The 2010 Roller Derby season on Long Island came to an exciting end as the Ladies of Laceration took on the Rolling Thundercats for the title of season champions. While the Rolling Thundercats eventually prevailed, it was a competitive, exciting bout all the way through that had hundreds of fans at Skate Safe America in Old Bethpage on Saturday night, Dec. 4 cheering on their favorite “roller girls.”
However, the evening of roller derby opened with a men’s match: an exhibition bout by the New York Shock Exchange, who split up into two teams, black and white, and held an intra-league contest. The New York Shock Exchange recently won the first-ever Men’s Derby Coalition Championship Title against Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, and were eager to show off their own style to the crowd.
The men’s bout featured some great jamming from both teams, especially from #11 Rinkworm (white team), #241 Ladies Knight (white team), and #6 Jonathon R (black team). There were even some rare “jammer chases” between #6 and #11. However, the white team kept comfortably ahead for the grand majority of the bout, and the final score was white team 147, black team 112.
After an intermission featuring the tunes of local musicians The Buzzards, the ladies took the rink, complete with their unique gear featuring, among other things, glittering hot pants and fishnet stockings, and the evening’s highly anticipated bout began.
The Rolling Thundercats took an early lead, with #11 C-Roll (whose amazing skill as a jammer would become more and more apparent as the evening went on) successfully completing an amazing “jump over the line” pass. However, the Ladies of Laceration had some impressive plays of their own, with #79 Breakneck Brie scoring 20 points in one jam, temporarily giving the lead to the Ladies. By the end of the first period, the Ladies were in the lead with 69 points, however the Thundercats were close behind with a score of 59- a tiny point disparity in roller derby.
The beginning of the second half was a nail-biting affair, as the two teams swapped possession of the lead back and forth several times. Strong jamming by #4 Violet Knockout and #79 Breakneck Brie kept the Ladies in the game when it looked like the Thundercats were about to steamroll towards the finish. One player on the Ladies team, D-Ball, took a huge hit late in the second half and had to leave the game early for health reasons; fortunately, she was not seriously injured. Her teammates shouted her name in solidarity, and went back to the track more determined than ever.
However, in the final quarter of the game, C-Roll took command of the rink and led the Thundercats to a decisive victory. Time after time, C-Roll used her agility to find holes in the pack and take the lead jammer position, scoring many points for her team and denying the Ladies the opportunity to respond in kind. Despite some great late-game blocking by #138 Anna Tramp, C-Roll’s onslaught could not be stopped, and the final score was Rolling Thundercats 151, Ladies of Laceration 107.
In addition to featuring the conclusion of the 2010 season, the evening was also a charity event, with representatives from AMT Children of Hope Foundation, Long Island Cares, Inc., Relay For Life, The Veterans Place, and other charitable organizations in attendance. During the game, members of the Roller Rebels league who were not skating that evening sold raffle tickets to support the various charities; one lucky raffle winner in the audience went home with $357.
For more information on the Long Island Roller Rebels, visit the league’s website at www.longislandrollerrebels.com. The 2011 season will begin in March.
