Kalamazoo, MI

Carolina fences in Suburbia and secures a win

By Vile Love It

The first game in the WFTDA D2 Playoffs in Kalamazoo consolation bracket was a clear indication that the excitement had not ended. Carolina Roller Girls (seed 4, ranked 50), from Raleigh, North Carolina, and Suburbia Roller Derby (seed 10, ranked 65) from Westchester, New York, brought a nail-biting game to the early morning.

Early in the game both teams kept it tight until Carolina’s jammer Caddy Compton (#187) headed to her first box trip. Suburbia’s Reading Rambo (#1958) collected 20 points on the power jam and gave her team their first lead of the game: 34-8.

Not too long after that Carolina’s Sheeza Freak (#75) nabbed her own power jam. In a micro pack, with Carolina’s strong truck-and-trailer blocking containing Suburbia’s jammer, Carolina’s Sheeza Freak lapped the pack with little interference and collected 29 points. By the end of the jam Carolina had nearly caught Suburbia: 46-41.

And then, several jams later, by the end of a dog fight of a jam between Suburbia’s Charlotte Bupowski (#382) and Carolina’s Neutralize HER (#1979) the teams were tied 60-60, for the first time in the bout; but not the last.

Penalties played a significant part in the game; they always do. But when each is similarly guilty of visiting the box regularly, then it can even the playing field as it did in this game. Carolina had 24 penalty minutes in the first half; Suburbia had 20 minutes. In the second half Carolina had 20 minutes and Suburbia had 14. Of those minutes, Carolina had 11 jammer minutes and Suburbia had 10.

The score flip-flopped a few times during the first period. Carolina caught up and surged slightly ahead of Suburbia but then Suburbia’s Charlotte Bupowski earned 20 points on a power jam to pull her team back ahead.

A few jams later, it was Carolina’s turn to pull ahead. And then, with 6 minutes left in the half, Suburbia caught another power jam -- for a second as the jammers sit down only to stand right back up. By the end of the jam there was still 7 point between the teams; Suburbia held the lead by a thread.

With only a few minutes left in the first period, Carolina’s Ava Gore (#42) pulled her team even and then back ahead. Although Carolina’s jammers spent time in the box at the end of the period, Suburbia was not able to coordinate enough of an offense to make up the difference and the half ends with Carolina in the lead 121-96.

Early in the second half, Suburbia tied the game up for the second time: 122-122. The tie lasted for only a minute when Carolina got another power jam and Katie Clysmic (#26) took 25 points, bringing Carolina ahead 147-125.

Two more Carolina power jams later, the team had a significant lead—189-132—and it seemed that the team from Raleigh would pull away. However, Suburbia wasn’t going to let that happen.

Carolina’s Ginger Clobbers (#299) sat in the box for several turns while Suburbia’s Lauren Forcer (#50) hit her stride on a power jam and brought her team’s score back up: 189-161, with Carolina holding onto the lead.

With less than 9 minutes left in the bout, Carolina was barely holding onto the lead (203-192). Suburbia’s Lauren Forcer spun her way around Suburbia’s blockers while tapping her hips to grab her 4 and shut down Carolina.

During the next jam, Suburbia’s Charlotte Bupowski pulled the same move except continued to pirouette even after she called it off; bringing her team to within 3 points of Carolina with plenty of derby left to play.

Carolina’s Caddy Compton went to the box along with three of her blockers and as Suburbia’s jammer approached the back of the pack she only had to contend with one blocker. As Carolina’s blockers returned to the track, others headed off, too. At the end of the jam Suburbia had taken back the lead: 225-203.

Although Suburbia started the next jam on a power jam, Carolina had proven all bout long that two Carolina blockers can make a significant impact on one Suburbia jammer. With 5 minutes left on the clock, it was still either team’s game.

Suburbia made the clock their friend and during the next few jams they raced around the track trying to keep Carolina’s jammer behind them and keep their jammer on the track.

In the second to last jam of the bout, both jammers collected 4 points each and Suburbia had, what might be considered, a breathable lead of 19 points. In the last jam of the game, Carolina was given a gift as Suburbia’s Charlotte Bupowski went to the box. Carolina’s Sheeza Freak battled her way through the pack on her 4 scoring passes and just as Charlotte’s jammer was released from the box, Sheeza called off the jam and the scoreboard showed 230-229 with Carolina the winner.

The officials huddled and discussed and after a couple of minutes the head ref blew the whistle and motioned towards the scoreboard confirming the final score.

“I was on the bench the last jam and I couldn’t look,” said Carolina’s Beth Row. “I felt like I was going to get sick. We are so glad we won. It was an incredibly hard fought game and it was so much fun.”

“We took yesterday and built on it tenfold and I feel that we achieved all of our goals for today,” said Suburbia’s Little Loca. “We were so excited to play Carolina. We have similar strategies. It was like playing ourselves. It was very fun.”

Final score

(4) Carolina Rollergirls 230
(10) Suburbia 229

Carolina will play for 7th Place; Suburbia will play for 9th.