L.A. Narrowly Defeats Team Legit, 133-127
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Photo: Axle Adams. -
Photo: Axle Adams.
LOS ANGELES, CA - The L.A. Ri-Ettes (Battle on the Bank 2009 #2) narrowly defeated Team Legit (BotB 2009 #3) Saturday 133-127 in a tightly contested game with 15 lead reversals that came down to the finest point of the rules in the last jam.
It was the first test of the year for the Ri-Ettes, playing with seven new members and new leadership. It was also a declaration by Team Legit, playing with 7 returning members, that they plan to be serious contenders for the top spot in Battle on the Bank III in June. Several missteps cost them the game this time, and they are not likely to be repeated in their future banked track outings.
Team Legit uses only their government names in banked track competition, but their derby names are referenced here because of the long derby resumes of many of their players.
While the newly minted WORD Rules (PDF) for banked track are largely comparable to WFTDA rules, some of the exceptions tripped up the Rat City dominated Legit. With one minute jams, the ability of lead jammer status to change hands with a jammer pass, and the requirement that a jammer be on the track to call off the jam, WFTDA tuned defensive skills and timing need to be adjusted. In a tight game, that adjustment is the difference between a win and a loss. And then there are the last jam major rules, which have been revised to comprehensibility by mere mortals, but still have the appearance of a deus ex machina when they're applied.
The Ri-Ettes started out with a modest 4-0 first jam lead, but Team Legit closed the gap to 8-7 by the 4th jam, gained a single point lead 9-8 in the 5th, and LADD retrieved the lead in the 6th 12-9. The lead changed 2 more times, with L.A. ahead 24-14 when Caitlin "Muffin" Krause scored 14-0 in a powerjam with a 4-3 Legit pack (with one minute jams, that's the rough equivalent of a 28 point flat track jam) bringing Legit back into the lead, 28-24. The Ri-Ettes retrieved the lead once again with a 10-0 Powerjam from Lace N' Arsenic and a 3-3 pack.
Then Ceclila "Re-AnimateHer" Hanley was tripped up by the banked track rules difference, when she tried to call off the jam from the infield before L.A.'s Long Island Lolita could hit the pack for a scoring run. When the jam wasn't called, she got back on the track for a scoring run without attempting to call off the jam from the track. The misstep turned what would have been a 4-0 jam into a 4-3 jam, 37-32 L.A.
The 1st Quarter finished with an 8-0 powerjam for the Ri-Ettes' Laguna Beyatch, with LADD leading 45-32. The board leader changed hands 6 times in the quarter.
Team Legit opened the 2nd Quarter with an 8-4 jam, which ended with the notable penalty box sentence of both McGuire sisters, better known as Demanda Riot and Miss E. Vil, in the penalty box at the same time. The second jam was where Legit jammer Laura "Amanda Jamitinya" Mann made a game changing miscalculation. With a 2-2 pack, she entered her scoring run with Long Island Lolita 20 feet behind her. Rather than taking a point and calling the jam before Lolita could hit the pack, she continued a pass attempt against V. Lee, who took her down with backward facing shoulder to the chest. Lolita passed her, obtaining lead jammer status in the process, and took the pack before calling the jam, turning a 3 or 4-0 jam into a 4-4 jam, the Ri-Ettes now leading 53-44.
Legit succeeded in wrestling back the lead from L.A. by the 7th jam in the quarter, 59-55, Losing it momentarily in the 12th jam, 65-64. In the final jam of the half, V. Lee was still working on her initial pass in a 4-4 pack when Krause scored a Grand Slam, but Lee got out of the pack with Krause well on her way for a second pass. She made it through her second pass with 15 seconds left on the jam clock going for a third pass. V. Lee hit her scoring run with 12 seconds left on the clock (and tried to call it off without being lead jammer) as Legit slowed the pack to a crawl, and Krause slammed into the back of the pack and went down, gaining only 7-4 on the gamble. Legit picked up 39 points to the Ri-Ettes 24, a 15 point advantage for the quarter, finishing the half ahead 71-69.
Comments
i love me some banked track
but holy crap does that ruleset make my brain hurt.
Last jam majors.
Oh man, I remember what a cluster* it was when blocker penalties had similar effects in the last jam, but damn - it sucks that there's no consequence for blockers accumulating like four majors in the final jam. I know that the track has physical limitations... but I really think it would be possible to pull skaters or simply call off a jam if a single player accumulated an ejections' worth of penalties in a single jam. It's all trial and error, but it really seems like the last jam is always a scary, unpredictable place to be in a close game at the Doll Factory.
Regardless, I had a FREAKING AMAZING time all weekend in LA, and that was, like, the most fun game in the history of my life. Thanks so much to the Ri-Ettes and the entire LA organization for continuing to let bitraxuals experiment with you.
I challenged that call...
Just wanted to make sure ya'll knew I challenged this call. Krissy was NOT on the track when Mater when back in....I waived that lil red bandana with all my might! I know it was a tough call for the refs, but I'll re-watch that video over and over and over until I see the true cut.
And yes Muffin, Krissy had 7(?) majors in the last jam? Ha. Love that Krissy Krash, but when that's a bit high my friend!
And thank you LA for the legitamite weekend ;)
*ahem*
Y'all might want to watch the talk about who did what beyond the ref call on the jammers in the last jam. Glass houses, rocks, throwing, etc. ;)
Both teams
Both teams had comparable penalties in the game on balance. However, I know that I saw at least four majors assessed to a single player in the last jam, and the refs were actually like, yelling at her - and there was just nothing to be done. I personally do not even fault the player in question, as she was technically playing to the rules, being edgy, yeah - but competitive.
I think that the jam should have been called for safety, and the score going into that jam (LA leading) could have just stood or whatever. But as the rules stand now, there is NO CONSEQUENCE for a player being egregious in the final jam. There is no comparable blind spot on safety in the WFTDA rules. A player in a game by this rulesset could get literally thirty majors in the last jam and just be pulling people down and fighting or whatever and there would be no consequence - her jammer could continue scoring! It's crazy!
I don't think the endless iterations of last jam resets for majors are the answer. I think that anyone who accumulates an ejection level amount of penalties in the final jam should be removed from the track, and if she doesn't get off, she shouldn't play in whatever the next game is. I believe that pulling skaters mid jam is possible on your track, not as a rule all the time, but if someone is being egregious, pull them or stop the jam for safety. I know that I can hear the refs on your track, I can skate to the infield mid jam (I get knocked there all the time!) and that I'm aware when I've been assessed a penalty because your refs are really really good at communicating it. Just my 2 cents, and I really think that this is constructive criticism and should be considered that way, rather than just deflecting it with a vaguely threatening cliche. Pulling skaters during a jam immediately removes the incentive for them to continue doing whatever bad thing they were doing, and standard timed penalties are more fair.
For the record, I also think that flat track should adopt the "lead jammer is jammer in lead" rule, so I'm not just wailing on the banked track rules or culture or whatever. People who love the sport (banked and flat, players and fans) want to feel as if they're watching a game that's as fair and credible as possible.
You should probably have your
You should probably have your team reps forward your suggestion through official channels, in case the people who need to see it aren't reading this thread. Also, for the "paper trail".
I thought that the rules...
At least on the derby dolls specific front, anyway, were largely your brainchild, especially the last jam stuff. Is there an official suggestion email like the one that the WFTDA has set up? I have no idea what "official" channels are. :D
Nah, I've been off that train
Nah, I've been off that train since BotB I. I'm totally out of the loop.
Just Remember...
...that no one, not even WFTDA has made the perfect ruleset, or else there wouldn't be anything beyond the first version of it. It takes a lot of time, and more importantly, a lot of games to finesse a ruleset.
There are quirks to the WORD ruleset, but overall it works. That Last Jam stuff? Yeah, frustrating, but not insurmountable. Give it time, ladies.
Tara Armov
LA Derby Dolls
rules
As a bitraxual skater the rules really aren't that different. There are things I like and dislike with both flat and banked rules. And I do have to remind myself of differences before each bout but besides last jam its pretty basic. Personally I would love to see banked go back to an overtime jam if a major is committed in the last jam, it ensures everyone plays clean especially in a close game. Remember 1st battle on the banked? Bouts were lost by last jam penalties leading to overtime...but that's just my opinion
pull mid jam
We should just change it to pulling skaters mid jam, like WFTDA. It's no more unsafe than people falling to the infield, which happens all the time... no big deal. Penalties would have more teeth that way, plus with jam length penalties people get off easy with short jams.
Whatever. it's a trial and error process. With fewer tournaments and interleague games banked skaters have fewer opportunities to tweak the rules and observe the results, so it takes a little longer. No big deal. Glad more flatties had a chance to see what a banked game feels like.
To paraphrase Hurt Reynolds
To quote Hurt Reynolds after the original LJM rules led to some seriously unruly behavior: "I think we've identified a rule with dire unintended consequences."