DAILY FEATURES & COLUMNS BEGIN THIS SUNDAY!

by the Grand Poobah, ARRG Newscenter Correspondent

Dear fans and friends of ARRG Nation:

Since December 2009, the folks here in the ARRG Newscenter have attempted to raise the bar when it comes to online coverage of women’s flat-track roller derby at a local level.

We’ve personally looked at the interleague online coverage by all WFTDA leagues – currently 147 leagues internationally – and determined that we wanted to set the benchmark for others to potentially follow. A small percentage of the top leagues nationally consistently feature well-penned bout recaps that effectively highlight monthly action. A healthy portion of the leagues mention quick snippets of upcoming events for their respective squads via a solo-paragraphed blog entry.

Anything to promote the sport…we’re totally cool with that! Internal online coverage by WFTDA leagues – regardless of size – is an effective catalyst of the sport’s awareness and promotion. We respect those respective leagues’ writers and salute their efforts in spreading the good gospel of the sport, both local and nationally. It’s the foundation of community journalism.

But for the ARRG Newscenter internally since December 2009, we’ve desired to do just a little bit more in comparison to the other WFTDA leagues.

We were not solely interested in quickie bout recaps and “quick-hitters” more suitable for social media websites. We wanted to go well beyond that. For the WFTDA league, tweeting a score or Facebooking an event is one thing. By golly, the ARRG Newscenter wanted depth!

Were we successful? That’s debatable. Yes, we do have the tendency to misspell and abuse simple grammatical procedures. But one does have to give notice that we have presented 165 individual full-length columns the past 28 months. From previews to recaps to analysis, we like to think that the quantity and quality of material presented here has kept our faithful local readership informed and engaged perpetually.

So what if we had an error in the formatting of the phrase “double header?” At least we had over 2,000 other words to supplement that error. We’ll play the percentages.

It has made others nationally take notice. When the good folks at Derby News Network – the online portal of national derby coverage – inquire about your local coverage efforts, you kind of figure you’re on to something good. You get a sense of pride from those things.

Overall, it’s been a blast. We enjoy this sport and we love to tell others -both in and outside the sport – of about this hard-working league and the people that are involved with it.

And it also gives us the incentive to take it to the “the next level,” just to show others how it can be done.

With one month prior to ARRG’s biggest night of its seven-year existence, the plan is now set to bring that journalistic level to a new high…albeit a crazy, wacky, somewhat ludicrous high.

And I guess we wouldn’t have it any other way, because that’s how we operate.

In the build-up to the 2012 ARRG Local Championships – held at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on Saturday, April 28 – archrivalrollergirls.com will feature a brand new column DAILY in this section for the entire month of April. This collection of columns will span all thirty days of the month.

Yes, you read that accurately. We’re doing thirty columns in thirty days. Or for our purposes, we’re calling it “ARRG 30n30,” because acronyms are supposedly what the cool kids like.

To our knowledge, no WFTDA-affiliated league has ever attempted this concept before. And going into it, we’ll admit, we might have bitten off more than we can proverbially chew.

Even though the project begins on April Fool’s Day, there won’t be any foolin’ around. We’re going to be serious about this and we think you’ll like what we have to offer.

Keep in mind, this series should not be considered thirty personal blog entries. This concept is not about personal commentary – this is about journalism.

The “pink and black print” goes like this….Every morning at 8 AM for the entire month of April, a new column will be featured at archirivalrollergirls.com.

So how are we going to do this? Alongside the normal bout previews and recaps that you’ve come to expect here, we’ll also present feature articles that highlight all aspects affiliated with the league.

We’ll feature the teams – both local and travel – their members and the support staff that are vital to the league’s operation, as well as some of the committees that continuously augment its activities. We’ll also feature “human interest” stories that personalize the athletes outside bout night.

In short, we’re gonna show you what makes this hard-working league tick.

Some current features expect here in the Newscenter will remain intact. I’ll bring you bout previews and recaps for both the ARRG All-Stars bout vs. Memphis the week of April 14, the Saint Lunachix bout vs. Southern Illinois the week of April 21 and the 2012 Local Championships the week of April 28. I’ll have features ranging from pre-bout rituals to the “Superfans” of the league to the “moms of ARRG.”

In addition, ARRG bout co-announcer Magilla Guerilla will present installments of “Guerilla Uncaged” as well as team previews heading into championship night. We’ll also feature the excellent work of derby photographer Bob Dunnell, who expertly documents digitally the “ins, outs and arounds” of ARRG.

The process is threefold. For the hardcore ARRG fan, this will provide an opportunity of reflection and anticipation to the big event at Chaifetz. For the casual visitor of this website, this will give insight as to how this league operates and the people behind it. To the first time spectator, this will give you give you a reason to join this sport that the league holds true to its heart.

In short, if this was a collegiate graduate course, this would be ARRG’s thesis paper.

We’ll see you here on Sunday, April 1 at 8 AM for the beginning of ARRG’s “30n30,” where we’ll look at the formation of the league and its first exhibition bout from 2006.

REFLECTIONS ON ARRG TRAVEL TEAMS’ 2012 LAUNCHES!

by Magilla Guerilla, ARRG Bout Co-Announcer – Photo Credits: Bob Dunnell (mrmcwheely.com)

So once upon a time, an intrepid group of roller derby skaters decided to take on three WFTDA North Central region opponents in eight days and in three different cities. They called themselves the Arch Rival Roller Girl All-Stars.

With apologies to my old buddy Chuck Dickens, “it was the best of bouts and it was the worst of bouts with a dash of everything in-between.”

However, before we get to the All-Stars and some thoughts about their eight days, they weren’t alone in starting their season. The Saint Lunachix opened the 2012 travel team season at home on March 3 against Madison in the hope of continuing their winning ways from 2011. Also, the ARRG Rookie Rivals took on their counterparts from Cincinnati on March 11.

One of the challenges of being a Saint Lunachick is that the team has an element of randomness to it during the course of the year. With so many talented skaters to choose from in the league, this team might have a different roster for each of their bouts this season. As a result, the team has to be open to change and trust each other in every bout to be successful.

They executed this with perfection in their debut and after the first few minutes of their bout with Madison’s Team Unicorn on March 3 at Midwest Sport Hockey, it appeared to be a bit of a mismatch.

A strong veteran blocking core of  Deathica Steele, Ginny Beastly, Boom Boom Pow, Polkadot Yr Eyeout and Bare Knuckle Smack were given great support by talented skaters like The Oregon Betrayal, Shell Shoxx, Rhino Might and Biohazard Betty as they punished the opposition’s jammers.  They made it look easy and the hard hitting Unicorns were struggling to muster a response.

With open holes and stifled jammers, the talents of EnYa Nightmare, Munchausen by Foxy and rookie Brickyard were on display and they didn’t hesitate to take advantage. The Lunachix even had the benefit of rotating skaters like Sly Davanita and The Forecloser into the jammer position. The second half of this bout was a great chance for the team to use all of their skaters in different ways and see what options might be available during this long season.

After the 179-80 season opening victory over Madison, it looked like the Lunachix were back to their winning ways from last year’s campaign and they took their team on the road one week later to tackle the Violent Lambs of Cincinnati.

What they didn’t expect was the sad news that shocked their team prior to the bout. I would like to briefly take a moment to pass along my condolences and best wishes to Nightmare and her entire family. On the eve of the Cincy bout, Enya’s father – a great supporter of roller derby – passed away. Everyone involved with this league truly mourns his passing.

However, the Lunachix still had to play a bout and they did what every other team would do, they dedicated it to Nightmare and her father. They decorated themselves with her name and number and went out and beat the Violent Lambs of Cincinnati. They did it as a team and the difference in the final score (let’s just say there was some last jam drama and leave it at that) didn’t matter.

The blockers stood out once again for the team, but with a change in the jammer rotation, the Lunachix were given great efforts by Beaster Bunny and Eveready. As a testament to the nature of the Lunachix, neither of these skaters jammed or even played in the team’s first bout! The Lunachix are by no means the “B-side” to a hit song (I think I just made a very dated vinyl record analogy) and I look for them to continue to be a very strong team for the rest of this derby season.

So, returning back to ARRG’s “A-team,”  how does an exciting, down to the wire victory that brings the house down in a home bout not feel as good as it should? When you escape the potential upset of a lower-ranked team in your region and didn’t play your best game during the bout.

The ARRG All-Stars took the track against a very historically stout team from Madison for their first All-Star home game on March 3. Wisconsin skaters from their 2009-10 seasons of qualifying for the WFTDA National Championship tournament still call the Dairyland Dolls home, so this is a team with the experience and the talent to beat anyone in the North Central region.

However, last year they took a series of hits to their roster and stumbled down the stretch. They came to St. Louis to prove something and even if they didn’t win, I think they proved that Madison is getting better and will not go quietly in 2012.

One of the recurring problems facing the ARRG All-Stars is a slow start. They have tended to be behind in their bouts either from the start or by the end of the first half. You aren’t playing these things in a vacuum and there is another team out there, so of course you can expect effort from the other side.

However, having to fight back from a big deficit can take its toll and it can sometimes take a break or two going your way to help that along. You don’t always get those breaks and you can’t count on them. Getting a nice lead and putting the pressure on the opposition will be more and more important going forward, especially when facing tougher foes and in road bouts.

Fortunately against Madison, the wild scoring swings swung the way of St. Louis as the bout came to an end. It wasn’t pretty, but the All-Stars displayed great resilience to absorb the scoring leads from Madison and still found enough to execute down the stretch and get those points back. Everyone that watched the bout was thrilled, but I got the sense that the All-Stars were a little disappointed in themselves.

We didn’t see the best that the All-Stars had to offer against Madison and they dodged a serious bullet. So with all that in mind and after “escaping” with the win, the March 10 trip to Cincinnati loomed large.

Could the All-Stars avoid the slow start? Could they take the crowd out of the bout and execute their game plan? Oh my, did they ever!

Cincinnati plays in a very nice venue, with a colorful little Jumbotron screen and they dim the lights and fire up the fans with spotlighted, boisterous introductions. The crowd was frenzied when the first whistle blew.

Do you want to know the fastest way to quiet over 3000 rabid fans? Start a bout on a 46 to 0 run. That is how the All-Stars opened the bout and they really never looked back from there.

I have to say it might have been one of the best efforts I have ever seen from the All-Stars. I know they have dismantled foes in the past by large margins and when you see the 158-118 final score, you might not think it was such a dominant display. I guess you had to be there, because the All-Stars looked in control from start to finish and had a confident air about them.

There were times when Cincinnati would get within 20 points and you started to wonder if they were in line for a scoring run. Instead, the All-Stars responded with a scoring jam or two and the lead would go back to 30 or 40 once again. It was like clockwork and you could feel that Cincinnati just wanted the bout to end. If fans are fleeing the arena with more than 10 minutes to go in the bout, you are doing something right as the road team.

I would like to point out some individual skaters here, but I just can’t. This was a team, in body and in soul. They lined up tight to the jammer line for almost every jam, were very physical with the Cincinnati jammers and took their blocking positions with speed and assurance coming off the bench. The team was focused, disciplined and dictated the pace and action throughout and Cincinnati had no answers. This team, playing this way, has unlimited potential.

The epilogue to this tale is a 168-115 loss in Columbus against North Central #9 Ohio. I am not sure what happened in that closed event, only the team really knows. I have read the summary from the Derby News Network like many others and it sounds like penalties might have been a factor. I would include some injuries, two bouts in about 14 hours time, Daylight Savings stealing an hour of sleep and the rigors of travel all coming together as other factors to consider.

For the All-Stars, coming out of these 8 days with two wins and one loss is still a very positive result. However, what is even better is the team seeing themselves at the best of times and at the worst of times with everything in-between. They now know what they can do when they do it right and how it goes when they don’t.

I’ll let Sun Tzu handle the rest: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear a hundred battles.”

I want to end my thoughts with how I ended my trip in Cincinnati, by spending some time on Sunday with the ARRG Rookie Rivals. I am not sure how many fans have been able to see them skate, but if you have the chance, please do. They normally don’t get to skate under the bright lights of bout night and many times they are a Sunday morning epilogue to a long weekend of derby.

However, the Rookie Rivals are the center of what makes this sport so great. Many of these girls traveled the six hours to play in front of about 40 people because they love roller derby and they want to continue to grow and play, crowds don’t matter as much. I went into this eagerly hoping to sweep the entire weekend against Cincinnati. I was a shark out for blood, but I missed the point of this bout.

Nothing but smiles from the Rookies!

After it ended in a close loss to Cincy’s c-team, I ran into one of the team’s coaches. I looked at her and smiled and said, “Too bad you didn’t win.”  She looked at me with some confusion and slowly shook her head. “Winning didn’t matter, our girls played great and I am so proud of them!”

She was right. While the uniquely named Flock Ewes salvaged some league pride by winning, the Rookie Rivals did what they wanted to do and the way they wanted to do it, even in a loss.

It is easy to get caught up in winning and losing, it is so very black and white. The Rookie Rivals wanted to win, the coaches wanted to win and all of the watching fans wanted them to win. But the team wanted something else too, they wanted to learn and they wanted to do it together. Everyone on that team skated and everyone on that team did their part. No one sat and watched and no one was held back from trying.

They play the purest and rawest form of the sport. They are building their skills and building their confidence and even if none of the Rookie Rivals ever join the All-Stars, the Lunachix or even a local team, they were never denied the chance to try while they skated as a rookie.

Thanks to everyone for reading through this epic rambling and don’t forget that the All-Stars travel to Memphis on Saturday, April 14, the Lunachix face Southern Illinois at Midwest Sport Hockey in Ballwin on Saturday, April 21 and the 2012 ARRG Local Championships at Chaifetz Arena are on Saturday, April 28, a night nobody should miss.

NEXT MONDAY IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: A special announcement concerning expanded coverage at www.archrivalrollergirls.com in anticipation of the league’s championship event at Chaifetz. The scribes will attempt in April to do something that has never been attempted (to our knowledge) by any other WFTDA-sanctioned league before. Will we raise the bar or have we potentially bitten off more than we can chew?

Magilla Guerilla and the Grand Poobah 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.

LUNACHIX: VICTORY IN CINCY!    ROOKIES: OH, SO CLOSE!

The three travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls just wrapped up a weekend trip to the Buckeye State, which resulted in a split for the All-Stars against a pair of North Central top tens, a narrow victory for the Saint Lunachix and a hard-fought loss for the Rookie Rivals.

The two primary travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls were victorious Saturday night in match-ups against the squads of the Cincinnati Rollergirls.

In WFTDA-sanctioned action, the ARRG All-Stars, ranked #6 in the North Central region, utilized a 46-0 opening sprint to defeat the #8 Cincinnati Black Sheep 158-118.

In the opener, ARRG’s Saint Lunachix sported a 22-point halftime lead and held off CRG’s Silent Lambs 84-79 to improve to 2-0 on the season. The Chix return to action on Saturday, April 21 against the Southern Illinois Roller Girls at Midwest Sport Hockey in Ballwin, MO.

Saturday’s bouts took place in front of 3,500 at the Cincinnati Gardens.

Then on Sunday, the All-Stars traveled further East and faced the #9 Ohio Rollergirls in a private closed bout. OHRG sprinted out to a 101-60 halftime lead en route to a 168-115 victory.

The weekend split sent the ARRG All-Stars’ record to 2-1. The team returns to action on Saturday, April 14 in a road contest against the Memphis Hustlin’ Rollers.

Also on Sunday, the ARRG Rookie Rivals – the league’s c-team – made a hard charge against the Cincinnati Flock Ewes at the Cincinnati Gardens but were handed a 129-118 loss.

Photos from Saturday’s bouts from Cincinnati from Bob Dunnell

#6 ALL-STARS MILK #10 MADISON, CHIX TAME UNICORNS!

by the Grand Poobah – Photos by Bob Dunnell (mrmcwheely.com)

(BALLWIN, MO) Regardless of what one paid for tickets to the travel team season opener of the Arch Rival Roller Girls against the teams of the Mad Rollin’ Dolls Saturday night, they would have to agree that they got their money’s worth and then some.

In the end for the local squads, the net returns resulted in two victories to start the season off on the right path.

In the main event, the ARRG All-Stars – ranked sixth in the WFTDA North Central region – erased two large deficits to pound out a 131-121 victory over the tenth-seeded Diaryland Dolls in WFTDA-sanctioned action.

This followed the opener that saw the Saint Lunachix – ARRG’s B-squad – utilize a 41-0 first-half rally en route to a 179-80 victory over MRD’s Team Unicorn.

For the raucous crowd of 650 at Midwest Sport Hockey, they got more than a glimpse of just how powerful and dramatic travel team action can be.

ARRG ALL-STARS 131     MRD DAIRYLAND DOLLS 121

The season opener between the two North Central top tens foreshadowed the parity that one could possibly see this year within the region. On paper, perhaps this one should have been ARRG’s for the taking.

Yet the Madison contingent was anything but a gracious guest from the onset.

Following a bout-opening six-point jam from MRD’s Mouse, ARRG’s Downtown Dallis followed with six of her own to tie the bout 6-6. Black Market Baby followed with four to give ARRG a 10-6 lead at the 25:10 mark.

The Dairyland Dolls shut out ARRG offensively during the next ten minutes and went on a 24-0 run with rapid-fire scoring over seven jams. Following a four-pointer by Magic Missile that tied the score 10-10, Mouse netted three and Thunderkitten added five, extending the Dolls’ lead to 18-10 with 22:00 left.

A quartet of Doll jammers pushed the lead to 34-10 as the period progressed. BMB finally broke the ARRG scoring drought with a four-pointer at 15:47 to cut the gap to 36-14.

Following a 2-2 stalemate two jams later, the Dolls posted a 10-point uncontested stretch. Mouse’s deuce was followed by back-to-back four pointers from Thunderkitten and Missile that extended Madison’s lead to 46-16 with 11:05 left.

Being down by 30 two-thirds into the first frame was not exactly the type of start ARRG wanted to kick off its 2012 campaign with.

“That was something that this team has struggled with in the past,” said ARRG co-captain Chewblocka of the sluggish start. “The fact that (Madison) came in so ferociously was awesome. We just had to hold our heads high and keep fighting for it.”

And that’s exactly what ARRG did down the first-half stretch. It resulted in a 48-0 run for the locals over the span of eight minutes.

A power jam at 7:30 netted a dozen points for Black Market Baby that whittled the Dolls’ lead to 46-28. Eight on the next jam for ARRG – collectively, a five pointer from South City Shiner with an additional three from May Require Stitches via the “star-pass” narrowed the bout to ten, a 46-36 MRD lead with 5:15 left.

Then figuratively the wheels flew off the milk truck with the next jam. ARRG jammer Mighty Mighty Boston raced out and grabbed lead. Almost immediately, a trio of MRD skaters – including their jammer – went to the sin bin. Capitalizing on the power jam, Boston stomped out 28 points and gave ARRG its first lead since the early stages of the bout – a 64-46 advantage with 3:00 left in the half.

“When their jammer went to the box, I was really excited,” said Boston of the momentum shift. “I knew that I had to play clean and score as many points as I could.”

Madison stopped the bleeding and collected seven down the stretch, chopping ARRG’s lead to 64-53 at intermission.

Even scoring started the second half of play, which saw ARRG up 68-60 four jams in. MRD’s Missile then notched up four to make the bout a 4-point affair with 22:00 left.

Then the Dolls silenced the ARRG contingent with the next jam. Mouse scampered in front and grabbed lead for Madison. Immediately, ARRG’s jammer was sent to the penalty box for a track cut, resulting in a power jam for MRD. Mouse capitalized on the miscue and a full ARRG box to power out a 29-point bout changer. At 20:15, Madison had regained the lead 93-72.

Thunderkitten tacked on an eight-pointer on the next jam and extended the Dolls’ lead to 101-72 with 19:30 left.

At that point, it seemed that the bout – and a four-game undefeated streak at Midwest Sport Hockey – was starting to slip away from the locals.

“We lost our cool a little bit in the middle,” said Boston of the Dollis’41-4 run over three jams. “But then we started to play our strategy rather than adapting to Madison’s.”

Chip away at the lead was ARRG’s strategy and then pounce when least expected.

Boston tallied four to narrow the gap to 101-76 at 18:00, Stitches’ 7-5 power jam followed to cut the deficit to 105-83 and Shiner netted a 4-2 jam two rotations later to whittle Madison’s lead to 107-87.

Slowly but surely, the plan was falling into place…and then opportunity presented itself for a surge.

Following Dallis’ four-pointer at 10:49 that shrunk Madison’s lead to 107-91, the Dairlyland Dolls handed ARRG another power jam. Utilizing the walls opened up by the blocking workhorses, Black Market Baby connected for a 16-point punch at 8:45. When the dust had settled on the 20-0 ARRG rally, the bout was tied 107-107.

Unhappy with the large lead lost, Madison went on another streak with the next two jams. Missile’s trey was followed by Mouse’s 11 from a non-lead power jam.  The Dolls’ 14-0 rally resulted in a 121-107 edge with 4:50 left.

And in a bout that had been earmarked by numerous uncontested rallies, it was apropos that the final one would make the most difference and inevitably culminate the bout into a nail biter down the stretch.

Following a solo point collected by ARRG to cut the gap to a baker’s dozen. Boston sprinted to the front and barreled out a 15-pointer, resulting in another lead change. With 1:59 left, ARRG now sported a 123-121 edge.

Dallis scored eight on the penultimate jam to complete a 24-0 run and extend the local’s lead to ten. Madison called time out with :06 left to assemble a last-second winning strike, but on the ensuing jam in front of a standing audience, Boston would gain lead for ARRG and preserve the double-digit win.

“That was a really hard game,” said Boston, who paced the locals with a team-high 74 points. “It was really important for us to come out on top tonight. We had to win tonight.”

Black Market Baby and Downtown Dallis added 25 and 20, respectively, for ARRG.

And even for the vets that have literally “seen it all and done it all,” bouts like these turn skaters into fans.

“I feel like a derby dinosaur out there,” said Danger. “It takes a lot to get my adrenaline super-pumped, but games like this will do it. Madison is a super strong team and I love playing them.”

The Dairyland Dolls (0-1 but much improved over the squad that went winless at the North Central playoff last October) was led by Mouse’s 63 points.

Regardless of the outcome, the dramatic game play showed that the North Central region will more than likely again see the parity that earmarked 2011.

“Even though a lot of people look at the North Central as not being competitive on a national level, I feel that within the region the competition is just sick,” said Chewblocka. “There’s no other word for it. It’s ridiculous. Everybody’s hungry, so we’re going to fight really, really hard to make things happen for us.”

And the rough-and-tumble opener provided a chance to assess and prepare for a weekend trip to the Buckeye State to play North Central #8 Cincinnati and #9 Ohio (both bouts previewed later in this column.)

“This was good baseline for us to figure out where we are,” said Danger. “We obviously have to get our penalties under control. We have to clean up and tighten up and then just go into Ohio with the feeling that we’re just going to kill everybody.”

OFFICIAL SCORING

ARRG ALL-STARS: Mighty Mighty Boston 74, Black Market Baby 25, Downtown Dallis 20, South City Shiner 7, May Require Stitches 5

MRD DAIRYLAND DOLLS: Mouse 63, Thunderkitten 29, Magic Missile 20, Mack The Knife 9

ARRG SAINT LUNACHIX 179    MRD TEAM UNICORN 80

Developmental derby offers a little more opportunity for experimentation when compared to the game plan of an “A-squad.”

Such was the case Saturday for Team Unicorn, the b-squad of the Mad Rollin’ Dolls. Case in point, the Unicorns trotted out ten different jammers to the stripe, nine of which scored.

But for the Saint Lunachix in their home opener, their methodology remained the same as it always has been. Hit…hit harder…and score.

Team Unicorn was certainly game, even posting a 16-13 lead over the Lunachix ten minutes in. But then the locals would repeatedly follow their mantra as the first half progressed, which resulted in a comfortable lead.

Down 21-17, Lunachix jammer EnYa Nightmare would take advantage of an ARRG power jam and collect 18 points, giving the locals a 35-21 lead with 17:25 left in the first half.

Munchausen by Foxy followed with a four-pointer, newcomer Brickyard added two and Nightmare posted an additional four points to cap a 28-0 Lunachix rally and stretch the lead to 45-21 midway through the period.

Team Unicorn posted five points on the next two jams to cut the deficit to 45-26 with 12:15 left in the first period.

But a “boutbreaker” ensued on the next jam. Nightmare raced to the front, capitalized on the large holes created by Chix blocking and rolled out a 28-pointer, extending the local’s lead to 75-26 with 10:00 left in the frame. This began a 41-0 run for the Lunachix, who stretched the margin to sixty, 86-26.

The Lunachix coasted to a 99-40 halftime lead, but their work was far from over and another big scoring surge awaited the Unicorns early in the second half.

Following a four-pointer scored by Madison’s I.M. Spazzicus to start second half scoring, the Saint Lunachix went on a 29-0 rally. Multi-point scores from the aforementioned Lunachix jamming trio extended the lead to 128-44 with 18:00 remaining.

This comfortable margin allowed the locals to experiment a little of their own in the second half, which allowed additional jammers to don the panty. Rhino Might, Sly Davinita, The Forecloser and Shell Shoxx all took their respective turns at the stripe and collectively added 21 points to the tally.

The Lunachix outscored Team Unicorn by a 2-1 ratio – 80-40 – en route to the 99-point season opening victory.

Propelled by 69 first-half points, Nightmare paced the Lunachix with 89 points, followed by Foxy’s 40 and Brickyard’s 30 in her Lunachix debut.

As mentioned before, Team Unicorn’s line-up of ten jammers resulted in nine that scored, paced by Little Suzie Homewrecker‘s 28 points.

In the end for the Saint Lunachix, they saddled a unicorn, hopped upon a rainbow and rode it to victory.

And they all lived happily ever after.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

ARRG SAINT LUNACHIX: EnYa Nightmare 89, Munchausen By Foxy 40, Brickyard 30, Sly Davinita 13, The Forecloser 4, Rhino Might 3

MRD TEAM UNICORN: Little Suzie Homewrecker 28, Floot Loop 9, Kill ‘Ems 8, Major Kusaknocky 7, Gertrude Awakening 7, Slayhound 4, Montana Slamma 4, I.M. Spazzacus 4, The Heat 2

ARRG TRAVEL TEAMS PREPARE FOR BUCKEYE STATE TREK

ARRG’s upcoming weekend will find all three squads – the All-Stars, the Saint Lunachix and the Rookie Rivals – heading East to continue their 2012 campaigns.

The location? Let’s put it this way.

I’ve got a rhyme that comes with a riddle…what’s round on the end and high in the middle?

O-HI-O!

This Saturday night, the ARRG All-Stars continue North Central Region play as they face the #8 Cincinnati Black Sheep (1-0) at the historic Cincinnati Gardens for CRG’s home opener. The WFTDA-sanctioned bout will headline a double header that has ARRG’s Saint Lunachix meeting CRG’s Violent Lambs (1-0) in the opener.

Cincinnati posted a 140-116 season-opening road win over North Central #11 Grand Raggidy on February 18. In that bout, Grand Raggidy powered its way to a 29-point lead late in the first period. The Black Sheep responded with a 24-0 run to conclude the first period and whittled Grand Raggidy’s lead to 43-38 at the break.

Cincinnati started the second half with a 20-point jam from ARRG nemesis K. Lethal that flipped the lead in favor of the Black Sheep. With six minutes left, Grand Raggidy only trailed 117-104 but Cincinnati was able to fend off the hard charge, outscoring GRRG 23-12 to preserve the win.

Lethal paced Black Sheep scoring with 55 points, followed by Wheezy and candyKICKass with 35 and 30, respectively. All three will be at the helm jammerwise this Saturday.

Others veterans in the CRG line-up include blockers Mirderher, Karma Krash, Sk8r-Kinney, Buckhead Betty and Nuk’em.

This bout will be hard to predict since each team has only one bout this season under their respective belts. Yet, this North Central feud runs deep. Last October during the region’s playoff in Indianapolis, ARRG upset Cincinnati 138-98 in the consolation bracket to advance to the fifth place bout. However, the Cincinnati Gardens have been anything but kind to the ARRG All-Stars. In their last match-up at the venue on April 17, 2010, the Black Sheep spanked ARRG 134-68.

Historically, Cincinnati leads the series 3-2.

One can predict that the Black Sheep would love to gain revenge on the post-season setback from five months ago. A win over the sixth-ranked “pink and black attack” would probably result in a rankings shake-up. And to do it on its own turf (or in this case….would it be a meadow?) would put the proverbial cherry on top.

The opener with the “b-teams” promises to excite as well. CRG’s Violent Lambs defeated Grand Raggidy’s G-Rap Attack 174-116 three weeks ago. The Attack stretched a 33-point halftime lead to pick up the season opening win.

However, the Lunachix have won in their lone prior meeting, an 89-39 win at the Gardens on April 17, 2010.

The challenge for ARRG this Saturday in Cincinnati?  Don’t play “Bo Peep” and lose the sheep.

And if that event wasn’t enough, the ARRG All-Stars continue the Buckeye trek on Sunday to meet up with North Central #9 Ohio (4-0) in Columbus.

The afternoon match-up is best described as a “Charlie Rich Special,” for “nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors.”

The bout is classified as a “closed bout,” meaning that tickets are not available for the general public. However, the bout still counts in the record books and in determining ranking position within the WFTDA.

In their inaugural meeting last season, ARRG defeated Ohio 147-69 at Midwest Sport Hockey on May 14, 2011. In that contest, OHRG lead by nine points at the half until ARRG capitalized on penalties and the visitor’s short bench. The 107-20 second-half sprint enabled ARRG to pick up a key win that contributed to their climb up the 2011 North Central rankings.

Undaunted, Ohio continued to work methodically as the year progressed, which resulted in its first trip to the post-season last October. At the North Central region playoff, OHRG scored a solid win over Madison to take the ninth-place bout.

One thing’s for certain when it comes to the Ohio Rollergirls….they take on anybody and everybody. As of this writing, OHRG already has 20 bouts scheduled on their 2012 calendar with plenty more on the way. With the addition of tournaments yet scheduled, there is a very good chance that Ohio could compete in close to 30 bouts in the span of ten months. Jumping Jiminy!

By the time the ARRG All-Stars reach Columbus, OHRG will already have five bouts under their belts, four from within the region. In February, Ohio posted wins over East #19 River City 196-70, North Central #12 Northstar 149-101 and NC #18 Sioux Falls 279-56.

This past Saturday, Ohio toppled NC #13 Bleeding Heartland 115-90. This weekend, OHRG will face NC #14 Ft. Wayne on Saturday before the Sunday afternoon meeting with NC #6 ARRG.

And it wouldn’t be out of the realm for OHRG to challenge the Columbus Blue Jackets later that evening.

In all sincerity, this is a hard-working league that deserves its success. HellionBOI, Phoenix Buns, Kitty Liquorbottom, Loraine Acid and Pippi RipYerStockings lead the jamming rotation while Bratslava Bruiser, Outa My Wayman and a host of other vets provide the blocking.

ARRG will have already concluded one tough bout the night prior. Could the additional three-hour drive result in a setback?

The Buckeye weekend trip will be a bit of a homecoming for ARRG All-Star co-captain Chewblocka, who spent three seasons with Ohio prior to rejoining ARRG in 2010.

“I look forward to eating some great food and seeing some old friends,” said the derby vet.  ”But we know that those squads (Cincinnati and Ohio) are going to come at us 100 times what Madison brought us. We have to go out full strength with our heads clear and be ready to do it.”

Also this Sunday, the ARRG Rookie Rivals – the league’s “c-sqaud” – will scrimmage Cincinnati’s c-team at Cincinnati Gardens. The late-morning match-up against the “Flock Ewes” (oh, brother!) will be the Rookie Rivals’ second scrimmage of the year.

It’s a lot of distance logged in a short amount of time this weekend. We’ll see how the three travel squads can handle the miles and the pressure!

NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: How did the All-Stars fare against two more North Central foes? Did the Chix remain undefeated at the Gardens? Did the Rookies Rivals say to the Flock Ewes…….oh, nevermind! We’ll recap ARRG’s trip to the Buckeye State. Plus, ARRG returns to the annual St. Louis St. Patrick’s Parade on March 17!

Check back in the section every Monday for the latest in ARRG news and information.

(BALLWIN, MO) The home and season openers for the Arch Rival Roller Girls’ top two travel squads netted winning results in front of 650 Saturday at Midwest Sport Hockey.

In the main event featuring two top 10 North Central teams, the #6 ARRG All-Stars rebounded from two 30-point deficits and utilized a 24-0 late-bout rally to post a 131-121 victory over the #10 Madison Dairyland Dolls.

Down 46-16 with 11:00 left in the first half, ARRG rallied 48-0 to grab a 64-46 lead with 3:00 left.

The Dairyland Dolls countered with a scoring surge ten minutes into the second half and gained a 101-72 advantage.

After ARRG tied the scored 107-107 with 12:00 left, Madison rebounded and led 121-108 with 4:00 remaining.

ARRG used a 24-0 rally – paced by Mighty Mighty Boston’s lead changing 15-pointer with 1:59 left – to eek out the ten point win.

Boston paced the victors with 70 points unofficially.

In the opener, ARRG’s Saint Lunachix used a 39-0 first-half rally en route to a 179-80 over MRD’s Team Unicorn.

The Lunachix sported a 99-40 lead at the break and outscored Team Unicorn 80-40 in the second half to pick up their season opening victory.

EnYa Nightmare scored 89 points unofficially to pace the Lunachix.

A full recap of both bouts will be featured Monday morning at archrivalrollergirls.com.