DENVER, CO -- A mile-high inter-regional clash between increasingly imposing #7 Windy City and rock-steady #12 Rocky Mountain on Saturday promises to shed considerable light on where both teams stand a month before they enter their respective regional tournaments in early October.
Windy City surprised their way to a second-place finish at August 2007's Eastern Regionals, and has been sitting at the #7 spot in the rankings ever since their followup appearance at September 2007's WFTDA Nationals. Although they were quiet as an all-star team until the following January, they've more than proved their claim to the slot with a 5-2 record in 2008 against a wide variety of experienced competition.
The Chicago ladies absolutely pummeled their last two opponents, holding them both under 20 points to outscore them by a mind-blowing total of 344 to 37. #13 Tucson, who stood at #6 at the time of the match, was the first victim, falling 138-19 on July 12, while #18 Minnesota eked out a similar point total but had even less success defensively, getting trounced 206-18 on August 16.
While WCR did go down to two consecutive 16 point defeats to #8 Philly and #4 Carolina (Philly sat at #9 at the time, while Carolina held #3) at June's East Coast Extravaganza event, they went without two of their most skilled blockers, Malice With Chains and Megan Formor, and both will be present in this battle with Rocky Mountain. Those two losses stand as the only blemishes in a 2008 that's also seen them knock off #19 Grand Raggidy (ranked #23 at the time of the bout), #15 Madison (ranked #17 at the time of the bout), and #44 Arch Rival (unranked at the time of the bout.)
Windy City is known for speed and agility, while Rocky Mountain is known for endurance and power -- but both teams also share a well-deserved reputation for relentless re-engagement and replacement blocking, which ought to make for a fascinating matchup.
While RMRG was booted from the first round of February 2007's Western Regional by #17 Duke City, the now #12th ranked Colorado team is also in the midst of a spectacularly successful and busy 2007-2008 season, going 8-2 since the last Nationals. Their only two missteps have been a 113-47 loss in November 2007 to the extremely dangerous Gotham and a thrilling, closely contested 115-97 defeat in Charm City this March in which they brought only 11 players. In that timeframe, they've knocked off Madison, Dallas, Providence (by a memorable score of 137-9), Arizona, Pikes Peak, Boston and Angel City. Their current winning streak stands at 5 bouts.
All who see Rocky Mountain play are likely to come away impressed with their non-standard two-jammer rotation -- with amazing endurance and a decided aversion to the penalty box, Frida Beater and She Who Cannot Be Named tend to be on the jam line for the Fight Club for 90 percent or more of the jams in an average RMRG bout. They follow a bruising and savvy crew of blockers that includes Pinky 500, Assaultin' Pepa, Ida Hustler and Luscious Smacksome.
Rocky Mountain hasn't faced a team ranked above them since their December bout with Gotham and looks to prove they're capable of dealing an upset or two at Western Regionals, while Windy City has performed far better at home than on the road recently and would like to show that the battleground is no object. Whatever happens in this one, the fans at RMRG's Bladium are more than certain to get their money's worth.
Athena DeCrime #30 // Belle Diablo #666 // Blossom Bruiso #5 // Dee Monica #11:14 // Eva Dead #0 // Hoosier Mama #219 // Kola Loka #911 // Malice With Chains #6 // Megan Formor #1980 // Shocka Conduit #15 // Tori Adore #19 // Varla Vendetta #25 // Ying O Fire #777 // Yvette YourMaker #999
Annia LateHer #57 // Assaultin' Pepa #86 // Catholic Cruel Girl #3 // Frida Beater #18-3-202 // Ida Hustler #P1MP // Luscious Smacksome #480 // Madam Maimya #33 //Mama KiCass #3014 // Penny Payne // Pinky 500 #500 // Ro Chambeau #111 // She Who Cannot Be Named #88 // Undertaker's Daughter #D0A // Winona Fighter #8
RMRG endurance will be greatly tested
WCR pack speed will be the biggest challenge for RMRG.
I can honestly say that WCR pack was the fastest I have had ever skated against. With RMRG using blockers back to back to back, and on a 2 jammer rotation, it's going to really test their endurance.
It's going to be exciting to read about.
One thing to consider
Altitude. I kinda suspect that RMRG has a home advantage of their own. Two great teams, in any case. Wish I could be there to see this one.
-Barely even speaking for myself...
*~[
Grand Poobah
Sin City Stat Pack
Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls
OOOOO......
.....I'M SO EXCITED! The more I read the more I think that this is going to be an AWESOME game. I'm still at school (I'm a high school teacher in Chicago Public Schools) counting the minutes like I'm one of my students! My flight is in 4 hours and I cannot wait to battle it out in CO! Let's make it a good one ladies!
I'm a little nervous about the altitude... any suggestions that I haven’t read on webMD?
(Can I possibly use another exclamation point?!?!?!)
Windy City Rollers: MeganFormor
Altitude
.....I'M SO EXCITED! The more I read the more I think that this is going to be an AWESOME game. I'm still at school (I'm a high school teacher in Chicago Public Schools) counting the minutes like I'm one of my students! My flight is in 4 hours and I cannot wait to battle it out in CO! Let's make it a good one ladies!
I'm a little nervous about the altitude... any suggestions that I haven’t read on webMD?
(Can I possibly use another exclamation point?!?!?!)
Windy City Rollers: MeganFormor
I was super nervous about the altitude before our game, too! Don't worry. It's there, but not too bad. I even jammed in one jam and lived to tell the tale.
Do be aware that you can't drink as much as usual at high altitudes! The after party of that game was one of my all-time favorites!
Best of luck to Rocky Mountain and Windy City! I hope you all enjoy every moment!
-'Slay
"Never trust a big butt and a smile" -BelBivDevoe
Transfer to RMRG
Ro Chambeau was an eminent jammer and pivot for the Denver Roller Dolls. Rocky Mountain musters a fuller roster against Windy City - who wouldn't?
Super Excited To See This
I think Dee Monica skated for RMRG a long time ago... I'll be there cheering on both teams. But mostly I want to see my former teammate Ro Chambeau kick ass. FTF forever Ro!
Elevation not a big factor for derby
Denver has 17% less oxygen than at sea level and 15% less than at Chicago's elevation, but based on the interleague bouts I've seen (as a spectator), Denver's elevation hasn't been as much of a factor for visitors as one would think. I haven't really seen any visiting teams like Kansas City have any problems with endurance or speed here. I guess if you're already in good shape for derby, you can still skate pretty hard for two minutes at a time under those conditions. I'd be interested to hear from visiting skaters themselves, though. Have any of you lowlanders who've skated at bouts in Colorado had trouble with the elevation?
Just some general advice if you're coming up from lower elevation: it's important to stay hydrated (you lose water faster in the dry air), take it easy with alcohol (your tolerance will be lower), and allow as much time as possible before going on any trips up into the mountains. You'll automatically breathe more deeply in the thinner air, which is actually refreshing for most people. If you do anything more strenuous than walking, expect your heart rate and respiration to skyrocket, so you may not have the endurance you're used to at lower elevation until you've been here for a few days, weeks, or months.
It burns!
I'd be interested to hear from visiting skaters themselves, though. Have any of you lowlanders who've skated at bouts in Colorado had trouble with the elevation?
I spent the first four months of this year living in Albuquerque with a late-April visit to Denver (ABQ has a very similar elevation to the 5280ft over sea level of Denver, considerably higher in some places and slightly lower in others.) Both Duke City and Rocky Mountain were kind enough to let me scrimmage with them, and I am definitely here to tell you that my leg muscles were eager to let me know that I wasn't in Baltimore (which is fairly close to sea level) anymore.
Blocking was not significantly different, but I personally found it very hard to skate my hardest as a jammer for a full 2 minutes, especially if I was getting pounded in the pack (which tends to happen with them Duke City & Rocky Mountain girls; they hit hard and often.) There was a very specific and extremely unpleasant burning sensation I'd always feel in my upper thighs after a full-length jam that took a long time to go away, and usually that was not before I would have to go back in.
I actually felt kind of bad because it seemed to me like I had suddenly started to suck as a skater upon moving, because I did not realize that elevation was acting as a significant factor. But man, when I moved back to Baltimore, did I ever notice a difference in my stamina levels since when I had last skated there!
So, my advice to any skater concerned about their endurance is simple: move far above sea level for a few months. When you go back home, you'll magically have achieved tirelessness! (I can't find links right now, but I do believe that Colorado is a popular location for Olympic endurance training for that exact reason.)
JFM
Colorado Springs
U.S. Olympic Training Center
And some good stuff on Wikipedia about high altitude training.
Yup, it matters :)
I Didn't Have Muscle/Endurance Issues
But I did develop a righteous migraine that lasted from noon to just before the bout around 7PM.
There's a lot of focus on the atmosphere, such as "should a team show up the night before the bout so they can acclimate" versus "should a team show up as late as possible so they don't have time to suffer from the change in altitude?"
It matters, it's noticeable. But it is, in my opinion, easily something that's really overthought.
Good luck!
Yep, I have skated in the Bladium and can definitely attest to the elevation effect on performance. Even for conditioned skaters, having less oxygen makes it simply seem like all the other girls are taking up the AIR! Just ask Pepa to supply an oxygen tank! Hahahaaaa! It's going to be a good bout and man-oh-man, I wish I could be there to see it!!! Good luck to both teams!
Helen Wheels
Great win, Windy City!
Very happy to see the results of this one. As good as the WCR is at home, they needed to get back on the good foot on the road after their disappointments at ECE. From the texts I received this evening it sounded like quite a bout! Can't wait to read the recap!
Great momentum builder leading up to the bout vs KC on the 20th! :woot:
It's altitude sickness
Professor Murder said, "But I did develop a righteous migraine that lasted from noon to just before the bout around 7PM."
That's one of the symptoms of altitude sickness. I know, I've gotten it bad in the past. Whenever I know I'm going to be at altitude, I get a prescription from my doctor for diamox. It's a diuretic, so you need to drink more water than normal to avoid getting dehydrated.
Rusty Wheeler
Let's rrrrrrrrrroooooooooollllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!
Windy City very strong
Their headaches lasted until 7 minutes into the bout, evidently. Then Windy City took the lead. Can't say that I'm happy to see RMRG bested but the high level of play was awesome to watch. Malice With Chains impressed. The desperate attempts to move her did not. Kola Loka had a big big night scoring.
Look out eastern region!
Great game
Even though RMRG lost, they went down fighting in what I thought was a closer game than the final score indicates. Late in the bout they rallied to within 12 points before a couple of lenghty ref time-outs kind of killed RMRG's momentum in my opinion. Windy city emerged the better team but RMRG definitely made the case that they can hang in the top 10. Given WCR's recent dominating wins, keeping them under 100 was a feat in and of itself.