Richmond, VA

Newcomer New Hampshire team loses to veteran Kansas City squad

By Megan Enemies

Kansas City Roller Warriors (#21, seed #5), of Kansas City, Missouri, triumphed over penalty-heavy New Hampshire Roller Derby (#37, seed #9) of Nashua, New Hampshire, in Game 11 of WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Richmond. The New Hampshire Skate Free or Die All-Stars – in their first trip to WFTDA tournament play – were outmatched by a deep Kansas City team, and the Roller Warriors came out on top, 272-123.

Kansas City was off to an early 19-point lead, with New Hampshire jammer Swirko going to the penalty box in the first jam. It was the first of many penalties for the East Coast team. New Hampshire spent 27 minutes in the box in the first half, whereas Kansas City served only 17 minutes. Kansas City picked up lead jammer status in 14 of 20 first-half jams.

Jennifer M. Ramos

Roller Warriors jammers Track Rat, Mary Lou Wretched, Reptar and Case Closed each skated in five jams in the first half, averaging 6.1 points per jam. And Kansas City’s veteran blockers were able to immobilize New Hampshire’s blockers, or force them out of bounds for a track cut. At the end of the first half, the score was 121-67, in favor of Kansas, with New Hampshire jammer Madame Scurrie heading to the box for a penalty.

Starting the second half, Kansas City once again ran up the score, when Case Closed scored 19 points. With many jammers in penalty trouble, New Hampshire decided to give the star to Punky. It was her first time jamming in the tournament, and after Reptar went to the penalty box, Punky added 15 points to New Hampshire’s total – the team’s first points of the second half. She returned to the jammer line two more times before the end of the game, both times scoring for New Hampshire.

After Punky’s promising debut in the second half, New Hampshire was scoreless for four jams and got deeper into penalty trouble. Kansas City’s primary jammers – along with blocker-and-sometimes-jammer Trauma – earned easy points off New Hampshire blockers sitting in the penalty box.

Blockers Bruz-Her and Ida Know Squat were able to contain and frustrate New Hampshire jammers up front, with New Hampshire blockers often drawing penalties as they tried to break them up. And even when New Hampshire got lead – as Chicana Bruzya did in jam 14 – the team had trouble parlaying that advantage into points.

Two New Hampshire blockers fouled out towards the end of the game, as New Hampshire watched a chance at winning slip away.

Final Score

(9) New Hampshire Roller Derby 123
(5) Kansas City Roller Warriors 272

Kansas City will play for fifth place at 2 p.m. Sunday, against the winner of the (8) Jacksonville RollerGirls v. (10) Terminal City Rollergirls game. The loser of Jacksonville-Terminal City will play New Hampshire for seventh place at noon Sunday.