PLUS, LUNACHIX TUSSLE WITH ROLLERS FROM CHAMPAIGN!

by Muckety Muck, Derby News Network Contributing Writer – Photos by Bob Dunnell

When the 2012 Arch Rival Roller Girls’ travel calendar was first released last November, the specific date of Saturday, August 4 immediately contained an element of mystery.

Whereas other events scheduled throughout the season revealed opponents such as Madison, Bleeding Heartland and Chicago Outfit, August 4 had no specific opponent mentioned in ARRG’s early marketing campaign.

For the longest time, it was simply “All-Stars vs. TBD”…as in “to be determined.”

Little did ARRG know last November that this Saturday night would inevitably become the most anticipated interleague event in franchise history and create a genuine buzz across the national derby scene.

This Saturday night at Queeny Park, WFTDA North Central action is featured as the eighth-ranked ARRG All-Stars (9-2) face the region’s third-ranked squad, the Naptown Tornado Sirens (8-4) from Indianapolis, IN.

Prior to that bout, ARRG’s b-team, the Saint Lunachix (6-2), face the Twin City Derby Girls of Champaign/Urbana, IL (1-2).

The bouts take place at Midwest Sport Hockey (570 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO.) Doors for the event open at 6:30 pm and the action begins at 7 pm.

Tickets at the door on Saturday are $15 cash only for general admission. Children 10 and under get in free.

Save $3 on individual tickets purchased in advance by going to Brown Paper Tickets at THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.

Groups of 15 and more can save up to $5 on each ticket purchased in advance by going to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.

This weekend’s doubleheader promises to completely deliver the reasons that we are all fans of this sport.

One of the most-talked about stories in derby circles has been the hard charge of the ARRG All-Stars in that past two months. Victories over North Central #4 Detroit and #5 Chicago Outfit, alongside wins over South Central #3 Nashville and #4 Houston, have made the Arch Rival All-Stars “ones to watch” in the WFTDA.

This Saturday night, the “pink and black attack” looks to notch another historical win to the ledger against another higher-ranked squad.

It’s a given that both league’s will get berths for the upcoming WFTDA North Central region playoffs, entitled “Thrill of the Spill,” in September in Niagara Falls, NY.

A win for the locals over the third-ranked Tornado Sirens will give ARRG a boost of momentum heading into the highly-competitive Fall tussle in the Empire State.

“We want to send a message before post-season,” says ARRG All-Star blocker The Educator. “We’re not going to worry about rankings. We’re just going to put our heads down and play hard.”

And “playing hard” has been the mantra for ARRG consistently this campaign. In their last appearance at Queeny Park in July, the local rollers utilized a 57-0 second-period rally to post a 191-100 win over the Chicago Outfit Syndicate, the region’s fifth-ranked league. The victory netted ARRG its third consecutive win over a higher-ranked squad in the WFTDA.

The jamming quartet of Mighty Mighty Boston, Downtown Dallis, Black Market Baby and South City Shiner paced the scoring for the victors, but the blocking schema of Eli Wallop, Science Friction, Party Foul, May Require Stitches, Grave Danger, Mayor Francis Slayer, Shimmy Hoffa, The Educator and Chewblocka collectively garnered “MVP” designation for the bout, as they provided the walls and openings for the jammers to score while simultaneously shutting down the opposition’s plan of attack.

If that last paragraph seemed a bit lengthy, it was for good reason. ARRG’s success thus far in 2012 has truly been a team effort. Hands down, this has been one of the league’s most cohesive units historically.

All the aforementioned athletes will be in the starting line-up on Saturday and all will undoubtedly put their best quad forward.

It’s gotta be that way, for the top-notch squad they face sports the initials N-R-G. It’s not only a league acronym…it also defines the catalyst of their style.

Naptown finished last year’s North Central region playoff with a third-place victory over Detroit to earn its first-ever trip to the WFTDA National Championships. And although they suffered a first-round loss to Philadelphia in the first round for the Hydra Cup, no one could deny Naptown’s monumental rise. After all, to earn a spot as one of the best twelve derby squads in the nation is nothing short of incredible. It was a spot well-deserved.

By advancing to a higher echelon in 2011, Naptown knew full well that its schedule was going to be extremely active this year. And although they’ve faced – and have beaten – some solid squads on the national derby scene, their lone pair of bouts thus far within the North Central region has resulted in losses.

Granted, the two setbacks were against the top two squads within the region. The Tornado Sirens fell to top-ranked Windy City 187-69 in March and stayed competitive in a 35-point loss to second-ranked Minnesota in May. The losses somewhat hurt but were understandable, considering the high-quality of opposition.

But if there has ever been a consistently competitive league in the North Central the past two seasons, Naptown certainly fits the bill. They’ve been a stable number three all season long.

And NRG’s “outside the region” wins against other nationally-recognized squads certainly adds a lot to the Tornado Sirens’ portfolio. The Tornado Sirens have wins over Steel City, Montreal, Boston and Dutchland – ranked fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth, respectively – in the WFTDA East. They also have victories over Atlanta and Tampa Bay, the teams respectively ranked fifth and sixth in the WFTDA South Central.

If there’s an apropos word to describe Naptown, it would be “balanced.” The sturdy set of skaters from the Circle City brings a line-up that is comparable to ARRG in terms of experience and physicality.

The forefront of the offense contains a very experienced group of veterans. Jammers Amooze Bouche, Maiden America and Blue Messiah are the primary focal points that “don the star.” The trio of wily veterans simultaneously brings great speed, power and presence to the offense.  R.I.P. Tide and Piper Sonic supplement the Tornado Sirens’ jammer rotation.

The blocking layout of Naptown is just as fierce. Look for Ima Hurchu, Cereal Killer, Shadi Layne, Asian Sinsation and Enya Graves to battle the ARRG blockers continuously throughout the night.

Naptown historically has a 2-1 advantage in their series of bouts against ARRG. Arch Rival netted a 93-61 victory over the Tornado Sirens in March 2009. Naptown then won the next two, a 113-69 win at the North Central playoffs in 2010 and a 47-point win at home in February 2011.

In Saturday’s marquee match-up, two squads will be looking to send a message prior to post-season play at September’s WFTDA North Central region playoffs.

For Naptown, they wish to firmly establish their third-ranked classification and become one of the favorites regionally to nab a national championship berth. For ARRG, they wish to send notice that they will potentially shake up the playoff picture in six weeks.

After the final whistle blows this Saturday night, one team’s wishes will come true.

“it’s going to be really tough,” anticipates ARRG’s South City Shiner. “Naptown’s a really tough team. If we can beat them, then that would be really great for us.”

Although it may seem like a cliché, there arguably is a lot riding on the line in the main event.

And if there wasn’t enough drama and intrigue to whet a derby fan’s appetite, there’s plenty to satisfy one’s hunger in Saturday’s opening bout.

ARRG’s Saint Lunachix – the league’s b-team – has pounded out three victories in a row, including a 155-53 win over the Chicago Outfit’s Shade Brigade last month at Midwest Sport Hockey.

In that bout, the Chix posted an early 35-0 sprint to propel them to victory. Once again, the Chix implemented the strategy that has served them well in 2012: hit early and often and the rest will take care of itself.

Lunachix jammer EnYa Nightmare posted over 80 points to pace the locals in the win. Rhino-Might and Sly Davanita also collected strong numbers in the victory. The trio, alongside jammers Morgan LeFaetal and Brickyard, will look to net similar results this Saturday.

The faces familiar in the Chix blocking battalion also look to make an impact. Captain Boom Boom Pow, Ginny Beastly, Polkadot Yr’ Eyeout , Deathica Steele, Eveready, The Oregon Betrayal, Shell Shoxx, Hydrogen Bombshell and Arcane Sugar will provide the walls up front to let the scoring commence and limit the opposition.

Once again, the play has to be complete for the locals, for they are facing an “a-squad” that has grown by leaps and bounds in a short amount of time.

The Twin City Derby Girls are one of the latest additions to the WFTDA North Central region following an apprenticeship that began in July 2010. The hard work of the Central Illinoisans, combined with solid victories over comparable-skilled teams, gave them enough ammunition to vault from apprentice status to league affiliate without argument.

The squad are 1-2 in their WFTDA-sanctioned bouts thus far in 2012. Following a 48-point loss to North Central #18 Demolition City in April, TCDG posted a 198-55 win over North Central #29 CoMo Derby Dames in June.

This past Saturday, TCDG fell to North Central #21 Killamazoo 254-126.

TCDG’s Houchebag, Therafist and Tommy Knocker will see multiple rotations at jammer Saturday while Heidi Slice, Delta Badhand, Anthrobrawlogist, Terror Misu, Kimbuktu and Tyra Shanks pace the squad’s blocking.

Although they are relatively young as a franchise, they cannot be taken lightly. TCDG would love nothing more than to post a solid win over a larger-market franchise.

Saturday’s opener will be quite the match-up. Arriving early at Midwest Sport Hockey to grab a good seat should be your top priority.

And while you’re at Midwest Sport Hockey this weekend, you can take some sweet schwag home by participating in the final charity raffle of the season that benefits Safe Connections of St. Louis.  Since last November, we’ve been raising proceeds at every home event. This final push will help ARRG’s goal of reaching $3,000 for the local non-for-profit.  Prizes in the raffle drawing include ARRG merchandise, gift certificates from local businesses and other goodies. Raffle tickets will be on sale for $1 apiece or for a better value, and for a greater chance at winning, you can purchase six for $5.

After Saturday’s bouts, join us for the official ARRG post-bout after party, held at Sammy’s Beach Bar and Grill, located at Harrah’s Casino in Maryland Heights. You can meet your favorite athletes from the Arch Rival Roller Girls, the Naptown Tornado Sirens and the Twin City Derby Girls. Plus, some of the best casino action in the area is mere footsteps away. There’s no cover for the post-bout after party at Harrah’s. We hope to see you there!

It’s been a fun season for the local derby fan! And with your help, ARRG will go out in style this weekend prior to the post-season!

We’ll see you at Midwest Sport Hockey this Saturday night!

Go to ARRG’s official Facebook page for continuous updates throughout the week for late-breaking event information.

COMING UP NEXT MONDAY IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: We’ll see how the ARRG squads fared in Saturday’s doubleheader. Full bout recaps will be featured!

 

GOIN’ GREEN, GUIDIN’ GUARDIANS AND GROOVIN’ GEARS

by Muckety Muck, Derby News Network Contributing Writer

After two back-to-back weekend’s of Saturday night doubleheaders, the Arch Rival Roller Girls finally took a much-needed break this past weekend.

Actually, they didn’t…and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Even when the league is not competing against others on the flat-track, the hard-working ladies keep the work ethic strong by participating in numerous events.

Such was the case this past Saturday as ARRG assisted with a volunteer program implemented by the St. Louis Cardinals, skated in an exhibition for the STLGateKeepers men’s derby franchise and participated in a community event featuring hot rods and hotter pinups.

ARRG participated in the St. Louis Cardinals’ “4 A Greener Game” program during the Cards/Cubs game Saturday night at Busch Stadium.

The program, established in 2008, allows volunteers from local colleges, community organizations, church groups as well as the general public to help collect recyclables from fans throughout the game. This is done by patrolling the aisles in between innings and during pitching changes.

According to the Cardinals’ website – “Since its inception, the program has diverted over 1,836 tons of recycling and over 575 tons of yard waste from the stadium trash disposal and local landfills. The program’s success can be partially credited to 550 conveniently placed recycling bins around the stadium, making it easy for fans to recycle when they come to a baseball game. Success is also due in large part to volunteers who collect recyclables during games, and the maintenance staff who separate additional recyclables from the trash after a game.”

ARRG’s EnYa Nightmare, Ginny Beastley, PolkaDot Yr’Eyeout, The Forecloser, O_O and Ari Gotcha collected recyclables on Saturday while the Redbirds thumped the Cubbies 12-0.

To find out more about how ARRG “gives back” to the community, click on the CHARITY tab at the top of the page.

Also on Saturday night, an ARRG tradition continued during an event of the 2012 local season of the STL GateKeepers men’s roller derby franchise.

Since the launch of their interleague last summer, the GateKeepers have hosted an “expo scrimmage” featuring skaters from the Arch Rival Roller Girls.

What’s always fun about the scrimmages is that the skaters adopt new names and personalities depending on the “theme” of the evening.

This weekend at Midwest Sport Hockey, and keeping with the tradition of recent theatrical releases featuring comic book characters, the theme of the bout featured “Superheroes vs. Villains.”

Even though the rolling reprobates threw numerous hindrances at the derby defenders, truth and justice prevailed as the Superheroes powered their way to victory.

The final differential was inconsequential, for good conquered evil.

The GateKeepers‘ 2012 Turf Wars Championship series continues at Midwest Sport Hockey on Saturday, August 18 as the Riverfront Crimes face the Dogtown Rockets.

Although those two events resulted in a busy Saturday night for ARRG, there was also activity involving the league earlier in the day.

Members of ARRG participated at “Grease, Gears and Grooves” in Sunset Hills.

The event, presented by Full Throttle Midwest magazine, featured a day-long bike and hot rod show, music by the Tripdaddies and the finals of Doc’s Harley Davidson’s Pin-Up Pageant.

ARRG had its own table, where spectators could “arm wrestle a roller girl” as well as other fun games.

To those who support the league, thanks for coming out to the event, and for those who got to meet the Arch Rival Roller Girls for their first time, we hope to see you soon at Midwest Sport Hockey in Ballwin.

Speaking of which, online ticket sales for the Saturday, August 4 doubleheader featuring the ARRG All-Stars vs. Naptown Tornado Sirens and the Saint Lunachix vs. Twin City Derby Girls are up and rolling.

Save $3 on individual tickets purchased in advance at by going to Brown Paper Tickets at THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.

Groups of 15 and more can save up to $5 on each ticket purchased in advance by going to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.

It’s highly recommended that you purchase your tickets for this event as early as possible. Naptown, the Indianapolis flat-track league currently ranked third in the WFTDA North Central region, historically brings a healthy contingent of fans to their away bouts. The Twin City Derby Girls of Champaign, IL also have a faithful following that travels with the newest addition to the North Central.

Get your tickets now to support ARRG in what’s the most anticipated local doubleheader of the season.

NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: The battle that has many in the derby world very curious is right around the corner. The ARRG All-Stars look for its fourth upset win in a row over a higher-ranked WFTDA team. The region’s third-ranked team, a qualifier for last year’s WFTDA national championship, comes to Midwest Sport Hockey with the mission of halting the All-Stars’ summertime streak. Plus, ARRG’s b-team looks for an impressive win over a hard-charging Central Illinoisan league. Next week, we’ll preview the Saturday, August 4 doubleheader of Arch Rival vs. Naptown and the Saint Lunachix vs. Twin City Derby Girls.

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

ALL-STARS UPSET NC #5, CHIX & ROOKIES IMPRESSIVE!

(BALLWIN & ST. LOUIS, MO) To say that the weekend was busy for the Arch Rival Roller Girls would be quite the understatement. By entertaining the travel squads of the Chicago Outfit, the league found itself in three flat-track battles that tested each individual franchise’s level of play.

When the weekend had concluded, the results were successful on all accounts.

Capitalizing on a 57-0 second half run, the ARRG All-Stars – currently ranked eighth in the WFTDA North Central region – apprehended the region’s fifth-ranked Chicago Outfit Syndicate 191-100 on Saturday night in front of 570 at Midwest Sport Hockey.

In the b-team opener earlier in the evening, ARRG’s Saint Lunachix used a stifling defense to post a 155-53 victory over the Chicago Outfit Shade Brigade.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the ARRG Rookie Rivals – the league’s “c-team” used second-period momentum to net a 136-92 victory over the Chicago Outfit Shakedown in a “closed bout” in South St. Louis.

The sweep proved what occurs when a league effectively utilizes its strengths in both execution and roster depth.

In the end, the hard-charging rollers from the Gateway City played the part of derby detectives and put handcuffs on the Midwestern mafia.

ARRG ALL-STARS 191   CHICAGO OUTFIT SYNDICATE 100

By Muckety Muck, Derby News Network Contributing Writer, Photos by Bob Dunnell

The 91-point victory over the North Central foe netted Arch Rival (9-2) its third straight win and its fourth upset over a higher-ranked opponent in the past six weeks.

“(The Outfit) came out wanting to maintain their spot in the rankings, so we had to make sure that we wanted it more,” said Arch Rival blocker The Educator afterwards. “We wanted to send a message before post-season.”

The Chicago Outfit Syndicate also craved a region win. After holding steady in the number-five slot for numerous ranking quarters, inconsistent play during the last two months resulted in one loss and low-differential victories over weaker squads. A loss to the St. Louis squad ranked three positions back would put the Outfit behind the “8-ball” in the complexion of the North Central region.

In short, the visitors came prepared to “shake up the joint.” After all, that’s what mobsters do best.

A 3-2 bout-opening jam by the Outfit’s Queefer Sutherland was followed by a 12-0 ARRG rally over the bout’s next four rotations.

Jammer Black Market Baby’s four-pointer was followed by four from Downtown Dallis at 26:34. Back-to-back treys by South City Shiner and Mighty Mighty Boston extended the All-Stars’ lead to 16-3.

After Arch Rival pushed the lead to 20-6 eight minutes in, the Outfit tied the bout 20-20 with Sutherland’s 14-point strike at 20:15.

St. Louis pulled ahead 27-21 following two rotations, but an Outfit 14-5 power jam posted by Lola Blow with 14:10 left helped snag her squad a 35-32 edge.

Arch Rival retaliated with a 13-6 non-lead power jam by May Require Stitches, resulting in a 45-41 lead change.

Dallis followed with four with 9:30 left to double the advantage but back-to-back two-pointers by the Outfit’s Sutherland and Silkk Assassin whittled the margin to 49-45.

With 4:30 left, Arch Rival notched a power jam and was aided by a packed Outfit penalty box. Dallis punched out a 24-pointer that widened ARRG’s margin, 73-45.

Chicago quickly silenced the locals on the period’s penultimate jam as Asssassin posted a 20-pointer that narrowed the gap to eight.

Arch Rival tallied four to conclude first half scoring, but in a bout that had the visiting mob looking to “muscle in,” a 77-65 advantage at intermission was anything but safe.

“The Outfit’s a really strong team,” said Shiner. “Overall, they’re really good skaters. They know how to disrupt any type of plan that you have. We had a really rough start to this game. It took us a little while to find our groove.”

That groove was firmly established early in the second half as Boston collected a period-opening baker’s dozen that extended St. Louis’ lead to 90-65. A 4-2 jam for the Outfit’s Assassin on the next rotation narrowed the deficit to 23 points.

Arch Rival proceeded to reverse roles and fit the Chicagoan cosca with its own version of “concrete shoes,” posting a 57-0 rally over the period’s next fifteen minutes. Dallis’ nine-point power jam with 25:30 left was followed by an additional nine scored by Boston two jams later that pushed the lead to 110-72.

Boston went on to collect another twelve and thirteen as the stretch continued. Shiner’s niner scored with 10:15 left put the exclamation point on the whack and Arch Rival had built a 158-72 lead.

Meanwhile, the Arch Rival blocking battalion of Eli Wallop, Science Friction, Shimmy Hoffa, Party Foul, Grave Danger, Chewblocka, Mayor Francis Slayer and the aforementioned Educator and Stitches put the clamp on Outifit scoring in the second half, holding the Northern Illinoisans to seven points recorded in twenty minutes.

“Our best offense is a good defense,” said the Educator of the shutdown. “It’s our strategy. It’s working for us.”

After the long offensive drought, the Outfit went on a 19-0 run with 5:00 left, but Boston’s 28-point penultimate power jam locked the cell.

Arch Rival outscored Chicago Outfit 114-35 in the second half en route to the 91-point win and improved to 8-1 in the North Central.

“This was a really big deal for us,” reflects the Educator. “We wanted this kind of momentum going into regionals. This adds more fuel to our fire.”

Despite being held to only five first-half points, Boston topped Arch Rival scoring with 79 points unofficially, followed by Dallis’ 49.

Sutherland paced the Outfit (5-5) with 50 points unofficially, followed by Blow’s 30.

Arch Rival returns to North Central play on August 4, hosting the Naptown Tornado Sirens (7-3 overall, NC #3 and unofficially ranked #15 in the nation by Derby News Network.) Online discounted tickets for that bout are on sale currently at www.archrivalrollergirls.com.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

ARRG ALL STARS (191): Mighty Mighty Boston 79, Downtown Dallis 49, May Require Stitches 25, South City Shiner 16, Black Market Baby 12, Science Friction 10

Chicago Outfit Syndicate (100):  Queefer Sutherland 50, Lola Blow 30, Silkk Assassin 20

ARRG SAINT LUNACHIX 155   CHI. OUTFIT SHADE BRIGADE 53

By Muckety Muck, Derby News Network Contributing Writer, Photos by Bob Dunnell

ARRG’s b-team set the tone of Saturday night by utilizing a methodology that has suited them well in 2012: hit early and often, and the rest will take care of itself. It resulted in a 102-point victory that improved their record to 6-2.

Leading 9-1 six minutes in, the Lunachix went on a 35-0 run over the next four jams to build a sizable advantage.

Chix jammer EnYa Nightmare capitalized on a power jam at 22:45, scored 24 points and extended ARRG’s lead to 33-1. PolkaDot Yr’ Eyeout added three and back-to-back four-pointers by Nightmare and Boom Boom Pow continued the streak, which resulted in a 44-1 lead with 19:00 left in the period.

The Shade Brigade’s Lexistential Crisis posted a three pointer at 15:54 to end the drought and whittle the Lunachix lead to forty.

ARRG maintained pressure and continued to widen the gap. Sly Davanita’s nine pointer scored at 10:17 increased the Lunachix lead to 62-9. She would later add six at 4:00 to extend the margin to 79-13.

The effective positional blocking also kept Shade Brigade scoring in check in the first half’s final minutes, paced by Deathica Steele, Ginny Beastley, The Oregon Betrayal, Shell Shoxx, Rhino-Might, Eveready, Arcane Sugar, The Forecloser, Biohazard Betty, The Ginger Assassin and the aforementioned Yr’ Eyeout and Pow.

By not allowing a point in the first half’s last five jams, the Saint Lunachix increased their lead to 84-13 at intermission.

Nightmare started second half scoring by posting four that widened the margin to 88-13. Shade Brigade jammer Jennergizer Bunny collected two on the next jam and narrowed the gap to 73 points.

That moral victory would be short lived as the Chix posted 29 points on the next two jams. Rhino-Might’s 20-point power jam with 24:00 left was followed by nine from Nightmare. The St. Lunachix had their first triple-digit lead of the bout, 117-15 with 22:30 remaining.

After the Shade Brigade’s Ivanna Schoop scored three to put the differential back to double-digits, the Saint Lunachix countered with 17 unanswered. Davanita notched nine and Rhino-Might and Nightmare added four apiece to stretch the lead to 134-18 midway through the frame.

The Lunachix proceeded to outscore the Shade Brigade in the second half 71-40 to pick up the 155-53 victory and their third straight win.

Nightmare topped Lunachix scoring with 82 unofficially, while Rhino-Might collected 39.

Saint Lunachix MVPs (as selected by the Shade Bridgade) were Rhino-Might and the Oregon Betrayal for jammer and blocker, respectively.

The Saint Lunachix return to action at Midwest Sport Hockey on Saturday, August 4 to face the Twin City Derby Girls of Champaign/Urbana, IL.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

SAINT LUNACHIX (155): EnYa Nightmare 82, Rhino-Might 39, Sly Davanita 22, Boom Boom Pow 9, PolkaDot Yr’ Eyeout 3

SHADE BRIGADE (53):  Jennergizer Bunny 26, Graves 10, The Big Lebekski 7, Lexistential Crisis 6, Ivana Schoop 4

ARRG ROOKIE RIVALS 136   CHI. OUTFIT SHAKEDOWN 92

by Magilla Guerilla, ARRG Bout Co-Announcer- Photos by Bob Dunnell

The Chicago Outfit had one last chance to come away with a victory against the ladies of Arch Rival when they took the track on Sunday morning in the cozy confines of South City’s Skatium for a “c-team” closed bout against ARRG’s Rookie Rivals.

Mirroring the second half dominance of the All Stars’ bout the night before, the Rookies proved too much for the Chicago Shakedown and came away with a 136-92 victory, sending the visitors home winless for the weekend.

The first half started off promising for Chicago as jammer Loka In Motion seemed like she might be too much for the Rookie Rivals to handle while she racked up 22 points off of two power jams and lead all scorers with 30 points at the half.

Rookie Rival jammers Vod KaKnockers and Sly Davanita worked hard to keep things close early on, but a rash of jammer penalties struck the home team and the advantage moved more and more in the direction of the Shakedown.

With the lead pushing near 20 points in favor of the visitors, the Rookies settled down and ended the half with positive jams from Davanita and The Ginger Assassin and the score was a very tight 54-47 advantage for Chicago.

What looked like a nail biter was soon tossed aside by the Rookies’ second half onslaught, lead primarily by the two headed jamming attack of Assassin and KaKnockers, who combined for an eye-opening 80 point scoring barrage.

The worm had turned on penalties and Chicago found their jammers in the sin bin much more frequently while the Rookie’s jammers put the pressure on by keeping it clean.

Blocking was solid for the Rookies in both halves and the team blended some powerful hitting from Spice Rack, Schacgyver and Deuce Bomber along with solid positional teamwork from two-way skater Davanita, Kimical Burn, Dollyrot N, Rumbledore and a host of others.

A balanced and consistent rotation was implemented, so every Rookie found themselves valuable track time and experience against a very game Chicago squad. The blockers were able to keep Loka In Motion in check for the second half and other opposing jammers struggled to find an easy path to daylight against their team defense.

Winning isn’t always the name of the game in a bout like this, but it sure doesn’t hurt to learn a little something AND win.

The Rookie Rivals ended the weekend on a high-note for this entertaining Chicago/St. Louis rivalry and continued to remind everyone that this league is filled to the brim with talent and has a future so bright, well you just might want to grab your shades.

The ARRG Rookie Rivals scrimmage the Twin City Derby Girls on Sunday, August 5.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

ARRG ROOKIE RIVALS (136):  Vod KaKnockers 67, The Ginger Assassin 43, Sly Davanita 16, Mali Bruz Barbie 10

CHICAGO OUTFIT SHAKEDOWN (92): Loka In Motion 42, The Big Lebekski 17, She Biscuit 12
Lemme Destroyer 10, Brawly Shore 6, Maimy Winehouse 5

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

CHIX OVERPOWER SHADE BRIGADE BY 102 POINTS

(BALLWIN, MO) The primary travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls posted impressive wins over the Chicago Outfit Saturday night at Midwest Sport Hockey in front of 570 rabid derby fans.

In WFTDA-sanctioned action, the ARRG All-Stars, currently ranked eighth in the North Central region, posted a 191-100 victory over the Chicago Outfit Syndicate, the region’s current fifth-ranked squad.

Ahead 77-65 at intermission, Arch Rival capitalized on a 57-0 second period run to gain full control of the bout and boost its record to 8-2 overall.

The victory marked ARRG’s fourth win over a higher-ranked WFTDA league in the last six weeks.

All-Star jammer Mighty Mighty Boston collected 79 points unofficially for Arch Rival, who improved to 8-2 overall with the win.

In the b-team undercard, ARRG’s Saint Lunachix utilized a tight defense to post a 155-53 win over the Chicago Outfit Shade Brigade.

The Chix were able to effectively hold Brigade scoring to only 13 points in the first half. The Chix maintained control throughout in the second half  and post the triple-digit win.

Chic jammer EnYa Nightmare paced the local’s scoring with 82 points. The Lunachix improved to 6-2 with the win.

A full recap of both bouts will be featured here at www.archrivalrollergirsl.com o Monday morning.

PLUS, ARRG HOSTS CHICAGO OUTFIT THIS WEEKEND!

By Muckety Muck, Derby News Network Contributing Writer – Photos by Bob Dunnell

(NASHVILLE, TN) The two primary travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls – the ARRG All-Stars and the Saint Lunachix – ventured to the “Music City” Saturday night to face the squads of the Nashville Rollergirls.

And in the home of the “Grand Old Opry,” St. Louis’ dominating performances shined like a rhinestone jacket worn by the late Porter Wagoner, a country music Hall of Famer and possessor of many a swanky suit.

The ARRG All-Stars – ranked eighth in the WFTDA North Central region – used a 90-0 second period rally to overpower South Central #3 Nashville 206-64. Meanwhile in the “b-team” undercard, the Saint Lunachix notched their second consecutive win in a 142-100 scrap with the Music City Brawl Stars.

The raucous crowd of 1,700 at downtown’s Municipal Auditorium could do little to stifle the heat brought about by the Gateway City’s derby swarm.

To paraphrase St. Louis rapper Nelly, “Was it gettin’ hot in herre?” Indeed, it was.

ARRG ALL STARS 206  MUSIC CITY ALL-STARS 64

The end result of the ARRG All-Stars’ 142-point win against Music City set a precedent. It was the franchise’s first victory historically over a WFTDA region’s third-ranked team since its charter was set in September 2007.

“I have been on the travel team since its inception, and I’ve love everybody that I have ever played with, but this is the best, most cohesive roster that we have ever had,” said Arch Rival blocker Grave Danger after the bout.

The victory was also St. Louis’ second in a row against a South Central top four. Arch Rival bested SC#4 Houston last month, which helped them leapfrog back into the Derby News Network’s Power Rankings last week after a two-month absence.

“I wish I could tell you that there was some magic formula,” Danger says of the squad’s recent momentum that has pushed their record to 8-2 overall. “But no, we’re working together as a team, we’re training as a team and everybody’s hard work is coming through together. It’s an exciting time for the league. “

Nashville, third place finishers in the South Central playoffs the past two years, fielded a line-up Saturday that contained numerous absences from the squad that competed for the Hydra Cup last November. The departure of marquee veteran Ramb0 Samb0 and injures to last year’s South Central playoff MVP Rock Nasty and multi-positional starter Lady Fury undoubtedly subtracted some depth.

Yet the hosts were the ones to draw first blood as Nashville grinded out a 12-0 lead after four jams, paced by Slayla’s five-pointer scored at 25:20.

The fast Music City start had the travelling ARRG fan base feeling uncomfortable. Could a long night be in store for the “pink and black attack” due to a sputtering start?

“I don’t know really what happened,” recalls Danger of the early Nashville sprint. “They were working off what we like to call ‘the chaos theory.’ You know, it’s a loud auditorium. It’s their home crowd. We’re trying to get our bearings. They had the floor advantage. So we definitely had to take a step back and adjust real quickly.”

But cooler heads prevailed and after the Music City cushion was whittled to 19-12 at the 20:00 mark, Arch Rival proceeded to go on a 28-0 run over the bout’s next six jams. Mighty Mighty Boston started the surge with a 5-0 jam to cut Nashville’s lead to 19-17. Black Market Baby’s four-pointer one the next rotation gave ARRG its first lead of the bout, 21-19 at the 17:00 mark.

A pair of points by Downtown Dallis was followed by seven from Boston, extending St. Louis’ advantage to 30-19. The rally’s conclusion of Black Market Baby’s 10-pointer stretched Arch Rivals lead to 40-19 with 11:31 left in the period.

Nashville proceeded to stay within striking distance and whittled the margin to 53-36 after Four Leaf Roller scored six with 2:30 left, but St. Louis’ 18-0 dash in the final two jams pushed its advantage to 71-37 at intermission.

The pair of first-half Arch Rival defensive stoppers certainly piloted the visitors’ 46-point lead at the break, but few would have projected the St. Louis shutdown that changed the bout’s overall complexion early in the second half.

Leading 73-41 three minutes in, Arch Rival proceeded with a 90-0 quad-stomp over the next eight rotations, four of which contained power jams. After South City Shiner posted a 20-pointer at 25:00 that extended the lead to 93-41, Black Market Baby tallied twenty of her own two jams later. Shiner then added 24 at 16:50 to stretch the margin to triple digits and BMB finished the rally with a 10-point power jam at 14:00.

Complimenting the scoring was the stubborn Arch Rival blocking schema during the thirteen-minute lockdown, paced by Eli Wallop, Chewblocka, Science Friction, May Require Stitches, The Educator, Party Foul, Shimmy Hoffa, Mayor Francis Slayer and the aforementioned Danger.

When the dust had settled after the onslaught, a once-workable differential for Nashville had become insurmountable and Arch Rival held a commanding 163-41 lead.

“I felt like we were playing some stellar defense and then our jammers were able to capitalize and put up points,” assessed ARRG blocker Chewblocka afterwards. “That’s a great combination to have.  We wore them down with our strategy and with our game play.”

ARRG continued the dominance as Boston used another power jam at 8:30 to collect 25 points, widening the gap to 192-49.

Arch Rival’s defense was tight throughout the second period, holding Nashville scoring to a dozen points until the bout’s final two jams. St. Louis outscored Music City 135-27 in the second half en route to the 142-point victory and finish season 3-1 against South Central teams in WFTDA-sanctioned play.

“We have really been putting the pedal to the metal as far as training, tightening our game up and I feel with every game, you’re seeing our team evolve,” said Danger of Arch Rival’s summertime push. “This was a huge win for us.”

All four Arch Rival jammers scored 30-plus points in the win. Boston unofficially topped Arch Rival scoring with 68, followed by Shiner’s 56.

Overall, it was an eye-opening performance by St. Louis, one that should propel this squad as the regular season progresses.

“It really gives us a lot of confidence going into what we have to do the rest of the year,” said Chewblocka.

Four Leaf Roller led Nashville (3-4) with 28 points unofficially, followed by Slayla’s 19

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

ARCH RIVAL (206): Mighty Mighty Boston 68, South City Shiner 56, Black Market Baby 47, Downtown Dallis 35

NASHVILLE (64): Four Leaf Roller 28, Slayla 19, Dani Doom 17

ARRG SAINT LUNACHIX 142 MUSIC CITY BRAWL STARS 100

In the b-team undercard, the Saint Lunachix staved a late Nashville rally and countered with one of its own to record its second straight win.

Jammer EnYa Nightmare began the bout with seven non-lead points to give the Chix a 7-0 edge.

An 8-1 Nashville run off the next four jams resulted in a lead change, a Music City 9-8 advantage at the 23:15 mark. Chix jammer Sly Davinita tied the score 9-9 with a solo point on the next jam.

A 7-2 jam by Nashville’s E. Lemonator at 19:50 broke the deadlock and gave the Brawl Stars a 16-11 lead. Both teams traded four-pointers on the next two jams to push the score to 20-15.

Then with 15:00 left in the first half, Nashville netted the bout’s first power jam. Stella Live notched a 13-4 jam and gave Nashville a 33-19 advantage.

The Saint Lunachix countered with a 41-9 run over the next ten minutes. Punctuated by Nightmare’s 19-pointer scored with 10:00 left and an additional 15 on the first period’s penultimate jam, the Chix powered their way to a 60-42 lead.

Chix jammer Morgan LeFaetal finished the half by collecting four points to give the Saint Lunachix a 64-42 lead at intermission.

Another Chix rally began second half play, resulting in seven consecutive lead jams and a 37-4 sprint.

Back-to-back four pointers by LeFaetal and Nightmare were followed by eight from Davinita at 26:20 to extend the ARRG lead to 80-42. A 4-3 run by Nashville on the next two jams was countered by a rare jam rotation by Polkadot Yr’ Eyeout. The Chix vet posted four to extend the lead to 87-46 with 22:00 left.

LeFaetal netted 14 on the next jam to extend the lead to 101-46.

Ten minutes deep into the second period, all seemed stable with the Lunachix. Or at least it somewhat seemed that way. To the Brawl Stars’ credit, they were poised to hit St. Louis with instability.

A 27-0 Nashville rally during the middle stretch of the period marked the resurgence.

A trifecta of four pointers – jammed by the Brawl Stars’ Ann T. Histimine, Devaskater and again from Histimine – narrowed the margin to 101-58 with 17:18 left. Stella Live notched three points two jams later to cut the spread to 40 and then popped another four at 13:10 to whittle the Chix lead to 101-65.

Electric Cal posted eight points on the next jam for Nashville, who had now narrowed the gap to 101-73.

LeFaetal would stop the Lunachix ten-minute scoreless drought and post four points at 10:30 to extend the margin back to 105-73.

Cal answered with a pair of points on the next jam for Nashville and put the differential at thirty points, 105-75.

Then with 7:32 left, the Brawl Stars found the opening it had patiently been waiting for as Stella Live grabbed lead and posted a 15-0 jam, cutting the Chix lead to 105-90.

Undaunted, the Lunachix put their “work quads” on and shut down any late-bout Nashvegan shenanigans. The blocking of Chix captain Boom Boom Pow, Deathica Steele, Shell Shoxx, Ginny Beastly, Polkadot Yr. Eyeout, Everyeady, The Oregon Betrayal and host of others put the clamp down the Music City offense and open up holes for Nightmare and LeFaetal to barrel through.

The pair picked up back-to-back four pointers to widen the gap to 113-90 with under 3:00 remaining. Nightmare’s 20-pointer collected on the bout’s penultimate jam stretched the lead to 133-90.

The Lunachix went on to outscore Music City 78-58 in the second half to improve to 5-2.

Nightmare paced the Lunachix with unofficially 86 points, followed by LeFaetal’s 42.

Stella Live led Brawl Stars’ scoring with 60 points, unofficially.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

ARRG SAINT LUNACHIX: EnYa Nightmare 86, Morgan LeFaetal 42, Sly Davinita 10, Polkadot Yr. Eyeout 4

ALL-STARS & CHIX HOST CHICAGO OUTFIT THIS SATURDAY!

There’s no rest for the weary as both the All-Stars and Lunachix prepare for battle as they host the squads of Chicago Outfit this Saturday night Midwest Sport Hockey at Queeny Park (570 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO).

In the main event, the Arch Rival All-Stars battle the Chicago Outfit Syndicate in WFTDA-sanctioned action. Prior to that match-up, ARRG’s Saint Lunachix tangle with the Chicago Outfit Shade Brigade.

Doors open for the doubleheader at 6:30 pm and the first bout starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $15 cash only at the door for general admission. Children 10 and under get in free. Save $3 on individual tickets purchased in advance online at Brown Paper Tickets. Go to the main page of archrivalrollergirls.com to purchase tickets.

The best rivalry of the North Central region in 2011 – and perhaps overall in the WFTDA - involved the two A-squads in the marquee match-up.

The ARRG All-Stars and the Chicago Outfit Syndicate, currently ranked fifth in the WFTDA North Central region, spilt four bouts last year that simultaneously featured plenty of power and passion.

The locals upset the higher-ranked Syndicate at Midwest Brewhaha in May 2011 and then stumbled in a road loss in Chicago later that July. In October, the two squads met in the opening round of the North Central region playoffs. In an emotional bout that went down to the final jam, Arch Rival squeaked out a three-point victory.

The two squads would inevitably meet in the tourney’s fifth-place bout. This time, the Outfit powered their way to a 153-113 win and split the year’s series two games apiece.

The inspired play over the four-bout set in 2011 garnered a lot of attention within and outside the North Central. The ARRG vs. Outfit series finished in the top five internationally in the annual Derby News Network “Reader’s Choice Awards” in the “Best Rivalry” category.

“Last year, we traded tit for tat with them,” said ARRG blocker Grave Danger of the series. “But this year, we want to turn all our periods into exclamation points.”

“Those girls are so scrappy,” adds All-Star blocker Chewblocka.  “I never know what to expect, but we totally love that rivalry a whole lot.”

This Saturday night, ARRG renews it acquaintances with the Northern Illinoisans that look to post a very important regional win.

The fifth-ranked Chicago Outfit Syndicate (5-4) has maintained their position in the North Central top ten with five solid victories within the division so far this season. Victories over #6 Brewcity, #11 Grand Raggidy,#14 Ft. Wayne, #16 Burning River and unranked Old Capitol City saw the Chicagoans play the powerful derby that they are known for.

The Syndicate’s one in-region misstep occurred in a 20-point loss to #9 Cincinnati last month at Midwest Brewhaha 2012.

The loss to a lower-ranked squad that ARRG has already beaten twice this season left the Midwestern mafia feeling surly, knowing that the setback could knock them down in the hierarchy of the North Central top ten.

And an additional “outside the region” loss to another squad that St. Louis had beaten recently didn’t help. The Syndicate was upended by the aforementioned Houston 118-102 in late-April.

Putting Arch Rival in the proverbial “concrete shoes” Saturday night most definitely rights the ship for the Outfit. And even though the Syndicate lost two key cogs of last year’s squad – region playoff MVP Sweet Mary Pain and top-notch blocker Gaygan – due to transfer, the rollers from Northern Illinois still bring plenty of weapons to battle.

An offensive focal point is jammer Lola Blow – a returning starter – whose spunky play characterizes this squad.  She netted a 32-point power jam to pace scoring in last month’s win over Burning River. She’ll share the star with another ARRG nemesis, Queefer Sutherland, who uses her natural physical strength to muscle her way to the front of the pack. Second-year starter Suzie Crotchrot and Matza Ball Breaker will also see rotations in the jammer position for the Syndicate.

There’s plenty of experience found in front in the Outfit blocking schema. Returning starters Lady K, The Joan Ranger, Maul E. Hatchet and Bloody Elle will see plenty of minutes as they try to simultaneously open up holes for their jammers offensively and stifle Arch Rival defensively.

With a win Saturday night, one of these two squads is going to make a huge statement prior to September’s North Central region playoff.

For Arch Rival, it will be another victory over a higher-ranked squad and that will give the league another boost as it heads into a big match-up against North Central #3 Naptown in August at Midwest Sport Hockey.

For the Chicago Outfit Syndicate, a dominant performance and a “W” will silence the naysayers and prove that, once again, North Central’s scrappiest team refuses to back down when facing the odds.

Danger knows that the Syndicate is more than ready for battle.

“The Outfit is not a team to be taken lightly,” she says.  “If they stay out of penalty trouble, which they can absolutely do, they are a huge threat on the track.”

But Danger also knows that a win for her squad could potentially send a message for the other North Central squads competing in the upcoming regional playoffs.

“We want to make sure that everybody understands that we are one of the contenders for one of the top three this year,” she says.

We’ll find out which team wants it more Saturday night.

Meanwhile in the opening bout Saturday night, two squads are tussling for “b-team” bragging rights as the Saint Lunachix battle the Chicago Outfit Shade Brigade.

In their inaugural meeting one year ago in Chicago, the Chix were ready and steady in a 156-112 victory.

It’s business as usual for ARRG’s b-team. They’ll have to be at their best against the Shade Brigade, a competitive squad whose 2-4 record is somewhat misleading.

Chicago’s “dons-n-waiting” split their pair of bouts in June at Midwest Brewhaha 2012. A setback to Naptown’s Warning Belles was followed by a 159-115 victory over the newly-established Mid-State Sisters of Skate from Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Their other 2012 victory was a 121-90 win over the “A-squad” of Toledo, Ohio’s Glass City Rollers, one of the newest chartered teams of the WFTDA North Central region.

The Shade Brigade’s Jenergizer Bunny and Ottermatic Weapon will pace the jamming rotation while Lexistential Crisis and Annie War Doll will lead the charge in the blocking schematic.

In this match-up, a fast start will be a key. We’ll see which squad goes for the quick strike early.

While you’re at Midwest Sport Hockey Saturday night, you can take some sweet schwag home by participating in the charity raffle that benefits Safe Connections of St. Louis. Tickets to future bouts, gift certificates and other goodies are for the taking. Raffle tickets are $1 apiece or six for $5.

Have you always wanted to ride a Harley, but were afraid to? No worries at all. Saturday night, you can get the feel of riding a Harley as one of ARRG’s newest sponsors, Doc’s Harley Davidson, presents its ride simulator. Stop on by and visit the good folks from Kirkwood and see how you can “Pick Your Own Reward” in July with the purchase of a new in-stock 2012 Harley Davidson Motorcycle!

After Saturday’s doublerheader, join us for the official ARRG post-bout after party, held at Sammy’s Beach Bar and Grill, located at Harrah’s Casino in Maryland Heights. There are drink and food specials to be found, plus you can meet your favorite athletes from both the Arch Rival Roller Girls and the Chicago Outfit. And some of the best casino action in the area is mere footsteps away. There’s no cover for the post-bout after party at Harrah’s. We hope to see you there!

And if you thought the Arch Rival vs. Outfit battle this weekend was just limited to the Saturday bouts, think again. On Sunday, the ARRG Rookie Rivals – the league’s c-team of developmentals – face the Chicago Outfit Shakedown in a closed scrimmage in St. Louis.

The two squads met for the first time last July and the Rookie Rivals rolled to a 181-70 victory.

In the line-up for the Rookie Rivals will be faces familiar for those who follow ARRG action locally as well as a few new skaters who will make their intraleague debut when the local season resumes later this year.

The Rookie Rivals tentative roster:  The Ginger Assassin, Sly Davinita, Duece Bomber, Trajec Tory, Dolly Rot’N, Vod Ka’Nockers, Mali Bruz Barbie, Rumbledore, Arcane Sugar, Calamity Cat, Kimical Burn, Blue Ridge Riot, Spice Rack, Party Rockher and Shacgyver.

In all, it’s St. Louis vs. Chicago this weekend. It’s always had a great ring to it and the trend will continue.

NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: We’ve set the template for you. Now, we’ll bring you the results. Full coverage of the weekend triple-header featuring the squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls and the Chicago Outfit.

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

SAINT LUNACHIX UPEND BRAWL STARS 142-100

(NASHVILLE, TN) The two primary travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls powered their way to victory Saturday night at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium in front of 1,700.

In the main event, the ARRG All-Stars – currently ranked eighth in the WFTDA North Central region – utilized a 90-0 second-half run to dismantle South Central #3 Nashville 206-64.

The win netted the league its first-ever victory in WFTDA-sanctioned play against a region’s third-ranked squad.

Leading 73-41 three minutes into the second half, Arch Rival capitalized on four power jams recorded in the bout’s next eight rotations to post the 90-0 run and roll ahead to a 163-41 advantage with 14:00 remaining.

ARRG jammer South City Shiner netted power jams of 24 and 20 points while Black Market Baby collected 20 and 10 points within the thirteen minute span.

Arch Rival outscored the Music City All-Stars 135-27 in the second half to pick up the victory and improve to 8-2 overall.

In the b-team undercard, the Saint Lunachix utilized a 28-0 late-second half run to pick up a 142-100 victory over Nashville’s Music City Brawl Stars.

Up 105-90 with 6:30 remaining in the bout, Chix jammers EnYa Nightmare and Morgan LeFaetal recorded back-to-back four pointers to extend the lead to 113-90 with 4:10 left.

Nightmare would notch a 20-pointer on the next jam to push the lead to 133-90.

The Saint Lunachix outscored Nashville’s b-team 78-58 in the second half to pick up the 42-point win and improve to 6-2.

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

NC #8 ALL-STARS BATTLE SC #3, CHIX FACE BRAWLERS

by Muckety Muck, Derby News Network Contributing Writer – Photos by Bob Dunnell

For a moment, let’s channel Mr. Peabody – the bowtie-wearing, bespectacled four-pawed explorer of animated time travel – and set the “Wayback Machine” to May 1, 2010.

We descend upon Nashville, Tennessee, classified culturally as “The Music City” due to its historical roots and contemporary influence in country music.

But for this journey, we’re deposited onto the flat track habitat of the Nashville Rollergirls and its primary travel squad, the Music City All-Stars.

We witness a chaotic bout between the hostesses and the Arch Rival Roller Girls, who were scrapping jam-for-jam. Deep into the second period, neither squad can gain a double-digit advantage.

But then a “bout-shifter” decides the eventual outcome.  Boosted by a late power jam, Nashville pounds out a 115-82 win over the Gateway City. Home team exuberant, visiting squad deflated.

POOF AND SCHWANG!!!

We return to the present. And now, in this specific case for St. Louis, we look at the future.

For the two primary travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls, a trek to Music City this Saturday night hopes to net a different outcome than experienced over two years ago.

In WFTDA-sanctioned interleague action, the Arch Rival All-Stars – currently ranked #8 in the North Central region – tangle with South Central #3 Nashville. A “b-team” battle between ARRG’s Saint Lunachix and NRG’s Music City Brawl Stars is featured on the undercard.

The bouts take place at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville beginning at 5:30 pm. (Muckety Memo: As of press time, there is no online coverage of this event scheduled.)

The ARRG All-Stars (7-2) set two personal benchmarks in June, posting victories over two fourth-ranked teams in highly-competitive WFTDA regions.

ARRG grounded North Central #4 Detroit 186-130 at Midwest Brewhaha on June 2 and bested South Central #4 Houston 159-138 in a Lone Star State trip one week later.

If the first victory didn’t cause enough commotion, then the second one most certainly did.

It has resulted in St. Louis to presumably make a pre-playoff push within the WFTDA North Central region rankings. And in a top ten that has seen a lot of activity and parity in 2012 (as examined in last week’s commentary), a jump of multiple positions to a possible new yardstick would undoubtedly be impressive.

An interregional win Saturday night over a third-ranked squad would continue ARRG’s upward trend…and advance overall expectations.

“We have our sights set on being in the top three at Regionals this year,” says Arch Rival jammer Downtown Dallis, referring to September’s North Central playoff target. “If there was ever an ARRG squad historically to do it, it’s this one.”

“Our game versus Nashville is preparing us for this goal,” she continues. “We are hungry for the challenge that we know Nashville will provide. They are a very strong and cohesive team, but so are we.”

What has been the catalyst for an Arch Rival contingent that is now labeled as “ones to watch” on the national derby scene? In short, quite a lot.

At the forefront would be the solid pack play and walls provided the ARRG blocking battalion, paced by Eli Wallop, Chewblocka, Mayor Francis Slayer, Grave Danger, Science Friction, Party Foul, The Educator, Shimmy Hoffa, May Require Stitches and the Oregon Betrayal.

Individually, all ten are arguably having their most productive interleague derby seasons ever. But more importantly, their collective play as working units has been some of the best in franchise history. The style has been powerful and aggressive, yet controlled and clean.

“Our coaching has deeply impacted our play as they equipped us with innovative skills and tactics,” says Dallis of her team’s methodology. “The strategy we execute is tailored to the personnel we have.”

This has made scoring easier for ARRG’s primary jamming rotation of Dallis, Mighty Mighty Boston, Black Market Baby and South City Shiner.

The aforementioned four are having their most prolific travel seasons as well. And to ARRG’s benefit, the jamming workload has been balanced. To have a solid quartet that can effectively post lead points and conversely hassle the opposing team’s jammer while on non-lead is quite a luxury.

Furthermore, the play of ARRG has been its most disciplined yet. In the few bouts this season that have been tight in the second period, gone are the late miscues that used to historically plague this franchise, such as the aforementioned May 2010 Nashville bout. They’ve capitalized on the opposition’s lapses and have maintained control down the stretch.

Altogether, it’s a cumulative roster of fourteen playing as one cohesive unit.

“Although no one carries this team individually, we each know our personal roles,” states Dallis. “This alone has created a versatile, confident and dynamic squad. We trust each other. I am so proud of this team.”

And anyone who is honest will agree, this has indeed been a successful team effort thus far in 2012.

“Our team’s attitude has been the most resilient I’ve experienced since I joined ARRG,” says Dallis. “Our team has developed a mental fortitude that has granted us wins with this newfound quiet and fierce confidence we possess.”

But St. Louis knows that they can’t afford to be cocky against a Nashville squad that employs a similar work ethic. Call it a Tennessean technique that has generated positive results.

Qualifiers for the WFTDA National Championships the past two years after back-to-back third place finishes in South Central post-season play, the Music City All- Stars (3-3) have been a consistent number three in its respective region’s rankings.

Being one of the dozen eligible for the Hydra Cup twice straight has resulted in a more-challenging schedule in 2012, thus the .500 record. There were setbacks to East #2 Philly and #3 Charm City, both 100-plus point losses. And that’s completely understandable considering the portfolios that both Eastern squads bring to the table.

Yet their play so far within the South Central region this year has yielded mixed results. Nashville posted a 166-136 win over #5 Atlanta in March but fell to sixth-ranked Tampa Bay by 63 points in April.

The Music City All-Stars also have a region win against current #11 Duke City, a 191-68 home victory on June 2.

Much like the North Central’s perpetual activity within its top ten this season, the South Central is potentially going to contain some rearrangements when the next set of rankings are released later this month.

If the Tennesseans wish to maintain its current position within the South Central hierarchy, a win over Arch Rival this Saturday is imperative.

“This is a key game for Nashville to do well in,” says King James, who expertly covers region action at his thorough SOUTH CENTRAL DERBY NEWS website. “They need a meaningful win to maintain their number three status in the South Central and are at risk of slipping to a lower seed.”

Don’t think that Nashville didn’t notice St. Louis’ winning “blackjack” differential in Texas four weekends ago.

“Arch Rival has already beaten #4 Houston, so that is the bar Nashville should be aiming for in this game,” says James.

That bar will be a challenge, for the complexion of Nashville has changed internally as the calendar year has progressed. After a five-season career with the Music City All-Stars, marquee jammer Ramb0 Samb0 locally retired following the June Duke City win in order to personally relocate to the Northeast.

“She was a huge force and a game changer,” says Dallis of the team MVP at last year’s National Championships.  “She possessed great vision, leadership and a phenomenal attitude. This squad has the talent to compensate for her absence.”

The talent is indeed there, but the number of veterans in the line-up has decreased due to medical misfortunes. King James says injuries to 2011 South Central playoff MVP Rock Nasty and multi-positional starter Lady Fury, both important cogs of last year’s national-qualifying squad, are major setbacks.

This has culminated in a shuffling of the NRG roster. James predicts a heavy jamming rotation of veterans Slayla, Slammy Lou Harris and Four Leaf Roller, who have seven, six and three years of derby service, respectively.

“Each is a skilled jammer,” says the South Central soothsayer. “But expect to see Slayla getting the most play time with the star due to her penchant for getting that all-important lead status almost half the time she jams. Four Leaf Roller’s key is her clean jamming, sometimes getting as little as a single minor penalty against Duke City and an amazing two minors in their loss to Philly.”

But the main area of focus in this bout, as expected, will be the pack play up front. And for the Music City All-Stars, the counter-clockwise contingent contains numerous veterans with national playoff experience.

“On the blocking front, one need look no further than Britches n’ Hose, Union Jack-U-Up and Maulin Monroe to find the leaders of the pack,” says King James. “Each can play over 20 jams per game and are key pillars in their blocking rotation.”

Returning vets Obscene Jessture, Jennifer Smith and Susan will also see significant track time on Saturday night.

“This is a well-seasoned blocking corps that has qualified for the Championships the last two years,” King James proclaims. “They must bring that experience to bear against Arch Rival if they hope to win.”

There are two additional focal points in this bout. Number one would be Music City’s home track advantage. Nashville is 3-0 in home bouts at Municipal Auditorium this season. They traditionally have a really solid following and a raucous crowd at 417 Fourth Avenue North might supply an air of intimidation against the “pink and black attack.”

Can ARRG – a team that silenced a crowd of 3,500 at Cincinnati with a 46-0 bout-opening sprint in March – shut out the distractions that travel bouts sometime provide and post a similar quad-stomp early in Nashville, given their aggressive nature?

Number two would be non-lead scoring. Both teams pride themselves on solid pack play, both offensively and defensively. Singular points periodically obtained by non-leads might potentially be the determining factor in a close bout such as this. Communication between jammers, blockers and bench is going to have to be constant and consistent throughout.

As much as it seems like a cliché, there really is a lot on the line in Saturday night’s main event in downtown Nashvegas.

For Arch Rival, a win would mean a triumph recorded over its highest-ranked opponent historically. St. Louis has never beaten a third-ranked team before and a solid output would send a message prior to home bouts against North Central #5 Chicago Outfit the following weekend and third-ranked Naptown in August.

For Nashville, a victory would re-establish themselves as a squad that could potentially make a return appearance to the national tournament since ARRG defeated the South Central #4. If anything, a dominant win would boost the confidence of the Music City rollers prior to its respective region playoff.

Golly, Mr. Peabody sure had it easy. It was a lot easier for the pun-prattling pooch to patrol the past than to predict the prospect.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s b-team opener provides plenty of intrigue as well. ARRG’s Saint Lunachix (5-2) snapped a two-game losing skid after a solid 183-113 win over the Brewcity Battlestars on June 9.

Chix jammer EnYa Nightmare posted triple-digits in the victory and will once again be called upon to anchor the jamming rotation. Morgan LeFaetal , Sly Davinita and Eveready will also see plenty of rotations with the “star panty.”

Captain Boom Boom Pow, Deathica Steele, Ginny Beastly, Polkadot ‘Yr Eyeout, Shell Shoxx, The Oregon Betrayal, Shacgyver and Megalodominator will pace the blocking. Chix additions The Ginger Assassin and Arcane Sugar are also rostered for the bout.

They’re facing a squad that is also looking for its second straight “W” Saturday night.

The Music City Brawl Stars (2-3) posted a 199-56 win over Clarksville, TN’s Red River Sirens at Municipal Auditorium on June 2. They also recorded a 60-point victory over the Roller Girls of Southern Indiana earlier in the season.

Stella Live, Ann T. Histamine and E. Lemonator pace the rotation at the jammer stripe, while Electra Cal, Suzy Ho’maker, Hippy-Ki-Yay, Rocco Sock ‘em and the fantastically-named Cindy Lou Ferrigno provide the walls upfront.

Once again, a fast start and clean play will dictate the tone in this match-up. The squad that grabs the early advantage more than likely notches a very important victory.

Nashville rapper Young Buck re-christened the Music City as “Ca$hville” in a platinum-selling 2004 recording.

With a pair of wins Saturday night, the Arch Rival Roller Girls will go to the proverbial pay window.

COMING UP NEXT MONDAY IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: The “Muckster’s Truckster” follows the ARRG travelling squads to the Music City and provides full bout recaps of the Arch Rival/Nashville double header. Plus, one of derby’s best rivalries of 2011 returns to Midwest Sport Hockey. The All-Stars look for another North Central upset in a tussle with the region’s fifth-ranked team. Meanwhile, the Lunachix look to go 2-0 historically against a Northern Illinoisan b-squad and the Rookie Rivals prepare for a Sunday “c-team hangover bout.” Next week, a preview of ARRG’s triple-header weekend against the teams of the Chicago Outfit.

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