SockiT Wenches 101 v 86 Throttle Rockets

At 6.12 exactly though, the 2008 Season got underway. And what a lightening start it was with the small and speedy SockiT Wenches gliding effortlessly around the rink. Looking match fit from the first whistle, they took an early lead on the startled Rockets. in number 99, Miss Fortune, they have probably the fastest skater in RCRG and it's fair to say that many in the crowd enjoyed the view of her rear end more than the chasing Rockets' pack. When they rested her, the Wenches' own X-Factor, X-Khan, took over. To add to their triumvirate of small quick skaters, there is Wile E. Peyote whose pacy style is similar. Eventually, the Rockets recovered their focus and began to narrow the gap. In Blonde an' Bitchin, they have one of the most graceful skaters in RCRG and jammers, Valtron 300 and Dee Troit, began to accumulate points to keep it close. At half time, they had kept the gap to 49-46m with some of Prost Amerika's old pals, Betty Ford and Andromeda Sprain featuring.

In the second half though, the Wenches managed to stretch and maintain their lead with the mercurial Shovey Chase landing a particularly heavy thump on Valtron. The latter to her credit got up and got on with it. Many of us would be still lying there now.

The Rockets sit out the next bout as a guest team comes in. They will be torn between wanting to get back on the rink to put right what went wrong and maybe sorting out a little more in training. As Captain, JoWanna AssKickin' said on the eve of the tournament, they have made some changes in the training routine since last year. All the training you can do is not a substitute for competitive action though and they were unlucky to meet a side who started so quickly.

Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable match with something for fans of every aspect of the sport. Anya Heels provided cover in abundance for her small nippy jammers, there was a few of the bumps that always excite the crowd, the match was close and it was played in an excellent spirit.

Anyone who left the Rust Riot thinking that small speedy jammers were the future of this sport, got a massive wake up call in the shape of number 16, Burnett Down. Standing close on six foot, she provied a challenge for the Danger to which they struggled to find a first half answer. Tall, strong but deceptively quick, she helped her side pile up 58 first half points as Katarina Whip, Morning Gory and co looked for an answer. To their eternal credit, the red and black pack never gave up, with Femme Fatale and Rollin' Bayou particularly impressing with their effort and work rate.

Sadly for them by the time Burnett Down was rested, an even bigger problem confronted them in the shape of Summer Assault, 5'12" of fresh meat. This lady is set to star in Rollerderby 2008 and together with Burnett Down and Ann R. Kissed look to be a formidable pint scoring machine. But this side has more than just jammers. Mommacherry's tactics may be controversial and she may spend more time in the box than that chocolate with the cherry filling even kids won't eat, but there is no doubt that her influence on the other players holds this team together well. Down the roster, Deadly Aim's positional understanding of the game is second to none and Kitty Kamikaze and D-Bomb, the Captain and co-captain, put in good shifts keeping this team performing throughout the match.

If there is any hope for their opponents, it surely is that they may tire toward the end, and Grave Danger did a fine job in a level second half, where fifty points each were scored. The next bout pits them against the guest team. The DLF will meet the smallest and quickest side, the SockiT Wenches, and it will be a fascinating clash of styles. Anya Heels and Shovey Chase will be counting the days till they can get hold of this formidable offence. And so will all Derby fans.

Roll on April 19th

The "Queen Mum" first got into Rollerderby when her husband's friend was dating a roller girl, and a few Christmases ago they went over to her house. The topic of announcer replacement came up and with Cathy's background in stand-up, she thought she would be a good fit with the league.

Cathy met with announcer Professor Jake Stratton and SockiT Wenches skater Clobberin' Mame and was inducted into the derby fold. Her first bout was at the Everett Events Center and was quite intimidating, as she knew no derby jargon and was only faintly aware of the rules. It was baptism by fire for sure. Now she is quite comfortable and thoroughly enjoys her time with co-announcers Professor Jake and Randy Pan the Goat Boy. Cathy told us "they have been especially supportive and patient as I have learned the ways of the flat track."

What is Roller Derby and how is it played?

Roller derby is full-contact, competitive roller skating on four-wheeled skates around an oval track (in this case it's a flat track) in a counter clockwise direction. Each game, (called a 'BOUT') consists of two 30-minute-long periods, which are divided into two-minute-long jams. Jams consist of up to five women on the track from each team. Each team gets one pivot, one jammer and three blockers on the track.

Who are the Rat City Rollergirls?

The league is comprised of about 80+ member/owners and includes five teams (DLF, Throttle Rockets, Grave Danger, Socket Wenches and the Travel Team). These teams participate in competitive roller derby bouts on a flat track in an amateur athletic season that lasts from February through October.

What and Where is Rat City?

There are a couple theories as to how "Rat City" got it's name. Some people assume there was once a prolific rat problem in the 1940's, but RAT might have also been an acronym for Restricted Alcohol Territory, which was a term from the WWII era when Seattle was a Restricted Alcohol Territory, and non-incorporated White Center had liquor laws that were more lenient and it attracted a lot of servicemen. Some think the servicemen nicknamed White Center RAT City. Although, theoretically it should have been called it "un-RAT City," as, if you follow that logic, then Rat City was actually Seattle.

Other folks remember when there was a military Relocation and Training (RAT) Center within the neighborhood of White Center during WWII. Urban legend has it that the very popular Southgate Roller Rink in the neighborhood was home to the "Rink Rats". Maybe this is real or a tall "tail"? Well, nonetheless, they thought it was an interesting topic and a cool name for a roller derby league, so it stuck!

There are five skaters from each team on the rink at any one time. Threee of them are blockers. There is one jammer and one pivot.

- Pivots are the skaters in the front of the pack with the striped helmets that set the pace and often call the plays for the team. The pivot is the last line of defense to prevent an opposing jammer from scoring.

- Blockers work to keep the pack in a tight formation to try and prevent a jammer from the opposing team from skating past them. Pivots, Blockers and Jammers can knock into one another using their bodies, but can't grab onto each other.

- Jammers are the skaters positioned at the back of the pack with the starred helmets. The jammers work their way through the pack and score points by passing members of the opposing team after they have lapped the pack once.

The jam starts when the referee blows a single whistle. All blockers and pivots on the floor begin to roll forward after the first whistle. The referee then blows a double whistle. When the referee blows the second blast of the double whistle, the jammers begin fighting their way through the pack in an attempt to be named "lead jammer." The first jammer to get through the pack without committing a penalty is the lead jammer. It is possible to have no lead jammer. Each successive time the jammer laps the pack after their first pass through, they receive one point for each member of the opposing team that they pass.

A jam lasts a maximum of two minutes, but the "lead jammer" has the right to stop or call off the jam at her discretion. Why would she do this? If the lead jammer falls behind and can't score points, she can call off the jam to prevent the other jammer from scoring point in the jam.

Rust Riot NW Roller Derby Tournament Review

In a tournament sponsored by the Seattle Fire Department, eight teams from around the Northwest United States converged on a sold-out Hangar 30 in North Seattle for a day long marathon of rollerderby.

Some of the clubs competing were relatively new, and the Treasure Valley Rollergirls from Boise, Idaho, had come quite a long way to be there. Some of the clubs were newer than others and for them, this was a great learning experience.

The hometown Rat City Rollergirls started as clear favorites but will not forget in a hurry their semi final against rivals from Olympia, Oly Rollers, who impressed everyone watching with their speed and skill. Many attending expressed a desire to invite them back as soon as possible. Even after losing their semi final to the home side, the thanks and congratulations they received from the native Seattleites was obvious.

The other pleasant surprise was the emergence of a budding rivalry between Portland and Seattle to match those already existing in soccer and basketball. The Rose City Rollers from Portland were the final opponents of the home team and ran them to within 6 points of victory having become unofficial champions of Oregon following their semi-final victory over Lava City from Bend, Oregon.

Teams Participating:

Jet City Rollergirls (Everett, WA)
Lava City Roller Dolls (Bend, OR)
Lilac City Rollergirls (Spokane, WA)
Oly Rollers (Olympia, WA)
Rat City Rollergirls (Seattle, WA)
Rose City Rollers (Portland, OR)
Slaughter County Roller Vixens (Bremerton, WA)
Treasure Valley Rollergirls (Boise, ID)

Full Results:

Round 1:

Rose City Rollers 90, Slaughter County Roller Vixens 50

Lava City Roller Dolls 86, Lilac City Rollergirls 25

Rat City Rollergirls 124, Treasure Valley Rollergirls 27

Oly Rollers 173, Jet City Rollergirls 45

Semi-finals:

Rose City Rollers 81, Lava City Roller Dolls 34

Rat City Rollergirls 80, Oly Rollers 66

Championship:

Rat City Rollergirls 67, Rose City Rollers 61