Charleston, WV

By The Oxford Commakaze

A crowd-pleasing bout pitting the underdog Mad Rollin’ Dolls (7 seed, WFTDA 29) of Madison, Wisc., against the Victorian Roller Derby League (2 seed, WFTDA 5) of Melbourne, Australia, did not end with a close score, but both teams had little – or big – victories to end their first day at the WFTDA 2014 Division 1 Playoffs Charleston. Madison more than quadrupled its score in the second half of the game, and VRL came away with a big 338-59 win and valuable playoff experience.

Photo Tyler Shaw

“Because we play so rarely in America and with American refs, one of the things we’ve focused on over the years is adapting quickly to these high-level calls. We don’t get as many opportunities as teams over here to train with those refs, so that’s something we’ve worked very hard on,” said VRDL skater Smashin’ Pop. “We’re pretty stoked to have such a strong performance. Feeling out the ref crew, feeling out the floor, feeling out the opponents and our environment – we’re feeling pretty confident to take those little lessons into the rest of the weekend.”

The game started with a promising opportunity for Madison after VRDL jammer Giles picked up a track cut on her initial pass. But VRDL, showing a glimpse of the devastating defense it would display for the next 60 minutes, held MRD jammer Splatter Alice scoreless for the duration of the power jam and beyond, letting Giles rack up 10 points upon re-entry for a 10-0 lead. That set the tone for much of the game as VRDL put up no fewer than 14 points per jam for five of the next six jams, racking up a cool 106-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game. Madison, despite the scoring drought, sent blockers to harry the VRDL jammers with standout down-and-back recycling by Allie Gator and Gene Lane, while their jammers continued hammering away at the seemingly impenetrable VRDL defense.

MRD put its first points on the board almost 15 minutes into the game, starting jammer Ladie Who-Ha on a power jam after Anna Conned Her was sent to the penalty box for a forearm penalty in the previous jam. She escaped on her initial pass and picked up a full grand slam before VRDL’s jammer was released, picking up another full four as Anna Conned Her escaped and forced Ladie Who-Ha to call the jam. Just two jams later, Madison was on the board again, picking up three points to capitalize on a forearm penalty to VRDL jammer Giles, bringing the score to 120-12.

VRDL regained momentum after that, including a 29-point jam by Christy Demons, and capitalized on penalty trouble that left Madison with just two blockers for short stretches. In the last jam of the half, Madison put two more points up after VRDL jammer Anna Conned Her headed to the penalty box, losing lead jammer status and keeping her from calling the jam after MRD jammer Ladie Who-Ha escaped the pack. The score stood 212-14 at halftime.

Going into the second half, VRL racked up 20 points in the first jam, but was slowed in the next jam after Madison jammer Mouse escaped just a few seconds after VRDL jammer Swish Cariboom and momentum started to swing Madion’s way. In the next 10 minutes, Madison jammers got lead and put up points for five jams in a row, taking advantage of a glut of power jams and blocker penalties for VRDL, bringing the score to 248-36. A time out after the seventh jam of the half allowed VRDL to return to the game with renewed focus, putting up unanswered points for three jams and holding Madison scoreless on a power jam, but Madison’s jammers and quick offense from blockers forced VRDL to call jams more quickly. That offense paid off for Madison in Jam 11 of the second half, when Allie Gator’s offense sprung MRD jammer Ladie Who-Ha from the pack for lead jammer, picking up four points with a quick spin on the outside line before calling the jam. Revolving jammer penalties in Jam 12 allowed both jammers to pick up grand slams, but a second jammer penalty to VRDL jammer Giles at the very end of the jam set Madison up for a 13-point power jam in Jam 13.

Those were the last points scored by Madison, but not the last of the tenacious jamming and aggressive blocking shown by its players, especially quick footwork by Mouse escape almost directly behind VRDL jammer Anna Conned Her in Jam 15. VRDL wasn’t ready to concede any more points, though; teamwork by blockers Chuck and Tui Lyon in Jam 16 forced Madison jammer Magic Missile out of bounds, and they sprinted back for a successful cut track penalty on her, then played quick offense in the next several jams to help VRDL rack up points. After Madison called a time out with 21 seconds left on the period clock, forcing one more jam, VRDL jammer Christy Demons earned lead jammer with MRD’s Splatter Alice right behind her and called the jam after the period clock wound down before either jammer could score for a final tally of 339-58.

VRDL will move on to play Philly Roller Girls on Saturday at 8 p.m. EDT in the semifinals. MRD will play a to-be-determined opponent Saturday at 4 p.m.

Final Score

(2) Victorian Roller Derby League 339
(7) Mad Rollin Dolls 58