Dallas, TX

by Vile Love It

The 7 Seed Sun State Roller Girls (#28) was the first team to earn a second Friday game at the 2015 International WFTDA D1 Playoffs in Dallas. After a solid win over the 10 Seed Rideau Valley Roller Girls (#41) (196-118), the team from Browns Plains, Australia took on the 2 Seed Texas Rollergirls (#7) in a game where the play on the track and the numbers of the scoreboard often seemed at odds.

Photo by Danny Ngan

Teams that win their first game of the Playoffs move on and play the #1 Seed or #2 Seed and frequently lose in a rather lopsided game. But right from the first, Sun State gave Texas the Texas defense and were able to stymie their jammers. They weren’t able to hold them for long, particularly when they were short blockers, but when Sun State had three or four blockers, they made Texas’ jammers earn almost every point they scored.

Texas had a busy season and hit up the Golden Bowl and Pac Destruction tournaments playing the likes of London Rollergirls, Rose City Rollers and Victorian Roller Derby League. Sun State, on the other hand, isn’t able to get across the ocean much to play other WFTDA leagues, though they were able to make a trip to Texas in December 2014 to get in their first three sanctioned games against Assassination City Roller Derby, Houston Roller Derby, and Alamo City Rollergirls. They also played fellow Aussies, Paradise City Roller Derby in June and July.

What Sun State apparently also did was study a lot of Texas footage.

In the first jam of the game, Sun State’s Jambi slipped by the Texas defense and caught lead jammer. The first jam ended 0-3 in Sun State’s favor. It was their only lead of the game.

Unfortunately, in the next jam of the game, three of Sun State’s blockers headed to the box and Texas took full advantage.

During the first period, Jambi consistently won lead jammer when she wore the star. Her success rate waned in the second period, but she was Sun State’s most effective jammer, scoring 61 points throughout the game.

Photo by Jennifer Ramos

Penalties cost Sun State quite a bit of leverage in the game. They gave up 12 power jams, although a couple of them were shortened by a Texas jammer penalty. Texas cut that number in half and only gave up 6 power jams. Texas was much more successful on their power jams. Sun State held Texas jammers often and well, with Texas style cycling walls. Bloody Mary, Olivia Shootin John and Fifi Nomenon had to power through those Sun State walls. But overall, Texas was just better at it.

They were more practiced at the quick transition from defense to offense and back again. They had better track awareness, and better communication between jammer and blockers. Texas just had the edge that Sun State was working towards.

With 10 minutes left in the first period it seemed that Sun State was wearing down; that second-game-exhaustion was creeping into their game play. But then they seemed to catch their fifth (or sixth) wind of the day and powered back from a 111-42 deficit to a halftime score of 165-76.

Texas might have seemed slightly tentative in the first half, but that’s only if you compare it to the second half. In the first jam of the second period, Olivia Shootin John grabbed 23 points while her blockers held onto Trauma Junkie for the entire jam. It was a portend of things to come.

As the clock ticked down, and Texas racked up the points, Sun State’s mental strength matched Texas’. And it seemed that Sun State were having more fun. They celebrated the jam victories, even when they were held scoreless.

In one jam, towards the end of the game, Fifi Nomenon got through first for lead but Jambi was right behind her. As they came around on their scoring pass, the Sun State blockers knocked Fifi out and before she was able to call it off, Jambi scooted through easily on the inside. There were high fives and smiles all around on the Sun State bench.

In the end, Texas prevailed with their well-practiced defense and coordinated, lightening quick offense while Sun State remained steadfast in effort with frequent moments of those same qualities.

FINAL SCORE

Texas Rollergirls (#2) 349
Sun State Roller Girls (#7) 111