WTF: ‘Travel-Team Only’ Option PART II

Interesting new plot lines are beginning to emerge now that we’ve seen our first example of Life After TT-Only.  So many, in fact, that I am compelled to push up the date of my “WFT Part II” and possibly add a “Part III” once the dust finally settles.  So let’s get into it…

At the Season 6 Opening Scramble it was painfully obvious that the Guns N Rollers have some rebuilding to do.  And this was quickly blamed on the new TT-Only Policy.  Maybe with good reason.  GNR lost five skaters to TT-Only, and it showed.  That’s not to say GNR didn’t show the most heart or have the best attitudes out of all 4 home teams that night.  It was just clear that they are a mostly-new group of skaters, with lots of new talent, but talent nonetheless.  So should we shake our fists at the sky and curse the name of Cadillac or Blood Clottia for choosing to go TT-only?  Um, not if you like the way your face is configured (ie you may just get punched in the face for bad-mouthing a rollergirl).  True, playing without 5 of the most talented skaters will hurt any team.  But there’s a reason why GNR took such a hard hit compared to the other 3 home teams.  Skaters electing to go TT-only had to have been rostered for 70% of Wheels of Justice bouts last season.  Which means that all-stars like SoulFearic ACID and Heidi-Go-Seek aren’t eligible to go TT-only yet.  Every team lost a few talented skaters to the TT-only policy.  GNR just lost the most.  Which means they have a lot of room to grow and improve.  And they’ll do it as a team.  So please don’t blame the TT-only policy for GNR’s need for rebuilding.    

Lookie, lookie, at all the rookies! -photo by Steve Price

One thing I was expecting to hear more about (but didn’t) was “I miss so-and-so!  Where’s so-and-so?”  I, for one, didn’t think much on the absent all-stars that I’m used to seeing in home team bouts.  Mostly because a vast majority of them were either coaching their old home team or providing bench support.  I had an absolute blast scoping out the new talent and thinking about all the possibilities.  There are so many new faces since last season, and yet we still got to see some pretty exciting competition.  We have a hell of a Fresh Meat program churning out some serious talent.  I’m happy to see the opportunities the TT-only policy has created for skaters who may still be sitting on Fresh Meat were it not for all the spots opening up.  Just think, without all-stars going TT-only we may not have seen the formidable Mercy skating for the Heartless Heathers.  Or Giv’er No Quarter for the Break Neck Betties.  Or Napoleon Blownapart for the High Rollers!  Or GNR’s Havana Good Time! 

And how about those coaches?!  The Heartless Heathers came out looking better than ever due to the hard work of coaches Scratcher In The Eye and Mick Swagger, both retired Heathers gone TT-only.  And even though I’ll never get used to seeing Smack Ya Sideways in jeans and sneaks on the track, she and Mel Mangles kept GNR going all night long with their encouragement and skilled guidance.  Even TT-only retired High Rollers Sully Skullkicker was there to jam coach, and Blood Clottia was schlepping jugs of water to exhausted GNRs all night.  These TT-only skaters have not disappeared.  They are still a presence in home team play, and will continue to be so. 

The skaters that chose to go TT-only worked their asses to the bone over many years in order to be eligible.  It is a privilege that they earned through hard work for their respective home teams.  And they are still there, supporting, coaching, cheering, and working for the teams that helped make them what they are.  Believe it or not, this is not the first year that RCR has had a TT-only policy.  This is just the first year that it’s been seriously implemented in all its fine-tuned glory.  And it’s here to stay.  It’s gonna be a little while before we really see how this will all shake out.  Maybe a full season, maybe more.  Hang tight though, and enjoy all the amazingness that roller derby has to offer.  The TT-only affected each team differently, but it will benefit the entire league.  And look for a WTF: Part III down the road, once enough time has passed to see how things are really going.  Trust me, you’ll be singing the praises of the TT-only policy when our Wheels of Justice bring the WFTDA Championship trophy home to Portland.

Since we’re on the subject of the season opener, a side note: over 4,000 people were in attendance for our Memorial Coliseum debut.  And when the hands went up for who’s first bout it was, I guesstimated it was about 40% of the crowd.  Hell.  Yes.  That is phenomenal. 

Your next chance to see your favorite all-stars and your new favorite home team skaters will be coming soon!  Friday the 28th the Heartless Heathers will be scrimmaging against a yet-to-be-determined local team (info here).  The following Saturday the 29th will be the first inter-league bout as the Guns N Rollers take on the Break Neck Betties.  Then comes another weekend of back-to-back roller derby, as the Wheels of Justice take on the Detroit Derby Girls on Friday the 4th, and the second inter-league bout of the Heartless Heathers vs the High Rollers on Saturday the 5th. 

 Check out some of the talk about the Season Opener and the tt-only policy on our awesome forum.  Feel free to join in the conversation, or post a comment on this blog to voice your opinion about the TT-only policy.