Charleston, WV

By The Oxford Commakaze

The Naptown Roller Girls of Indianapolis, Ind., (5 seed, WFTDA 21) pulled off a big win over the Columbia QuadSquad Rollergirls of Columbia, S.C., (9 seed, WFTDA 37) in a game overrun with massive sweeping hits and racing packs. Even the jammers got in on the defensive action, with jammers from both teams playing active defense against each other throughout the game, especially in molasses-slow jam starts that occasionally saw nearly 20 seconds go by before the jammers crossed the jammer line.

Photo by Steve Mancini/Masonite Burn

Columbia raced off the line for a quick lead in the first jam after Boston Terror stopped Maiden America at the front and raced back to draw a cut, giving Columbia jammer Poison Violet a 14-point power jam, but Naptown got points on the board the very next jam and snatched the lead away by the third jam. As Naptown held Columbia to just one point for the next four jams, Columbia utilized both star passes and faked star passes (in which the jammer removes the jammer panty and holds it in her hand instead of passing it) anytime the Naptown jammers escaped before them.

Naptown proved adept at preventing a successful pass and keeping both jammer and pivot from exiting the pack, however, keeping Columbia from putting more points on the board until Chuck-town Bruiser raced out of the penalty box at the beginning of Jam 8 to put a grand slam up while the Naptown jammer sat in the box. Columbia kept Naptown off the board completely for the next two jams and continued putting up points of its own for the next three jams until a Naptown power jam stopped their momentum, despite Poison Violet as Columbia’s pivot dragging Naptown jammer G-Rocket back and forth across the track for more than two full laps. Although Columbia continued to put points on the board for the next few jams, Naptown racked them up faster, closing the half with a 96-42 lead after a chaotic last jam sent blockers and jammers from both teams flying.

“You’re playing right after the energy of the previous bout, big upset, close bout,” said Columbia coach Sonny Pro Bono, referring to the Mad Rollin’ Dolls’ 1-point upset over the Boston Derby Dames in the 4 p.m. game. “I actually think more than the physicality of the bout, it was the speed that was most notable. Both teams were really flying. It put a lot of pressure both on the packs and on the jammers.”

That pressure continued into the second half as packs sped up and jammers chased each other one right behind another, preventing either team from scoring more than a handful of points in the first few jams. Naptown started to pick up points more quickly when blockers were able to contain Columbia jammer Mel Anoma, but Columbia responded with a 20-4 power jam shortly afterwards thanks to a glut of jammer and blocker penalties to Naptown, which left the team with Shiva Diva on the track by herself to fend off Columbia jammer Poison Violet.

Those were the last points Columbia would put on the board for ten jams, though. Naptown started playing more concentrated offense later in the game, which it combined with a run of power jams – 7 in the second half alone – to establish a 90-point lead by halfway through the second period, 154-64. Vicious recycling by Fearless Fritz and Truckstop for Columbia momentarily held up Naptown’s jammers, but Naptown jammers danced with painstaking precision along the track boundaries one second only to shove through Columbia’s defenses the next.

“I think we took our energy up when they brought their energy up, maybe especially in the second half,” said Naptown’s Dora the Destroyer. “They wanted to bring it and come in for the win. Aggression went up on all sides and we met that level.”

Although Columbia’s jammers managed to put points up all the way to the third-to-last jam (and fought for points straight through ‘til the end), Naptown’s speed and the physicality of its jammers and blockers proved insurmountable, ending with a score of 234-77.

“We knew we should have played more together in that last game [against SoCal Derby earlier in the day], and we felt like we had a lot to prove in this game to show everyone how we truly play. This was it,” Dora the Destroyer said. “We were still positive, throwing out high fives, there were smiles on the track – we just do better when we have fun. We work better together when we have fun and it was a fun game. And despite the score, we really expected Columbia to bring it and they did. They put up a really strong fight and did not make it easy for us.”

Sonny Pro Bono echoed the sentiment, saying, “I think sometimes we play a team that’s playing better than you are. I think that team looked better tonight. Their jammers were very aggressive; quick to the holes. I was really proud of my team – they kept their composure well, especially in the second half as the spread increased.”

Naptown will play the Mad Rollin’ Dolls for 5th place Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT. Columbia will play the Boston Derby Dames for 7th place Sunday at 12 p.m. EDT.

Final Score

(9) Columbia QuadSquad 77
**(5) Naptown Roller Girls 234