Gotham (#1) dominates hard-fighting Carolina (#8)

By Vile Love It

The final score was Gotham 437 - Carolina 8. New York City's Gotham Girls Roller Derby (#1) (defending WFTDA Champions) might have won the game, but the Carolina Roller Girls (#9) of Raleigh, North Carolina won the hearts of the fans.

Photo by Kelli Catana

Gotham, predictably, controlled the track. They had impenetrable, intimidating, cycling walls. They had Bonnie Thunders and Suzy Hotrod in addition to all of their other excellent skaters. But Carolina had grit and determination, and they never gave up. They fought hard for every single one of those eight points.

Whenever Carolina's jammer finally broke through the seemingly endless Gotham pack, the crowd erupted in cheers. When Carolina earned lead jammer you would have thought they scored 40 points in a single jam.

And when they scored a point? Almost the entire arena erupted in cheers. Even if you were a Gotham fan you couldn't help but root for Carolina. The skaters had smiles on their faces and kept on fighting the whole bout.

Their goals were different for this game compared to their morning game against Dutchland.

“Our goal was to play our best and to play our game,” said Carolina's Skater Coach, Thrashely. “It's hard to have goals when you are going into a game where you are over matched but we have an amazing team and we are very personally connected to each other. I think that shows in our teamwork and on our bench. So when you are playing a team where you are so over matched I think that positivity comes through.”

In one jam, towards the end of the game, Carolina blocker and captain, DVS held Bonnie Thunders for at least a half a lap. She, along with some cycling teammates, kept Thunders held as she juked and jumped trying to get around her.

“When you hear the crowd screaming for you it just helps you play a little bit harder,” said DVS. “When I heard the crowd screaming I just knew I had to hold her for a little bit longer.”

“Our goal was to build walls, play aggressive, smart and to show that we are a hell of a team and I believe we met our goal,” said DVS.

There was respect between the teams as well, as jammers chatted on the jam line or blockers patted each other on the back after a jam.

At the end of the bout, Carolina, with big smiles and high fives all around, gathered to chant:

How bad do you want it? Real bad!
How bad do you want it? Real bad!
How bad do you want it? Real bad!
Who are we? CRG!

Gotham Girls Roller Derby (#1) 437
Carolina Rollergirls (#8) 8