-up…one with stability. And the All-Stars look to carry over the momentum experienced in 2011 into a brand new travel season.

Right out of the gates, the process will be challenging because their opponents will look to make a hard charge in the North Central themselves.

The Diaryland Dolls – an original member of the WFTDA who advanced to Nationals in 2009 – has experienced two straight seasons of rebuilding.  This is a squad that has experienced perpetual makeovers and that has reflected the totals in the win/loss column.

In 2011, after finishing the regular season 1-6 and entering the post-season as a sixth seed, the Dolls went winless at the North Central Regional tourney and finished tenth. In hindsight, it was the complete opposite of how ARRG fared.

They weren’t happy about that – not one bit. With several hard-charging veterans returning to the fold and a crop of youngsters that impressed at last year’s tourney, the Dolls look to rebound to winning ways and advance up the rungs of the North Central ladder.

MRD's Mouse

At last year’s playoff tourney, the Dairyland Dolls went with a jammer by committee line of attack. In numerous bouts, they went five deep to don the star. Standouts include veterans Mack the Knife and Mouse, who both were a part of the 2009 squad that went to Nationals. They’ll be joined by Wildberry Punch and Twisted Halo in the jammer rotation.

After rolling through a few seasons of turnover, there now seems to be some stability in the blocking schematic. Return starters in the 2012 line-up include Busta Crimes, Magic Missile, Shenanaguns and Gene Lane.

Historically, the two squads have had only one prior meeting. The Dairyland Dolls defeated ARRG 109-74 in Madison on July 25, 2009.

With two teams that look to make an early impression in the WFTDA North Central from the onset, expect the action to be at a fever pitch.  In short, a fast Dairyland Dolls’ start could lead to a case of the sour belches for ARRG.

In the opener featuring developmentals, the Saint Lunachix face MRD’s Team Unicorn to continue their rivalry.

Lunachix YrEyeout & Beastly

Last May, the two faced each other at Midwest Brewhaha, which saw the Chix harness the Unicorn 200-92.

The Lunachix continued to show in 2011 why the term “B-team” is somewhat of a misnomer, racking up a record of 10-1 while outscoring its opponents by a ratio of 2-1.

Just like the All-Stars, numerous familiar faces line the 2012 Saint Lunachix charter. Jammers EnYa Nightmare, Boom Boom Pow and Munchausen by Foxy return to the fold. Also look for newcomer Brickyard (who scored 40 in her ARRG local debut last month) to also don the star for the Chix.

Familiar faces also work the front line. Look for returnees Deathica Steele, Ginny Beastly, Bareknuckle Smack, Rhino Might, Shell Shoxx, PolkaDot YrEyeout and the Forecloser to hit long stretches of clock time. Newcomers to the 2012 Chix include The Oregon Betrayal, Sly Davinita, Biohazard Betty, Beaster Bunny and Eveready.

In short, the Saint Lunachix want to set a high benchmark – an undefeated season, perhaps? A win this Saturday begins that quest.

That’s also the goal for MRD’s Team Unicorn, who also begins its season at Queeny. Look for Hello Sailor, who spent time in the post-season with the Dairyland Dolls in 2011, to lead the charge.

Altogether, you’re going to witness the drive, determination and desire that make travel team competition so great.

While you’re at Midwest Sport Hockey, we encourage you participate in our charity raffle drawing that benefits Safe Connections, ARRG’s charity partner for the 2011-12 season. ARRG is rapidly approaching its goal of raising $3,000 for the local non-for-profit.  We’ll be having a raffle for a pair of baskets containing plenty of items, ranging from gift certificates from local merchants to tickets to upcoming bouts.  Stop by the raffle table to see what you can win. Tickets are $1 apiece and six for $5.

After Saturday’s doubleheader, join ARRG at its official post-bout after party, held at Iggy’s Mexican Cantina in Valley Park (13645 Big Bend Road.) There are drink specials to be found and it’s a chance for you to catch-up and meet your favorite ARRG athlete. Remember, there’s no cover charge to participate!

In all, it’s going to be another high-octane night of ARRG derby. Come out and join us this Saturday night!

NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: Find out how the All-Stars and the Lunachix fared in their bouts against the Mad Rollin’ Dolls. We’ll have full recaps of both bouts. Plus, the ARRG squads gear up for a roadtrip to the Buckeye State to battle more North Central rivals. We’ll preview the March 10 ARRG match-ups against Cincinnati.

The Grand Poobah and Magilla Guerilla are bout co-announcers for the Arch Rival Roller Girls. Check back in this section for the latest in ARRG news/information.

EDUCATIONAL FUNDRAISER TO HELP LEAGUE!

The Arch Rival Roller Girls ask you an all-important question…”Are you smarter than a rollergirl?”

ARRG Trivia Night

You’ll have the opportunity to answer that query in a few days and in the process help out the league with the costs associated with St. Louis’ hottest action on wheels.

ARRG presents its fourth annual Trivia Night this Friday night in St. Louis, where your table of ten can answer questions that could inevitably lead to a cash prize.

Here are the details for the event:

WHAT: 4^th Annual ARRG Trivia Night

WHEN: Friday, February 24 at 7 pm (Doors open/registration at 6 pm)

WHERE: The German Cultural Society, 3652 South Jefferson, St. Louis, MO

COST: $20 per person (includes free beer, wine, soda and light snacks – no outside alcohol, please.) Tables of ten can be pre-registered for $200 per table.

Go to this link at Brown Paper Tickets RIGHT HERE to reserve your table.

Here is your chance to organize your table of ten and compete against other brainiacs in a wide variety of categories.

Don’t think that the questions will just pertain to derby. Sure, there might be a derby-related question or two, but one will find that the categories are just as diverse as any other general trivia event.

At past trivia nights, categories have included the following: motion pictures, sports, music, literature, geography, St. Louis history, pop culture and famous femme fatales (or would that be infamous?)

And just because you’re not part of a table of ten doesn’t mean you can’t play.

Personal reflection: Two years ago, I attended Trivia Night without a team in tow. I was paired up with other individuals who were also solo. The collaborative efforts of the “team made from scratch” netted a second place finish and the proverbial trip to the “paywindow.”

Teams can boost their score with the purchase of mulligans – consider it an automatic correct answer to a question left answered or unsure – for the cost of $1 per round. If anything, the purchase of mulligans can add 10 points to the team’s total score.

A silent auction featuring gift baskets and a 50/50 raffle will also be held. Last year’s 50/50 resulted in a grand prize jackpot of close to $1,000.

One again, the event is designed to raise funds to offset the costs associated with the league, so you’re directly contributing to the cause with the purchase of a table of ten.

We’ll see you this Friday for the fourth annual ARRG Trivia Night!

ARRG ROLLS THROUGH MARDI GRAS PARADE!

The Arch Rival Roller Girls participated in the River City Casino Grand Parade Saturday at the 33^rd annual Soulard Mardi Gras.

Sunshine and pleasant weather at this year’s parade resulted in a high spectator turnout. Although parade officials do not give out estimates for attendance, organizers had prepared for hundreds of thousands to view the parade. Over 112 entries participated at what is considered to be the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in the world.

ARRG, along with the STL GateKeepers mens flat-track derby franchise, rolled along the parade route that started at Busch Stadium, worked its way down 7^th Street to Broadway and eventually finished at the A/B-InBev headquarters.

ARRG and the GateKeepers are already lining-up to prepare for another yearly event, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, to be held Saturday, March 17 in downtown St. Louis.

NEXT MONDAY IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: It’s time for the ARRG travel season! But for a welcomed change, the travel season begins at home this year. The ARRG All-Stars – ranked sixth in the WFTDA North Central – face a top ten that looks to rebound following a disappointing 2011. It’s a squad that not all that long ago made the trip to the national tournament. Plus, the Saint Lunachix gear up for their season opener as well. Next week, we’ll preview the Saturday, March 3 doubleheader featuring #6 ARRG vs. #10 Mad Rollin’ Dolls and the Saint Lunachix vs. MRD’s Team Unicorn.

PLAYOFF ROUND FINDS TOP TWO SEEDS VICTORIOUS!

by the Grand Poobah, ARRG Bout Co-Announcer – Photos by Bob Dunnell (mrmcwheely.com)

(BALLWIN, MO) In front of 800 at Midwest Sport Hockey Saturday night, the top two seeds muscled their way to dominating wins in the playoff round of the ARRG 2011-12 local season and earned a trip to the main event of the league’s historical showcase come April.

The top-seeded Stunts Devils pounced from the onset to beat fourth-seeded Rebel Skate Alliance 210-60 while the second-seeded M-80s bullied their way to a 182-127 win over the third-seeded Smashinistas.

With their respective wins, the Stunt Devils (4-0) and the M-80s (3-1) will meet in the title bout of the ARRG 2012 Local Championships, held Saturday, April 28 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. The Smashinistas (1-3) and RSA (0-4) will also tangle that night in the league’s third place bout.

(Advance ticket information for the Chaifetz Arena event will be released shortly at archrivalrollergirls.com.)

With the slates wiped completely clean in the playoff round, all four teams knew that in order to make it to the finale of ARRG’s biggest event so far in its seven year history – held at a St. Louis-city facility that seats 8,000 – play would have to be simultaneously tactical and powerful.

The top two seeds hit those two aspects in grand fashion.

Following their dominance Saturday, it’s apropos that the two legacy teams of ARRG – and their multiple seasons of league championship battles waged against – would step one stride closer to ultimately grabbing April’s big brass ring.

STUNT DEVILS 210  REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE 60

Prior to the first whistle blown Saturday, the defending league champions faced insurmountable odds against the top seed of the playoff round.

Although Rebel Skate Alliance added to their roster courtesy of the league’s supplemental draft held last week, injuries to a quartet of skaters reduced their roster from thirteen skaters to nine. This would include a pair of All-Star vets (Chewblocka and Party Foul), a high-scoring ARRG rookie (Pink Diamond) and a veteran blocker (Bertha Venus). In order to field a roster, and to avoid forfeiture in the playoff round, RSA was allowed by the league to acquire the one-bout services of a pair of unrostered skaters (Spice Rack and Glinda Gams) to fulfill the minimum requirement of players.

Consider it a moral victory for RSA to bout altogether Saturday night. They could have easily waved the white flag and merely scrimmaged. But to their credit, they were able to compete against the top seed legit. Yet, the deck was stacked – only three skaters were on the track from last year’s undefeated squad. That’s a lot of fresh faces out there to defend the title.

The Stunt Devils realized and respected this, but ultimately knew that this was not going to alter their methodology for the playoff round.

“We knew that it was going to be a difficult game for RSA, but we were going to go out and play the same game no matter what,” said Stunts’ pivot Mayor Francis Slayer of the match-up. “There was no other option.”

Perhaps her honor was being kind in that statement. For them, this was the flat-track equivalent of a shark smelling blood.

The Stunt Devils raced out to a 23-0 lead off the bout’s first five jams. A trio of consecutive four pointers from jammers Mighty Mighty Boston, Morgan LeFaetal and South City Shiner were followed by a seven-pointer from Artemischief. Another four from Boston finished the Stunts’ uncontested run six minutes in.

RSA would get into the scoring column with eight points off the next three jams and keep the deficit within reach – 31-8 with 19:30 left in the first period.

The Stunts posted another scoring streak – a 29-0 rally – in the middle stretch of the period. A pair of four-pointers from Boston and Shiner was followed by a 19-point purple punch by LeFaetal at the 13:50 mark. The uncontested Stunt rally extended their lead to 60-8 with 12:00 left.

RSA’s Smarty McFly countered with an 11-point power jam on the next rotation to cut the gap to 64-19 at the 10:00 mark.

Play remained even down the stretch until the Stunts netted the proverbial bout buster deep in the frame. Capitalizing on a non-lead power jam, Boston skedaddled to a rare 37-point tally (yes, you read that correctly) extending the Stunts’ lead to 108-24 with 2:45 left.

Shiner added nine to finish the half, which saw the Stunt Devils up 117-31 at intermission.

And although they could have coasted in the second period, the top seed wanted to show RSA – and their potential opponent for the April title bout at Chaifetz – just how unrelentless they could be.

“Even before we knew that RSA was going to be down a few skaters, we wanted to show them that we could beat them by a lot,” said the Stunts’ LeFaetal of her team’s missive. “We wanted to show that we’re a very strong team and that the other teams should fear us.”

In the second half, Shiner posted 20 to extend the Stunts’ advantage to triple digits, 137-35 at the 27:00 mark. This launched a 32-0 rally for the ladies in purple, which extended their lead 149-35 with 20:00 left.

Shiner continued the onslaught midway through the frame, collecting another 20-pointer, extending the lead to 178-39 with 12:00 remaining.

The Stunt Devils outscored RSA 103-29 in the second period to coast to the 150-point win. The top seed’s total points marked the first time that a local squad had broken the 200-point barrier in intraleague play.

“We wanted to let the other teams know that we were serious,” said Slayer of her squad’s dominance.  “We have amazing jammers, we have amazing blockers and our new skaters are working really hard and contributing to them team. Top to bottom, our roster is really great.”

Boston unofficially paced the Stunt Devils with 69 points, followed by 55 from Shiner. LeFaetal added 48 for the Stunts, who remained undefeated in the season’s campaign.

McFly unofficially topped RSA scoring with 26 points, followed by a dozen each from Beaster Bunny and Stabby McCutcha. Despite the valiant attempt, the hard-luck season continued for the league defending champs, who remain winless and now play in the third place bout at Chaifetz.

And for the Stunts in April, they’ll face a familiar foe for the trophy.

“The M-80s are a really hard working team,” said Slayer of their literal arch rival. “They have a lot of talent. We’re going to have to be clean, stay out of the box and just go all out from jam one.”

“We’re going to have to bring it just like we do every game,” added LeFaetal.

This will be important for the Stunts. Earlier this season, they stole a three-point victory against the M-80s on the bout’s final jam.  Could one expect the same drama at the trophy tussle?

“At the championship, it’s going to be a very hardcore game,” predicted Slayer.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

STUNT DEVILS: Mighty Mighty Boston 69, South City Shiner 55, Morgan LeFaetal 48, Artemischief 19, Grave Danger 2

REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE: Smarty McFly 26, Beaster Bunny 12, Stabby McCutcha 12, The Oregon Betrayal 10

M-80s 182   SMASHINISTAS 127

The last time these two teams tangled in November, fourteen lead changes occurred. It looked like that was going to happen again early on.

Following a bout-opening three-pointer scored by Smashinistas’ jammer The Educator, the M-80s’ EnYa Nightmare countered with seven to give the firecrackers a 7-3 edge. Downtown Dallis scored four on the next jam for the Smashies to tie the score 7-7 at the 26:00 mark.

The M-80s capitalized on a power jam at 24:15, enabling Black Market Baby to score 15 points and give the ladies in red a 22-7 advantage.

Up 32-20 at the 17:00 mark, BMB scored 14 points, extending the M-80s’ lead, 46-20.

The Smashinistas countered with Brickyard, a new acquisition from last week’s league supplemental draft, who rolled out a 14-point power jam, cutting the deficit to 47-34 at 14:20. An 8-4 Smashies’ run on the next jam narrowed the gap to 51-42. The Educator netted eight at 10:44 to narrow the bout to a one-point affair, 51-50.

May Require Stitches posted four to extend the M-80s’ lead to five. The Smashies’ Educator followed with two, making the score 55-52.

With 3:18 left in the period, Stitches posted a 19-point punch for the M-80s and extended the lead to 76-52.

Dallis collected a pair of four-pointers for the Smashinistas to finish the first half. Up 76-60 at intermission, the M-80s knew that their lead was anything but safe.

The camo-clad troops fired quickly to begin the second period.  Dallis scored nine to begin play to help the Smashies cut the deficit to 76-69. Stitches tacked on four for the M-80s on the next jam to push the lead back to double digits.

An 11-8 Smashie run off the next jam – paced by Brickyard – narrowed the gap to 88-80 with 25:15 left.

Unfortunately for the third seed, that would be closest they would come as the M-80s went on a 59-10 run during the next ten minutes. Stitches netted scoring strikes of 12 and 17 while BMB hit a 15 and 10-pointer to help the M-80s pull ahead 147-90 with 14:00 remaining.

Undaunted, the Smashies went on a 14-0 run on the next three jams to narrow the deficit down to 147-104. But just as soon as a glimmer of hope was obtained, penalties began to ultimately dismantle the Smashinistas. Capitalizing on their fourth power jam of the half, BMB scored 23 with 3:15 remaining to give the firecrackers a 178-117 cushion.

“Those were game changing situations,” Black Market Baby said of the quartet of second-half power jams that netted 62 points. “It was amazing but I almost think that was more luck of the draw for myself.”

The second seed outscored the Smashies 106-59 to earn their placement in the championship bout at Chaifetz.

Unofficially, BMB’s 97 topped M-80s’ scoring, followed by Stitches’ 43.

For the firecrackers this season, a return trip to the league’s championship bout after a one year absence was a priority from day one.

“That was our goal,” Black Market Baby said following the bout. “We are a team that gets more cohesive when we play together continuously. I think tonight helped us push that point higher and higher.”

And what’s it going to take to push that point to the pinnacle against the Stunt Devils come April?

“I’m not giving away strategies,” wryly said the co-captain.

The Smashinistats were unofficially paced by Dallis’ 47 points followed by Brickyard’s 43 in her ARRG debut.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

M-80s – Black Market Baby 97, May Require Stitches 43, EnYa Nightmare 24, Munchausen By Foxy 14, Kimical Burn 4

SMASHINISTAS – Downtown Dallis 47, Brickyard 43, The Educator 37

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

TEAMS TO MEET AT APRIL TITLE BOUT AT CHAIFETZ ARENA!

(BALLWIN, MO)  The top two seeds in the ARRG playoff round Saturday night powered their way to dominating wins, thus setting up an anticipated finale in April for the league title.

The top-seeded Stunt Devils bulldozed fourth-seeded Rebel Skate Alliance 210-60 while the second-seeded M-80s out-muscled the third-seeded Smashinistas 182-127 at Midwest Sport Hockey.

The two winners will face each other in the title bout of the 2012 ARRG Local Championships, set for Saturday, April 28 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis.

In their playoff victory, the Stunts raced out to a 23-0 lead and never looked back. After leading 117-31 at intermission, the top seed outscored RSA 93-29 to pick up the 150-point win. Historically, this marked the first bout that an intraleague squad had collected 200 points.

In the M-80s’ victory over the Smashinistas, the firecrackers utilized a 106-69 second-half scoring advantage to secure a trip to the marquee bout in St. Louis. Co-captain Black Market Baby unofficially scored 97 points in the win.

With their defeats, RSA and the Smashinistas will compete in the third place bout, also set for April 28 at Chaifetz.

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