Salem, OR

Detroit Advances

By Shelly Shankya

Two tried-and-true tournament teams gave the crowd some thrills during the third game of WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Salem. The Detroit Derby Girls All Stars (4 Seed) and the Charm City Roller Girls All Stars (5 Seed) have a long history, first bouting-it-out in 2007 at the East Coast Derby Extravaganza. Their most recent game was in 2011, and was a barn-burner for sure, with Charm City coming out on top by only two points. In the end, today’s game was no less exciting as the one from two years ago.

The first jam had Detroit lined up on the jammer line, Charm City on the pivot line, and from the first whistle, Detroit showed their dominance over the ladies from Baltimore. Detroit’s jammer scored first and held Charm to a double-digit differential for the majority of the half. Despite some jammer do-si-dos in the penalty box, Charm City couldn’t find a foothold on the track to get any momentum until the fifteenth jam, when Detroit jammer Racer McChaser went to the penalty box twice in one jam. Charm jammers O’Chit and Susy Pow scored 24 points off of the opportunity. The team clawed back within five points of Detroit, but it was a short-lived momentum shift. Two back-to-back power jams for Detroit gave them the upper hand over Charm, and the ladies from the Motor City ended the half up by 46 points, 120-76.

Bob Ayers

“Detroit is usually a second half team,” Detroit jammer Cookie Rumble said. “We came back from half feeling really cautious. We knew we couldn’t take a breath because we know what it’s like to have that fire coming into the second half, and we weren’t going to let that happen to us.”

Things looked to be a repeat from the first half, as Detroit continued to hold Charm to single-digit gains at the start of the second period. The only difference in the opening jams was that Charm had the opportunity to grab lead jammer an equal number of times as Detroit. The middle of the half showed a back-and-forth of points, but nothing substantial enough to put Detroit in trouble or Charm within reach. Pack play and penalty time stayed consistent, though Detroit had the slight blocker advantage on the track. That all changed, however, when, in the 22nd jam, Roxanna Hardplace went to the box for a forarm and Susy Pow scored 29 points followed by Just Carol’s 28 points. The momentum shifted in Charm’s favor, and the game looked to be a repeat of the 2011 game in the final four minutes of play.

“To be honest, I cried a little after my forearm major gave them an advantage,” Cookie said. “It was my bench telling me to stay calm. Our coaches and captains have done a good job this season reminding us to stay calm. When we get worked up, we get panic-y, we play desperate derby so we just have to keep calm. We know cool heads win games.”

Charm City pulled off a lead change with four minutes remaining, and the score showed 192-190. After Detroit lost blocker boo d. livers and mainstay blocker and jammer Racer McChasHer and Charm lost captain and blocker Holly GoHardly to fouls, the benches had to rely on other skaters. With 25 seconds remaining, Detroit called a timeout after jammer Roxanna Hardplace brought the score back in Detroit’s favor, 193-192. The last jam started with only four seconds showing on the period clock after Charm’s timeout and had long-time Charm City veteran Just Carol at the line against Detriot’s Cookie Rumble (the jammer on whom Carol scored 28 points only three jams prior). The packs were evenly matched, and when Just Carol grabbed lead, the crowd roared. Charm’s blockers were unable to hold Cookie Rumble back, however. With both jammers in the pack, Carol had to work to get the lead on the point differential. Cookie kept working through the pack, as Charm blockers dropped off to the penalty box. When Carol went to the box in the final seconds of the jam, Detroit secured the win 209-199.

“We knew we had to keep our cool in the last jam,” Cookie said. “When my coach asked me to go back in to jam, I said ‘HECK yes!’ I wanted to go back in and get some vindication for the desperate derby that I played in my previous jam. It was a great moment for our team because we all knew we had to keep together, stay together, and keep fighting until the end of the game.”

Final Score

(4) Detroit Derby Girls 209
(5) Charm City Roller Girls 199

Detroit Derby Girls (4 Seed, #15) moves on to play the winner of Game 5 between B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls (1 Seed, #4) and Victorian Roller Derby League (8 Seed, #31). Charm City Roller Girls (5 Seed, #\20) moves to the consolation bracket to play Sacred City Derby Derby Girls (Seed 7, #28).