The First of the Finest: MIR-CRRG Helldorados Part Two

An obvious question to ask is what happened to the Helldorados?

As mentioned before on this blog, the first meeting of these two teams on June 12 resulted in a 129-126 MIR victory. Yet on Saturday night, the Helldorados did not look like the same team. Why? I have a thought on this. Since I am merely a fan and not aderby player I encourage you to take this thought with as much salt as your diet allows. Nevertheless here it is:

Let's rewind to the June 12 bout. A Few Screws Lucy informed me that with the last jam on the line, a mix up occurred which resulted in the crew who was just out for the previous jam going back out on the floor, including an exhausted Sin D Whop Her as jammer. MIR's Mizz LolliPopYa took full advantage, posted a four point jam hoisting MIR to victory.

Now fast forward to Saturday night. The first jam of the match pitted Mizz LolliPopYa against Helldorado Ali AssassinatHer. As we know, MizzLolliPopYa racked a 20 point jam but many of those points were racked up after Ali AssassinatHer was penalized for one minute.
Then came the third jam, cTAL faTAL vs. CRRG's Sin D Whop Her. cTAL faTAL scored 30 points on this jam, as mentioned above. But during the same jam Sin D Whop Her was penalized, gradually others Hellodorados were penalized until G.!. Jane was the only blocker against cTAL faTAL and a swarm of MIR blockers.

With these examples in mind, I submit to you that the major problem facing the Helldorados is that they don't seem to have the ability to maintain grace under pressure or in the face of crisis. Do the have the talent? Absolutely. Jammer AJ Renegade had a great evening contributing 31 points. Although G.!. Jean did not seem as dominate as she did in the June 12 match, she still brought in 24 points in 11 jams. They have great blockers in Krash Sanders, A Few Screws Lucy, Malicious B and others.

The pieces are there. The talent is there. But it seems like teamwork and cohesion goes out the window in pressure situations and when things go horribly awry. The Helldorados were always trying to do everything to snap out of the funk that descended upon the team after the first three jams. But connections were not being made. If the Helldorados wish to become one of the elite teams in the state, something that is very much within their reach, then they must develop grace and cool under pressure. I believe they can do this. The question is whether they will or not.

CRRG did show signs of life after halftime. Coming out of the locker room down 103-45, CRRG sent Ali AssassinatHer to the jammer line. She quickly responded with a 17 point jam cutting MIR's lead to 106-62 with 27:44 left in the half. G.!. Jean added four points in the next, was penalized and then broke away for a 13 point Jam. Now it was 113-79 with 22:31 to go.

Then blockers Krash Sanders and Mel B. Freak-E were penalized. Mizz LolliPopYa knocked in a grand slam expanding the lead Mid Iowa Rollers lead to 118-79. The lesson here, combined with the early jams, is that if you give a great team like MIR an inch, they will take a mile. If you give them a mile, you just lost your bout.

The rally was over after that. Aside from a 15 point jam by MIR's cTAL faTAL with 5:21 to go in the match, the Rollers were content to resort to a "hit it and quit it" mentality, sending a jammer out, getting four or five points and then calling off jams. The Helldorados seemed like they were skating in a fog. Blockers were not looking after jammers. No sense of teamwork. The effort seemed to be there, but it had no focus nor anything to play off of.

With no time remaining on the clock and yet a jam still going on, MIR's Wonton Hammer, serving as jammer, called it off. When she placed her hands on her hips it felt like the final stroke of a pen on the last chapter of a book. It was over. A pile of humanity emerged in the second turn of the oval. A Mid Iowa Roller mountain has been a common sight after their heart stopping victories. But while those were sighs of relief and expressions of exhilaration, this one was about joy and accomplishment.

Perfection had been reached. MIR started their season with no losses and, after hours of practice, countless miles skated, untold amounts of sweat and unknown sacrifices made, they ended the same way.

And now they exit the stage with their mission accomplished. A lengthy off season awaits before a mixer MIR will partake of in February. Many question will be asked in the coming interval. Who will hang up their skates? Who will come aboard? Can they do it again? And so on...

Yet for now, in this time and place, the 2010 Mid Iowa Rollers have the distinction of being the greatest roller derby team that the Hawkeye state has ever produced. There is no doubt and no dispute.

And when the time comes, and it will come, when a team comes along and hangs a perfect season of their own, comparisons will be made among the derby faithful over which team is better. Yet even then, this edition of MIR will stand as the first team that went on that spectacular ride of perfection.

Indeed they are the first of the finest.