FL has spoken!
The results of FL's first Roller Derby All-Star Team are in, and, while not surprising, its composition is still interesting. The Tampa Bay Derby Darlins came out on top; making up three-sevenths of the roster. Which, as FL's highest ranking WFTDA team, isn't shocking. But how close the competition came to knocking them off was. Compounding things further, FL's "top" skater didn't even receive the most MVP votes! Not to mention two two-way ties for both 3rd and 4th place.
Now I imagine there's a simple solution to this tie quandary. I asked a friend who suggested a tie-breaker vote. I countered by suggesting that I use the amount of MVP votes as the tie-breaking vote. She did not agree. So instead we agreed that if I have to fit seven skaters into five slots, so be it. It appealed to my sounding board's sense of fairness, while seeming unorthodox enough to prevent espn.com from ever stealing me away from the examiner.
So, without any further ado, here are FL's top skaters, as chosen by you; starting with number five:
BLAQUE JAC!
To be quite honest, I don't know when Blaque Jac started skating*. It seemed as if one day I knew every skater on the Bradentucky Bomber roster (both A- and B-teams), and one winter break later, there's a new skater on the track. Schooling everyone. Maybe not the best technical skater, but if she wanted you to get hit, you were going to get hit. Either by her, or one of her teammates whom she was directing in between the booty blocks.
After that, Blaque Jac was just a force in Bradentucky.
I can remember once being told by Blaque Jac that my ticket to the Bradentucky bout would be at the door. Only to have the lady at the door tell me that they no longer kept "will call" there.
"Who'd you talk to?," she asked.
"Blaque Jac."
[Dejected acceptance] "Blaque Jac does whatever she wants." [Let's me in]
So it made perfect sense when I heard Blaque Jac had transferred to Tampa. Not to disparage Bradentucky, but why be a big fish in a small sea when you can be a big sea in a bigger sea?
Here's fellow Tampa Tantrum Taz Maniac on why Blaque Jac is one of the best:
"[Blaque Jac]'s a smart and tough skater who wants to learn all she can about derby while also helping those around her. She coaches and asks questions. She can hit you into next week, or just positional block you until you say 'uncle.' Plays offense and defense beautifully. Admits when she makes a mistake and rarely makes the same mistake twice."
Who's going to argue any of those points?
Especially when said quote ended with, in truly Blaque Jac-ian style, "THAT GIRL HAS A BEAUTIFUL ASS!"
(It's not for nothing that today's cover photo quickly became my most popular photo I've ever posted on Facebook.)
*This list is already WAY behind, and the last thing I want to do is delay it further by avoiding research.
Comments