Saint Paul, MN

by Shelly Shankya

The story when Gotham Girls Roller Derby (#1 D1 Omaha, #1) plays isn’t how the team wins - they’ve been undefeated since 2010; the story is how close the other team can get, and in the case of Jacksonville’s New Jax City Rollers (#2 D1 Jacksonville, #8), the story turned out pretty well, especially in the game’s first period. After a narrow defeat of Arch Rival Roller Girls on Friday, the Jacksonville skaters came out swinging against the powerhouse players from New York City, but the Gotham team did what it does best; they won 299-114 to advance to the semifinal game on Saturday night.

Photo by Danny Ngan

Jacksonville was the first to lose a blocker to the box, but it was two track cuts by Gotham jammer Vicious van GoGo in the second and third jams that put jammer Krispy Kreme-Her in a scoring opportunity, and New Jax took firm advantage of it. With blocking support from Shady Godiva, Patti Smithereens, and Georgia Hope, Krispy put up 15 points and took the lead by one point over Gotham. Not to be outdone, however, Gotham’s Bonnie Thunders skated up to the start line in the fourth jam and answered back, with the support of her blockers Sexy Slaydie, Roxy Dallas and Caf Fiend, putting up 14 points and pulling the spread to 31-19. Gotham then went on a 42-0 scoring run that made the gap even larger.

Erin Jackson of Jacksonville sliced from the inside to the outside of the pack, juking through Gotham’s pack while Miss Tea Maven got stuck behind the Jacksonville blockers Legs R Us and Shady. Not only did Jackson gain lead, but she scored 13 points, followed by a 14-point win for her teammate Jamsterella two jams later. The gap at the close of jam 10 was a mere 13 points, and the crowd at the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium worked itself into a frenzy as the New Jax City Rollers flew in the face of the Gotham behemoth.

The fantasy of an upset was not long lasting, though, as Gotham responded with 33 points and Jamsterella spent penalty time in the box for a track cut. Prior to Jacksonville’s jammer penalty, Krispy Kreme-Her got stuck behind the Gotham blockers Slaydie, OMG WTF, Fast and Luce, and Caf Fiend; in fact, she never made it out of the malay. From that point on, Gotham continued to extend their lead, especially as jammer Miss Tea Maven scored 25 points prior to the period’s final jam. Despite the solid showing from Gotham, Jacksonville continued to push their game plan, and they ended the period with 70 points on the scoreboard to Gotham’s 145.

Photo by Donna Olmstead

The first period was a near lead jam share for the two teams, and the second period was likewise equitable. However, Gotham was able to convert their lead jammer status into more points. Bonnie Thunders put up 22 in the third jam. Then, with Jacksonville’s first of two double-digit jams of the second period, the team managed to overcome any other team’s score during the 2015 sanctioned season, topping Angel City’s 83 points against Gotham at the Division 1 Playoff in Omaha; New Jax City Rollers’ scoreboard read 86 points. Once the team surpassed the record, the jam pace picked up noticeably.

Gotham skated cleanly in the game’s final jams as the jammers from Jacksonville fell to the problem of penalties, spending three of the game’s last six jams in the box. Gotham used the opportunities to continue its scoring spree; the team scored 72 points to Jacksonville’s 9. New Jax City used its official review to contest a non call on the Gotham jammer for blocking with the head, but after a review, the non call stood, and Jacksonville ran out of tricks and time.

Gotham moves on to play the winner of Game 8 between the Victorian Roller Derby League and the Texas Rollergirls in Game 10 on Saturday night at 8:30.

FINAL SCORE

Gotham Girls Roller Derby (Omaha #1) 299
Jacksonville RollerGirls (Jacksonville #2) 114