Last weekend was full of amazing roller derby. Our all-star travel team, the Wheels of Justice, took on the Texecutioners from Texas in an epic Friday night flat track battle that kept fans at the Hangar on the edge of their seats. Fans got a second dose of derby Saturday night when the Heartless Heathers decimated the Guns N Rollers in the last full-length home team bout before the Season 6 championships.
Wheels of Justice 105 Texecutioners 79
Coming off a two-game loss in Denver (one of which was a heartbreaker against the Denver Roller Dolls), the Wheels of Justice came out rip-roaring and ready to go against the the Texecutioners. By the third jam, WOJ had a 15-0 lead thanks to Wheels’ solid defense and stealth jamming.
The Wheels of Justice used a four-jammer rotation of White Flight, Scald Eagle, Sully Skullkicker, and Soulfearic Acid to rip apart the defense of the Texecutioners despite the solid defense from TXRG’s Luce Bandit and Smarty Pants.
The Wheels jammers weren’t the only ones on fire, though. WOJ blockers presented a united defensive front that proved to be quite effective against Texas. Strong 3- and 4-walls used mostly at the back of the pack slowed down and in some cases prevented the TXRG jammer from making a pass.
The Wheels roster is chock full of solid blockers who can switch from offense to defense in a split second. Skaters like Mercy, Cadillac, Rhea DeRange, Napalm Beth, Blood Clottia, Mick Swagger, Mobi-wan Kenobi, JK Rolling, Layla Smackdown proved to be instrumental in making a defensive stand against Texas and working hard to get their own jammer through. With amazing blocker like these, the Texecutioners didn’t stand a chance against the notorious “walls of justice” that WOJ was using at the back of the pack.
Disadvantages in the pack didn’t even stop WOJ from dominating. In jam #10, the Wheels of Justice only had two blockers, Cadi and Rhea, and they still managed to hold the Texecutioners’ jammer back long enough for White Flight to sneak through the smallest hole in the TXRG defense to get lead jammer.
White Flight celebrates after a big jam. (Photo by Sharkey)
Momentum shifted around the 14th jam when the Texecutioners took advantage of WOJ penalties. Jammer Scald Eagle spent a majority of the jam in the penalty box, allowing Olivia Shootin’ John to bring the score within one point. WOJ continued to spend time in the penalty box, and Texas began to adjust to the Wheels’ style of play, tying the score at 49 by halftime.
In the second half, TXRG jumped out to a 67-56 lead, but stellar jamming from Scald Eagle and White Flight in jams 7 & 8, respectively put WOJ ahead 71-70. That jam by Whitey got the crowd roaring and the Wheels of Justice stepped up their game, preventing the Texecutioners from scoring for the next 11 jams.
Despite more penalty trouble in the second half (Mobi-wan Kenobi was ejected from the game in jam #17 for accruing too many major penalties), the Wheels of Justice didn’t let up and ended up winning 105-79.
WOJ blockers Blood Clottia and Cadillac help contain the TXRG jammer. (Photo by Sharkey)
Wheels played a good strategic game, throwing up strong 3- and 4-walls at the back and front of the pack. The defense was amazing, regardless of too many trips to the penalty box. I noticed that Cadi did a particularly great job playing the pivot position. In fact, I’ve been very impressed with the improvement in her blocking game and pack play.
WOJ may have won the bout, but Texas definitely proved to be a formidable opponent. They adjusted well to Wheels’ style of play, but in the end they could not contain the athleticism of the justice-serving superheroes of the Wheels of Justice.
Heartless Heathers 160 Guns N Rollers 77
In the last full-length bout of the home team season, the Heartless Heathers beat GNR by nearly 100 points.
The Guns N Rollers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first three jams, but the Heathers soon gained their composure and started putting up points on the board.
The Heathers made good use of their jammer rotation (White Flight, Blast Unicorn, TeqKillya, Wetback Attack, and Sol Train), but the strategy they used in pack play proved to be extremely effective. The Heathers put up a 3-wall at the back of the pack to hold back the GNR jammer, and they stuck their pivot at the front of the pack to help the HH jammer get through and to act as the last line of defense.
Sol Train (right) works hard to clear the path for her jammer, Blast Unicorn. (Photo by Sharkey)
The strategy worked very well against GNR, whose jammers had a hard time getting past any HH blocker in the pack. In fact, in jam #10 Scald Eagle earned lead jammer status, but on her first scoring pass she was held back by Mercy and Baccha Nailya, allowing Wetback Attack to rack up 10 points even though she wasn’t lead jammer.
The Heathers one-two punch of strong defense and fast, talented jammers allowed them to run up the score while preventing GNR from earning too many points. At the half, the Heathers were up 90-24.
In the second half, some of the Heathers came out in different uniforms. Now, I had planned on saying the HH halftime boutfit change was taken from the GNR playbook, but Frenchie informed me at the after party that the Heathers actually used to pull the halftime boutfit switch in the early days of RCR.
But I digress.
The Heathers continued their domination on the flat track, but GNR still managed to score 53 points in the second half.
The Guns N Rollers had some shining moments. Lightning-fast jammers Supa Sixpack and Untamed Shrew had some stellar jams that got the GNR fan section riled up. And Scald Eagle’s always impressive jamming and blocking elicited the arm-flapping motion (to resemble an eagle) from many GNR fans.
It should also be noted that Havana Good Time (who, interestingly, didn’t jam at all in the bout) had some amazing pack play for GNR. I knew she was a solid, all-around skilled skater who jams like nobody’s business, but she also is a valuable asset in the pack. No wonder she just made the Wheels of Justice roster.
Havana Good Time lays a hit on the French Tickler. (Photo by Sharkey)
Normally the Heathers rack up plenty of penalties during the course of the bout, which ends up allowing the other team to take advantage and win. Against GNR, though, it wasn’t much of a problem.
The Heathers bench is deep, and they have a great arsenal of smart, quick jammers. GNR showed glimpses of strong pack defense, but they couldn’t maintain it for the whole bout. In the end, the Heartless Heathers had stronger skaters and played a better game.
Looking ahead
This isn’t the last time you’ll see the all-star team and these two RCR home teams in action. On June 3 & 4, check out the Closing Scrambles at the Hangar. Then witness the Season 6 Championship bouts on Saturday, June 18 at the Expo Center.
You won’t get to see the Wheels of Justice play at home until August when they take on the Boston Derby Dames, but check the Derby News Network site for live coverage of the East Coast Extravaganza June 24-26 where WOJ will be kicking ass and taking names.
