Team Profile Tucson Roller Derby

Tucson Roller Derby (#53)

Travel Team Name: Saddletramps

Based In: Tucson, Arizona, USA

Joined WFTDA: Founding member

Previous Playoffs and Championships Appearances:
2006 - lost in Championships final
2007 - lost in Championships quarterfinal
2008 - 8th place, West
2009 - 9th place, West
2010 - 8th place, West
2011 - 10th place, West

2014 Season Record: 5-3

PLAYOFFS CHARTER:

010 - Shana Banana Hammock
1 - Mica Jackson
10 - Kosma Nauti
13 - Blaxican Bomber
1337 - ROFL Copter
17 - K'Mean Streak
1980 - Metal Maiden
24 - Midnight Crasher
26 - Run And Heidi
3 - Pinky McLovin
33 - Pixie Axe
36 - Hudson Hornet
37 - Death Proof
4N6 - Bone Eata
717 - Mystery Meat
77 - Judo Gnomi
86 - Dirty Duchess
88 - Alabama Whirley
9 - Ema Sculator

Q&A:

Has your league experienced any retirements, transfers or injuries in the past year that have made a substantial difference in your league’s play and performance?

Oh yes...always! Two of our best blockers had serious injuries this year. In March, Metal Maiden suffered a spiral fracture in her left tibia/fibia during our game against Duke City. Then in May, (the week before playing SoCal no less!) Judo Gnomi fractured her ankle during a scrimmage. Luckily both of them should be back on the track in a couple of months. We lost our jammer Iva Coaldheart to Sin City - though we also got Bones from Sin City. So I suppose that's an even trade trade (we still miss you Iva!). :)

What was the turning point for your league to make it to Playoffs this season?

For the past 2 years, we've been building our team based on advanced skills, consistency, and strength. Our biggest win this year was against Sin City at Dust Devil 2014. They had beaten us at Dust Devil 2013 and the summer prior in 2012. So that win really helped us boost our rankings.

What are some game highlights from your travel team season this year?

I think our best moment this season was during our game against Humboldt at Big O. We didn't come out as strong as we wanted and we ended up at a decent deficit in the first few minutes of the game. We had a team time out, discussed a few tweaks, and turned that deficit around pretty quickly. That was a big moment for our team - to keep calm and collected and make the adjustments we needed for our team to win.

One of our newer skaters, mild-mannered wild-child Ema Sculator, really took this time out to heart. When we were getting scattered on the track, she would yell "KEEP CALM" in a not-so-calm manner. But it worked!

Will you league be hosting any watch parties during the Playoffs?

Oh yeah. These happen every year. It's usually pretty casual, but sometimes we'll project games onto a large screen outside and do a barbecue/party. We'll get anywhere from 10-50 people.