MINNEAPOLIS, MN – In another display of the league’s burgeoning national prominence, the North Star Roller Girls All-Star team routed the WFTDA 25th-ranked Naptown Roller Girls’ Tornado Sirens 111-50 at the Minneapolis Convention Center on November 15th. The North Star Roller Girls used four 10-0 jams, along with a 13-2 romp, to open up a massive 84-19 lead at the intermission.

Naptown initially jumped on a slow start by North Star, snatching lead jammer in three of the first four jams to lead 5-4. North Star rebounded in overwhelming fashion offensively and defensively, however, as they held Naptown scoreless for eight straight jams, racking up 45 points in the process.

Throughout many jams in the first half North Star pivots, blockers, and even jammers were able to out-physical Naptown, winning many one-on-one contests through knockdowns and frustrating their opponent’s attempts to impede their progress.

After the end of the half, with the score 84-19 and the bout well in hand, North Star appeared to pull back the throttle to a certain extent, with Naptown edging the team 31-27 in the second half. Aside from a crushing 14-0 dismantling late in the bout, the Tornado Sirens consistently squeezed three and four point jams throughout the half and put up much tougher opposition for the North Stars to move through the pack. Naptown was able to take lead jammer on 11 of 18 second-half jams.

In the end, though, the first half scoring frenzy that Naptown had no answer for resulted in a rout for the North Star All-Stars.

MEDUSA and Katarina Hit led North Star’s jamming charge with a combined 91 of the teams 111 points. MEDUSA finished with 57 points with a 43 net score on her 8 jams, with Katarina Hit logging 34 points with a 32 net score on 7 jams. Naughty Kitty, tin lizzy, and Torii Hunt Her paved the way for a majority of the team’s successful jams, earning pivot net scores of 23, 23, and 17 respectively.

Following the team’s victory over the Minnesota RollerGirls in a 40-minute bout at the Rolling Along The River Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa (tournament highlights) the All-Stars have now defeated two WFTDA-ranked teams in November. With NSRG on the verge on officially joining the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, where the All-Stars initially rank after these victories will be closely watched among the league’s skaters and fans.

The All-Stars can follow up their recent successes with their next bout against a recent WFTDA addition, Sioux Falls, on January 26.

Notes

Before and after the Interleague matchup, the remnants of the NSRG intraleague teams scrambled themselves into two sets of theme teams facing off in “Flash Bouts:” the Hollywood Elite / Carnivores and the Trailer Trash / Vegetarians. In the first bout, the Hollywood Elite held a two-point lead into the final jam, but succumbed to a five-point rally by the Trailer Trash and lost 45-42.The re-themed Vegetarians again made a spirited late rally in the second flash bout, capitalizing on Carnivore jammer Rhea Lentless sitting in the penalty box for the last jam and winning 34-32.

Attendance for the bout, the first interleague one held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, was announced at 728. While a marked decrease from intraleague matchups, the numbers were positive for North Star skaters, who note increased challenges staging this type of event.

Photos: Preflash Gordon