Queens Takes Care of the Little Things, Halts the Gridlock 181–126

In a three-game Gotham Girls Roller Derby league home season, there is little room for error. So when every bout counts and every skater can compete on the elite level, the little things are often the difference between victory and defeat. And few teams do those little things better than the Queens of Pain, who kicked off their 2015 campaign in victorious fashion on April 11, topping the Bronx Gridlock 181–126 at John Jay College in Manhattan.

The first little thing: Mesh before the other team does.

The Gridlock entered the bout (and the 2015 season) with seven members of the GGRD All-Stars on their squad, an intimidating notion for any opponent to deal with, but Queens countered with a core of skaters that have been through the wars with each other for years. And when that core seamlessly integrated their new teammates into the Queens’ system, it proved to be one of the bout’s deciding factors.

“It’s been super important for us newbies to mesh with the vets,” says Queens MVP Low Maim, a newcomer to Gotham but a seven-year derby vet. “Everyone—the vets, the newbies, the captains, the managers—have been working toward learning the nuances of how each person operates so we can gel better as a team,” she continues. “We newbies are all transfers and have a combined total of 24 years of derby experience, so that helps, too. It also helps that Queens is a hella supportive, communicative, positive team that strives to get better. It’s a great group to mesh with.”

Queens MVP and Gotham newcomer Low Maim slipstreams behind returning All-Star player Fisher Twice. Photo by David Dyte.

The second little thing: Stay out of the penalty box.

Queens has been no stranger to costly penalty trouble at inopportune times over the years, but on April 11, they logged only 28 minutes in the box, compared with 41 minutes for the Bronx. More notably, their jammers visited the penalty box only twice in the game, while the Gridlock sent their star-helmeted skaters there ten times. And it hurt.

“I think communication issues and delayed offense played a big part,” offers Bronx MVP Massacre Marie when asked about the factors that slowed the Gridlock down in the opener. “With so many new teammates, it was difficult to sync up on the track. Our jammers ended up tired from fighting walls, which led to a lot of penalties. We had a great vibe on the bench, with lots of feedback and positivity; we just seemed to lose that in the excitement of gameplay once we got out there.”.

Bronx jammer Massacre Marie leaves a trail of blockers behind her on her way to winning MVP. Photo by Asa Frye

“The game against Bronx was a tough one, especially since they’re a team of big, tall skaters,” Low Maim adds. “But we’ve been training hard off the track with Muffin Topless’ intense workouts, and we’re being smart on the track by focusing on working together as a team. We’ve also been working on a very clean game and I’m proud of Queens for having fewer trips to the penalty box than the Bronx. I think these all contributed to our win.”

A fast start by the ladies in black didn’t hurt either. How fast? Try 55–0 fast, as Suzy Hotrod, Hyper Lynx, Kitty Roadkill, Low Maim and highly touted newcomer ShortStop blasted out of the gates before the Gridlock could even get warmed up.

Bronx rookie Legs//Cité, returning All-Star Fisher Twice (formerly known as Slambda Phage), Vera To$$ and Marie brought their team back to within striking range, at 67–48 by the 15th jam of the game, but Queens kept pouring it on, skating to the locker room with a 98–65 lead at halftime.

You knew that the Bronx was going to make a run in the second half, and they did, with Marie’s 14–0 jam against Suzy cutting the deficit to 11 points for a score of 106–95, seven jams into period two. That would be as close as the Cabbies would get though, as Queens kicked it into another gear down the stretch, with three double-digit jams by Ms. Hotrod, one of the sport’s perennial superstars, sealing the deal for the ladies in black—who have big plans for the rest of the season.

“We are so stoked [with the win] and working to improve even more,” Maim said. “What’s the forecast for 2015? We’re gonna bring the Pain, of course.”

Although both teams had a mix of veteran and new skaters, the Queens of Pain flew past the Bronx Gridlock on the scoreboard. Photo by Asa Frye.

The Gridlock are keeping a positive outlook as well, knowing that a three-game season can swing in another direction with wins in bouts two and three, and despite an injury suffered by Marie in practice just days after the Queens game, she’s confident that her team will turn things around against Brooklyn on May 9 at John Jay.

“The last few weeks have been better in terms of solidifying skills and strategy,” Marie said. “I'm extremely frustrated to be sidelined with an injury during Bronx's growth spurt, especially because I see such potential for this season. Injury aside, I expect us to grow stronger each bout, and with so much new talent, we're excited to give Brooklyn a run for their anchors.”

BRONX vs. QUEENS STATS

                 1     2     F
Bronx       65  61  126
Queens    98  83  181

Bronx MVP – Massacre Marie
Queens MVP – Low Maim

Leading Bronx Scorers
Fisher Twice – 54 points (16 jams)
Legs//Cité – 43 points (9 jams)
Massacre Marie – 17 points (10 jams)

Leading Bronx Blockers
Swede Hurt – 23 jams (-6)
Fast and Luce – 22 jams (-2)
Caf Fiend – 22 jams (-40)

Leading Queens Scorers
ShortStop – 70 points (15 jams)
Suzy Hotrod – 51 points (11 jams)
Kitty Roadkill – 24 points (3 jams)

Leading Queens Blockers
Puss ‘n Glutes – 25 jams (+17)
Babe Brawlins – 21 jams (+2)
Chopstick Murphy – 18 jams (+49)
Hyper Lynx – 18 jams (+19)

Bronx Penalties
Minutes in Box: 41 Jammer Box Trips: 10

Queens Penalties
Minutes in Box: 28 Jammer Box Trips: 2

Queens and the Bronx Seek to Make New History, not Revisit Past Glories

In the Gotham Girls Roller Derby league, the history between the Queens of Pain and the Bronx Gridlock is well documented, and one evident with just a glance at the banners that will be hanging at John Jay College in Manhattan this coming Saturday:

   10 years of Gotham;
   Four championship titles for Queens;
   Three titles for the Bronx.

In fact, for the first six years of the league’s existence, the only champions wore yellow or black, as the Gridlock and Queens traded the Golden Skate trophy back and forth.

The Bronx and Queens teams have a long history of rivalry in Gotham. Photo by Asa Frye.

Everything changes in sports though, and no dynasties last forever. In more recent years, Manhattan and Brooklyn got into the championship sweepstakes themselves; with title wins in two of the last three seasons, the Mayhem might be starting to build a dynasty of their own.

Yet the old guard has not faded away, content to live on past glories. Queens won the league title in 2013, the only team between the Mayhem and a three-peat. And against all odds, the Gridlock has battled back from retirements, skater turnover and injuries to become a thrill-a-second contender, a team that’s never out of any game.

So as the season opener for both approaches this weekend, it’s not a meeting where the two teams are focusing on the history of this rivalry, but on creating a new standard to build on and take to a championship game, no matter who else is on the track when the whistle blows.

“We look at all of our opponents the same way,” said one of Queens’ newly drafted skaters, Kitty Roadkill. “So it’s not really us against the Bronx, it’s really us playing like it’s for the championship. For us, it’s very important to be a good team, a very clean team and play against the other teams in a way that we can succeed this season. But I am aware of the Bronx and Queens’ rivalry, so hopefully we’ll be able to bring it for Queens.”

One of the Bronx’ newest members, GGRD All-Star and former Mayhem skater Swede Hurt, is also no stranger to the rivalry, having seen it from afar when she was on Manhattan. While she respects Queens and the legacy it has carved out for itself, she’s only looking at the skaters who will be trying to hit her on Saturday.

“I remember when I was still with Rat City, I came out and played Queens with one of my home teams from Seattle, and it was a big thing to play against Suzy Hotrod,” Swede said. “After that, I wound up playing with her on the All-Stars. I think Queens has a lot of legends who have been there for a while, though they had a lot of retirements and had to bring new skaters in. But their team is really solid. They have ShortStop, a fantastic transfer from Australia who played in two World Cups. She’s super strong, super athletic. Their new skaters are really good and they already had a solid team, so it’s going to be exciting to play them.”

That may be the key to the lack of nostalgia around this matchup – that only a select few remain from those early days of the Queens–Bronx rivalry. For Queens, it’s the venerable Suzy Hotrod, Hyper Lynx, Puss ‘n Glutes, and Pippi Strongsocking, while Speed McQueen is the only Bronx skater who helped raise those championship banners. In other words, it’s a new era, but no less intense.

That aforementioned Queens core is as fearsome as it has ever been, and there are more than a few veterans like Babe Brawlins, Allifornication, Celtic Thunder and ChopStick Murphy to help acclimate the team’s newcomers to the order of the black.

“It helps very, very much that we’re not new skaters per se, so we know strategies and Gotham strategies, and now we’re just building the team,” Kitty said. “We’re building Queens and not individual skills at this moment. We’re working on Queens strategies, which are very, very particular, and on team building and working together as skaters.”

And Suzy hasn’t stopped pushing her team in practices that have taken on a mythical air over the years for their intensity.

“For me personally, this is a great, great fit,” Kitty said. “I’m also one of those people that push themselves to the limit, so it’s great for me to be skating with people the caliber of Suzy, Lynx and Puss, and seeing them on the track and pushing it every time.”

The conditioning and cohesiveness of Queens may be their biggest asset come Saturday night, and they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders against a Bronx team that bears a distinctly different look from the one it sported last year. In fact, while last year saw a group of underdogs pull together to battle the juggernauts of the league, this year the Gridlock may very well be that GGRD juggernaut, with a lineup that employs seven All-Stars (the most of any home team in the league), returning jamming phenom Slambda Phage (who is now skating as Fisher Twice), and an imposing front line that includes Swede, returning All-Star Cherry Napalm, and noted knockout artist Davey Blockit.

That’s a lot of star power on one team, but talent alone doesn’t produce winners; teamwork does, and as Swede points out, Bronx is coming along in that area just fine.

“A lot of us are new to the team, so there are many things we have to learn together,” she said. “It’s a lot of communication, a lot of talking, and I’ve become to feel more and more secure in the team. I feel like I can make a difference and be an asset, and we’re helping each other. It’s a team sport, so we all have to work together and that’s fun. I’m finding where I can fit in and where I can be helpful to girls who might not have skated as long as me, or are new to Gotham strategies. It’s always an adjustment time for everyone, but I feel like we’re doing really, really well.

“I think we are building something really strong,” Swede continues. “We’re kind of a nerdy, quiet team. It’s hard to explain, but it feels like we’re starting to get together as a group, and being able to feel like the team trusts me and I trust the team is super important to me.”

So how do you beat a cohesive squad packed with skill and size? Queens has some ideas about that.

“We’re trying to make strategies that will work against that specific team, and when I look at them, they are very big,” Kitty laughs. “You can see that, so we are adjusting our strategies accordingly, and it will definitely be a challenge. But we’re getting ready psychologically and physically – we’re not allowed to eat chocolate before the bout, so we’re taking it very seriously.”

Never discount the chocolate factor.

Written by Michael Gerbasi

Bombshells Hold Off Mayhem 153–148, Get Back to Winning Ways

They didn’t disappoint. Picking up where they left off after last July’s one-point thriller, the Brooklyn Bombshells and Manhattan Mayhem gave fans at John Jay College in New York City another instant classic last Saturday night, with the Bombshells kicking off their 2015 campaign with a 153–148 victory over the defending Gotham Girls Roller Derby league champions – their first win since August of 2013.

“2014 was definitely a struggle for Brooklyn, but we never give up, even at the end of a game we're losing, and we love playing together,” said Brooklyn MVP Hela Skelter. “Beating a really tough Manhattan team is a great way to start the season and we're so thrilled that our hard work has paid off.”

Hard work is the only recipe for success in this storied rivalry, with practically each meeting between the two a war of attrition. This one was no different, but each team went for the knockout early, Manhattan using a 24-point jam from team MVP J-Rod (59 points) to jump out to a 24-5 lead, only to be answered by the game’s leading scorer Miss Tea Maven (90 points), who put 18 points on the board to allow her team to pull within one.

Manhattan jammer J-Rod Maven edges past Brooklyn blocker B'Zerk on her way to becoming her team's MVP for the game. Photo by Manish Gosalia.

The lead would change hands four times in the opening half, but after key Manhattan jammer Bruzin Brody was ejected for a misconduct foul midway through the first half, a 59–59 tie turned into a Brooklyn lead that continued to widen, with the Bombshells eventually taking a 99–78 advantage into the locker room.

Matters went even further south for the Mayhem in the second half, with injuries taking ROCKS! and All-Star skater Bonita Apple Bomb out of the lineup. Yet just when it appeared that Brooklyn was about to run away with the bout, Manhattan began chipping away at the Bombshells’ 130–97 lead, with a 19–0 jam from newcomer Rainbow Might putting a huge dent in Manhattan’s deficit.

“Having Brody get ejected and Bonita and ROCKS! out for the count gave us the opportunity to rally together and match Brooklyn's intensity, threatening their lead all while missing key players,” J-Rod said.

Now with Violet Knockout laying out the hits and Roxy Dallas quarterbacking from the pivot spot, the Mayhem went on a 13–2 run over the next three jams, making it 134–129 for Brooklyn. Six jams later, Manhattan veteran Em Dash raced through the Bombshell pack for 14 points, and just like that, the Mayhem had regained the lead, 148–137.

The miraculous comeback held for a while, but Hela, in her first game since a short-lived one-year retirement, blasted back as the seconds ticked away, with a 10–0 jam giving Brooklyn the lead that they never relinquished.

“The key to our victory was staying calm and collected and trusting each other on the track,” Hela said. “And our captains and managers were very smart about making adjustments to capitalize on what was working for us.”

Bombshell jammer and team MVP Hela Skelter returned from retirement to help lead Brooklyn to victory. Photo by Sean Hale.

In a short home season, every win counts, and though it’s only March, the Bombshells aren’t sitting back and celebrating. It’s on to the next one.

“We're already thinking ahead to our next game,” Hela said. “I'm confident that this is Brooklyn's year. We've got an incredible combination of experience, fresh skaters, and deep talent, and we just have so much fun playing together and being around each other. I have a really good feeling about this season. And now that we have a taste of victory again, nothing's going to stop the Bombshells.”

Except maybe Manhattan, a team undiscouraged by the rough start to their season.

“We knew going into this game that it would be a crowd pleaser,” J-Rod said. “Brooklyn is stronger than last year and we were ready to take on a worthy opponent. The season just started though, and Mayhem is ready to take another championship.”

BROOKLYN vs. MANHATTAN STATS

                 1    2    F
Brooklyn    99 54 153
Manhattan  78 70 148

Brooklyn MVP – Hela Skelter
Manhattan MVP – J-Rod

Leading Brooklyn Scorers:
Miss Tea Maven – 90 points (21 jams)
Hela Skelter – 34 points (8 jams)
Squid Vicious – 29 points (11 jams)

Leading Brooklyn Blockers:
Sexy Slaydie – 31 jams (+71)
ShadowboxHER – 22 jams (+1)
Lady Fingers – 21 jams (+2)

Leading Manhattan Scorers:
J-Rod – 59 points (15 jams)
Em Dash – 39 points (9 jams)
Cork Rebel – 24 points (11 jams)

Leading Manhattan Blockers:
Roxy Dallas – 33 jams (-9)
Violet Knockout – 30 jams (-27)
Sunshine Skate – 22 jams (+12)

Brooklyn Penalties:
Minutes in Box: 34
Jammer Box Trips: 6

Manhattan Penalties:
Minutes in Box: 37
Jammer Box Trips: 10

Written by: Thomas Gerbasi

Gotham’s Greatest Rivals Meet in Home Opener on Saturday

With the Gotham Girls Roller Derby league kicking off its second decade this Saturday at John Jay College in Manhattan, you would assume that it’s imperative to get things off to a memorable start.

Well, the Manhattan Mayhem and Brooklyn Bombshells have a history of doing just that.

“These are the two perfect teams to be playing against each other in the season opener,” Brooklyn veteran Raggedy Animal said. “It could not have been better picked.”

“Both teams have this very strong bond, very strong identities and a commitment to each other that shows on the track,” Manhattan’s Roxy Dallas adds. “Brooklyn is happy to be around each other; Manhattan, we’re happy to be around each other. And when you’re feeling that support and are thrilled to be doing this thing together, it elevates everybody. On top of that, there’s so much talent on these two squads. It’s always such a physical game and the intensity is so high.”

Physical. Intense. Evenly matched. Sounds like a recipe for an epic opener, but that’s no surprise when these two squads get together. The last two bouts between the Mayhem and the Bombshells have been decided by a combined eight points, and with rare exception, the result of each bout hasn’t been determined until deep into the game. So what’s the secret?

“We bring out the best in each other, but why us?” Animal asks. “I don’t have an answer. (laughs) But I know that they’re brutal, hard, down-to-the-wire games.”

It may just be that given the close bonds among the two veteran squads, the idea of letting down your teammates is unfathomable. That kind of closeness doesn’t come overnight, but as far as the Mayhem is concerned, it goes back to a conscious decision to not necessarily draft strictly for talent, but for something more important.

“I talked to some of the people that have been with the team for years and they said that when they [Manhattan] were in the perpetual rebuilding years, where Manhattan was taking on five, six, seven new skaters in every season and finding it hard to get any continuity going, that they stopped picking just for skill and they started picking for personality and for character, and building the team as a culture,” Roxy said. “Obviously that’s not going to win you games immediately, but it really paid dividends for us in the long run.”

That “long run” has produced league titles in 2012 and 2014, and talk that Manhattan may just be the next great GGRD dynasty, following the Bronx Gridlock and Queens of Pain teams that dominated the early years of the league.

“We are very interested in dynasties in Gotham,” Roxy laughs. “Our All-Stars set the tone, and when you look back at those championship banners, there’s a lot of yellow and a lot of black and there’s a very little bit of blue and orange, and we would love to see more orange up on those banners.”

Mayhem orange tore through the league in 2014, but en route to an unbeaten season and another title, they were pushed to the limit by Brooklyn, who lost to Manhattan 170–169 in a July classic. So while some skaters don’t prefer to get the first bout of the season, the Bombshells are just fine with it.

“We want it,” Animal said. “We want the first game. I love that our last game was against them and our first game is against them. It doesn’t feel like we’re at a disadvantage. It’s the right thing for us.”

That confidence is well-placed, considering that Brooklyn returns to the track with a seasoned roster bolstered by the return of former skaters Hela Skelter (also back on this year’s All-Stars) and B-Zerk.

“Even though Hela and B-Zerk weren’t technically on the track last year, they were a huge presence for the team,” Animal said. “B-Zerk was at Sunday practice on her due date. She was with us and just checked out to have a baby real quick. (laughs) So she never really left and she contributed a lot during her pregnancy. Hela was managing us, so even though they weren’t on the track, they were a huge presence on the team and contributed a lot.”

Owners of a 0–3 slate in 2014, Brooklyn’s record was deceiving and they know it. More importantly, the Mayhem know it as well, and they’re not taking anything for granted, especially since they went life-and-death with the Bombshells last year. But Mayhem are skating with a trio of All-Stars (Roxy, Bonita Apple Bomb and Violet Knockout) as well as a philosophy that any skater can fill any role.

“We put a huge emphasis on training and a huge emphasis on what we call ‘Everybody Jams,’” says Roxy. “Nobody on our team is not a jammer. We have our starting jammers, our core jammers whom we truly rely upon to score points, but everybody is working to be a triple threat. Everybody is working to fill in whatever role they need to. We don’t have a really high high-end and a very low low-end. Everybody really pulls their weight.”

Animal agrees in reference to her Bombshells.

“When I sit down in a lineup, it doesn’t matter who is in my lineup with me. I feel completely confident with anyone I’m in with. I also know their strengths and they know my strengths and my weaknesses and we implicitly trust each other. There’s not a weak link there.”

You could call Manhattan and Brooklyn mirror images of each other, making it clear why their rivalry is one for the GGRD history books. But at the moment, it isn’t about history; it’s about getting the win. On Saturday, nothing else matters.

Written by: Thomas Gerbasi

Gotham Girls at the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup

Starting today and running through Sunday, Dallas, Texas hosts the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup. With 30 nations represented, this second such tournament proves that derby has indeed become an international phenomenon. And the Gotham Girls Roller Derby league is well represented this week, with Arson Tina (Argentina), Pippi Strongsocking and Cork Rebel (Ireland), Swede Hurt (Sweden), and OMG WTF, Donna Matrix, Fisti Cuffs, Bonnie Thunders, Suzy Hotrod, Mick Swagger and Sexy Slaydie (USA) all taking to the track for their respective nations. Read on for the thoughts of Team USA’s Suzy Hotrod on this historic event.

★★★

In 2011, the first Roller Derby World Cup could best be described as a step in the right direction in terms of globalizing the sport, but as far as the action on the track, it was Team USA’s show from start to finish. This week, the second World Cup takes place in Dallas, Texas, and while the gals in the stars and stripes will be heavily favored to repeat as world champions, one of the team’s veteran standouts, Gotham’s own Suzy Hotrod, believes that the tournament won’t necessarily be as one-sided as it was the first time.

“Now that it (the World Cup) is more established, there’s definitely more of a competitive nature to it, whereas I feel like the first one had a really landmark warmth to it and more of a celebration of togetherness,” she said. “It still does, but there’s so many more people competing in it, and there’s been a really present amount of information telling us that the other teams are working really hard. I think in the first World Cup I think they kind of threw together whoever could get on a plane, and this time, I think all the other countries had tryouts and had multiple occasions throughout the year where they’ve practiced together, and it may be at the point where the other teams are more cohesive, and that’s kind of cool. It’s game on.”

Growing from 13 to 30 countries, this year’s edition of the World Cup promises to show how far the sport has grown, not just from the flat track revival in the early part of the millennium, but from 2011 to 2014. Three years can be a lifetime in derby years, and as skaters like those on Team USA and from Gotham and other leagues have gone abroad to spread the derby gospel, other countries have not just embraced the sport, but they’re getting pretty damn good at it. Competing in this year’s WFTDA playoffs were teams from England, Canada, Australia and Germany, and with several America-based players joining their native countries on the track, the national teams competing in the World Cup starting Thursday will likely perform on a higher level than three years ago.

“I’m pretty excited to watch the other countries play each other, because there are a lot of teams I’m really unfamiliar with, and there’s always up and coming stars on each of those teams, and it’s really cool,” Suzy said.

And experience isn’t just the key for these teams’ improvement, though that certainly helps. What has been an important element of these squads getting better is that they’ve had more track time together, and not just over the last three years, but in the lead-up to the tournament. It’s a luxury Team USA hasn’t necessarily had.

“It’s definitely a challenge, but I do think the chemistry on this team is pretty good,” Suzy said. “It feels more comfortable and familiar. A lot of us did play on the first team, and with Team USA, we actually know each other pretty well, either from going around and coaching or playing in the WFTDA tournaments. So there’s a good chemistry. We might not have track time under our belts together, but we do know each other pretty well, and there is a bit of auto-pilot and instinct that does definitely help. So the answer is, track time is what’s going to make a team really great, but I think that the experience of the individual players lends itself to making it work when we get together.”

In a pool with newcomers Puerto Rico and The Netherlands, Team USA (which sports Gotham skaters Suzy, Bonnie Thunders, Mick Swagger, Fisti Cuffs, Sexy Slaydie, OMG WTF, and Donna Matrix) is expected to make it unscathed into the elimination round, where the real fun begins on Saturday, and Suzy and company are keeping their eye on several hungry contenders for the crown.

“We always keep our eye on Canada and England, Sweden’s no slouch either, and it’s really tough to say (who the top threats are) because I haven’t seen a lot of the European teams and I think we’re going to get a lot of good play out of Europe,” she said. “I’m excited to see some of the up and coming nations as well. Everybody’s been working hard, and I keep half an eye open on social media and there have been a few teams that have been really, really active in promoting and talking about it, so I think there will be people that are going to surprise us. There are people that are excited that this is their first time there, and the competitive aspect is much higher than the first event. Everything’s going to be bigger.”

Who would have thought that would have been the case back when Suzy first laced up her skates for the Gotham Girls in 2004? Not her.

“Even at the first World Cup I was amazed,” she said. “Everything has changed. The sport has changed and luckily I changed with it and that’s why I’m still here, but when I started, I matched it tit for tat. It was like scrappy drinkers club and it was kind of cool. (Laughs) I liked it like that and I’m still really good friends with the people who started it, but at the same time it’s totally insane what it turned into. I remember going to practices that were out on concrete in Chinatown with Modell’s skates that were 30 bucks, and I was like ‘oh, this is nothing, I’m just doing it because it’s a good way to exercise.’ I really didn’t ever think it was going to be anything big, but I’m glad I stuck around for it. It’s unbelievable how big it is.”