WATERBURY, CT -- In a New England throw-down, the re-tooled Rhode Island Riveters of Providence kicked off their 2008 campaign with a solid victory over their up-and-coming neighbors, the Stepford Sabotage of CT Rollergirls.

The Riveters, in their first interleague action since their loss to Carolina at the 2007 Heartland Havoc, featured only five skaters who competed in PRD's two bouts at Havoc. PRD manager Buzzy professes that the league took a 'back to basics' approach in the off-season, with a focus on skating building blocks and teamwork skills for veterans and rookies alike. PRD also added to the Riveters roster a healthy dose of experienced skaters who happened to be absent from the Havoc rosters due to injury or temporary retirement (including Jailbird Jenny, Bunnicula, Lotta Pain, Burnin' Helen, and Hysterica!). The off-season work paid off in the form of highly communicative, co-operative, and confident packs.

The CTRG continues to play with an impressively high level of skill, depth, and organization for a league which first bouted in December 2006. Even with a few key blockers unavailable due to injury, the CTRG sent eight different legitimate jamming threats to the line, six coming away with points (led by Black Cherry with 14).

Additionally, since their previous WFTDA bout (a December victory over Long Island), the CTRG added the experience, speed, and savvy of Syd Rock, a former Copper Queen from Tucson Roller Derby.

First Half

Providence pounced on the Sabotage early, building up a quick 8-0 lead with shutouts by Hysterica! and Craisy Dukes. Things looked grim for the hosts after PRD's Bunnicula extended the lead to 11-1. But then CTRG strung together a counter statement, with three consecutive four-point outbursts from Pearl Jammer, Black Cherry, and Tina Colada.

But after that brief run of success, the CTRG offense sputtered and was only able to muster five additional points in the half. Without blocking stalwarts Ether Bunny, Eleanor Bruisevelt or Miz Con SepJen available to help break down the Providence defense, Craisy Dukes ran wild at the front of the pack, holding the line and trapping CTRG jammers while her teammates provided the finishing blocks.

In the twelfth jam of the period, Providence's jammer (Jailbird Jenny) was sent to the box, but the Providence blockers Dukes, Cleo Patronize, Lotta Pain, and Jean Harlot teamed up to kill the power play, keeping CTRG's Girl Fawkes from escaping the pack at all.

By the end of the period, the CTRG blockers were adjusting to the Providence tempo and more swiftly re-engaging. In jam 16, Jailbird Jenny absorbed determined and crowd-pleasing abuse from Syd Rock and Milla Lowlife, but Jenny channeled her own reservoir of determination and survived to win a 3-0. And in the period's final jam, Doomcake attacked Cleo Patronize right off the jamming line, taking her out, capturing lead, and earning her own roar of approval. The period ended at 54-17 in favor of Providence, but CTRG was quickly learning how they needed to battle their most talented WFTDA opposition to date.

Second Half

Period two began with another stellar power play defensive performance from Providence. While their jammer Cleo Patronize chilled her wheels in the box, teammates Lotta Pain, Elle Razor, Craisy Dukes, and Burnin' Helen kept Doomcake bottled in. After her minute in the pokey, Cleo escaped the box, blasted through the pack, picked up 'Lead,' and the penalty was killed.

The third jam of the period saw an odd moment which must have been frustrating to CTRG and amusing to PRD. Providence jammer Jailbird Jenny hit the pack first, but clearly cut past the final two CTRG blockers in her escape from the pack. Immediately recognizing her foul, she skated slowly and far to the right, all the way out of bounds, allowing the whole pack to re-pass her by a good ten feet, seemingly in a plea for leniency from her jammer ref. This ploy was successful; her jammer referee elected not to issue a major for cutting the track to escape the pack.

In the time this took, CTRG jammer Pearl Jammer escaped the pack cleanly and was awarded 'Lead Jammer' status. Pearl skated back around to begin her scoring lap, and she looked up to see her opposite number battling in the rear of the pack. Knowing that Jenny had escaped the pack earlier, but not seeing her intentional fall-back, Pearl understandably assumed that Jenny had lapped the pack and was now on her scoring lap ... so she called off the jam.

After an encouraging 4-0 victory by Black Cherry, Connecticut suffered through a grim stretch of five jams in which they were shut out 35-0. In the last of these jams, the CTRG blockers seemed to say, "enough!" as Doomcake pounded PRD jammer Jailbird Jenny to the floor. Doomcake herself was then immediately punished by PRD's Lotta Pain in a breathtaking hit -- and only after Lotta had also brought down CTRG jammer Black Cherry.

This intense and hard-hitting jam (the ninth of the period) marked an inspiration point for CTRG, who won the game's final nine jams, 24-14.

The CTRG fans were delighted to cheer back-to-back grand slam 5-0 victories by Black Cherry and Tina Colada, scored in the middle of a five-jam defensive stand which tenaciously held the PRD score at 99. CTRG would have held PRD to double digits, had not Bunnicula put PRD back on the scoreboard in the final jam, winning 8-4 over Syd Rock as time expired.

What's coming up?

Providence next takes on another younger regional WFTDA rival, visiting Maine on April 12.

Connecticut next holds an intraleague bout on April 6, featuring the Iron Angels vs. The Elm City Bonecrushers.

The CTRG 'Stepford Sabotage' All-Stars are aggressively taking their show on the road, next playing on April 12 in Pennsylvania against the Philthy Britches local team of the Philly Roller Rirls.

The following Saturday, April 19, they take on an as-yet-unnamed team of Gotham Girls Roller Derby skaters in a (to date) thinly publicized 30-minute warmup to the main event: GGRD's All-Stars vs. the All-Star Liberty Belles of the Philly Roller Girls, at Long Island University's Schwartz Center in downtown Brooklyn. (That's a Derby News Network scoop!)

What was the opening act?

My word! This correspondent would be remiss not to give due to the exciting 30 minute pre-bout men's derby exhibition, pitting the ad-hoc "Snakes" against the ad-hoc "St. Patricks" in celebration of St. Patrick's day. The squads were a mish-mosh composition of skaters from four east coast men's derby leagues: 12 from the New York Shock Exchange, six from the Connecticut Death Quads, six from Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley Dirty Dozen, and six from Baltimore's Harm City Homicide. (Numbers approximate, apologies for roster mis-approximations.)

In this correspondent's opinion, the pre-game show was an admirable display of skating agility and clean blocking -- an evolutionary step forward from the first handful of eastern men's derby exhibitions in 2007, which tended to feature "monster hits" at the expense of good derby strategy and wise pack play. This evening's play was clean, exciting, and encouraging for all fans of men's derby.

Stars included the irrepressible Jonathan R. from NYSE, who laid a 18-0 hurt on the Snakes in jam 8 to put the St. Patricks ahead for good, 42-22. Dr. Spankenstein of Pioneer Valley worked his own mad science for 9-0 and 9-3 jams benefiting the Snakes. Sex Ed (Harm City), Darth Invader (NYSE), and The Rev (Pioneer Valley) did their usual stellar jobs controlling the packs and slamming opposing blockers to the floor. Davy Jones (Pioneer Valley) and Hole Shot (CT) were revelations, greatly impressing those unfamiliar with their skills. And, of course, there was some unknown renegade bad-ass Snake named Justice Feelgood Marshall, who put up a 12-0 against Jonathan R. in the final jam (with help from blocking teammates Darth Invader and Cirkle Jerk of CT) to bring the score up to 78-63 in favor of the Patties in green.