Vancouver, BC

By Culta Skaro

The 13-hour flight to Vancouver proved worthwhile for Stockholm Roller Derby (#8) of Stockholm, Sweden, for their 2016 playoff debut against the Queen City Roller Girls (#9) of Buffalo, NY, USA. Stockholm took the win in this hard-hitting matchup, 237-142.

By Darci “Ninja” McAfee

Arizona Roller Derby Tent City Terrors from Phoenix, AZ, USA barely made the cut off to eke their way into the WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Vancouver. Ranked #40 internationally, they faced the Sacred City Derby Girls Sacrificers from Sacramento, CA, USA, who sit significantly higher in the rankings at #28 in the opening game of the weekend. The blocking battalions were very evenly matched, and both teams’ highest scoring jammers had key roles in this game and were often matched against each other, showcasing their very different jamming styles. Luz Chaos, a juking, spinning tumbleweed from AZRD was juxtaposed with The 4closer from Sacramento, who prefers to go right into a wall and bulldoze her way through. This game came down to the very last jam with these very same jammers and Sacramento winning by only two points to advance.