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Knocktoberfest provides thrills, chills and an exciting finish
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A packed house filled the Rollerdrome in Centralia, WA Saturday night as the hometown Rainy City Roller Dolls hosted a 4 team mini-tournament. Along with RCRD, the other teams participating in this event were the Bellingham Roller Betties, Emerald City Rollergirls (Eugene, OR) and the Death Rattle Rollers of the Slaughter County Roller Vixens (Bremerton, WA). Each game in this tournament lasted only 30 minutes. And going in, there was no official draw. So nobody knew who was going to play who when the night started.
Rainy City Roller Dolls vs. Death Rattle Rollers
Right at 6:00, there was a drawing in the infield. And the two teams that were picked out were Rainy City and DRR. And right off the bat, this one was all Rainy City. Jammer Killer B set the tone early by grabbing lead jammer and racing home with a 15-0 jam. RCRD jammers Toot A. Lou, Poise N Bury and Holly Hobbler extended that lead out by quite a bit over the next 3 jams by combining for a 16-1 scoring run. Crazytrain was finally able to post 10 big points on the board for DRR in the 7th jam, but as was their luck, her team also gave up 12 points to lead jammer Killer B in that same run.
Really, this game was never in that much doubt. Over the 19 jams played in the 30 minutes, Rainy City was able to shut-out DRR 14 times. Meanwhile, the Rainy City jammers were able to post points in 14 of the 19 jams, including an impressive 4 double-digit posts. Once the clock hit 0:00, the Rainy City Roller Dolls had claimed a 109-26 win and a spot in the championship game of the tourney they were hosting.
Bellingham Roller Betties vs. Emerald City Rollergirls
This bout might be a good example as to why you should never give up on a game at the halfway mark. The two squads came out trading scoreboard blows. Although part of that may have had to do with the scoreboard itself switching the teams sides once or twice in the first couple jams. Either which way, after four jams Bellingham held a close 16-12 lead. In the 5th jam, BRB's Tulla Jitt posted a grand slam scoring run that pulled her team out to a 9 point lead. However, Emerald City wasn't rolling over yet as Sirius Smack (5-0 in the 6th jam) and Ambrusia (3-0 in the 7th) pulled the Eugene gang back to within a single digit.
Over the next three jams, though, it looked like Bellingham had gained firm control of this game. Tulla Jitt got things going innocently enough as she earned lead jammer and a 4-0 decision over ECRG's Betty Aim Fire. But then Pearl Haggard and Helen Damnation dropped a couple huge bombs with back-to-back 10-0 jams which put Bellingham up by a score of 45-20. At this point, the word was starting to spread around the arena a little bit---"this game is over".
Not quite.
In the 11th jam, ECRG blocker Ambrusia did an outstanding job of holding Bellingham jammer Gladeye Ater within the pack long enough to give Ginger Kid (sitting in the penalty box for a foul in the previous jam) the chance to escape the sin bin and sneak away with a 5-3 decision. Then it was Emerald City's turn to drop a few explosives. Impressive newcomer Pow Wow took advantage of Bellingham jammer Beretta Garbo's penalty by sticking a 10-0 decision on the scoreboard. And with Garbo still sitting in the box for the early stages of the 13th jam, Betty Aim Fire was able to pick up lead jammer and a 5-0 decision that pulled Emerald City back to 48-40.
The penalty bug continued to pester Garbo as she saw herself still in the box during the 14th jam. And when she was finally freed, she saw herself being sent back to the sin bin soon after. And Emerald City took full advantage of this situation as jammer Sirius Smack not only took the jam to the tune of 15-4, but also reclaimed the lead for ECRG at 55-52.
Garbo was STILL in the penalty box with the star cap on at the start of the 15th jam. She did finally get out of there for good during this jam. But not before Pow Wow had done more damage with a 9-3 tally that put ECRG out by 9 points. And things looked even more grim for Bellingham after the 16th jam as Ambrusia piled on with a 12-4 run over Tulla Jitt. That jam gave Emerald City a 76-59 lead. That jam was also the final time in this one that Emerald City would score any points.
Bellingham's Dixy Dethdlr took the jammers cap in the 17th jam. Dethdlr was able to earn lead jammer and claim 3 grand slams for 15 points. And on the other side, Betty Aim Fire was sent to the penalty box without collecting any points. In fact, Ms. Fire was still in the pokey at the start of the 18th jam. This gave Pearl Haggard the chance to snag lead jammer, a 5-0 grand slam scoring run and the lead for Bellingham with time running out at 79-76.
So the chance for a birth in the championship bout boiled down to one final jam. Bellingham's Helen Damnation lined up against the seemingly unstoppable Pow Wow. Although I use the word "seemingly" since, at least in this jam, the Bellingham blockers were able to contain her in the pack. Meanwhile, Damnation was able to squirm her way through the pack during the initial pass, pick up lead jammer and post one more 5-0 tally on the board before calling it off to erase any doubt of the outcome. The final score in this one was Bellingham 84, Emerald City 76.
Death Rattle Rollers vs. Emerald City
The Death Rattle Rollers looked MUCH better coming out of the gate in this one. Evil JenEvil was able to rack-up a 6-2 decision in the first jam, followed by superstar jammer Speedy Gun Haul Ass' 9-3 decision in the 2nd. Crazytrain and Bashley Blaze were able to extend the DRR lead a little more over the next four jams with an 8-5 scoring run that gave the ladies in black a 23-10 lead.
That's around the time ECRG decided to get to work. Ambrusia started it in the 7th jam with a 4-0 tally against Speedy. Then the Eugene team saw themselves with a one point lead after Sirius Smack posted a 10-0 mark in the 8th jam. The Death Rattle Rollers did reclaim the lead in the 10th jam as Evil JenEvil earned lead jammer and a 5-0 decision. But after that, it was all Emerald City.
Over the final 8 jams of the night, ECRG was able to shutout their opponents in 5 of them while never allowing more than 3 points in any of the 3 jams which DRR did score. Meanwhile, the Emerald City skaters were almost unstoppable as they not only scored in all 8 of those final jams, but averaged 4.9 points in each of their scoring runs. When it was all said and done, Emerald City had claimed the 3rd place prize with a 75-41 victory.
Rainy City vs. Bellingham
The only thing you really ever ask for at any event is that the game comes right down to the bitter end. But early on in this one, it was looking like the hometown team didn't want it to be that way. After a 0-0 deadlock in the first jam, Rainy City started pouring points on the board as Killer B (10-0 in the 2nd jam) and Holly Hobbler (19-4 in the 3rd run) began what seemed to be a runaway. And slowly---ever so slowly---Rainy City extended that lead over the next three jams with a 13-11 run.
But Bellingham hung in there pretty good. All of a sudden, the Rainy City jammers couldn't get through their opposing blockers. Over the next seven jams, RCRD was shutout in 6 of them (the only points came in the 10th jam when Killer B claimed a 3-0 decision). In jams 7 and 8, Pearl Haggard and Tulla Jitt were able to combine for 10 points that brought the team in red back to within 17 points. However, the Bellingham jammers were having the same difficulties as the Rainy City jammers were having; they couldn't get through the pack. Proof being that Bellingham was shutout themselves for five straight jams.
Then in the 14th jam of the championship bout, Dixy Dethdlr catapulted Bellingham right back into contention with a 10-2 lead jammer scoring run over RCRD's Poise N Bury. After a scoreless 15th jam, Tulla Jitt closed the gap a little more with a slim but effective 2-0 skate over Toot A. Lou. Then the bout got really exciting. In the 17th jam, Dixy Dethdlr donned the jammers cap for Bellingham, earned lead jammer during her initial pass and collected a pair of grand slams for a 10-0 decision that tied the game up at 47-47.
The 18th jam was one of the most intense jams I have ever seen! Jammers Toot A. Lou and Tulla Jitt couldn't get through the pack during their initial pass no matter what they tried. Tulla eventually found herself sitting in the penalty box for the middle part of this jam, but Toot A. Lou still couldn't find that gap to get through so she could go on her scoring run. Although all the Bellingham blockers should get credit for this, Walker Texas Mangle'her did an especially good job with keeping the dangerous RCRD jammer in check. The jam went a full 2 minutes with neither skater escaping the pack during their initial pass!
The next two jams were the exact opposite of the previous one. In the 19th run, Helen Damnation slapped the star on her noggin, claimed lead jammer and raced away with a devestating 13-4 decision over Holly Hobbler, giving Bellingham a 60-51 lead. But in the very next jam, Rainy City answered back with a vengeance as Lucyville Slug'her got to show off her jamming skills in a rare occasion by earning lead jammer and collecting a pair of grand slams for a 10-0 scoring run that gave Rainy City a slim 61-60 lead with time quickly running out.
I said that the 18th jam was one of the most intense I had ever seen. It might be because the 21st and final jam of this game was THE most intense I've ever seen! The two all-star jammers of the night---RCRD's Holly Hobbler and Bellingham's Dixy Dethdlr---lined up against each other. When the jam started, both jammers barreled into the pack. But as they were entering, they were both greeted rather rudely. The both went left, right and whichever other legal way they could possibly go. But neither jammer had any luck. For Bellingham, blockers Walker Texas Mangle'her, Lady Blackheart, Helen Damnation (and one other who I never got to take note of. But she deserves credit, too) thwarted every move that Hobbler had. So much so that they eventually coaxed the Rainy City jammer into taking a trip to the penalty box.
With the crowd going nuts, it was all up to Dixy Dethdlr to get through the pack and try to score the winning points for Bellingham. But Rainy City blockers Slaughter-Kinney, Crack Attack and Miss Mel Mangles (once again, there was a 4th one who, unfortunately, I never got her name down) punished and frustrated the Bellingham jammer at every turn. The Bellingham blockers did everything they could to open a hole for Dethdlr. But everytime one opened up, there was a Rainy City blocker there to seal it off just as quickly. Then when Hobbler did come out of the box, she skated right back into the same frustrations that she had before. No matter what she tried, the Bellingham blockers made sure it failed.
This went on for two minutes. When it was all over, neither team had scored a single point. Which means the result of this intense, punishing jam led to a 61-60 win for Rainy City in the championship game.
All-Star Team
Jammer: Dixy Dethdlr. It's tough choosing one jammer out of so many who had great nights. But I'm going with Dixy since she not only put up good stats, but also had those two huge 10-0 runs in the championship game. The first one whipped Bellingham back into contention, while the second one tied the game up late.
Blocker: Miss Mel Mangles. One of the very best blockers the northwest has to offer shined in her final game as a member of Rainy City. Over the course of both games, she collected 10 blocked jammers while also opening a hole for her jammer to breeze through.
Blocker: Chaos Fury. She proved why she is arguably Bellingham's best blocker. Over the course of the night, she blocked the opposing jammer 8 times, opened up one hole for her blocker and dished-out 3 big hits.
Blocker: Ruby Rotten. She was the best player on the track for the Death Rattle Rollers in both games. Overall, I have her down with 4 blocked jammers and helping out the scoring cause with 4 hole-opening blocks for her jammer.
Overall: Helen Damnation. She may very well have been the best player on the track overall. She didn't lead in any categories, but she was well above average both jamming and blocking. As a jammer, she collected 38 points in 7 runs, while also piling up 6 blocked jammers and a big hit as a blocker.
Key jam of the night
How can it not be that final jam of the championship game? Absolutely unbelievable. Trust me, my words can never do it justice.
Bad girl of the night
Ruby Rotten of the Death Rattle Rollers led the parade to the penalty box with 5 minutes worth of penalties. There were also some ejections during the bout for whatever reason. But I didn't get them all down, so those skaters get to slide-by this time.
Stats (Both games combined)
Rainy City
Jamming (Jams-Lead Jammer-Points Scored)
Killer B (4-4-40)
Toot A. Lou (9-1-13)
Poise N Bury (5-1-19)
Holly Hobbler (10-2-37)
Miss Mel Mangles (6-4-16)
Make'her Mark (1-1-5)
Slaughter Kinney (1-0-10)
Bella Sol (1-0-3)
Lucyville Slug'her (2-1-10)
Blocking (Blocked Jammers-Open Holes-Big Hits)
Miss Mel Mangles (10-1-0)
Crack Attack (1-3-1)
Make'her Mark (4-0-4)
Poise N Bury (3-0-0)
Suzzi Sidebomber (0-1-0)
Toot A. Lou (1-0-0)
Bella Sol (2-1-0)
Killer B (2-0-0)
Slaughter Kinney (3-1-2)
Lucyville Slug'her (2-1-0)
Bashley Juggs (1-0-0)
Holly Hobbler (0-1-0)
Penalties (PIM)
Miss Mel Mangles (4)
Crack Attack (4)
Make'her Mark (2)
Poise N Bury (3)
Nicfit (3)
Bruiseanne Con-her (1)
Suzzi Sidebomber (1)
Toot A. Lou (1)
Bella Sol (3)
Killer B (1)
Slaughter Kinney (3)
Lucyville Slug'her (4)
Bashley Juggs (2)
Holly Hobbler (3)
Bellingham
Jamming (Jams-Lead Jammer-Points Scored)
Dixy Dethdlr (10-3-38)
Pearl Haggard (7-4-26)
Helen Damnation (7-4-38)
Tulla Jitt (8-4-23)
Gladeye Ater (4-1-12)
Beretta Garbo (7-1-4)
Blocking (Blocked Jammers-Open Holes-Big Hits)
Beretta Garbo (1-0-1)
Chaos Fury (8-1-3)
Dixy Dethdlr (1-0-1)
Helen Damnation (6-0-1)
Ivona Breakbones (2-1-1)
Lady Blackheart (4-1-1)
Osaka Punch (1-1-0)
Walker Texas Mangle'her (8-0-2)
Tulla Jitt (1-0-1)
Penalties (PIM)
Beretta Garbo (2)
Chaos Fury (1)
Dixy Dethdlr (4)
Helen Damnation (1)
Ivona Breakbones (4)
Lady Blackheart (4)
Osaka Punch (4)
Pearl Haggard (2)
Walker Texas Mangle'her (4)
Tulla Jitt (1)
Mincemeat Outtya (1)
Death Rattle Rollers
Jamming (Jams-Lead Jammer-Points Scored)
Bashley Blaze (13-3-19)
Evil JenEvil (12-4-13)
Speedy Gun Haul Ass (7-4-14)
Crazytrain (3-1-14)
Schawanna Boom Boom (3-1-4)
Blocking (Blocked Jammers-Open Holes-Big Hits)
Ruby Rotten (4-4-0)
Miss Direction (0-0-1)
Knock'er SocksOff (6-1-1)
Speedy Gun Haul Ass (5-1-2)
Schawanna Boom Boom (1-2-1)
Goodilicious (2-2-2)
Scuttlebutt Jibber Jabber (0-1-0)
Crazytrain (3-1-0)
Anna Barbara (2-1-0)
Penalties (PIM)
Ruby Rotten (5)
Bashley Blaze (4)
Knock'er SocksOff (4)
Schawanna Boom Boom (3)
Evil JenEvil (4)
Goodilicious (1)
Crazytrain (4)
Nerd Rage (1)
Anna Barbara (4)
Emerald City
Jamming (Jams-Lead Jammer-Points Scored)
Pow Wow (11-5-48)
Sirius Smack (8-4-47)
Betty Aim Fire (9-3-23)
Ambrusia (4-1-22)
Blue Ruin (1-1-0)
Ginger Kid (4-3-12)
Blocking (Blocked Jammers-Open Holes-Big Hits)
Ambrusia (8-0-6)
Autumn Attic Weapon (3-1-0)
Betty Aim Fire (1-0-0)
Blue Ruin (0-2-0)
Ginger Kid (4-0-0)
JuJu Doll (7-1-0)
Krazy Kurlz (2-1-0)
Pow Wow (0-2-0)
Princess Fancypants (2-0-0)
Rex Havoc (8-1-3)
Ruby Vroom (2-0-0)
Sirius Smack (2-0-1)
Supercake (3-0-0)
Penalties
Ambrusia (2)
Autumn Attic Weapon (1)
Betty Aim Fire (1)
Ginger Kid (3)
JuJu Doll (2)
Krazy Kurlz (1)
Pow Wow (3)
Princess Fancypants (2)
Rex Havoc (2)
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