DC (#10) holds off Carolina (#8)

By Vile Love It

Both the DC All Stars (#10), of Washington, DC and the Carolina Rollergirls (#8), of Raleigh, NC fought hard to get to this bout and both teams fought hard on the track. Carolina struck first but then four minutes into the bout, DC’s jammer Frightmare got the first power jam of the night. She wound her way through the pack again and again and pulled her team up and ahead of Carolina 29-11.

Photo by James Calder

Not too much later, with their tight walls Carolina was able to control DC’s jammer Lenore Gore for most of a 2 minute jam while their jammer lapped the pack and scored.

It was almost halfway through the first period DC when was handed another power jam. Carolina’s jammer made a hit on a DC skater after the fourth whistle and went to the box. DC’s jammer Jersey Jill fought through the Carolina walls, which had dwindled down to two blockers. By the end of the jam, DC had pulled ahead 56-22.

DC held Carolina scoreless for several more jams, while they put a few more points on the board.

However with 12 minutes left and only a 21-point lead, DC’s jammer headed to the box and Carolina tried to make up the difference. They put on a few points, but not enough to help even the score and with almost ten minutes left in the bout, DC had added a few more points of their own and had developed a 30-point advantage.

A few minutes later, when Carolina’s jammer Ginger Clobbers was about to jump through the pack, DC’s Dual Hitizen got a piece of her sending her to the infield, thwarting her way to lead. Meanwhile, DC’s Lenore Gore wore her characteristic big smile she broke through the pack and with good reason; by the end of that jam, she pulled her team to a 55-point lead.

With 4 minutes left in the half, Carolina went on the offensive with a power jam and a pack advantage; while DC had three blockers in the box. Carolina started to put on the points when DC’s Lenore Gore sprinted out of the box. She made it through the pack and landed a solid hit on Carolina’s jammer sending her flying out of bounds.

Shortly after, Carolina’s jammer, on her sprint into the pack after her moment in the box, cut the track and returned to the penalty box.

DC’s jammer Barbra Booey quickly racked up the points on her power jam as she juked and dipped through the Carolina blockers building up a powerful lead for DC. At the half DC was solidly in the lead: 122-70.

“We have a lot of heart and a lot of spirit, that’s the thing that really helped us,” said DC’s Jackie Mae Day. “Our game play got better throughout the day. Our teamwork got stronger.”

“We started out as a new team at the beginning of the season and endurance was one of the things we were lacking and we have been really working on it. We’ve been working on our control as well,” said DC’s Ridin’ Dirty. “We have played Carolina every season for the last few years and last season we barely lost so we were coming to get them today.”

The penalty box had a lot of Carolina company as the second period began. In the first jam as the Carolina bench was yelling at their jammer to call it off, she was sent to the penalty box and DC made quick work to increase their lead. It helped that the penalty box was full of Carolina blockers as well. Five minutes into the second half the score was 155-78 in DC’s favor.

But Carolina wasn’t done yet and in a series of jams where they won lead, grabbed their four and called it off, they began to climb back.

Back and forth it went between lead jam, points and trips to the box, all the while, DC still managed to hold on to a lead of about 60 points.

With 8 minutes left Carolina caught another power jam and as their jammer Ginger Clobbers approached the back of the pack her blocker, Jessie King held out a hand and reminded her to take it easy and be patient.

Carolina couldn’t afford another jammer penalty minute.

Carolina clamped down hard and scrapped to grab more points. They were able to pull within 35 points of DC, but in the end, DC held onto the lead and won the chance to compete for 5th place against the winner of the Boston-Montreal game.

DC (#10) 210
Carolina Rollergirls (#8) 179