Jacksonville, FL

By Anita Riot

Atlanta Rollergirls (#13) took on the top-seeded contenders London Rollergirls (#4) in the first semifinal game of the 2015 WFTDA International Division 1 Playoffs in Jacksonville, competing to claim the first spot in the Championships bracket. These two former East Region teams last played each other in 2013, with the team from Georgia taking a close win, 184-169.

Photo by Ryan Quick

“Both teams have different skaters--plus London has come a long way since then,” London Brawling blocker Gaz said.

The Dirty South team gave the powerhouses from over the pond a fright with an early lead at the start. Olivia Coupe was the sole London skater on the track in the first jam after a roundhouse of penalties incurred by her teammates, including a track cut penalty by jammer Stef Mainey. This allowed Atlanta’s Slams McKenzie to double her points on Mainey in the first two minutes, 14-7. The second jam saw Trouble MakeHer grabbing lead jammer status and a 5-0 jam for Atlanta as London’s Lexi Lightspeed was stuck on her initial pass for a full 60 seconds, putting the score at 19-7 in Atlanta’s favor.

Following this stumble, Brawling’s blockers collected their bearings and assembled a triangle formation to lock in on the jammers in blue. An incredible 14-0 score by quick-footed Lexi Lightspeed in Jam 4 tipped the score to 24-19. London used their strength in threes to kill any additional penalty time their jammers did receive. Paired with offense that befuddled their opponents time and again, London took charge for the remainder of the game. Atlanta was not without effective defense, however, built with heavy hitters Switchblade Siouxsie and Wild Cherri as ballasts, dealing breath-taking body checks.

Photo by Louis Keiner

In 30 minutes of gameplay, London had fought tooth and nail for all 144 points they had over Atlanta’s 33. Halftime adjustments by Atlanta gave them some headway on the score, as their blockers stuck to London jammers and allowed their own to gain some ground. Frequent jammer infractions kept the penalty seats warm--with Stephanie Mainey incurring four in just three jams. Luckily for her, her team’s defense kept Atlanta from capitalizing on the opportunity--only giving up 8 points and securing the score at 191-58 with 14 minutes left on the clock.

“Typically, teams down at the half come back swinging. Our strategy is always to play what we know, no matter what the other team has planned.” said Gaz.

After a fiery jam with star passes for both teams, there was a pause in gameplay to clean blood off the track, though the source of the biohazard was not evident. The last 3 jams ensued, with hook offense from Baller Shot Caller helping her jammers eke out 8 more points for a 221-88 score. With 16 seconds remaining at the start of the last jam, London jammer Rogue Runner grabbed lead and shut out Atlanta’s last chances to score by calling the jam as soon as the period clock hit zero.

London Brawling’s second win of the weekend guarantees them a trip to 2015 International WFTDA Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as one more game to fight for 1st place in their bracket at 6 pm EDT Sunday. Atlanta will have one more chance to stake their claim on Championships as they play for 3rd PLace at 4 pm EDT Sunday.

FINAL SCORE

London Rollergirls (#4) 221
Atlanta Rollergirls (#13) 88