Bay Area Juggernaut rolls over Tucson, 96-39

Saturday, May 31st was a hot day in Tucson with the temperature over one hundred, to the residents of Tucson it was just another day. But for the fans of Roller Derby who had come from California, Nevada, New Mexico and across Arizona to meet at 7pm at Tucson's BladeWorld, it was only just starting to warm up. California's hottest team, the Bay Area Derby Girls (#10), had come to town to take on the country's sixth ranked team, Tucson Roller Derby's Saddletramps.

After team introductions Sloppy Flo was given a trophy for scoring over thousand points in her career at Tucson. After the national anthem both teams form up with their strongest lineups: For the Bay Area, Sassy Slayher, Pia Mess, Liza Machete and Taxi Scab with Kitt Turbo jamming. For Tucson, Deadlock Doe, Carrie Guns, Tumbleweed and Sami Automatic with Sloppy Flo jamming. The jam set the pattern of the game, as Bay Area's quicker jammers and defensive blocking strategy kept Tucson off balance all night.

What follows is a blow by blow description of the first jam. The first whistle blows and Bay Area and Tucson blockers matched up at a leisurely pace. At second whistle Kitt Turbo explodes off the jammer line and gets a stroke lead over Sloppy Flo. Bay Area blockers tie up Tucson blockers and Kitt is by the first two in turn 2 and stroking hard down the back stretch while Sassy and Pia are trying to seal Doe and Carrie to the inside. Meanwhile Taxi and Machete have switched from offense to defense and Machete is able to hip check Flo, knocking her out of bounds. At the front of the pack, in Turn 3 Kitt takes to the outside, but Doe sends Sassy toward Kitt, who Kitt has to dodge, that gives Doe just enough time to line up Kitt in her sights and take her shot. Doe sends a shoulder into Kitt that Kitt is just barely able to parry, but it takes her out of bounds. As Doe's momentum carries her into the penalty box, Carrie slides in front of the pack in Turn 4 with Pia shadowing her. Meanwhile Flo reenters the track and heads for Turn 3, where Taxi crashes into her from hip to helmet. Amazingly Flo stays on her skates, but the collision leaves Flo out of bounds and at the back of the pack. Kitt puts the peddle to the metal hard and flies down the back stretch. Pia gets inside of Carrie and hip checks her in Turn 1; Kitt is free and clear and under a full head of steam. Flo puts on a burst of speed and flies through the strung out pack as Bay Area blockers whiff their blocks through Turns 1 and 2. Sassy forces Flo to the outside, but has to give up in Turn 3 because of the 20 foot rule. By the time Flo gets free Kitt Turbo has a half lap lead and lead jammer status. The blockers slow and reform the pack, Deadlock Doe moves to the head of the pack. But it's only for a couple of seconds as Kitt approaches. Machete and Taxi make sure Sami is out of position as Kitt slashes for the inside of Turn 1, Tumbleweed cuts to the inside at Turn 2 and almost catches Kitt who bounces to the outside. Carrie just beats Kitt to outside and Kitt is stuck behind a wall of Tumbleweed and Carrie as they travel to Turn 3. Taxi gets inside of Tumbleweed and pushes the entire wall off the inside line. Kitt follows Taxi around Turns 3 and 4 passing Tumbleweed and then Carrie in the back stretch where she hits her hips ending the jam. Sloppy Flo is a quarter of a lap behind and never had a chance. The whole jam took only 42 seconds.

The game continued in this vein. There were no great swings, no dramtic comebacks just a steadily growing lead from beginning to end. Sometimes the lead slowed and sometimes it quicken, but the winner of the game was never in doubt. Of the 36 jams in the game the Bay Area won 20, tied 10 and lost 6. The Bay Area held Tucson scoreless in 26 jams.

But it was not as though Tucson did not have their chances. In fact the Bay Area gave Tucson lots of chances, but Tucson failed to convert them. The Bay Area had skaters in the penalty box in 33 of the 36 jams. Tucson held a blocker advantage of one or two blockers in 24 of the game's jams. In those 24 jams the Bay Area outscored Tucson 71-31. In the 8 jams with even number of blockers the Bay Area won 15-8. And in the 4 jams in which the Bay Area held the blocker advantage, 10-0. Tucson seemed not to know what to do when they held a blocker advantage, the Bay Area blockers, when down skaters, skated with a plan and purpose.

The game was not without dangers to it's skaters as well. In the second lap of the second jam Sassy Slayher gets tangled up with Tucson's jammer, Two-Bit Ore, and is sent head first into floor. The jam is called. Fortunately Sassy gets up and makes it to her bench, where she takes an appreciated three jam break. And at the end of the seventeenth jam Taxi Scab sees Tucson's EMT for a bloody nose.

In other stats; Sloppy Flo had 5 points in the first half and was shutout in the second half. The Bay Area's rookie phenom jammer, Grr Lee Burly, scored 39 points, equal to Tucson's score, was the game's highest scorer. Interestingly penalties mirrored points, the score, 96-39 Bay Area, and penalties 95-41 Bay Area.

The next inter-league games for these teams are the Pikes Peak Derby Dames come to Tucson to take on the Saddletramps, June 28th. And the Bay Area Derby Girls go to Seattle to do battle with the Rat City Rollergirls, June 21st.