CRG vs. Gem City and the North Star Supernovas

It was a warm night in the Cincinnati Gardens on Saturday – made all that much more so by a heated bout between geographical neighbors and another by neighbors in the DNN power rankings. I didn’t hear the attendance number, but it must have been over 2000. In the first bout of the evening, the Cincinnati Rollergirls’ Silent Lambs took on the Gem City Roller Girls from Dayton in a 40 minute match. In the second bout, CRG’s Black Sheep took on the North Star Roller Girls from Minneapolis. Congratulations to CRG for coming away with two wins!

The first bout between the Silent Lambs and Gem City pitted some old teammates against each other because of transfers between the Cincinnati and Dayton teams. That seemed to add a little extra tension to the bout and it translated into a lot of hard blocking in the pack. That kept the score relatively low. Notables in the blocking department were Ruff’n the Passer (her first bout coming off maternity leave) and Celia Graves (shown at right blocking Gem City Jammer Racey Rocker) for the Silent Lambs and Juwana Hurt for Gem City – but everyone in both packs was getting a workout and giving it their all. The first photo below shows Wheezy flying to the inside after taking a hit from Juwana Hurt. There was a lot of jammer rotation for the Lambs that included Pistol Whippin’ Wendy, Wheezy, Bombtrack, Hop Devil, Miss Print (second photo below), and Bex Pistol (third photo below). CRG played smart during the match – varying the pack speed, catching babies, etc. The blocking, speedy and experienced jammers, and smart play were all factors that kept the Silent Lambs in control from the start. Gem City’s Racey Rocker must have posted most of the Gem City points, but it wasn’t enough. At the half the Lambs were up 45 to 24 and after 40 minutes they won easily with a score of 112 to 53. Congrats to the Silent Lambs on another big win that was achieved by using many different skaters in a variety of different packs.







In the second bout, the Black Sheep (DNN rank 19) took on the North Star Supernovas (DNN rank 24) in a WFTDA bout. CRG started out slow and the score was low and within a few points after the first few jams. That changed when Hannah Ouchocinco (skating in her first home bout following her finger injury) posted a 20 point jam to create a gap that North Star could never close. From that point on, CRG controlled the bout with hard work and smart play that was interesting to watch. It was obvious that both teams knew each other the way they were pairing jammers on the line and assigning blockers to double team where necessary to slow or stop jammers in the pack. Although the pack speed varied according to strategy, it was a pretty fast pack for most of the bout. However, with K. Lethal and Hannah back in the jammer rotation so Nuk’em could focus on blocking, the Supernovas had their hands full. The photo above and right shows Sadistic Sadie zipping around the track to score on her birthday.

By the half the Black Sheep were ahead with a score of 67 to 21. The second half was very similar to the first. It was the Black Sheep in control most of the time. That’s not to say that the Supernovas gave in by any means. They continued dishing out some hard blocks and use double teaming to make Cincinnati’s jammers work hard. But work they did to keep up about the same scoring pace as they did in the first half of the bout. The first photo below shows Hannah going around turn 4 with the Supernova skaters Roller Vixen in front and Katarina Hit behind. The second photo below shows Sk8 Crime holding the inside line to slow down Supernova jammer Medusa enough so Sk8r-Kinney could come in to give a hard block. In the end, the Black Sheep won handily with a score of 119 to 50. Congrats on a solid victory!





The bout production was very good as usual. Some friends who brought kids for their first bout of this season were impressed with the improvements compared to past years. The kids loved the chance to meet the skaters and get autographs after the bout. It’s nice that the CRG skaters take time to talk with the young kids – and the older kids like me too. After the bout we talked a bit with the Librarian. She was notably absent from the Silent Lambs lineup due to a knee injury. She was hobbling around with a sturdy brace on her knee, but she always has time to say hi and give a shush pose. Thanks, Librarian!

I also had the opportunity to meet Hop Devil, one of the CRG rookies and a jammer for the Silent Lambs. She also posed for a photo with me. Finally, Dianne and I posed with Buckhead Betty and Nuk’em in this photo below taken by the Kman. Thanks to both of them!



In a Rabid Derby Fan blog first, Dianne got a photo of me with one of the CRG zebras, Captain Gorgeous. You can see a more traditional photo of me and Capt. G here. All the photos I posted from the Lambs’ bout are in a Flickr set here and all the photos from the Sheep bout are in a set here.

If you haven’t been to a CRG bout, what's the matter with you!?! You better mark June 19th on your calendar as that is their last home bout of the 2010 season. After that you can follow them on the road for several bouts around the country before the North Central Regional tournament in September. Check out the CRG website for more information about their schedule as well as lots of info on upcoming matchups, events, and blog posts by skaters. The recent post by Bombtrack that gives a rookie’s perspective was very interesting. Check it out and see you at the last home bout!

CRG vs. The Chicago Outfit

Last night was a rough night for the Chicago Outfit as their two teams, the Shade Brigade and the Syndicate, took on the Cincinnati Rollergirls’ Silent Lambs and Black Sheep at the Cincinnati Gardens. The Outfit is a relatively new team organized in 2007 that became a WFTDA apprentice team last September. The Outfit was no match for CRG. As expected, CRG came away with two big wins in front of their home crowd.

In the first bout the Silent Lambs took on the Shade Brigade. The Lambs were in control of the bout from the start. The CRG pack was able to contain the Shade Brigade jammers and by the 20 minute half the Lambs were ahead with a score of 53 to 8. The photo at right shows Bex Pistol, one of the Silent Lamb jammers, in the open and looking ahead to the pack. The scoring picked up on both sides during the second half but the Lambs continued to outpace the Shade Brigade scoring by about double! The photo below shows The Librarian and Maime putting the squeeze on a Shade Brigade jammer to stop her from scoring. The final score was Lambs 140 and Shade Brigade 45. An excellent showing and quite a few of the CRG rookies got to see action. Congrats to the Lambs on another solid win!



The second bout, a full hour, unfortunately was a repeat of the first bout for The Outfit. The Black Sheep were in control from the start and the solid CRG blocking and smart play slowed the Syndicate scoring. The Syndicate skaters Lola Blow and Sweet Mary Pain led the Syndicate jammers, but there wasn’t enough depth yet in their team to keep up the scoring. The CRG blocking was just too tough for the Syndicate to handle. There were occasions where Syndicate blockers double teamed the CRG jammers to slow them down a bit, but they couldn’t keep that up and the Black Sheep jammers were scoring easily. The depth of the CRG team was illustrated by having Trauma and Dr. McDerby step in to the jammer rotation. The photo at right shows Trauma wearing the star, smiling as she skates past the Trauma Center cheering section. At the end of the first period, the Black Sheep had opened up a sizeable lead and the bout ended with CRG winning 141 to 86. The first photo below shows Sadie rounding the turn at full speed. The second photo shows Nuk'em going shoulder to shoulder with Lola Blow.





Once again the Queen City Rainbow Band was there to play during the bout and the Wooly Bully was having a ball. During the bout I was up in the stands talking with some friends and I have to say the sound is much better in the stands. Caesar and The Tank are much easier to hear up there and they really do a great job explaining the action for folks new to derby bouts. After the bout Dianne got photos of me with Bombtrack (at right) and Captain Painway (below right) – both skaters for the Silent Lambs. Thanks to both of them for taking time for a photo. Check out the usual blogs and photo sources for other opinions on the bout. With the attendance explosion, there are a lot of things to read and photos to peruse. You can see the rest of my photos in my Flickr pool here.

The next bout should be a bit more exciting as the North Star Roller Girls from Minneapolis make the trip to the Gardens on May 28th. In the latest DNN Power rankings, CRG is #19 and NSRG is #24. CRG will face a bit more competition from that match up, but I'm confident they'll come out on top. Catch the derby fever and cheer on CRG at the next bout!

Cincinnati Versus Arch Rival

Last night we went to see two roller derby bouts at the Cincinnati Gardens where the Cincinnati Rollergirls hosted the Arch Rival Rollergirls from St. Louis. It was another great derby crowd that packed the Gardens – most of them cheering on Cincinnati, but a few St. Louis fans made the trip as well. In the first bout the CRG Silent Lambs lost to the Arch Rival St. Lunachix by a score of 39 to 89. In the second bout, the CRG Black Sheep took on the Arch Rival All Stars and beat them handily by a score of 134 to 68.

The Silent Lambs had a slow start against the Lunachix. The Lamb jammers struggled against the Lunachix blockers. The Lambs weren’t able to control the pack like they did in their first home bout. There was a lot of good blocking though – notably Mirderher and Celia Graves were on their game. Wheezy seemed to have the best luck jamming for CRG. However, she was no match for the Lunachix’s The Seige who posted quite a few points in the bout. The photo at right shows Pistol Whippin’ Wendy taking a hard block from one of the Lunachix. At the half, the Lambs were down with a score of 19 to 43. The battle continued the same way in the second period – each team scoring about the same. I really don’t think the final score reflected the effort put forth by the Lambs. The photo below shows Cherry Choke and Maime closing a hole to shut down the Lunachix jammer. Although a win would have been nice, all the Sheep have to be proud of their effort.



Things really came together for the Black Sheep in their bout against the Arch Rival All Stars. They seemed like a different team than the one that skated against San Diego a few weeks ago. They took control of the bout from the beginning and really focused on getting points on the board. Everyone was working together very well and the Black Sheep blocking was tough! Did the team just get back from blocking school? There were a lot of hard hits, especially in the second period. Even better, there were very few major penalties in the first period and not many in the second. The solid blocking made it very hard for the Arch Rival jammers and their scoring was minimal. The photo below this paragraph shows Karma Krash and Dr. McDerby sending the Arch Rival jammer to the concrete. The usual CRG jammer rotation was very effective. The photo at right shows K. Lethal getting a little help from Sk8 Crime to zip around the turn. At the half, the Sheep were ahead with a score of 90 to 17! In the second period, Arch Rival did adjust to pick up the scoring pace (51 points) and the CRG scoring slowed a bit (44). Still, CRG was generally in control of the bout and there was no way Arch Rival could have stopped the Black Sheep team skating on Saturday. It was a pleasure to watch – except when Hannah Ouchocinco took a tumble that resulted in an injured finger and three stitches on the chin. Now Hannah and June will be chin twins.



CRG continues their effort to keep the production quality of the bouts high too. Last Saturday the Queen City Rainbow Band was there to play during the bout and at the break. I enjoyed hearing them playing from the stands. This bout was also the debut of Wooly Bully – the CRG mascot. Dianne got a photo of me with Wooly Bully after the bout. Wooly was running around all night trying to perk up the crowd.

Dianne also got a photo of me with Celia Graves. Thanks to Celia for taking the time to chat and pose for a photo. You can see the rest of my bout photos in my Flickr pool here.

With the increase in attendance, there is also an increase in bout coverage. Besides the Roller Derby Diva Blog, check out the new CRG web site that has lots of news and blog type entries. Captain Painway, another CRG has a good blog called Like it Derby. Bob Schwartz was there and always has good entries about the CRG bouts. And don’t forget to check out Jason's and Jeff’s photos on Flickr. I know there are lots of others as my Google notifications for Cincinnati roller derby are prolific lately.

If you missed the bout (are you crazy?!?) you can catch it on ustream. Better yet, catch the next CRG home bout in person on May 8th. See you there!

Some Bunny's Gonna Get Hurt -- Bout Recap

Wow! WOW!! Were you at the Some Bunny’s Gonna Get Hurt event at the Cincinnati Gardens last Saturday? If not, you missed a barnburner! In the first bout, the Cincinnati Rollergirls’ Silent Lambs took on the Windy City Nadabees. In the second bout, the CRG Black Sheep battled the Burning River All-Stars from Cleveland. It was quite the evening of see-saw battles. There seemed to be a good crowd for the event and there was a lot of cheering going on! The photo at right is a fisheye view of the gardens near the end of the first bout.

Before the bout, I got to talk with several folks that were tailgaiting. It was nice to meet some of the local fans, including many scooter folks and Leslie from ClassX 88.9 radio, as well as Al Naturel from Windy City.

In the Lambs vs. Nadabees bout, the Lambs started out strong and took an 8-1 lead after the first couple jams. However, the Nadabees adjusted quickly and went on a strong run that took the score to Lambs 12 and Nadabees 33 at the end of the first 20 minute period. The Nadabees have some talented skaters and some of them were pretty tall compared to the Lambs. That is illustrated in the photo at right that shows Ruth Enasia (in blue) lined up with Miss Print at the jammer line. In general the Nadabees did a great job controlling the pack with some solid blocking and good team coordination. I was particularly impressed by Windy City skater Go-Go Hatchet, which I noticed from their website is on their all-star team. The Lamb jammers were mostly the same as those in the last home bout (mainly Dr. McDerby, Miss Print, Polly Rocket, Bex Pistol, and Cherry Choke). The photo to the right shows Polly Rocket trying to get around a couple Nadabee skaters. I have to give credit to all the Lambs that hung in there and gave it their all. Near the end of the second period Dr. McDerby had some good jams that helped give the Lambs some more points and the blockers were able to slow the Nadabee jammers a bit. The photo below shows McDerby coming out of the pack. When the clock ran out, the Lambs lost to the Nadabees with a score of 40 to 96.



For the second bout between the CRG Black Sheep (WFTDA North Central rank #3) and the Burning River All-Stars (rank #9) I expected CRG to control the bout the entire way. I know CRG was looking to avenge the loss in the Black-Eyed Buckeyes bout that ended the 2007 season. Initially they started out with a strong defense that shut down Burning River. The Black Sheep had an early lead of 33-0 that reminded me of the last home bout. The usual CRG jammers Sadistic Sadie, K. Lethal, Hannah Barbaric, and Candy KICKass all contributed. But kudos to Burning River. A couple of CRG jammer penalties and some adjustments by Burning River got them on the scoreboard. The jammers Ivanna Destroya, Eva Lucien, E. Gargiulo, and Stroker Ace worked hard with their team against the CRG blockers. I caught several photos of the blockers in action. At the right is a photo of Sk8R Kinney and Panterrorize blocking Burning River jammer E. Gargiulo. The photo below shows Ruff’n the Passer giving a block while Blu Bayou cuts off the escape on the inside. At the half, CRG was ahead with a score of 60 to 40.



Twenty points isn’t much with 30 more minutes of derby action. Burning River came out of the locker room looking tough! They started scoring and the Black Sheep scoring slowed a bit. At one point in the second period Burning River was up by at least 15! With a few minutes to go, you could tell both teams stepped it up a couple notches – CRG to come back and win it and Burning River to try and hold their lead. That effort really got the crowd involved in the bout! The Gardens was rockin’ those last few minutes. All the blockers were working very hard and CRG jammers K. Lethal and Sadistic Sadie were zipping around the track to score. The photo at right shows Sadie doing a little trash talking at the line before a jam. The photo below shows K. Lethal during one of the final jams. The Black Sheep had an amazing, strong finish to take the bout by a score of 107 to 93. It was an exciting night (maybe a little too exciting ☺ ) and most of the crowd was hoarse after all that cheering during the last 10 minutes or so.



After the bout, Dianne got a photo of me with the CRG mascot – Little Bo Peep. Having a mascot to help get the fans fired up is a great idea. Now we just need to fill up The Flock section so Bo Peep has something to tend to.

I also had a chance to talk a bit with Bex Pistol, one of the CRG Silent Lambs. Dianne got a nice photo of us (below) as well as a shot of Bex signing autographs. You can see all my photos from the bout in my Flickr set. Also, be sure to check out great photo sets of the bout from Jeff and Jason on Flickr. Look for bout recaps on Miss Print's blog and Captain Painway's blog -- Like It Derby?

If that event didn’t get you hooked on derby, nothing will! Be sure to check out the next CRG home bout on May 9th when they host the Mad Rollin’ Dolls from Madison.