Where to start – what to say…
Bout 1 (Hellbombers v. Hard Knockers) was quite exciting for me for the first half. Kinda slow, but the bombers were actually down at the half. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Of course, that was all about to change. Whatever the bombers talk about at halftime works because it’s clear they come out with a new strategy, execute it and subsequently dominate. ‘Nuff said – bombers won.
Bout 2 (Rolling Pinups v. Cleveland Steamers) – Best Roller Derby Bout I Have Ever Seen!!! Starting out, the Pinups took the early lead and after taking the lead never trailed. It was a good bout and well battled on each side. And then we got to about 4 minutes left and the tides turned. Steamers stepped up the game pretty hardcore. Pinups had a few key mistakes that landed their people in the box and Steamers capitalized. 30 points in the final two jams of the bout took us to a tied score and overtime. I’ve seen overtime before, and nothing seems to have a bigger impact to the intensity and the crowd getting wild. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Overtime was coming to an end and the score was about to be tied again! Had there been about two or three more seconds on the clock, it likely would have ended right there, but there wasn’t and for the first time in BRRG history, we were headed to Double-Overtime! With the most intense game on the line, the teams took the track. Both jammers did an exceptional job, but in the end, it was The Steamers, led by team captain The Killustrator that came out on top with a 9 – 8 point jam, giving the Steamers the victory. I don’t know about you, but the energy I felt coming from the track and the energy I felt in the crowd was simply amazing. Well done ladies!
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Hellbombers actually didn’t have a new strategy after half-time, unless you consider the decision to stop screwing up our original strategy to be a \new\ strategy.
We’ve struggled against the Hard Knockers since the first season. They’re the only team to ever beat us. I can’t speak for all of my teammates, but that messes with my head. Even though it hasn’t happened since 2007, knowing that they are the only team to beat us can mess with my level of confidence, and I’m sure I’m not the only one on my team that experiences this. Not feeling confident can have a huge effect on how you play because you’re more likely to hesitate, get distracted, or overthink things instead of acting. Also, the Hard Knockers are a heavy-hitting team. They hit hard and a lot of times they hit first. I think it caught our girls unprepared and we were getting muscled around in the pack. This led to further distraction and frustration, and thus we were on the losing side the first half.
I didn’t actually get to see most of the second bout, but yes, the last few minutes were intense. In my excitement and accidentally ditched a friend from high school in the stands who had come by herself. I guess I just assumed that she’d follow me to run down to the track and give everyone high fives. Oops.
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Chris
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April 13th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
That is a good point about the mental effect of playing the only team to have ever beat you. I’m pretty new to derby in general, so I am not aware of all the history and the strengths and weaknesses of each team. I guess you could call me fresh meat. Regardless, I enjoy watching every minute of every bout!
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