Richmond, VA

Kansas City takes fifth, Jacksonville takes sixth in tough battle

By Megan Enemies

Kansas City Roller Warriors (#21, #5 seed), of Kansas City, Missouri, defeated Jacksonville RollerGirls (#30, seed #8), of Jacksonville, Florida, 199-171, to earn fifth place in the 2013 WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Richmond. This fast-paced, hard-hitting game could’ve gone either way, with blockers and jammers that seemed to be a near-perfect match for each other.

Jacksonville had penalty trouble in the first half, serving 18 minutes in the box to Kansas City’s eight minutes, giving Kansas City jammers the opportunity to score against Jacksonville blockers sitting in the box.

Kansas City jammers Trauma, Reptar, Case Closed, and Track Rat were able to earn lead, thanks to outstanding offensive work by their blockers. But, as she did throughout the weekend, Jacksonville jammer Ms Jax’em often pursued Kansas City jammers, forcing them to call it off for several 0-0 jams.

Jacksonville jammer Crash Register, injured in a bout Saturday, returned to the track as a primary blocker, with Nuke and Legs R Us filling in on the jammer rotation. Each of them had offensive assistance to get through tough Kansas City walls, especially from Lei Toro and hA Ha HAze*ly, who were a two-skater wrecking-ball team, making a path for their jammers.

Kansas City blockers Bruz-Her and Annie Maul prevented Jamsterella from sailing through the pack, often holding her long enough to prevent her from getting lead. In the first half, Kansas City’s jammers earned lead jammer status 14 times to Jacksonville’s 12 – only a slight difference, but an advantage that allowed Kansas City to take the lead and maintain control of the game in the first half.

In Jam 9, after a power jam by Jamsterella, the score was tied at 28. But both teams saw their jammers go to the box in the next jam, and the jam ended 47-36, courtesy of Reptar. Kansas City went on a 23-0 run in the first half, in part because Jamsterella was sitting in the penalty box for a track cut.

Jacksonville struggled to put points on the board early in the second half, although the jamming crew was able to pressure Kansas City jammers to call it off. Still, a jam ending in a score of 0-0 was to the advantage of Kansas City,

Midway through the second half, Jax’em was starting the jam unopposed, presenting a chance for Jacksonville to catch up. But she got called on a forearm, and Kansas City jammer Track Rat was released from the penalty box.

Trauma, who has been a primary blocker and relief jammer for Kansas City during this tournament, was a primary jammer in this bout, but still used her outstanding blocking ability to knock defenders out of her way. In one jam when Trauma was lead jammer, her teammate Enigma was able to stop a Jacksonville blocker long enough for Trauma to pass her – and thus score on the opposing skaters in the penalty box.

A Jacksonville power jam brought the score to 146-144 for Kansas City in jam 14 of the second half. But as Jacksonville added points, so did Kansas City. Five jams later, the score was 161-146, Kansas City. A late-game low block that sent Case Closed to the penalty box gave Jacksonville a shot at winning, but the Kansas City defense proved to be too challenging, and the game later ended when Trauma got lead, ran the clock down and called it off. Although Kansas City takes it and maintains their 5th seed, Jacksonville ends the tournament in 6th, rising 2 seeds.

Final Score

(5) Kansas City Roller Warriors 199
(8) Jacksonville Rollergirls 171