FINAL FROM CEDAR RAPIDS: Helldorados Continues Their Winning Ways Knocking Off Bleeding Heartland

Reports of the demise of the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls, after a difficult 5 player exodus following the June Mid Iowa Bout, are not only exaggerated, they are flat wrong.

CRRG: Helldorados captured their second win in a row after the split on Saturday night at the U.S. Cellular Center with a 122-109 victory over the Bleeding Heartland: Code Blue Assassins.

On an interesting side note, Bleeding Heartland was founded by Motley Cruel, who went on to be the founder of the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls. Motley Cruel served as co-bench coach for the Helldorados Saturday night.

SATURDAY NIGHT DERBY: CRRG Helldorados (Record Unknown) vs. Bleeding Heartland Code Blue Assassins

The U.S. Cellular Center is located here:

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.

The First of the Finest: Scene Report: MIR vs. CRRG: Helldorados Part One

There is nothing much I can write that has not already been said.

The Mid Iowa Rollers have finished their season unblemished at 8-0. Eight hours worth of time on the oval. Every test passed. Every situation handled. Every close bout (three of the last five bouts decided by less than 10 points) answered with seemingly a different heroine.

Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, MIR cemented their place in the young history of the modern roller derby in Iowa with a 212-109 trouncing of the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls: Helldorados. They skated with a fierce zest and determination, as if they not only wanted to cap the perfect season off, but wanted it do it without leaving it to the fates that seemingly guided them to tight victories against Sioux City, Old Capitol City and  the first CRRG bout, wouldn't be needed.

It seems only fitting that the Mid Iowa Rollers did this in Veterans Memorial Auditorium. As any Iowan knows Vets used to be the ultimate goal of every high school wrestler and basketball player. For years, "The Barn" was the hall of champions. Things have changed since then. Now those events are held at nearby Wells Fargo Arena. But it was wonderful to see the old building be the site of the coronation of another legendary team.

Yes, I stand by the word "legendary." It is true, as indicated above, that the modern roller derby in the Hawkeye state has a brief history of about four years. But if it has staying power (and I believe it does) then what happened in Vets on Saturday is extremely important and will be written in the annals of the sport in this state. As I write this there are now 10 teams in Iowa and an unknown number of dreamers who might be putting plans in place to add to that total. Other teams will come. They may match the 8-0 record. They may win more in their undefeated seasons. But the 2010 Mid Iowa Rollers did it first.

They are the first of the finest.

And while the game did not take on the heart stopping nature that has been a popular trend for MIR in recent weeks, it provided a showcase as to what made this team so speicial and why they are the toast of the Iowa derby scene. First there was MIR offense lead by jammers Mizz LolliPopYa and cTAL faTAL. Much has been made of the formidable one-two punch they bring to the oval. Such attention is justified.

On the first jam of the match Mizz LolliPopYa notched 20 points, topped only by cTAL faTAL who strung up 30 in the third jam. We in the audience starred upwards at the Vets Auditorium scorboard in disbelief. MIR 50, CRRG 2 with 24:15 to go in the first half.

This is what most people would remember about these two jammers. But consider these things:

- Mizz LolliPopYa led all scorers in this bout with 73 points, serving as lead jammer in 9 of the 16 jams she served in.

- In her 65 point outing cTAL faTAL, who racked up a massive 30 points in the third jam of the game, had a 5.91 points-per-jam average. In other words she AVERAGED a grand slam every time she hit the oval.

- Both cTAL faTAL and MizzLolliPopYa scored 138 out of MIR's 212 points.

While offense was most assuredly served, we shouldn't forget the exploits of the Mid Iowa blockers. A 50-2 deficit is a formidable obstacle, especially at the beginning of a bout. But it can be overcome, especially with a team as talented as the Helldorados and their formidable jammer roster Rockabelle, G.!. Jean, Sin D. Whop Her and AJ Renegade.

But CRRG's jammers, no matter how high quality they are, need a good portion of time to chip away at the difference. Time was something that MIR's blockers did not give them. According to my notes, between 16:22 and 10:11 to go in the first half, the Rollers defense did not allow one CRRG point. Some may disagree with me for saying this, but I view that MIR defensive lockdown as just as crucial to the victory as the 50-2 deficit.

The work of Anna Killakova, Dangerous Daugharthy, Pleasant Hill PunisHer, Eastside, Huzzie Lecher, Sin D Rolla, Wonton Hammer and others jelled incredibly well together, Saturday night. It is true that CRRG looked understandably deflated after the early deficit. But in a sport where 20 and 30 point jams are possible, as MIR proved earlier in the evening, the defense could not take a holiday. MIR did not. It is true that most of the individual MIR blockers do not have a gravitational charisma that screams "look at me!" so it is easy to overlook them. They do not need charisma. They quietly go to the oval and go about their work. Whips here. Hits there. Shouts abound. The whole of MIR's blocking is much more than the sum of its parts. It is a given that any derby team or derby girl will say the cliche that "we win and lose as a team" but how often does that physically manifest itself in front of you? When an MIR blocker tells you they play as a team, its not a cliche. They emphatically mean it. Team defense and jamming assistance is their stock and trade.

Maybe they are Iowa Roller Derby's answer to the vaunted "No Name Defense" of the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphin defense did not receive as much attention as its potent offensive attack. Similarly we who watched MIR this year run the risk of crediting the jammers without mentioning the success of the blockers. Yet the defense of the Dolphins was considered the best in the league that year even though many were want to remember what their names were. So it might end up that way with MIR.

One more thing on that note: The 1972 Miami Dolphins finished 14-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the postseason, including a victory in Super Bowl VII over Washington. MIR finished 8-0. And if you ask an MIR blocker what she would rather have- personal glory or a perfect season, I trust she will choose the latter every time.

To Be Continued (Apologies for the delay)

CRRG Fan Jason Seals' Blog on MIR vs. CRRG:Helldorados

Jason Seals writes another thoughtful piece on the Saturday night bout.

The Party Crashers: CRRG Helldorados Seek Revenge Against MIR, Hopes To Dismantle Their Perfect Season

It appeared to some to be over.

It was June 12th at the U.S. Cellular Center and looked to some that the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls: Helldorados team had ended the Mid Iowa Rollers perfect season.

Then, according to A Few Screws Lucy, chaos ensued.

"Some thought we had won and didn't realize there were seconds left on the clock," she said. "The chaos of it being so close at the end of the game flustered some people. The 30 seconds was almost up. Everyone was just screaming for the same squad to go back out on the floor."

Helldorado jammer GI Jane was slated to participate in the next jam, but in the confusion Sin D. Whop Her, who served as jammer in the sequence before, wound up on the jammer line. A Few Screws Lucy said by that time, Sin D. Whop Her was exhausted. MIR sent Mizz LolliPopYa out as their jammer.

And the rest is well known to fans of both teams and all who were gathered at the U.S. Cellular Center. Sin D. Whop Her wound up trapped by the potent Mid Iowa Roller defense and Mizz LolliPopYa performed last minute magic to achieve 4 points for a 129-126 victory.

"I'm not going to lie, I was bummed," A Few Screws Lucy said. "Losing is never fun, but that was probably the most exciting bout I've ever played in. It was fantastic except for the end. We knew we'd get a second chance to take back the bragging rights."

When the clock reads 7 p.m. Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, 28 days after the thriller at the US Cellular Center, A Few Screws Lucy, Sin D Whop Her, GI Jane and the rest of the Helldorados will get that second chance.

"We have really been working hard, and working together as a team to concentrate on bringing home a win this Saturday," Helldorado Malicious B said. "We are really wanting to take that "undefeated" title from them. We are super stoked and have been doing a lot of focusing and practicing in preparation for this very important bout."

A Few Screws Lucy said the team has been working diligently in preparation for this bout. She believes that since both of the teams are so evenly match one of the major keys to a Helldorados victory will be in controlling penalties against her team as much as possible, which can be difficult when it is late in the match and players are prone to fatigue.

"We learned a lot from the June bout," A Few Screws Lucy said. "A lot of mistakes were made on our part that won't be made again this time around. Expect to see some exciting new stuff this weekend."

One Hour To Go: MIR Attempts Perfection Saturday Night Vs. CRRG: Heldorados

Sixty Minutes. Three thousand six hundred seconds.

That is how much time it will take to answer the biggest question of the 2011 campaign so far: Will the Mid Iowa Rollers, who remain undefeated after seven bouts, finish the season at a perfect 8-0

If they are to do so, they will have to up-end the Helldorados of the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls league. The two teams met in an absolute scorcher of a bout on June 12th at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. MIR emerged the victor thanks to last jam heroics by Jammer/Blocker Mizz Lolli Pop Ya and stalwart blocking which cut off Helldorado jammer Sin D Whop Her from scoring.

Such has been the life of the Mid Iowa Rollers as of late, with three of the last four matches being decided by 10 points or less. Their pursuit of perfection thus far seems to contain as many thrills, nail-biting moments and near escapes as an Indiana Jones movie.

"I can't remember seeing a really close bout before this year," said MIR Assistant Coach Big Truck, who has been with MIR for over two years. "I mean one after another..."

MIR players attribute a myriad of reasons for their untarnished run thus far. For one thing, there are more derby girls in the Mid Iowa Rollers league than in previous seasons where the team merely consisted of nine girls skating all the time. In particular, rookies Deja Deadwards and Vyolent Grimm have seen regular playing time this season.

But they are not the only new blood that went to battle wearing the MIR colors this year. Other rookies include rollin MO monroe, Sugar Kaned, Tulsa Tararyz, and Snot Face, have also seen action in the oval. According to jammer/ blocker Mizz LolliPopYa,  all of the new talent has the entire team up their performance.

Mizz LolliPopYa believes the previous Mid Iowa Rollers season, which was longer and had the Des Moines-based team playing national talent as the Capital City Crushers (Topeka, Kansas) and the Minnesota Rollergirls All-Star Team, prepared the team for this season. At times the previous season apparently was a lesson in the school of hard knocks. In particular Mizz LolliPopYa remembers losing to Minnesota by about 100 points.

"We are so much more than a team, we are a family that would do anything for each other," said blocker Pleasant Hill PunisHER. "We have grown so much from last year and it is hard to imagine that it can get any better than this."

MIR Blocker Eastside, credited more team cohesion, a dedication to derby fundamentals, and learning how to analyze the teams they are playing and use their weaknesses against them. When the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls: Helldorados step into the oval at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines on Saturday, the Mid Iowa Rollers are in store for a challenge in finding weaknesses. With top class Jammer/Blockers such as Rockabelle, Ali AssassinateHER, GI Jane, A Few Screws Lucy and Krash Sanders, MIR will have to run a fierce gauntlet to achieve its perfect season.

First year MIR Blocker Vyolent Grimm admits there is some added pressure going into this bout with perfection on the line. Yet at the same time she has confidence that MIR will emerge victorious.

"We've pushed ourselves hard to be where were at and I think that drive to not give in is a big part of why we've done so good," Vyolent Grimm said. "We're not willing to allow ourselves to stop or slow down, we play hard until the end. I think any extra pressure will just fuel the growing strength that we've displayed all season. They push us we push back harder, you know."

As for Eastside, the pressures associated with Saturday night lie with performing well for the expanding MIR fanbase.

"I don't want to let them down," she said. "I know what I have to do and I am prepared to do it."

Will MIR go 8-0? Will the pressure get to them? What do the Helldorados have in store for them? Beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, all will be revealed in three thousand six hundred seconds.

July 17: MIR's Season Finale Against CRRG: Helldorados

Vets Auditorium is located here:

Scene Report: A Player's Perspective by Deja Deadwards

Note: Deja Deadwards is a blocker with the Mid Iowa Rollers. She is the Author of this piece.

Author's Note: Tyler asked me to write a “player’s perspective” piece about last Saturday’s MIR vs CRRG bout. Unfortunately, due to the nerve-wracking nature of the game, I don’t really remember any specifics. I spent most of the game sitting on the bench gnawing at my mouthguard and screaming “GET HER! GET HER” at my teammates. The time I spent on the track was a blur of smashing and crashing with the other blockers. So, instead I thought I’d write a piece about the days leading up to the game.

Game day. After a busy week of derby practice and activities, I’m rested and ready for the confrontation with Cedar Rapids Rollergirls. The nerves which have been fluttering through me occasionally throughout the week have built into a solid mass of tension. However, now that I’ve got a few bouts under my belt (and know I won’t have to jam in this one!) it’s a manageable state of nervousness and not an all-out terror that makes me want to puke.

The preparation begins weeks ahead of time as practices begin to ramp up. Players use the internet to scour videos of the opposing team’s other games, watching for strategies and gauging the potential threat of each player. The vets regale the rookies with stories from previous years’ bouts. Going up against Cedar Rapids, we knew we would have to stop their blockers. I’d played with Ali Assassinateher and A Few Screws Lucy as my teammates at our March Mixer and as I re-watched the video from that game, I was amazed by their front wall – it’s a derby-textbook thing of beauty! They stopped the jammer every time without ever leaving the engagement zone.

All week long we practiced drills to break up walls and slow the pack. Practices right before a game are always tense and sometimes slide into the realm of counterproductive negativity, but I felt that we avoided that this week with three great practices which left me feeling completely wiped out. The team understood that it would take every one of us working together to pull this one off and everyone was determined to skate as hard as they could.

I slept late on Saturday, showered and packed my bags for the trip. I headed out to meet up with the rest of the team at the truck stop in Altoona at 1:00pm. Surprisingly, everyone arrived fairly close to the scheduled time and we got ourselves on the road. We arrived at the hotel around 3:30pm and checked into our block of rooms. We were told to be down at the US Cellular Center at 5:00pm to start warm-ups. Grimm and my friend Jenn (along for the derby ride) and I went out to try to find some lunch. Unfortunately, we seemed to be in the deserted section of downtown CR and wasted precious minutes driving around looking for anything open. Eventually we found a Maid-Rite and grabbed some quick sandwiches. We got back to the hotel just in time to find the rest of the team suited up and getting ready to head out. Grimm and I did a quick change (alas, no face paint for me at this game!) and rolled over to the venue.

We had about ten minutes to gear up and hit the track for warm-ups. We spent a few minutes taking easy laps and doing some rolling stretches before our coach, Big Truck, started shouting instructions. Sprint laps came first, followed by a death star drill where jammers Lolli, Fanny and cTAL had to work through a pack made up of the entire team. We did some stretching while Big Truck and Lolli talked through some strategies and tips to remember.

When our warm-up period was over, the Helldorados took the track and we scattered for individual last-minute preparations. I checked my toe-stops (which had lately developed an annoying habit of coming loose) and filled my water bottle. I grabbed a program from the merch table and went back to our bench to continue stretching and to size up the competition. The Helldorados looked comfortable on their home track, running through some knee falls and sprints. The nerves in my stomach started up again; these girls were strong and could skate hard. They were going to knock the crap out of me!

We moved back to the locker room where we again ran through some strategy and our bench coach, Knock Around Suzie, prepared the lineups. She told Sin De Rolla to be ready to go in as a back-up jammer, but Sin wasn’t sure she had the right wheels for the floor (a super-slick concrete). A chaotic rush then ensued to get Sin’s wheels swapped out to a stickier pair which would allow her to grip the floor better while speeding around the corners.

A second warm-up period was scheduled for both teams together as the doors opened and the crowd poured in. I’d never skated a warm-up with the other team before and was a little concerned how that would go. I thought the Helldorados might take this opportunity to try to psych us out, and I mentally steeled myself to take whatever they would dish out. Turns out, derby sisterhood extends to joint warm-ups and the girls were nothing but friendly. There were jokes, some opposite team whips and even a little dancing (who doesn’t love Sir Mix-a-Lot?)

As announcers Your Dad, Bam Bam and our own Chuck U. started the show off, I noticed the suicide seats were packed with derby girls from several other teams around the state. Seems like this should have made me more nervous – after all, these girls would know if I made a mistake, unlike most of the fans who don’t really understand all the nuances of the rules. But, seeing the girls laughing and cheering both teams on helped me to relax. It reminded me of all the reasons I love derby: that it gives women opportunities to shine that most of us don’t get in our regular lives; that it celebrates women’s strength and beauty (in all shapes/sizes); that it fires such a passion in us that we willingly sacrifice our free time, extra money and even our bodies to it. We’re derby girls first and foremost, no matter what teams we’re on.

I also remembered the reason why we were in Cedar Rapids that night: the crowd had come to see a great show, and every woman warming up on that track was prepared to give it to them. Cheers to the Rollergirls, the Rollers and the Mayhem for delivering a night to remember!

Scene Report: CRRG Helldorados vs. Mid Iowa Rollers: Attrition and Heroics Part Two

I wandered around a bit at halftime with my son, who was in attendance along with others in my family. While we were wandering around I couldn't help but notice that this bout had sort of taken on the air of a derby family reunion. Off the second turn of the oval in the suicide seats were members of the Dubuque-centered Eastern Iowa Outlaws, set to take the oval in the fall. Near them were a quite a few members of the Old Capital City Roller Girls, no doubt on a scouting mission concerning MIR, whom they have an appointment with this coming Saturday night. In another part of the US Cellular were a couple members of Clinton's Muddy River Nightmare. Near the first turn of the oval were some of the new Cedar Valley Push-Up Brawlers out of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, and some Des Moines Derby Dames were members were on hand.

It is really astounding to see how much Iowa Roller Derby is growing. With Mahaska getting more bout experience, Eastern Iowa guaranteed to get going in the fall and Cedar Valley getting underway with practices, we can only wonder what the next chapter will hold for derby in the Hawkeye State. How good will the Outlaws be? Is there someone practicing in the Shell Rock Elementary School gymnasium with the Push-Up Brawlers who will challenge Stella Italiana and Gladi8her as one of the fastest skaters in the state? Is there a Mahaska blocker who will prove to hit harder than Bat R Up and Krash Sanders? Where will the next team come from? Mason City? Keokuk? Ottumwa? Decorah? Fort Dodge?

With MIR back in contention for the win, the second half of the bout marked a continuation of the first half attrition but with the added distinction of immediacy. CR jammers, like Sin D. Whop Her continued her fine performance in the second, but MIR's power trio were never far behind, keeping the Helldorados within their reach. Each club was desperate to put the other in the rear view mirror but neither were able to do so. The best example of this occurred with 12:25 to go in the bout when the agile Rockabelle from the Helldorados posted a very impressive 12 point jam. Yet the effects of this potentially huge development were severely diluted with the 8 point jam posted by MIR's Mizz Lolli Pop Ya.

With 9:02 remaining in the bout Fanny Firestarter posted a five point jam, hoisting the Rollers to a razor thin 108-107 lead. Mizz Lolli Pop Ya tacked on five points in the next jam for a 113-107 lead.

And then a plot twist. Just when it seemed MIR would put so more ground between them and the Helldorados, a Roller jammer (cTAL faTAL as I recall- if I am wrong, please send a correction) was sent to the penalty box. Helldorado jammer GI Jean took full advantage of the partial power jam and brought home four points which cut the MIR lead from 113-111. The Helldorado jammers proved to be a worthy contender among the other jamming staffs in the state. Some of them, Rockabelle especially, bask in the limelight privileges that lead jammer status affords, raising their arms upward to work the crowd. But all of them, including GI Jane, have a modus operandi of efficiency and substance. On the power jam, GI Jane was all business, concentrating on maneuvering and negotiating the pack with maximum efficiency. Nose to the grindstone. Not flashy, but never boring. Flashiness will get you cheers and attention. Substance will get you points. Enough points get wins. Winners get louder cheers. GI Jane, Ali Assassinateher, Amelia No Heart and Rockabelle are winners in every sense of the word.

NOTE: According to my friend Chuck U., I left out a pivotal part of the match with nine minutes left when Wonton Hammer held a Helldorado jammer to four points despite being the only MIR blocker on the floor. A thousand apologies.

So now what? Something had to give, but no one was giving. Not the defenses, each of which continued to bear down and deliver blows onto each other. Not the power trio of MIR, nor the hard hat Helldorado jammers. What was going to happen?

The score tied at 121 with four minutes to go. The next jam gave the Helldorados a 126-125 advantage.

It came down to the final jam. The Helldorados send Sin D.Whop Her, while MIR sent their resident fullback jammer Mizz Lolli Pop Ya. The noise in the US Cellular Center rose to a fever pitch. My heart began to beat a tad faster. Intensity. Electricity. Who is going to win this?

Sin D. Whop Her seemed to stumble a little in the first turn which gave Mizz Lolli Pop Ya the lead heading into the pack. Helldorado defenders formed a brilliant wall that kept Lolli at bay for almost an entire lap. At the same time MIR bottled up Sin D. Whop Her. Heading into the second time around the second turn, the Helldorado wall disintegrated just enough so that an MIR blocke  had just enough time to give Lolli a right hand whip that accelerated out of the pack and into lead jammer status.

As MIR defense continued to hold Sin D. Whop Her at bay, Lolli sprinted around the track, albeit with composure. She rejoined the pack entering the first turn of the oval passed four Helldorados was knocked down and out of bounds, forcefully called off the jam and then basked in the glory. She was the heroine of the evening, having done exactly what her team needed her to do at the moment it was called for. And she did it all with grit, determination, and head-smarts.

These are the things that make legends.

Also of legendary caliber were the MIR blockers, who completely neutralized Sin D. Whop Her from even breaking out of the pack on her first time through.

Left 4 Deadwards, Jammer/Blocker for Old Capital City recorded this video of the last jam and posted it on her Facebook account.

I suppose you could say it was lucky for MIR that Sin D. Whop Her stumbled into the first turn. But that would not explain the excellent MIR defense containing the Helldorado jammer, who was having a very excellent evening, for the entire length of a jam. You could say MIR is the most dominant team in Iowa, and a 6-0 record on the year may prove that you are correct. But as we have seen with the Sioux City bout and the Helldorados bout combined with the rising Old Capital City juggernaut, the gap in class between them and the other elite teams of the Hawkeye State are razor thin.

Perhaps we can just say that great teams find ways to beat other great teams. The Helldorados are a great team with an excellent cast of quality jammers and blockers who gave the Mid Iowa Rollers the closest run for their money on the year.

Yet as I close this writing MIR is still undefeated. And they did it as a team. Jammers feeding off blockers and vice versa. And if they can hold on to knock off Old Capitol City (5-1) this coming Saturday and the Helldorados rematch after that, then they will be the greatest Derby team in Iowa Derby History, however brief a history that maybe.

But that is a question that remains to be answered. Very soon, all will be revealed.

Scene Report: CRRG Helldorados vs. Mid Iowa Rollers: Attrition and Heroics Part One.

A sports fan will spend countless hours devoted to their favorite sport or their favorite club.

They will flock to the home teams establishment, watch the games at a watering hole and even make the occasional road trip. They will yell in individual moments of exaltation or anger. They will yell words of  encouragement or chastisement at the players, coaches, referees, fellow fans, opposing fans or any one in the general vicinity. They will chew the fingernails, pace, adjust the way they sit in a chair, pray, or any number of things to help their team along.

But many of these moment will be forgotten by fan after a match.

And then there are those moments that transcend the average viewing experience for the fan. Those moments that stand out among those countless hours of devotion. Those that will be long remembered, for good or for ill. Those that cause the fan to just shake their heads and go "THAT was something."

I have only been into the modern incarnation of Derby since April and I have had some of those moments already. But Saturday Night's bout between the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls: Helldorados and the Mid Iowa Rollers, won by MIR at the last jam 129-126, tops them all so far.

The daring. The aggressiveness. The risking of personal safety for the benefit of the team. The give and take. And finally the glory. The US Cellular Center was far from capacity. Yet I cannot help but think that a vast majority of the unconverted in attendance Saturday night came out converted or at the very least intrigued enough to take another ride. A friend of mine said that it may be the greatest and most important game in Iowa Roller Derby History thus far, which was quite a statement considering he has seen his share of bouts and doesn't dig hyperbole's at all. I see where he is coming from. I can picture people in mind running home or to their favorite local watering hole and regaling their friends with stories from the bout. "Man you will never believe what I just saw!"

I'm not sure you can use a word like "greatest" and apply it to a single bout. Every bout has its own dynamic, flow, intricacies and connotations. Sometimes all is revealed during a bout. Sometimes not. That's not to say my friend is wrong, just that we have a slightly different view of what went down.

One thing that all can agree on is the Helldorados-MIR bout was a physically punishing affair that tested the passion, patience, gamesmanship and endurance. Fortunately there were no injuries, but there was plenty of everything else. Hard hits, skaters becoming one with the suicide seating section, one ejection and complaints from some on both sides on the officiating. The slick floor caused much sloppy play as it wreaked havoc on the skaters in the early going of the bout.

Perfect? No. But lets free ourselves from the tyranny of perfection and focus on what made Saturday's bout so special.

The physical nature of the bout became apparent early as numerous players from both sides were knocked to the ground by both opposite and fellow teammates. The physicality of the match was set by the Helldorados, who seem to play a working class defense. Nothing subtle or fancy. They hit and they hit hard and then they move along to do the same thing to another blocker or jammer.

One Cedar Rapids Blocker that I have become a fan of is Krash Sanders. I first saw her at the May 8 bout that pitted the Old Capitol City Roller Girls against the CCRG Bombshell Cartel. By all accounts it was an Old Capitol City demolition 271-84. But toward the end of the game, those of us who were still around noticed the frequent bumps and collisions that Krash Sanders and Old Capitol City's Bat R. Up (For my money the hardest hitting and most formidable blocker in the state).The audience gradually took an interest in this bout within a bout. Krash would thump Bat R. Up. Bat R Up would respond in kind. On and on it went as we the audience became more engrossed. Krash Sanders finally did knock Bat R. Up down much to the amazement of the Coralville crowd. Bat R. Up knocked her down a few more times than that, but just Sanders' moxie in even starting a war at all with a blocker who puts the fear of God into other derby girls won my instant admiration.

Krash Sanders and the Helldorado blockers unleashed upon MIR, who came out of the gate with their tried and true econo-jamming strategy (get lead jammer status, get four points and call it off before the opposing jammer can do anything). The Helldorado pack collided and bumped the Rollers, who, at times, seemed to be caught off guard and, at other times, downright frustrated. This paved the way for the Helldorado jamming staff, including Rockabelle, Amelia No Heart and GI Jean to rack up points and engage in a see-saw affair with MIR. Midway through the first half, Roller defense could not solve the problems they presented.

Each Helldorado jammer had speed, yes, but, especially with Rockabelle and GI Jane, the secret to their success was the fact that they could withstand hits from opposing blockers and not only remain standing but still headed in the same direction they wanted to go. So much of what a jammer does reminds me of halfbacks and fullbacks in football. Like those on the gridiron, a jammers true worth is not shown in how many points she can acquire before getting hit, but seems to lie in how many points she can get after getting bumped.

The most memorable collision in the early going occurred when cTAL faTAL took a tumble into the suicide seats on the second turn of the oval in the middle of a jam. She immediately arose in an attempt to rejoin the pack, but was incapacitated by a brown purse that somehow got caught in one of her wheels. Immediately I recalled Deja Deadwards' Scene Report from MIR's bout with the Mahaska Mayhem last week, when Babyface Basher somehow wound up with the jammer panty stuck to one of the Mayhem's knee pad. A very strange and chaotic aura surrounds this team, I thought.

The game was blown open with 14:47 to go in the first when Amelia No Heart racked up a grand slam to put Cedar Rapids at a 32-22 advantage. It was a lead they would maintain for much of the first half thanks to the harsh and crushing Helldorado defense, including Krash Sanders, Toothy Hilt and Ali Assassinateher. Ali Assassinather made her presence known on the jamming side as well, racking up 15 points in a power jam to bring the score to 56-38 with 5:36 to go in the first half.

One of the key elements in the MIR blocking arsenal is DisturbYa, who from almost the beginning of the match to about 5:00 to go in the half, seemed to be running afoul of the referees. DisturbYa, who seems to be the agent provocateur of the Rollers, is always a pleasure to watch. She has a wild and menacing look in her eyes combined with a flare for showmanship. It is difficult to take your eyes off of her because, first of all, you wonder what she is going to do next, and, second, you can bet she will be where the action is.

At least that is the first impression you get from her. That is the one I got at the MIR-Sioux City bout in May. But in watching her Saturday night, I noticed she is in possession of some true and natural talent with the quads. During the Helldorados bout, she skated well ahead of the pack and executed some snowplow blocking techniques so sound they were textbook. Unfortunately, officials called a penalty on her for this on at least one occasion.  This combined with a series of other calls unleashed the fiery side of DisturbYa and resulted in her ejection from the bout with 4:19 to go in the first on charges of insubordination of the officials and accruing numerous penalties. Pity really. I got the feeling she had more weapons in her arsenal than the showmanship and the snowplow that I didn't get a chance to see. 

At this point, MIR's undefeated season looked to be in serious trouble. Enter cTAL faTAL and Mizz Lolli Pop Ya. With less than two minutes to go, cTAL faTAL racked up a 10 point jam to make the score 63-48, Helldorados. Mizz Lolli Pop Ya had the final MIR jam of the half and she too racked up 10 points to cut the lead to 63-58.

A look at the score, both at halftime and at the games conclusion, may lead an outside observer to think that it was a largely offensive ordeal and that somehow blockers from both teams did not play adequate defense. But I am starting to believe that in the realm of the Derby, terms like offense and defense do not have the same concrete meaning as they do in other sports. In derby, the blockers role can change from offense to defense and back again in split second time. And the blocking girls in the pack have to be prepared for this.

The tendency in sports is to concentrate on exalted positions, such as the quarterback or the jammer to the absence of everyone else. Yet as Jammers I talk to readily testify, they are nothing without their blockers. We can talk about the astounding exploits of Mizz Lolli Pop Ya and Amelia No Heart all we want, but it is the blockers in the center of the storm that is the pack that make what they do possible. What kind of  contribution can Rockabelle or Fanny Firestarter make for their teams if they are down on the floor because they did not have a blocker like A Few Screws Lucy or Pleasant Hill PunisHER clearing the way for them? May it never be that we lift up the Jammers to a high pedestal without lifting the women of the pack, who fight, grind, sweat, bump and block to make the point scoring and defensive maneuvers possible- and at the same time nonetheless.

Derby girls and fans of the game, have you hugged your blocker today? If not, at the very least, you can raise your cup to Eastside, Krash Sanders, Anna Killakova, A Few Screws Lucy, PBR, Bat R. Up, MOAB, and all of the other blockers grinding it out to give their jammers a fighting chance.

Here's to you, ladies.

To Be Continued...

Final Score: Last Minute Jam Elevates MIR to 6-0 over CRRG: Helldorados

A last minute four point jam by Mizz Lolli Pop Ya catapulted the Mid Iowa Rollers to a 129-126 victory over the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls- Helldorados at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Saturday night.

The victory elevates MIR to 6-0 on the season.

TONIGHT: Derby Double Shot: MIR vs. CR Helldorados, Mahaska Mayhem vs. CR: Bombshell Cartel.

U.S. Cellular Center is located here...

SATURDAY NIGHT DOUBLE HEADER DERBY: MIR vs. CR: Helldorados and Mahaska Mayhem vs. CR: Bombshell Cartel,

U.S. Cellular Center is located here...

Scene Report: Cedar Rapids Rollergirls: Helldorados Vs. Bleeding Heartland: Code Blue Assassins

Note: Rockabelle is a player for the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls. She is the author of this piece.

Gearing up to make the trip to Bloomington, Indiana to take on our founder’s original team was a little nerve-wracking. We’d been hearing about the Bleeding Heartland teams for so long and this was our big opportunity to take them on. We had done a lot of preparation as a team and felt like we had been working as a strong, cohesive team so we certainly felt prepared; but didn’t want to go in too confident.

Meeting the BHRG girls was great! We hit it off with the Code Blue Assassins and their WFTDA team – the Flatliners – right away. The were very hospitable and just an all around good group of people to be around. The spirit of roller derby between the two teams prior to the bout was evident. There was energy in the air and no animosity – we were all just ready to play a amazing game of roller derby. In the second pre-bout warm-up, both teams had time on the track at the same time. After each team completed their coordinated group warm-up, we all had a chance to hit the track freestyle. CBA girls were whipping Helldorado girls and vice versa – the camaraderie was infectious!

Once the action started, game faces were put on and it was time to get down to work. The Helldorados took the first few jams and didn’t allow the CBAs any points. It was clear in the beginning that the Cedar Rapids team went to Indiana looking for a win and weren’t going to let their nerves of playing their founder’s original team infect their game play. The CBA team had many hard hitters and several great jammers. They were certainly a force to be reckoned with. However, we played our game, kept our heads cool and pushed forward for the win.

Personally, I feel that I played very well in this bout. I was able to help out defensively in the pack as well as put some points on the board as a jammer. However, I realized after our bout that I have still have so much to learn. After our win, we got the opportunity to watch BHRG’s Flatliners play against the Gem City Rollers. As a jammer, I had been waiting for the opportunity to see the Flatliner jammers in action. While the entire team was amazing to watch and worked so well together, the jammers left me in awe. Seeing how quick they were on their feet, how much they ran on their skates, how they moved their girls around in the pack with a purpose, left me heading back to Iowa knowing what I really need to work on. I do some of these things, but clearly don’t do them all with the purpose and the drive in which the Flatliner jammers did.

So tonight, I head to practice with much knowledge learned from my derby trip to Indiana this past weekend. I cannot wait to implement many of the new things I picked up and to get my new appreciation for this game on the track. I am now more driven than ever to be a better player and cannot wait to lace up the skates.

Scene Reporters Needed

I need scene reporters for the Mid Iowa Rollers, Muddy River Nightmares, Mahaska Mayhem, Cedar Rapids (Both teams) and Old Capital City. If you are a Derby Girl, Derby Fan and Derby Coach who likes to write and wants the Derby World what know how you feel about bout, file a scene report for IRDD. E-mail: derbydiaries@yahoo.com

Saturday Night Derby: Cedar Rapids Rollergirls--Helldorados Vs. Bleeding Heartland Code Blue Assassins

The Cedar Rapids Rollergirls-- Helldorados travel to Bloomington, Indiana to play the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls: Code Blue Assassins