Saint Paul, MN

by The Oxford Commakaze

When the Bay Area Derby Girls of Oakland, Calif., played Denver Roller Derby of Denver, Colo., at the Hometown Throwdown in June, Denver eked out a 24-point win. But when it counted the most, the California team pulled off a 179-148 win at the 2015 International WFTDA Championships. The Bay Area Derby Girls move on to play the Rose City Rollers on Saturday at 12 p.m.

Photo by Ryan Quick

Fast hit-and-quit jams at the start kept the score low and the game tight, taking more than 12 minutes into the game for either team to post more than 5 points in a jam. Denver ran out first for a speedy 4-0 jam as Denver jammer Wilhelm dropped low to the out to dodge Bay Area’s blockers, and added to its lead two jams later as jammer Dezellem ducked under outstretched arms from both teams. Bay Area got on the board in the next jam as Huck Sinn shoved up the middle for lead and a 5-0 jam, which triggered a Bay Area scoring run, as it held Denver scoreless for five jams to rack up a 23-12 lead just over 10 minutes into the game, including the game’s first and only lead change.

But Denver was not content to allow Bay Area to get too comfortable, cutting the California team’s lead to single digits again as Denver jammer Bucsek jumped on a power jam opportunity, although Bay Area jammer Huck Sinn cut that opportunity short with an immediate one-footed initial pass as she re-entered from the box. Revolving power jams in the next jam put points up for both teams, but Denver came out the winner of the jam. With the score back in a single-digit split, Bay Area needed to counter Denver’s momentum fast — which it did, pulling 31 points to Denver’s 2 in the next four jams, thanks to impenetrable walls anchored by Dolly Rocket and Skatelyn.

Despite Bay Area’s four-jam dominance, the gap remained less than 40 points, and Denver surged to mount a small comeback in the last minutes of the half, inching the score up while taking advantage of Bay Area’s blocker-depleted packs. A 9-point jam for Sharpless brought the game within 20 points as Bay Area jammer Frightmare was left with Denver’s Akers to contend with at the back of the pack, but four straight lead jam calls in a row and three multiple-pass jams widened the gap to a sizeable 88-47 at the end of the first half.

Thanks to a smart call-off by Bay Area jammer Skrappie at the end of the first half, Bay Area started the second half on a power jam — but Denver jammer Wilhelm emerged from the penalty box refreshed and eager to put her team back on the board. Wihelm jumped out for lead jammer and posted 4 points before Skrappie could push past Denver blocker Salvador to complete her initial pass and force a call-off. It was Denver’s turn to hold Bay Area to just 2 points in five jams, overcoming jammer-killing defense by Brawllen Angel and Murderyn Monroe to bring the game to 90-69. Bay Area managed to get back on the board with four points as jammer Fluezy struggled to break past Denver blockers Lester and Akers in the chaotic jam that followed, but Denver won the jam with a 20-point monster jam for Wilhelm, the biggest in the game until the last two minutes, bringing the game back within single digits for the first time in 18 jams.

Photo by Donna Olmstead

A 4-2 pack advantage for Bay Area at the start of the next jam paid off as its defensive core could spare blocker Demanda Riot to play offense for jammer Lulu Lockjaw, who posted a 5-point jam to reset the scoring back in Bay Area’s favor, immediately followed by a smooth hit-and-quit jam by Frightmare for another 4 points that pushed Bay Area past the century mark. Both teams earned points in a chaotic jam with multiple power jams, but Bay Area again won the jam 10-4 overall, slowly padding its lead with just a quarter of the game remaining. Denver brought the score back to a single-digit differential by capitalizing on a power jam with only two blockers on the track for each team, making quick work for Denver’s Dezellem to string out opposing blockers for easy points, but two multi-pass jams for Bay Area’s Lulu Lockjaw and Frightmare widened the gap again just as quickly.

With both teams clawing for the win and a 23-point differential, the scoreboard stayed at 133-110 for three jams as the minutes ticked down and both teams’ jammers chased each other out of the pack hot on each others’ heels, forcing multiple scoreless jams and trading low-scoring hit-and-quit jams afterwards. Hoping to force one last momentum shift, Denver started burning up its team timeouts and official reviews, using three in a row to try to regain its footing. Unfortunately for Denver, Bay Area benefitted even more from those brief rests, trading points with Denver while eating up the clock and ultimately outscoring Denver by 17 points on the jam thanks to Skrappie’s fast footwork, bringing the score to 171-126 with just 43 seconds remaining on the game clock. After grabbing lead jam for Denver and trading points with Bay Area, Denver’s Wilhelm managed to bust through the pack while her blockers contained Bay Area’s Frightmare for a 22-8 final jam in Denver’s favor, but Bay Area’s work earlier in the period paid off with a point cushion Denver couldn’t catch for a final score of 179-148.

FINAL SCORE

Bay Area Derby Girls (Tucson #2) 179
Denver Roller Derby (Jacksonville #3) 148