Playoffs & Championships

by Deadwards
via Derby Central

For some teams, qualifying for Playoffs is the ultimate goal and, for those wanting to go further, a good bracket position is key on their journey to the Hydra. Ten teams get sent to Playoffs, but some have a harder route to 1st place than others. Team United (or Des Moines United as their Facebook page now says) is not only headed to their first WFTDA Playoffs, but they are doing so as a 6 seed, putting them in a good position to possibly make it out in the top three.

Based out of Iowa, Des Moines is up against the #3 seed at the 2015 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Tucson, Arch Rival Roller Girls, and despite a WFTDA ranked #22 team playing a #11 team, the teams have history that proves this could be a close match up. Typically the 4 and 5 tournament seeds make for one of the more competitive games of the weekend, but this one could rival that.

Seeds 1 - 6 have three games en route to 1st place, and have to win their first one for any chance to make it out of Playoffs in the top 3, which is the cutoff for teams who get invites to Championships. Teams that are in the 3 - 6 position don’t have to face either of the top 2 seeds until later, giving them an easier path to move forward than the 7 - 10 seeds. With Victoria and Bay Area in the Tucson bracket, Des Moines has a hard road ahead of them, but start with Arch Rival -- no doubt a tough, undefeated team this season, but may not necessarily knock them out right away.

Team United (Photo by Danforth Johnson)

The two played each other at the beginning of May, with Arch Rival taking the win by 38 points, 180-142. ARRG was ranked #20 at the time, and the unranked Des Moines team struggled a bit to get started, with a 71-9 deficit a quarter way into the bout. They proved however, as they have against others like Rocky Mountain, that they’re never completely out when they’re down, and kept Arch Rival on their toes.

What seems to hold Des Moines back right now though, is their high penalty counts. Over the weekend, United went down to St. Louis again, but this time to play a hangover bout against #21 Detroit on Sunday. Des Moines’ scoring against Detroit had it’s highs and lows, likely dictated by the 62 penalties they reportedly accrued, and finished just 43 points short while the day before ARRG beat Detroit by 48 points. When United played Arch Rival in May, it seems like penalties played into the outcome then as well.

In the three months since that game, each team has beefed up their jammer rotation with an experienced transfer skater. At the time of the May game, Harmony Killerbruise, from the Minnesota Rollergirls, was already part of ARRG, but competed on the the Saint Lunachix (their B-team) before her debut on the charter team at Spring Roll. In June, Kayci Gallion moved to Des Moines from the Brewcity Bruisers, and was the one to score the first points against Detroit on Sunday. Both teams have a variety of skaters who can take the star, but who also make deft blockers, which will make for an exciting rematch in Tucson.

Arch Rival vs Angel City at 2014 Playoffs (Photo by Donna Olmstead)

Des Moines will either catch opponents by surprise this fall as a new team on the playoff scene, or their lack of tournament experience will make for a tough weekend. Attending WFTDA playoffs since 2009 has helped Arch build up the skill and knowledge to dominate this season. They currently have a 12-0 record in sanctioned play (13-0 overall) with four of their wins being by over 300 points. Their closest competitors this year were Minnesota at BrewHaHa and Des Moines United.

Arch Rival has entered as the #3 seed before, but was knocked into the consolation bracket first thing by Ohio in 2013 and they ended up placing 6th, as they have in four out of their six trips to playoffs. Taking Des Moines in their first game in September will automatically help them finish with their highest placement ever, making their first round game vital in their success. Before Tucson, they will test their top-10 level gameplay and undefeated record, with a trip to Florida this weekend to take on #9 Jacksonville, as well as #18 Tampa.

Read more coverage of WFTDA tournaments and sanctioned play on Derby Central.