Dots 2-for-4 at the Dust Devil

The Dot.Kamikazes were invited to compete in the 2012 Dust Devil Tournament from April 13-15 in Tucson, AZ. Rocky Mountain Fight Club took home the championship trophy. Silicon Valley placed 6^th out of 10 teams, putting us at #12 overall in the Western Region according to Flat Track Stats.

Smash N’ Burn and Tennessee Smitan hammer-and-nail Victorian’s jammer. ©2012 Masonite Burn Photography

Bout #1 Loss to Arizona Roller Derby

On Day 1 of the Dust Devil, the Dots were met with a 258-93 loss to tournament co-hosts, AZRD’s Tent City Terrors. Arizona’s roster included some formidable opponents who had recently transferred to AZRD, including Hockey Honey (former Oly Roller), Joy Collision (from Charm City), and Cybil War (from Philly).

The Tent City Terrors took the lead on the scoreboard from the first jam and held on to it for the duration of the bout. Kozmo Trouble and SVRG’s blockers made a solid effort to hold back Arizona’s jammers, but a number of penalties and some smart offensive defense by AZ led to a widening gap on the scoreboard. At one point, Smash N’ Burn was the only player on the track for the Dots. AZRD held SVRG scoreless for 7 jams straight, while AZ racked up 62 more points for a score of 109-38 with one jam left in the first half.

In the second period, Arizona’s jammers Joy Collision and Sigmund Droid each had unicorns (25-point jams), with a full bench in the box for SVRG. The Dots put the hurt on and fought to the end, but AZRD ran away with it.

Bout #2 Win over Assassination City

On Day 2 of the Dust Devil, the Dots were pitted against the girls from Dallas, Assassination City’s Special Ops. After 3 lead changes on the scoreboard in the beginning of the 1^st period, it seemed like it was going to be a close game.

Then SVRG started to pull away in the 7^th jam, taking advantage of a power jam. Next, Pia Mess went through the pack like a bolt of lightning to grab a unicorn for the Dots. The following two jams were scoreless as Assassination City secured lead jammer status and called it off before any points could be scored. But when SVRG had lead jammer for four jams in a row and employed a strong defensive wall in the back, the numbers started climbing to end at 98-54 at half time.

SVRG’s Smack Dahlia breached the century mark in the first jam of the 2^nd period. Dallas’ Lickety jammed unopposed getting 3 grand slams to close the gap in the 3^rd jam, until Absolutely Scabulous dropped her and sent her to the penalty box for a major cut. The Dots stayed in the lead for the rest of the bout.

There were some nice whips by SVRG’s Bionic BabyDoll and Tennessee Smitan, and a beautiful apex jump by our jammer Bad Tempt-Her. Overall, SVRG employed some great defense; even the jammers were hitting hard.

Assassination City finally made it to the century mark with a score of 163-106 in the 14^th jam of the 2^nd period. After an action-packed second half ending with 2 grand slams by Smack Dahlia, the Dots won 181-118.

Absolutely Scabulous gets lead jammer over Rage City. ©2012 Masonite Burn Photography

Bout #3 Win over Rage City

The Dots took their second win of the day by sweeping the Rage City Rollergirls of Anchorage, Alaska, by 145 points. SVRG’s Kozmo Trouble sat out Day 2 of the tournament due to a shoulder injury from the first day. Rage City’s Tenacious Leigh still played despite taking a skate to the eye on Day 1 of the tournament.

SVRG had lead jammer in the first two jams followed by a power jam, leaving Rage City scoreless until the fourth jam. The Dots controlled the pack with some tight walls. A power jam for Rage City allowed them to put some numbers on the board, but SVRG was still in the lead 54-17.

Rage City racked up the penalties, and Blitzkrieg Baker fouled out in the first period. Rage City nickel-and-dimed it, but SVRG widened the gap to 109-38 at the half.

The Dots kept getting lead jammer leaving Rage City with a 96-point deficit by the first 10 minutes of the second period. Rage City put on the heat with some close hits, but SVRG’s jammer Absolutely Scabulous hit back and fought to break through, raising the score to 181-55.

In a tactical move, Smack Dahlia was called for “cougaring” (taking an intentional minor) so she could wait out her time in the box before donning the star again. This way, smart jammers can help their team by sitting out as a blocker instead of as a jammer. Rage City didn’t let up with the hits, but SVRG’s evasion skills were keen, dominating the game 215-70.

Bout #4 Loss to Victorian

Day 3 gave the Dots a chance to take on the Victorian Roller Derby All Stars from Melbourne, Australia. It was a well-matched, very physical game, but the Dots lost to the Aussies.

Despite some solid defense from SVRG, Victorian secured lead jammer in the first two jams. The Dots took the lead in the third jam to pull ahead 18-9. Another lead change occurred with SVRG’s jammer Pia Mess in the box, leaving the score 33-30 for Victorian. SVRG’s jammers couldn’t stay out of the penalty box, resulting in a half-time lead of 65 points in Victorian’s favor.

The Dots slowly put some numbers on the board in the second half to push the century mark, but Victorian still held the lead. Victorian won with a final score of 239-104.

SVRG thanks Tucson and AZRD for hosting a great tournament! Everyone had fun and we hope Buggs, the tiny dog, is doing well.

SVRG Ctrl+Alt+Del the Competition at the Big O

The Emerald City Roller Girls hosted the Big O tournament in Eugene, Oregon, from February 10^th–12^th. Thirteen WFTDA-sanctioned bouts were held, as well as three men’s bouts.

After graduating from the apprentice program, SVRG competed as a full-fledged WFTDA member league in 2011, ranking 14^th out of 30 in the Western region at the end of our first year.

At the Big O, SVRG was matched up against the Jet City Roller Girls from Everett, WA (8^th in the West), our hosts the Emerald City Roller Girls (12^th in the West), and the DC Rollergirls hailing from our nation’s capital (11th in the East). Although we were the underdogs, we fought hard and won all three bouts! Read on for some game highlights.

©2012 Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.E.sign, Call It…a Victory! Left to Right: Pandamonium, Bionic BabyDoll, Pia Mess, Beth Sentence, Absolutely Scabulous, Zootown Throwdown, and LauRAWR

Bout #1 Win over the Jet City Roller Girls

SVRG’s Dot.Kamikazes upset the Jet City Bombers in a fight-to-the-finish bout ending in a score of 124-122. Jet City was the only league at the Big O that had qualified for the “Besterns” (Western Regional Playoffs) last year. But SVRG had a strong start, drawing first blood and leaving Jet City scoreless for the first few jams. Bad Tempt-Her started things off right with two grand slams in the first half. Then Jet City started racking up the points while SVRG’s blockers were sent to the box.

When it was Jet City’s turn to pay for penalties, Bad Tempt-Her and Pia Mess grabbed consecutive 20-point power jams in the second half to close a 40-point gap and tie the score at 107. Both teams fought to the finish with some big hits by Sasha Degrader and Kozmo Trouble. The bout ended in a nail-biting clock rundown in the final jam.

More details on the SVRG/Jet City bout can be found at Derby News Network (DNN).

Bout #2 WIN over the Emerald City Roller Girls

SVRG takes a 2-point win (127-125) over our hosts. Another close contest, DNN called it “the most exciting bout” of the Big O.

Both teams fought neck-and-neck with lead changes throughout the bout. In the first half, an Emerald City 25-point jam was countered by Smack Dahlia’s 20 points to take the lead in the next power jam.

Emerald City had a 2-point lead going into the last jam, but illegal clockwise skating to retrieve a dropped helmet cover put Emerald’s jammer in the box, giving SVRG enough time to pull ahead. Knowing the rules wins games.

©2012 Nicolas Charest, Whip! Left to Right: Kozmo Trouble, Bad Tempt-Her, Catherine Beata Bones, and Smash N’ Burn

Bout #3 WIN over the DC Rollergirls All-Stars

West beat East with a final score of 174-151. The first half was dominated by DC with strong defense by All Star Chinese Cheker. Meanwhile SVRG crowded the penalty box, with two skaters waiting to go to the sin bin at one point.

But the comeback kids pulled it off in the second half, rising back up from a 49-point deficit. The DC skaters were plagued by penalties and Velocityraptor was ejected from the game for clockwise blocking.

Catherine Beata Bones got a unicorn (25-point jam) to close the gap. Then SVRG came ahead for the first time in the bout with under 12 minutes left when Pia Mess jammed for 23 points.

DNN was there to cover the action.

©2012 Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.E.sign, Pregame Dance Party! Left to Right: Zootown Throwdown, LauRAWR, Bionic BabyDoll, Smack Dahlia, Catherine Beata Bones, Smash N’ Burn, Absolutely Scabulous, Tennessee Smitan, and Juicy K. Tore

SVRG returned from Oregon 3 for 3, rising in the ranks to 12^th in the West. What an incredible way to kick off the 2012 season!

Who Is Roller Derby Nation?

3,700+ MN Rollergirls' fans at a bout in 2007, Photo by Brian James Macke

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is conducting two surveys to learn more about you, the people who make up derby nation—the skaters, fans, sponsors, medics, officials, photographers, and all who take part in this great sport. Last year over 10,000 people took the survey revealing trends that have sponsors clamoring to be a part of the meteoric rise of modern roller derby. Derby nation is the mom next door, your lawyer, your kid’s teacher, it’s all around you…and it’s growing.

Please fill out a short survey by February 15^th. Your confidential answers will help the national association and your local roller derby league improve the fan experience. If you provide your email, you could win some WFTDA swag for your time.

Dot.Kamikazes Blast through Derby Tournament Season for WFTDA Rankings!

It was an incredible tournament season for SVRG’s Dot.Kamikazes as they began the journey to becoming a nationally-ranked WFTDA team!

 

Pia Mess takes on some jammer-on-jammer action at the Wild West Showdown. Photo by Joe Rollerfan

 

At the Wild West Showdown in Bremerton, Washington, the Dots made a very big showing in their first tournament as a member of WFTDA by winning all 3 of their bouts with a seriously impressive point spread.

First up, they rolled out against Tacoma’s Dockyard Derby Dames, also new to the WFTDA and currently unranked. In the end, the Dots were making waves that the Dockyard Dames just couldn’t handle, and won 216-58.

After a full day of rest, the Dots were up against #21 in the region, the Sin City Roller Girls. In the end Sin City was thwarted 198-64. Two hours later they were back in action against Lava City’s Smokin’ Ashes from Bend, OR; currently ranked 19 in the west. The Smokin’ Ashes were stomped out with a final score of 226-59.

Earlier this month at the Dust Devil in Tuscon, Arizona, the Dots also won the first 2 of the 4 games they played, against some seriously high-end WFTDA-ranked derby competition!

On day one, they squashed Assassination City, ranked #16 in the South Central region,  258-40. The Dots then went on to trump Pikes Peak, ranked #10 in the west, 168-72. The following day proved much more challenging, as the level of competition sky-rocketed. The Dots gave Tucson (#9 in the west) a run for their money with a final score of 109-91, Tucson; followed by another close match against Angel City (#12 in the west), with ACDG coming ahead 143-118.

These events counted towards SVRG’s WFTDA national rankings, which dictate whether SVRG will be in the Western Regional Competition this fall! Ranking updates will be out soon, so stay tuned! Ctrl+Alt+Del!

Win a WFTDA Prize Pack!

The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is hosting its annual fan demographic survey and by participating you’re entered into a drawing for a prize package! This survey is designed to help the WFTDA and its individual member leagues understand the modern roller derby audience – that means YOU! To participate in the survey please click on over to the WFTDA website.

Congratulations, Santa Cruz Derby Girls!!

We are happy to announce that our sisterly rivals, the Santa Cruz Derby Girls, have been accepted into the Women’s Flat-Track Derby Association. We are very proud to welcome them to WFTDA. Congratulations, ladies!

And, it will be all the sweeter when we beat them in October 🙂 Get your tickets now to come down and support SVRG in their doubleheader at Santa Cruz on October 23 when Silicon Valley Goes Home…with the WIN!

WE MADE IT! It’s official: SVRG is now a WFTDA league!!!

After a lot of intense work, particularly by our current President, Zootown Throwdown, and our former president and current WFTDA liaison, Death by Dollface, the Silicon Valley Roller Girls are VERY proud to announce that after completing the apprentice program, we have been accepted as a league in the Women’s Flat-Track Derby Association.

To give you a more digestible parallel, this is like us getting accepted into the MLB or NFL. As a competitive sport, this opens a lot of doors for us. Because WFTDA teams are encouraged to play other WFTDA teams in sanctioned bouts, many higher-ranked teams will be seeking to play us in the future. Also, going forward, we will be eligible for WFTDA rankings as well as regional and national tournaments.

A big thanks to our very supportive derby sisters, especially our mentor league, the Oklahoma Victory Dolls and our personal helper/coordinator, Sally Strych9.

This is HUGE, derby fans! Congratulations to us!!

Got 5 minutes? Take the WFTDA survey

If you’ve got 5 minutes, show WFTDA that you love us! And be sure to mention this blog as a site you read regularly 🙂

http://wftda.com/fan-demo-survey/Feb-2010

SVRG is the West Coast’s first WFTDA Apprentice League!

We could not possibly be more thrilled!! We got our official notification that the SiliconValley Roller Girls is one of only ten leagues in the entire country to make it into the WFTDA apprentice program! This is a very big step for us to become an officially sanctioned WFTDA team. Once we are WFTDA we will be eligible for regional rankings and competing in regional and national WFTDA tournaments.

Thank you for all of your support!

Roller Derby in the New York Times

Need any more proof that roller derby is hitting the big time? This is a great feature article in the New York Times about the 2008 WFTDA National Champions, New York City’s Gotham Girls. There’s a nice, simple explanation of the sport, an outsider’s insights on the wide appeal of roller derby, a bit of history about WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which is the main governing body of our sport) and the evolution of the sport, and a glimpse into the lives of a couple of skaters. My favorite quote:  “The outfits (fishnets) and names (Raggedy Animal) may be camp, but the athleticism and injuries are real.”

One interesting aspect of the article is that they note how the local paper neglected to cover the WFTDA championships. One of the hardest parts about being a startup league in a largely unrecognized sport is the difficulty in spreading the word and getting the media to cover our bouts. This is definitely where you as fans can help out! Email, write, or call your local newspaper, your favorite radio station, your local television station, or your favorite local blogger  and tell them that you’re interested in hearing more about us and that you want to be able to check our bout scores.

We appreciate your support! 🙂