WFTDA expands to 98 member leagues, including 9 new full members

Weekend in Review, 2/8/2010

By Derby News Network, Last updated Thu Feb 11 2010 1:54pm

San Diego's Kung Pow Tina goes for the inside line. San Diego walloped Michigan irregulars Mitten Kittens by a final of 189-57 in the course of debuting their new banked track. Photo: Kustomkulturephoto.
San Diego jammer Bonnie D. Stroir escapes the pack. San Diego walloped Michigan irregulars Mitten Kittens by a final of 189-57 in the course of debuting their new banked track. Photo: Kustomkulturephoto.
Nashville's Olive Turmoyl gets in the way of Atlanta's Demi Gore. Nashville upset Atlanta in a 108-73 final. Photo: Derek Dewesse.
Appleton, WI's Paper Valley dropped a big 229-46 margin on Team Unicorn, the B-team from Madison. Photo: Doug Otto.
Dee Nasty, jamming for CT Yankee Brutals, gets a little hang time after taking a hit from SRD Backyard Bullies blocker Robin Graves (out of frame). The Suburbia b-team defeated the Connecticut home team, 113-89. Photo: Marc Santos.
In Minnesota local action, Atomic Bombshells defeated Dagger Dolls 63-38. Here Bombshell jammer Mae Gusta works her way around Dagger Doll blocker Norah Torious. Photo: Apron.
In Minnesota local action, the Rockits stymied the Garda Belts, 118-43. Here Pain Gretzky tries to cut off Garda Belt jammer Suzie Smashbox. Photo: Apron.

WFTDA Sanctioned | General Interleague | Banked Track | Local Bouts

WFTDA Sanctioned

Nashville 108, Atlanta 73 -- In a rematch of a consolation-round bout of the 2009 South Central Regionals, Nashville got revenge for their 126-66 loss there by leading Atlanta for the whole bout on their way to a 35 point victory. At the half, Nashville was up by 25 points, and Atlanta could never quite close to striking distance, with their jammers having particular trouble with Nashville blocker Fully Addomatic.

Atlanta got within 16 points five jams deep into the second half at Nashville 57, Atlanta 41, but that was as close as it got. The widest point margin would come late in the half at 106-56 favoring Nashville before Atlanta went on a a too-little-too-late 17-2 run at the end.

Nashville scoring was led by Ramb0 Samb0 with 46 points and a +31 jammer point differential; Atlanta's highest scoring jammer was The Merchant of Menace with 24 points and a -4 JPD. Although Atlanta spent considerably less time in the penalty box, it didn't translate to an advantage for them; ARG had 49 minors and 27 majors against 71 minors and 39 majors for Nashville.

In the undercard bout, Nashville's B-team, the Brawl Stars, defeated the Atlanta Rumble Bs 158-51. -- Leann Lewis

Photoset from this bout (Derek Dewesse)

Comments

Small correction; probably my fault in the unedited original.

by Garrison-Killer-MN on 08 Feb 2010 14:56.

Harmony Killerbruise pulled an 18-0 power jam that provided the lead change in the first half of Rockits/Gardas, not 18-3.

The jam was almost a textbook instance of the Rockit blockers trapping an opposing blocker and hitting the breaks; glad it wasn't used more than once in the game, but as a single jam tactic...not bad.

Thanks for the editing, Justice. Always appreciated.

And w00t, FMDG!

by Garrison-Killer-MN on 08 Feb 2010 15:02.

Congratulations on the win over Harbor City. Hope to yet see both the Fargo/Moorhead and Duluth/Superior teams this year; I understand FMDG's arena is fantastic.

Fargo Civic Center is fantasic

by Wernher Von Bombed on 08 Feb 2010 16:02.

Having been there are their inaugural bout, it is fantastic. Can't wait to go back.

Don't forget about the attendance...

by Our Man Flip on 09 Feb 2010 00:30.

For the first time evre, the MNRG sold out the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The paid attendance was 4723, but children 9 and under get in free. -So, the total attendance was likely over 5000. 300 or so more had to be turned away after we reached capacity.

Also, the Fargo Civic Center is awesome. It's kind of a smaller version of the Roy Wilkins; it holds 1700-ish fans. I understand that the FM Derby Girls sold it out yet again. That's 3 bouts since their inception, all sold out.

That's got to be the record, right?

by John_Maddening on 09 Feb 2010 14:04.

Minnesota's ~5000 beats Rat City's ~4500 in the Key Arena, is there anything higher that anyone knows of?

I don't believe so.

by Poobah on 09 Feb 2010 21:54.

Hrmmm... I don't think you can really count Bumberbout.

It's my vague understanding that admission was free with a ticket to Bumbershoot. Many people in attendance may have been drop-ins who wouldn't have attended had it not been held as part of a larger non-derby event.

Basically I'd file away any event that's part of a music festival, sports event, state fair, etc that way.

Otherwise we'd have to give Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls credit for every teenager who attends this year's Extreme Thing event to see his favorite white rapper and pro-skateboarder and give San Diego Derby Dolls credit for the every guy who slips off to enjoy the hard hits and cute girls at Battle on the Bank 3 with a funnel cake while his wife is putting the kids on the teacup ride.

I'm not dismissing what those leagues are accomplishing by holding their tournaments/events in those settings. It's great for them and great for spreading knowledge of our sport. But the attendance figures don't mean the same thing as people paying just to see your bout, ya know?

The all time roller derby record is 50,118 at Comiskey Park, 1972. They had two different TV shows on different stations promoting that one though. Interleague game.

Pretty much you have to make

by Busta Armov on 09 Feb 2010 22:26.

Pretty much you have to make up rules for all contests. In this case, the contest is greatest attendance for a roller derby event. The rule is, everyone there specifically had to come to see only the roller derby event.

Wider scale events are a promotion for roller derby, and shouldn't be discouraged just because that attendance doesn't count in this particular contest.

What is the real interest in knowing numbers?

by KendraBlood on 10 Feb 2010 10:51.

To know who sold the most tickets, made the most money, or exposed the most people to roller derby?

Well, all three really.

by John_Maddening on 10 Feb 2010 15:12.

The more tickets we sell, the more money we make, the better it is for our skaters -- less in the way of out-of-pocket expenses for practice time, travel, etc.

In addition, humans enjoy competition. That's why we keep score. If MNRG now holds the record for bout attendance (like Grand Poobah said, not counting festivals and events where there happens to be derby being played), then that's a rallying point for leagues within striking distance of our numbers (specifically Rat City and Windy City) to try and surpass our total. When someone passes us, then we try to pass them again.

Although we're limited to the size of the arena, of course.

and of course...

by John_Maddening on 10 Feb 2010 15:14.

...the better it is for the charities we support.

my interest was...

by gil on 11 Feb 2010 02:27.

just to see what was happening in terms of the sport. Are we growing and if so how do we know.

Some teams bring in more than others but that can change. St. Paul is kind of a small market compared to NY, LA and Chicago. They are brining in the most so far. Madison had there biggest crowd ever this year for their opener. We had it the same and MNRG was singing winner winner chicken dinner all the way to the bank.

The sport in its other incarnation was pretty huge and who wouldn't love to see those numbers again. Anyone who has been in it for a while should be happy that all the hard work is getting somewhere in terms of widespread coverage and growing fan base.

This is a sport that should be able to treat and take of its participants the same as any other sport. Thats were the attendance comes in. The less we have to struggle the more the skaters can do what they do best. Skate!

So... just asking.

Exactly.

by Poobah on 12 Feb 2010 08:56.

Aside from the obvious reason of me trying to set those types of events aside because not everyone went there to see the roller derby, it's also a LOT harder to determine the numbers.

To be perfectly honest, I LOVE seeing setups like those. Where people come in to see something else and get exposed to roller derby along the way.