I totally agree, Phil! My favorite memories of this year were Suzy
HotRod scoring five points in the very last jam to lead the Queens
Of Pain to a 75-74 victory over the Bronx Gridlock, my very first
bout between The Holy Rollers and the Hellcats(CheapSkate's last
TXRD game), and Margaret Thrasher taking on the announcer's table @
the Manhattan-Brooklyn bout.

I plan on seeing more bouts in 2007, with plans for SXSW(the TXRD
All Scar bout, the TXRG bout @ Austin Music Hall, and the Holy
Rollers-Cherry Bombs bout), and hopefully some GGRD and CT
Rollergirls bouts as well.

The Original Donald
I've got Derby Fever, and I DON'T WANNA BE CURED!



--- In RollerDerbyIsSport@yahoogroups.com, "Phil Arnold"
<philar_72@...> wrote:
>
> Prelude: One day I was driving home from work and I heard an old
> friend on the radio. It was Misty Meaner, although I didn't catch
> her roller derby name on the talk radio show I was listening to on
> ESPN 1260. But I knew it was her and that got me sending e-mails
to
> Texas Rollergirls to find out if it was her. That eventually led
to
> my first roller derby event since I was a kid and saw the Texas
> Outlaws play the Los Angeles Thunderbirds in 1962 in San
Bernadino,
> California.
>
> 1) In March, the Texas Rollergirls divided up into two teams for
an
> exhibition for South by Southwest in the Austin Music Hall.
> Assassination City and the Dallas Derby Devils were also
> participants. The Hustlers (combined Hotrod Honeys and Hustlers)
> faced the Hell Marys (combined Honkey Tonk Hearbreakers and Hell
> Marys). Then the Hustlers played Assassination City in the second
> round as they both advanced with wins in the first round. Mainly
I
> noticed people here, and an exciting sport. I noticed that
Trouble
> was a hot speed jammer and could really skate. I noticed that
Dinah
> Mite was a power body builder type jammer who could really skate.
I
> noticed Rice Rocket who was also a very fast jammer and was fun to
> watch. My favorite blocker that I noticed was Belle Starr who I
> talked to after the event. For Assassination City I noticed
Goldie
> Schlager and Terror Pussy. I was hooked!
>
> 2. Kansas City Roller Warriors vs. The Hustlers in Austin. This
was
> the first full two-period interleague game I saw played. The
> Hustlers had not won a game all year long in it's league, and
Kansas
> City was a fast, skilled team. But The Hustlers used great
strategy
> and a great effort to edge out KC by nine points, in what had the
> exciting atmosphere of a last minute playoff football game. In
that
> game I saw Slim Kickens skate an amazing game at pivot, taking out
so
> many KC Jammers and just generally knocking down KC skaters. And
I
> saw Dinah Mite just score and score and I realized that Dinah and
> Slim were seldomly if ever on the track at the same jam. This
game I
> think showed me how strategic this game could be, and how
emotionally
> I could get into this sport as a fan.
>
> 3. July 2nd, double interleague game in Austin. I had met many
of
> the skaters on a Friday night pep rally at Wahoo's tacos (ok, I
was
> too chicken to try a fish taco because I know what a Wahoo is so I
> had a shrimp taco). I saw Carolina beat the Hell Marys, and pull
off
> some great team skating. How could you not notice Roxy Rockett,
but
> their blockers also had a great game. A funny moment during the
Hell
> Mary-Hotrod Honey game was when I saw a Madison blocker take out
Rice
> Rocket low, and the refs would not call a trip, and I and many
other
> fans got really upset. I was yelling "how come you have to do
that
> Madison? You never saw Carolina trip! Carolina doesn't trip, or
> skate dirty, do you" as the Carolina skaters were cheering on
> Madison. Princess America was standing near me in the aisle, and
> agreed with what I was saying and later came up and complimented
me
> for my observations. She really encouraged me to open up this
Yahoo
> group. I really admire Carolina for the way they skate, and of
> course they beat one of my home favorites for that night the Hell
> Marys.
>
> But of course that wasn't the only game, and Madison Rollin Dolls
> outphysicalled my favorite league team the Hotrod Honeys. It was
14
> to 14 at half and I'm sitting there, and Crackerjack comes up to
me
> and talks to me just before they skate onto the track. She asked
me
> what I thought, and I mentioned the defensive struggle. How many
> sports to do you have the team captain from the other team come up
to
> you and talk to you about the game? Well, CJ has a great
> personality, and is a wonderful person, but she represents a
> different spirit in roller derby that you will not see in any
other
> sport. Of course the Honeys lost and I was depressed, but the
ladies
> from Carolina, from Madison, and my skating friends from San
Antonio
> cheered me up and I made the after party and as I usually do I
talked
> roller derby. Who needs booze when you can talk strategy!
>
> 4. The Championship game in Austin. It was a three point victory
> for the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers over my faves the Hotrod Honeys,
58-
> 55. It was tough to take this loss, but the reality is the Honkey
> Tonks controlled the game by consistently taking lead jammer
status.
> There is no doubt in my mind that Sparkle Plenty was the MVP of
this
> game, and she left late in the game with heat exhaustion because
of
> the upper 80 degree temperations inside of Playland Skate Rink.
When
> Sparkle was out, the Honeys started a mad comeback. Rice Rocket,
Cat
> Tastrophe and Lucille Brawl are top league jammers, and they are
> capable of scoring big time points at any jam.
>
> 5. Alamo City's August event. This event would decide who would
> qualify for the championship game in September. Three teams were
> battling for two spots. The Prim Reapers would skate in the first
> game, and would need to score a huge victory over the winless
> Missyfits in case they got into a three way tie with The
Violations
> and The Dragon Divas. The Dragon Divas would have to beat the one
> loss Violations to go into a potential three way tie. The Prim
> Reapers beat the Missyfits 126-37, in an amazing two-period game.
It
> was the best team skating in three games I had seen from the
Prims,
> including a 15 point jam scored by Tonya Hurting. Matza Brawl and
> Barbara Coa also had a great night jamming. And The Violations
took
> care of business to set up what would be an amazing championship
game.
>
> 6. Bumberbout in Seattle. I didn't think I would be able to make
it
> up here, but a $99 fare on Southwest on a Saturday morning, could
get
> me to the game about 1:45 p.m. after checking into the hotel. So
I
> got there just in time to see the last two jams as Texas beat
Madison
> in a preliminary round 37-12, a little revenge for July 2nd in
> Texas. But early in the second round, I saw what roller derby
could
> really be as a fan spectacle. About 4,000 fans moved into about
> 6,000 open seats at Key Arena as Rat City (Seattle) played
Carolina
> in a qualifying round game. The fans were just amazingly loud,
and
> Rat City just played to the crowd and tore up the East Coast
squad.
> It was a real wakeup call for Texas.
>
> I had predicted a Seattle win, thinking that a big home crowd and
> unpredictable reffing fo the visitors could lead to a Texas loss.
> Well, I got the final teams right, and somehow Texas held off
Seattle
> with a 74-69 win. And Madison blasted Minnesota in a two period
> consolation game, and the blasting was not just on the
scoreboard.
> Somehow I get the impression that on the track these two teams'
> skaters didn't like each other. Skaters I noticed in this
> tournament: Dinah Mite had great jams and did a solid job at
pivot;
> Femme Fatale is a very scary long-legged skater who would blow by
the
> best two pivots I have seen in the game on the outside (Slim and
> Sparkle); Eris Discordia (old porno pants) just got better jamming
as
> the preliminary rounds went on--this petite lady is all heart and
it
> drives her to improve; Jewels of Denile who was the toughest
skater
> in the tournament--she is a very good powerful skater but she went
> after Minnesota skaters illustrated by one time when she cut
across
> the infield, and looked left and then right (for refs) before
blowing
> a Minnesota skater out of bounds, but she did it right in front of
> the ref keeping track of minor penalties, and he sent her to the
> box. By the way Crackerjack is a scream sometimes and I saw her
> wipeout a Minnesota skater, and give the "did I do that" guilty
smile
> look before she was sent to the box. I also saw her do that in
Texas
> in June when she took out a Hell Mary skater, after that HM skater
> had taken out her sister Lucille Brawl as she was a guest skater
for
> the Hotrod Honeys that bout.
>
> 7. Houston Roller Deby Championship game, September 9th. I got
there
> early and my friend Death By Chocolate got me through the door,
> although I had purchased a ticket. I got to sit at that game with
my
> Alamo City Rollergirls friends Tonya Hurting, Ruby Wring, and Shay
> Manyu, and also next to photographer Ziv Kruger. DBC of Bayou
City
> brought the horse head on a pillow and gave it to me before the
game
> started. I was an obnoxious fan and when DBC was not skating in
her
> game, she came and set with us during the Psych Ward Sirens vs.
The
> Burlesque Brawlers. The Bosses held off the Machete Betties with
DBC
> skating the last jam of the game, coming back from a spiral
fracture
> of her upper ankle in the last jam of the game. During the Psych
> Ward Sirens game I was doing a psycho laugh which a lot of the
kids
> around the audience near me were enjoying, and I was singing
cheaters
> never win, and so-and-so is a cheater to a particular Burlesque
> Brawler skater. Yeah, I don't like dirty skating, and I think one
of
> the skaters in Houston knew that before the night was over. I
have
> so many friends in Houston that skate that I can't tell you how
much
> fun this game was. Between the Alamo City skaters and the Houston
> skaters, this was a great night for a roller derby fan like me.
>
> 8. Alamo City Championship game. The Prim Reapers had offensive
> momentum coming into this game with a big win the month before.
The
> Violations were the biggest, baddest team in San Antonio. It
would
> be strength and power, against speed and finesse. Who would win?
> The Violations opened up around a ten point halftime advantage,
but
> the Reapers would come back and eventually take the lead. The
> Violations were fighting some minor penalty trouble that could
lead
> to numerous players spending time in the box. And in this game,
both
> teams needed to have all their players on the track, not being
short
> handed. This allowed the Prims to be more agressive and come
back.
> The game entered the last jam with the Violations ahead 63-62.
> Barbara Coa would break out of the pack but neither her nor
> Violations jammer Hot Pursuitt would game lead jammer status. The
> jam went the full two minutes, and I thought that the Prims had
> outscored the Violations for a win. What would the refs decide?
> Well, Barbara Coa had scored 8 points, to six for Hot Pursuitt,
and
> The Prim Reapers pulled out a 70-69 championship game win. What
an
> honor it was for me to drink champaign with the champs at the
after
> party.
>
> 9. Southern Brawl--Houston Roller Derby hosts the Dallas Derby
> Devils. The event was played in the Verizon Wireless theater. I
got
> introduced to the crowd by Rossi Dangerfield, thanks to Julie B.
> Sorry pointing me out from my first row perch in the mezzanine.
The
> Houston Interleague team not including the champ Sirens would play
> the Dallas Derby Devils not including the champ High Seas
Hotties.
> Then in the second game the Psych Ward Sirens of Houston would
play
> the Hotties of Dallas. Both games were amazing games.
>
> The DDD's would come back from being down at halftime and close up
to
> a few points in the second half before Houston's HaRD Knocks would
> use an ejection to a power blocker, and some excellent jamming by
> DBC, Flame & Rage, and Beverly Kills would extend the lead and win
> the game.
>
> The Psych Wards Sirens found out that the High Seas Hotties were
an
> extremely phsysical team. The Hotties would take a lead late in
the
> second, but another ejection on a concussion causing high block,
> would set up the final three jams, where the Sirens would score 13
> points while shutting out the Hotties. Mistilla the Killa, one of
> the top jammers in the nation in my opinion, would score 12 of
those
> 13 points, and during one jam would split through a double team to
> take lead jammer status, and on the last jam would knock the other
> jammer into the crowd before cementing the exciting win. There is
> nothing like a come from behind victory, and I was so proud of my
> friends (like Dementia and Mary Chopins) from Houston for skating
> like the champs they are.
>
> 10. Tucson beats the Texas Rollergirls December 2nd in overtime.
> The turnover for Texas from their championship tournament and an
> amazing physical performance by the Tucson Saddletramps led to 61-
59
> ovetime upset. The game was so close, that any officiating
decision,
> any mistake could be remembered as a turning point. And only
those
> in attendence this Saturday night in Austin, would see this
classic
> of a game as the film crew didn't show up. Too bad for everyone
else
> in the nation, because this was an amazing game. Congrats to
Tucson
> for hanging in this brutal defensive game, so evenly matched, and
> pulling out the win in overtime on a hostile out-of-town track. I
> think they should be favored in the Dust Devil tournament in
Tucson
> in February.
>
> Now I will tell you the best thing about roller derby for me
during
> 2006--all the new friends I have made. From Carolina, to Texas;
from
> Seattle to Dallas, the most valuable part of roller derby is the
> participants. I have met a huge number of skaters, a good number
of
> officials and volunteers, and a fair number of fans. Roller Derby
is
> an amazing sport because of the wonderful people in it!
>
> Phil