Preview: #2 Oly @ #13 Boston
BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Derby Dames’ May 15th bout brings the Oly Rollers’ Cosa Nostra Donnas all the way from Olympia, Washington to Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. The Oly ladies made a lot of noise last season when the team with less than a year of WFTDA-sanctioned bouting experience swept their regular season. At WFTDA Nationals, they knocked out top-ranked Gotham in the second round and ultimately defeated Texas to win the title. Oly has still not lost a bout since joining the WFTDA, and their 15-game winning streak continues to edge closer to Gotham's 2007-2009 record of 18 in a row.
DNN presents live text and audio coverage of this bout. Join us at 7pm Eastern on Saturday, May 15 for the action!
The Boston Massacre, a travel team with nearly four times the league history, has spent the past several months training hard in preparation for the Oly’s fast jammers and tight military-precision packs. With a spectacular jammer rotation including the recent return of Krushpuppy, gumby-esque Sugar Hits, gymnastic Claire D. Way, and solidly smart Killary Clinton, the Massacre will certainly give the Rollers’ Atomatrix, Heffer and Tannibal Lector a run for their rankings.
With both teams stacked heavily with good jammers, blockers may be what make or break this game. The key for both teams will be defensive packs that net jammers for as long as possible. Boston will bring veteran blockers like impossible-to-pass Lois Carmen Dominator and the wily Maura Buse to keep Oly back and down. Harlot Fevah, Anna Wrecksya, and Quick Sandy are known for their hard hits and will be sure to make Oly sore for a few days to come. 2010 recruit Anita Banger will round out some of the blocking duties with agile lateral movements and deadly sternum blocks for the Massacre. One huge advantage of the Massacre roster this season is the number of skaters able to pull double duty as blockers and jammers should they need to make mid-game adjustments to the Oly skaters. In a pinch, fans might see Bangher, Buse, or new-recruit Lil Paine wearing the star.
Oly, of course, won't be easily outdone, watch for the hard outside hits from Oly’s Femme Fatale and the booty blocks of Deadly Aim. Oly also has a variety of speed skating background and former hockey players only adding to their ability to move around the track with ease. However, The wonder girls from the west will be skating without two of their top blockers -- Blonde n Bitchin’ and D-Bomb are both currently on hiatus.
Oly is fresh off of a home turf win against Boston regional rival Charm City, but they only pulled away with a 50 point win, making this derby fairy-tale team seem more down to earth this season. In fact, Derby News Network's unofficial monthly Power Rankings recently dropped Oly to the #2 spot, giving the top ranking back to Gotham. This drop could leave the door open for an upset for the Boston Massacre. Boston currently sits at #13 on DNN rankings, and a win could certainly shake that up. The Pantless Militia also maintains their #3 WFTDA East ranking, leaving them in reach for 2010 WFTDA Nationals. The question is whether that gap in rankings can be closed by Boston in what will surely be an exciting showdown between the two coasts.
Oly will return home to play Denver’s Rocky Mountain Roller Girls just a short week after Boston on May 22nd. Boston will be also be skating against altitude soon, with the Denver Roller Dolls making a stop in Boston on June 19th.
Anita Bangher 21 // Anna Wrecks'Ya 101 // Britknee Breaker 104 // Claire D. Way 1984 // Harley Quinn 9669 // Harlot Fevah 99 // Killary Clinton 2008 // Krushpuppy 843 // Lil' Paine 451 // Lois Carmen Dominator 011 // Maura Buse 34B //
Pina Collidah 77 // Quick Sandy 24 // Sugar Hits 1001
2 Sassy // 2TON Heffer // 2X Scara 2 Death // 3 Atomatrix // 4x4 Wheel Her // 5 B Tease N // 9 Tannibal Lector // 9MM Clitty Clitty Bang Bang // 18 Femme Fatale // 27 Trickk Tracy // 29 Rettig to Rumble // 38 Deadly Aim // 75 Harmony Killerbruise
Comments
Shattered
isnt back yet? Good luck Massacre we will be watching Live.
Also not on Oly's roster
Sassy and Tannibal Lector
along with Blonde n Bitchin’ and D-Bomb, basically none of Oly's core blockers are skating this weekend. Huge opportunity for Boston to break Oly's win streak. This should be a good close game. Go Boston!
Wait. Hold up.
So I don't see Tannibal, Sassy, Riot Girl, Trickk Tracy, and Wheel-Her. This roster will still kick ass, but I wouldn't use it as a gauge how Boston ranks against the National Championship Roster. It is still an outstanding Oly team, 'that is more down to earth', but they will still put a hurting on Boston.
srsly #2 ? this still is hilarious (Gotham lost to Philly) Oly beat Philly without 'wonder twins'.
#1 Gotham (4-2 since WWotE, wins to Charm, Boston, Detroit, Providence)
#2 Oly(UNDEFEATED, 10-0 since DotR, notable wins Denver, RMRG, Texas, Rose, Philly, Rat and oh ya Gotham)
No worries here Oly wins.
And I love the Pantless Militia, there will be lots of action. I hope there is live video.
Dominator and Krushpuppy rock!
And have fun Clitty Clitty Bang! Bang! (pike transfer)
OLY is #1
G. No...
So I don't see Tannibal, Sassy, Riot Girl, Trickk Tracy, and Wheel-Her. This roster will still kick ass, but I wouldn't use it as a gauge how Boston ranks against the National Championship Roster. It is still an outstanding Oly team, 'that is more down to earth', but they will still put a hurting on Boston.
srsly #2 ? this still is hilarious (Gotham lost to Philly) Oly beat Philly without 'wonder twins'.
If the team you played with last year when you won the championship isn't the team you are fielding now, then you are ranked based upon whom you are putting on the track (and more importantly how they do).
I watched Gotham play a month ago. They had some REALLY effective team work going on in the pack. A newer jammer who wasn't on their travel team last year (when they were BEATING Oly for much of the bout at Nationals). The Gotham I saw last month was decidedly a better-playing team than the Gotham I saw last November. Can you say the same for Oly?
Put quite simply, here is all you need to know about why Gotham is #1 and Oly is #2:
Sat 2010-04-10
Charm City All-Stars 75
Gotham Girls Roller Derby 201
Fri 2010-04-16
Charm City All-Stars 67
Wheels of Justice 135
Sat 2010-04-17
Charm City All-Stars 102
Cosa Nostra Donnas 156
Sun 2010-04-18
Charm City All-Stars 103
Rat City All-Stars 145
One week after Charm City got beat by Gotham by 126 points (skating fresh), they did a three bouts in three days trip to the PNW. Rose City beat them by 58, and interestingly seemed to do better than anyone at holding Charm City's points down. A day later, (and after what was no doubt a tough bout), Charm City scored more (and had a closer margin) against Oly.
What this would suggest to me is that Gotham is better than Oly right now. And that Rose City could very well be better than Oly as well. Throw your pro/college sports expectations out the window, this his roller derby.
OK, in that April 10th bout, Charm City didn't field key player Lady Quebeaum (who did make the trip out West). Gotham didn't field Beyonslay (who was off last season but made her intraleague comeback on May 1st) who's on their chartered roster. So maybe lineup changes were a wash? Thing to keep in mind, if a key skater is off for one bout, that's one of those things that happens. If a skater is out for numerous bouts or most of the season, maybe consider her to be not part of the team's equation for the time being. You know what I'm getting at.
Honestly, as much as you
Honestly, as much as you think you know* i would say that Charm City, my team, improved each game we played, from Gotham, to Rose, to Oly to Rat.
Comparing point spreads only gets you so far. Take a look at the score for the rose rat bout and then compare that to Charm's score against rose then charm's score against rat after a 3 day bout run. What conclusions can you come to? I'm not quite sure.
Have to agree
Having seen all of those games in person, y'all definitely played tighter as the weekend went along. Maybe it just took a few days to get used to playing in the past.
Rep that WEST!
Poobah, its all good. Your in New York, I'm in Wa. You work for DNN, I don't. You think Gotham is Better, I think OLY, RMRG, DENVER, ROSE, and even RAT can and have beaten the EAST. So as DNN ranks Gotham better than the first 3 teams mentioned, your wrong. (IMHO :) The top 2 out of 3 already took down #1 in the South. And the West teams have more than the one game played in 2010. 3 for Denver, 4 for RMRG, 5 for OLY, ROSE and RAT.
And by the way, Charm is a very dynamic team, they could easily upset a top 3 team, I honestly think they are playing as close to a Western Region team than anyone else. I think the West should adopt them as one of our own. lol So don't be surprised that if they stay healthy and focused. Charm will finish that march through the Eastern Regionals and make it to Nationals.
As far as the 'pro/college sports expectations out the window, this is roller derby' statement. It is holding true still. ESPN(located in Tennessee) and Eastern media who control the college rankings always give the benefit of the doubt to the SEC teams. So I am comparing DNN to this, and you prove this by your statement. You are giving the Gotham the benefit of the doubt since playing ONE team, that it is good enough to rank them better than OLY.
Right now I would only use those who have played both teams 'CHARM'. That is the only way to settle this, I mean it is roller derby right? Hell they could rank the top 10 all by themselves!
Glad we can debate this here its fun, especially since DNN Rankings are really just opinion based.
Oh the 'BEATING Oly for much of the bout', comment is null when OLY BEAT them by 31.
OLY is #1 'nuff said.
Charm in the West
>I think the West should adopt them as one of our own.
If I'm not mistaken, Charm originated the slower style of play... so really, the West is following in their footsteps!
Charm will be playing RMRG in June and Denver in July, it'll be fun to see how they fare against basically the entire top of the West region. Though I know we've seen triangulation doesn't work that well:
RMRG over Denver by 15 at Regionals
Denver over RMRG by 48 at Nationals
Denver over Texas by 18
RMRG over Texas by 99
Denver over Duke City by 214
RMRG over Duke City by 168
Also,
>The top 2 out of 3 already took down #1 in the South.
Are you talking about 2010? Because if you include Nationals, Oly Denver and RMRG have all beaten Texas within the last 6 months.
Lastly: What IS up with the Gotham schedule? They don't seem to have anything on the books? I'm sure there are plenty of teams that'd like to take them on...
Gotham's schedule (edited for accuracy and completeness)
Lastly: What IS up with the Gotham schedule? They don't seem to have anything on the books? I'm sure there are plenty of teams that'd like to take them on...
Their travel team is playing Windy City Rollers and Boston Derby Dames at ECDX. In the third quarter they are playing a Sunday hangover bout in Boston against Mad Rollin' Dolls (7/18), then a three-fer weekend in the PNW against B.A.D. Girls (8/13), Rat City (8/14) and Rose City (8/15). Gotham's home page suggests that all three of those will be at "The Hangar," but I'll probably have to send some emails to ensure that's the case.
I'd resist the temptation to question the judgment of anybody who is successfully doing modern roller derby in a city as expensive as New York. For what it costs to get into a cheap studio apartment in Queens I was renting a fairly roomy two bedroom in Las Vegas. Here in upstate NY I could probably get three bedrooms or a mortgage on a decent-enough house? I would hate to even take a wild guess at how much their Crash Pad costs them every month.
hangar: yes.
Rat City and Bay Area are joining Gotham in Portland for a good ol' fashioned derb-down all weekend. That's gonna completely rule.
i might poop myself
the hangar is in the same parking lot as the oaks park roller rink (the biggest rink in the pacific northwest)! complete with a working wurlitzer organ that comes down from the ceiling...
that weekend is going to be EPIC!
HELLARAD
www.wearehellarad.com
Duke City
are the original inventors of slow play. Justice Feelgood Marshall spent a lot of time traveling back and forth between Baltimore and Albuquerque that same year, practicing with both leagues. Just saying.
and
where do you think justice picked it up from. not a coincidence.
Really?
"Where did it come from?
by muffin on 17 Nov 2009 23:12.
I need to interject a personal comment about something that I think is just *so funny* about this whole debate. Read to the punchline, it's long but pretty funny.
Last year, at the beginning of Duke City's season, we were looking at a few pretty big challenges. We've always been a small league, but when our season was cancelled after we decided to leave our charming alligator-pit of a venue (Jersey Trouble Reutlinger skated there once) league attendance dropped off more than ever. We were looking at a nonexistent season with probably nine or ten folks who wanted to do this derby thing more than anything, but we weren't sure we could survive, much less be *good*. One of our first and only games that season was against the Denver Roller Dolls. Like most devotees of The One True Religion of Roller Derby, a few league members scouted the heck out of Denver, and what we saw made us nervous. These girls were great. They had gone toe-to-toe with KCRW, the reigning champions, and aquitted themselves very well. They were all fast, to a member, all fit, and we had heard that they practiced in a rink that was actually owned by one of their skaters - unlimited practice time! Going into that game, all I hoped for was that we wouldn't be slaughtered.
So we started to get this idea that gradually evolved into a sea-change for our league. How do you play a team that's faster? We had always been a slow team, and getting fast wasn't easy for us - we didn't even know how to do it. No one here knew about proper form, no one had background (to this day, Amanda Jamitinya is the only Duke City skater with a background in competitive skating). We could work and sweat as much as we wanted, but we didn't understand the mechanics of skating well enough to even pace DRD.
Then the lightbulb. Our liabilities were our strengths. No coaches? Every skater is responsible for understanding and developing strategies, and that responsibility translated into better teamwork on the track. Only a few people? More scrimmage time, more track time in drills (better endurance), and better teamwork. No venue? Nothing makes you tougher than skating on a cheese-grater track in the middle of winter, as TXRG will attest. Slow? Well, it's physically impossible to make someone skate faster than they're capable... but if you can block well, you can make anyone slow down.
So yeah. We developed the extreme version of the slow-pack strategy *specifically to contrast the Denver Roller Dolls' exceptional speed.* Good joke, right? We ended up winning that game, incidentally, and then the next time we met DRD, they schooled us with the very same game!
If you were just reading for the punchline, you can stop here.
When we lost Bullet Tooth Tracy to TXRG, we tried frantically to train another pivot half as competent or dominating or skilled as she is. We couldn't do it (duh)... so again, we said: liability=strength. We can't dominate the front of the pack, so fuck it. We're building super scary walls in the back, putting our most agile, skilled and communicative players there (traditional pivot) and we'll see how it goes. And it turned out that the pivot's traditional roles didn't make a whole lot of sense. Calls "plays" to her pack? Why would you want the person farthest in front (gets the information last) to determine your pack play? If you put your best communicator in the back, she gets a read on jammer position and pack set-up first, and builds the pack from the back up. Pivot is your "last line of defense"? Why would you want a jammer to encounter your best blocker *last* after everyone else has been scored on? Why would you make your jammer struggle through the pack to reach the person most capable of helping her? All of these strategies are extremely obvious now, but at the time we were just reacting to the cards we had been dealt."
Sigh...
Poobah, its all good. Your in New York, I'm in Wa. You work for DNN, I don't. You think Gotham is Better, I think OLY, RMRG, DENVER, ROSE, and even RAT can and have beaten the EAST.
Anybody from NYC would tell you I'm not in New York, I'm upstate. Different planet entirely. Sure they win all the Lotto jackpots, but they only eat red hot dogs and don't eat hot sauce with meat in it. Clearly they're uncivilized.
While I certainly like Gotham and their playstyle, that's not the source of my belief that they'd probably win a bout held right now. I'm not a very typical sports fan. I don't let whom I'd like to win affect whom I think will win.
In any case, these ratings (which I've got nothing to do with) are about who'd win if a bout would be held right now. Not who won last November or who'll win in Chicago this coming November.
What if say Oly Rollers was down two of their best skaters and Gotham was back up one of their best skaters (who theoretically hits as hard as two of their best skaters combined)?
A lot can happen between now and November, in any case.
Yup
Oly is a very strong team, and having two of their very talented team members out is a big deal, but adding 3 or 4 very talented members is as well. Though hitting is a big crowd pleaser it is not a team strategy like controlling and shutting down packs like crazy.
This weekend can't come soon enough, because I am already going crazy over seeing RMRG at OLY. It is going to be down right crazy athletic-version of derby with a very loud crowd. and no beer :( lol
A lot is going to happen in the next 30 days, much less than waiting until November.
Right now though the WEST is the BEST.. ;)
She can hit them hard
but can she catch some of the other fine Oly skaters if its the Gotham skater that I think you're talking about?
That's gonna be off the hook derby watchin this Saturday in Oly:)
sometimes it is not about
sometimes it is not about catching
Yes.
Does this comment need a body?
Lotta good blocking missing
from Oly. Little doubt that Oly can score points, but missing those fine blockers is not all that advantageous for them defensively against a highly motivated Boston team rollin with their nucleus more or less intact. On the other hand, at this point in time way before the regionals, it may be a good idea to get a long look at more of the all stars that are either relatively new or don't log the heavy jam minutes so you know what you've got.
Transfer?
When did Harmony Killerbruise transfer from Minnesota? Good luck to both teams!
Harmony
I'm very sad to say that Harmony transferred after our home season championships at the beginning of April. Our loss is Oly's gain, though, and we wish her the best of luck -- I can't wait to see her skating with the Oly girls at Nationals!
Fun Facts
Clitty Clitty Bang! Bang! is the sister of recent Charm City recruit, Nuckin Futz, who is a freshie jammer for the NIght Terrors.
Also, Oly sending a varied line up to the East is just part of a growing trend where teams build their bench during the regular season. This shouldn't be that alarming to anyone. We all know this, and would be stoked if our home league could field such wide and deep rosters throughout the year.
Fun Facts
Why yes Rosie...Nuckin Futz is my sister! I hear she is doing awesome with Charm City. Here's hoping to see her make the All Star Roster in the very near future (what's derby without some sisterly rivalry). I hope to also get a chance to see her in action in person and not just through video and pics.
Maybe a dumb question...
Does live text and audio coverage mean just that no video??
not dumb...
Yeah, no video for this, or any foreseeable future bouts at Shriner's unfortunately. The internet there is not able to handle the awesomeness of live video feed. Unless somehow we were able to supply the venue with dedicated broadband for the evening.....
Roster
Not sure where you got Oly's roster, but this is the final 16 they submitted to us:
rettig to rumble
heffer
riot girl
sassy
scara ta death
b tease n
punching judy
harmony killerbruise
femme fatale
deadly aim
wheel her
mary stoppins
tannibal lector
clitty clitty bang! bang!
trickk tracy
atomatrix
All the names mentioned above are on it. Soooo I guess we will see tomorrow, but as far as I know this is the roster. Does someone from oly want to comment?
Rostered up
Not commenting from Oly, but obviously many of the main cogs are there. Looks like some bumping good times ahead for you guys in Boston.
ticketsticketstickets
We're close to selling out *again* (yay! thanks derby fans!) so it would be a really good idea to buy'em sooner rather than later.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/94875
Audio boutcast
I am really looking forward to the audio format boutcast- as i understand it vid won't be possible, but i think with the right announcers audio only can be as good or better than video. Whoever is calling- score, clock and box updates frequently, please!
right G. NO-EVIL
rettig to rumble
heffer
riot girl
sassy
scara ta death
b tease n
punching judy
harmony killerbruise
femme fatale
deadly aim
wheel her
mary stoppins
tannibal lector
clitty clitty bang! bang!
trickk tracy
atomatrix
this issssss the roster not the dnn roster at the top dont oyu all worry we do have a full roster going to boston in fact alot of them are in the air as i type but what do you say dnn also put oly at number 2 even with a no loss record so you cant expect everything to be right on dnn!!!! just saying!!! right G. NO-EVIL?
And is funny how people are saying oly sending a scaled down roster to work on the bench!!! SORRY to let you all down but oly does not !!! make plans like that or stratigize anything at all they just plain out skate you all thats it no stratigies or anything like that at all...... most of the oly girls have had skates on the feet since they could walk!!!!!!!!!!!! a few of them have rinks in the family and have for 20 or 30 years so hypothesis all you want but thats it just plain oly out skating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
take that back
ok well mary stoppens is not going niether is riot girl but the rest up here are going!
would you mind..
reposting this with some more exclamation points?
DNN's information
is only as accurate as what they're given. They use the 20 person charters from WFTDA or whatever information teams or host leagues submit, or they can dig up. Teams who want accurate rosters displayed here can help by submitting them to the host league or DNN. There is no DNN staff intern or fact checker who can spend all day begging teams for info, but Justice Feelgood Marshall sure does spend a lot of his time trying to get it right.
Yay Harmony!!
I was wondering when we would be seeing her on the Oly roster! Good luck Harmony!
Sometimes love is an exclamation point...
...and that is a lot of love.
The Oly women are amazing, 'nuff said. So how cool is it to be in the northwest and buy a 2-ticket package for OLY vs RMRG and OLY vs Texas. Awesomeness I say, for only 25 bucks.
You know what would be more awesome, seeing some more teams come to the Bermuda Triangle of PNW losses.
Actual Oly roster!
Ok, have finally talked to actual Oly members, and this is the (13 skater) roster:
Atomatrix 3
B Tease N 5
Clitty Clitty Bang Bang 9MM
Deadly Aim 38
Femme Fatale 18
Harmony Killerbruise 75
Heffer 2TON
Rettig to Rumble 29
Scara 2 Death 2X
Tannibal Lector 9
Trickk Tracy 27
Wheel Her 4x4
Sassy 2
will update the article when I'm not typing on an iPhone...
Roster Imposter
Now that Boston knows the actual roster, they probably realize beating Oly is going to be hard. Wicked hard.
we didn't think it would be wicked hard
we thought it would be wicked hahhhd.
get it straight.
No disrespect to the land of the bean and the cod...
...it's just that when I grew up in Acton teacher told us not to write phonetically, no matter how we tawked (Acton is right next to Kawnkud).
oh, one of us?
I'm pretty sure the Mahhbro teachuhs told us the same. Then they took us to the Discovery Museum. ;)
Can I get in on this?
Reminds me of one of my favorite moments while a BU student living in Allston...
B train driver: "Paakhads cawrnah...Paradise at the golden awwwches. Please move to the baaack of the cah!"
Der!
Boston always knew that it would be hard!!
Thanks for coming to beantown Oly! Hope you had a great time and have a safe trip home!
xoxo Etta Maims
bawston
can't wait to have you girls in montreal this weekend!
please bring me some chowda.
GWT
curiouser and curiouser
i really don't know if oly could shut down gotham right now. with the last few games of theirs that i watched on DNN, it seems like they're still just outskating their opponents without really having that solid teamwork and insanely tight packs that other leagues are known for and have since built up even stronger since nationals. i think gotham vs. oly would be only a difference of a few points in either direction. totally up for grabs. denver and rmrg are going to give oly some problems too if they keep at it. oly has GREAT skaters who are amazingly athletic, but do they possess that magical packwork like denver and rmrg? not that i have seen yet this year.
this summer is going to be interesting. the west right now is probably the tightest region of competition. it's a huge tossup as to who is going to be 1,2,3, and 4. i'd venture to say that any combo of rose, denver, rmrg, and oly are going to be some super close games. but all the regionals look like they may have some interesting outcomes that will definitely differ from last year, although the top ranked teams may still hold on to their reign. it's the 2's and 3's that'll be up for grabs here and there.