Preview: Rocket City Rumble II

By eRacer X, Last updated Fri Jul 16 2010 6:16pm

Reprinted with permission from eRacer X's Examiner page.

This weekend, the Dixie Derby Girls will host their 2nd Annual Rocket City Rumble roller derby tournament beginning at the Von Braun Center South Hall in downtown Huntsville, AL. The two-day WFTDA sanctioned tournament features six south central region teams all competing in a single-elimination tournament format for the championship spot. Though the sanctioned bouts are too late to be in consideration for the upcoming WFTDA ranking polls (cutoff was June 30th), teams will be looking for some last minute challenges to refine their games heading into the upcoming WFTDA South Central Region Playoffs.

Watch live coverage of the Rocket City Rumble all weekend, with live streaming video and text boutcasts both days.

The six teams in contention:

ATLANTA ROLLERGIRLS

Currently ranked #3 in the WFTDA South Central region, the Atlanta Rollergirls are the defending Rocket City Rumble champions. They will be up against some tough competition this year with Dallas and Tampa vying to claim the 2010 RCR title. Atlanta is 2 for 2 against Dallas, with the two wins coming from the most recent match ups at the Clover Cup this past March. Though Atlanta has the win/loss advantage over Tampa, the teams have not met since 2008, and the tight scores from that matchup were not commanding enough to establish any relevancy to the current performance levels of either team. Atlanta will begin the Rocket City Rumble in bout #3 against the winner of bout #1 (HKRG or MRD).

DALLAS DERBY DEVILS

Ranked just behind Atlanta at #4 on the WFTDA South Central regional reports, the Dallas Derby Devils hope to overthrow the reigning champs in their own bid to establish a strong leap into playoff season. Though Dallas has been victorious over Tampa in all previous bouts, they will need to solidify that matchup on their way to the final rounds where they may be forced to avenge the 2 solid losses against Atlanta from the Clover Cup in order to claim the Rocket City Rumble II title. Dallas will begin by taking on the winner of the Tampa vs. Dixie matchup in bout #4.

TAMPA BAY DERBY DARLINS

Often thought underrated, the #7 ranked Tampa Bay Derby Darlins are hoping to head into the tournament season with some tight match wins against their nearest opponents in playoff contention. The Tantrums will first need to get by Dixie in bout #2 to challenge the Dallas team in bout #4, whom they have lost against in all four previous meetings. However, it should be noted that Tampa has been steadily improving against Dallas, improving their loss margins from -84 in their first meeting, to -20 at their last matchup in April. Will this be the weekend in which Tampa will finally be able to turn the tables on Dallas?

MEMPHIS ROLLER DERBY

At #9 on the WFTDA South Central Regional rankings, the Memphis Roller Derby team will need to focus and perform well in the Rocket City Rumble II if they hope to redeem themselves for the 2010 Regional Playoff bids. The opening bout will allow them the chance to avenge their Honky Tonk Stomp loss to rival Knoxville. If they succeed, they will take on Atlanta in bout #3, a team that defeated them handily last year at the Regional tournament.

HARD KNOX ROLLER GIRLS

Possibly the biggest wild card will be #12 ranked Hard Knox Roller Girls. A strong showing at the Rocket City Rumble II will provide a big confidence boost for the young team. Fresh off a victory against TN nemesis Memphis at the Honky Tonk Stomp last month, they will look to prove that the win was no fluke in the bout #1 rematch against the Memphis team. Memphis had previously held the stronghold in the matchings against Hard Knox. If they take the win, they will go on to face Atlanta for the first time in their history.

DIXIE DERBY GIRLS

Your hosting league, the Dixie Derby Girls are currently ranked #14 and hoping to post some upset victories as the tournament underdogs. Their first match up of the day against Tampa Bay's Tantrums will be a rematch of the opening game of last year's Rocket City Rumble I, where they fell to the Tantrums by 112 points. Should the Dixie team post the upset victory against Tampa, they will face Dallas for the first time in bout #4. If they are unsuccessful, they will face either Memphis or Hard Knox on Sunday in the losing bracket sanctioned bout.

Sunday, the tournament play will continue at Roller Time Skate Center (707 Arcadia Circle, Huntsville) with an open series of mini-bouts for skaters from leagues all over the region to join in and enjoy. Then, at 2pm, the losing bracket sanctioned bout will begin for the losing teams from bout #1 & #2.

More information, bout time schedules, and ticket purchases can be found at the Rocket City Rumble II Official Website.

Examiner.com will be posting brief box captions at the close of Saturday & Sunday's action, with a more detailed recap/review of the bouts, photos and more to follow at a later date.