Playoffs & Championships

By Vile Love It

The International WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs always bring close games, excitement and surprises and this year’s promise to offer up more of the same.

The month of June brought a lot of movement within the 20 D2 Playoffs spots. Some teams are hovering on the edge of making the cut and many of those are just too close to call. And just like in Division 1, there are so many talented teams that are jostling within the pack to earn that Playoff invitation. Here are a few highlights from last month’s play.

Ranked #52 at the end of May, Demolition City Roller Derby lost to the higher-ranked Ohio Roller Girls in June by only 31 points, but the loss still earned them 367.77 in ranking points. They also lost to Steel City Roller Derby and collected 321.42 in ranking points. Taking on tough D1 opponents likely solidified their D2 Playoffs invite and might have given them a nudge into a higher seed.

Crime City Rollers had been ranked at #78 at the end of May, which might have seemed far out of D2 Playoffs. However, the team from Malmo, Sweden, headed to Gold Coast Derby Grrls country for the Beach Brawl tournament and their games against the Charlottesville Derby Dames, North Star Roller Girls and Charlotte Roller Girls earned them a tournament average of 421.86 ranking points, which will propel them upward and likely earn them a Playoffs invitation.

The Auld Reekie Roller Girls also could be join the growing crop of European teams competing in the WFTDA Playoffs. Ranked #62 on May 31, they earned 333.21 ranking points in their loss against Glasgow Roller Derby in the month of June. They are right on the edge of D2 and could tip into a Playoffs spot, especially if any higher-ranked teams decline invitations this year.

DC Rollergirls vs Bear City Roller Derby at 2014 D2 Playoffs
(Photo by James Calder)

Bear City Roller Derby, who finished in Third Place in Division 2 in 2014, sits on the edge of D2 along with Auld Reekie. They were ranked #59 at the end of the May. They had a loss against Stockholm Roller Derby but still gathered 280.58 ranking points, and then won over Tiger Bay Brawlers at the end of June for 321.19 ranking points. With those scores not likely to propel them up or down much, we will have to wait and see if the other teams have knocked them in or out of a Playoffs berth.

The DC Rollergirls, one of the top seeds going into the 2014 D2 Playoffs, were hoping for more ranking points when they played Providence Roller Derby and Ithaca League of Women Rollers at the East Coast Derby Extravaganza. They were ranked #80 at the end of May, with the two games earning them 193.30 and 245.13 game points, respectively. On top of a season of similar results, DC might fall short of qualifying for the WFTDA Playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Naptown Roller Girls, a longtime D1 stalwart, slipped into D2 this season and were ranked #49 at the end of May. June saw them line up against Toronto Roller Derby and the close game (albeit a loss) earned them 380.35 ranking points. It’s unlikely to be enough to propel them back into D1, but should give them a higher seeding at one of the D2 Playoffs.

Santa Cruz Derby Girls at 2014 D1 Playoffs
(Photo by David Costa)

Santa Cruz Derby Girls (#46) had a good showing at the Midwest Brewhaha tournament with a close win over Houston Roller Derby, and two wins over Steel City Roller Derby and Mad Rollin’ Dolls. They earned an average of 409.76 ranking points for the tournament. However, with the London Rollergirls in town for Pac Destruction 2015, Santa Cruz bravely lined up against them with difficult results. London clobbered them on the track (317-26) resulting in Santa Cruz earning 90.02 ranking points for that game. While they’re a team on the rise, the London game could potentially hold them in D2.

The Sacred City Derby Girls hosted their tournament June Boom last month and had a commanding win over Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls. For their efforts in that game they earned 508.46 in ranking points. They also won against Tucson Roller Derby and collected 300.99 ranking points. They were ranked #53 as of May 31 and their two June games could propel them into a high seed position for a D2 tournament.

The Oklahoma Victory Dolls have been flirting with the edge of D2. May 31 saw them ranked 57 (dropping from 46 at the end of April). During the month of June they won against Northwest Arkansas Roller Derby for 272.72 ranking points and St. Chux Derby Chix for 379.40 ranking points. Depending on how surrounding teams shake out it looks as if they have a good chance that they will make it into one of the D2 Playoffs.

St. Chux was ranked #47 at the end of May and the loss to Oklahoma gave them 269.52 ranking points, which could drop them in seeding but is probably not going to drop them out of the D2 Playoffs altogether.

No Coast Derby Girls at 2014 D1 Playoffs
(Photo by Donna Olmstead)

The Charlottesville Derby Dames had a solid showing at Beach Brawl with games against North Star, Charlotte and Crime City gaining 400.40, 310.63, and 171.15 ranking points, respectively, for a tournament average of 294.06. They headed into the tournament ranked 50. With that performance, they could see a good boost in the rankings and hit a high D2 seed or, potentially, slip into a D1 Playoffs spot.

No Coast Derby Girls is another one of those teams that might land in a top seed position in D2 or earn a lower seed at a D1 Playoff. They played Team United Women’s Roller Derby and the loss earned them 367.03 ranking points. They also won against Boulder County Bombers for 473.43 ranking points. They started June ranked #41 and could see an invitation for September instead of August.

Next week, we find out for sure where everyone lands, as June rankings and tournament seeding are finalized and released!