Review by Marquise D'Praved, Tweed Valley Rollers
Tweed Valley Rollers’ (TVR) Valley Vixens have a challenge
ahead of them tonight: to face-off with The Bay Rollers’ (TBR) long-term line
up of solid, veteran skaters, with a Vixen roster that consists of 50% new
bouting players. But the Vixens never
shy away from a challenge – especially when it’s in the name of charity.
Tonight’s event is raising money for Connecting Hands – a
not-for-profit that raises awareness about human trafficking and the illegal sex slave
trade; a salient issue, particularly in the lead up to
International Women’s Day.
There is a strong show of support in the crowd from Byron
Bay locals, who have shown up to
back the cause and TBR – who are playing on their home turf, the still shiny
and new council owned Byron Bay Sporting Complex. Passing comments from random
punters suggests that for many, it is their first time watching a game of
Roller Derby. This is the great thing about charity bouts; they tend to draw a
crowd outside of the derby regulars, opening the sport up to new fans and with
luck, freshmeat for the hosting league.
As the venue fills up and the smell of barbequed onions
thickly wafts through the hall, the teams take to track for safety check. The
sight of a full TBR contingency is common, with these women having the good
fortune of retaining the (mostly) same line-up for at least the last three
years. The strength of this team due to their consistence and camaraderie
cannot be underestimated. They know each other well and over time have
developed formidable teamwork on track, including a number of highly honed
skating partnerships that are key to this team’s overall success. Tonight we
see the classic TBR line up with all their most popular and skilled players
ready for battle.
| |
A full roster of TVR’s Vixens is a less common sight
however, with the team being low on bouting skaters for the majority of the
last two seasons. Pregnancy and injury have seen a good number of the Vixen’s
veteran players benched over the last couple of years, with the team being
reduced at one point during 2013 to a mere 7 players. Tonight we see a very
different looking team though – tonight we see a rejuvenated, rebooted Vixens,
with a staggering 13 skaters ready and lined up for safety check. If it weren’t
for player 302 Marquise D’Praved sustaining a broken leg during training
recently, the roster would have been full – something that hasn’t occurred with
this team since Spring 2012!
The Vixens are playing tonight with more numbers than they
have had for months, but this doesn’t necessarily give them a leg up. The
reality is that half of these skaters are new to bouting, and whilst they are
all strong, skilled skaters; they have not yet had time to gel as a team. This
will be their biggest challenge tonight, going up against a team, which on the
opposite end of the spectrum, have teamwork as their biggest advantage. TVR’s
veterans will have to work extra hard tonight to guide their new skaters on
track.
 |
| New to TVR's Valley Vixens Scarlett Slam, displayed some excellent jamming skills. PHOTO CREDIT: Lyn McCarthy |
An excellent sight to see is the return of two of TVR’s
veterans to the team – player 00 Jac Nippleson, who has returned from maternity
leave, and player 14 Laydee McBiatch, who is returning after major shoulder
surgery saw her benched for the second half of 2012. Nippleson will be a
welcome addition to the Vixen’s jamming ranks, and McBiatch’s strong offensive
work will no doubt be greatly appreciated.
The first few jams start off well for TVR, with well-thought
out offensive plays off the jammer line seeing them claim lead jammer several
times in the first 10 minutes. TVR are the first to put points on the board and
continue to collect points with the scoreboard neck to neck for the first
quarter. Three power-jams early on in the first half see Vixens’ jammers
Scarlett Slam, Jac Nippleson and LC Hammer collect a total of 50 points between
them. This strong start seems to put a bomb up TBR and suddenly they surge
ahead, closing halftime with a score of 116 to TVR’s 65.
Ten minutes into the second half, and TVR struggle to add to
their 65 points, whilst TBR continue to scale up the scoreboard. It is an
out-of-character game for the Vixens, who are known for being ‘second-halvers’.
They seem to be playing an inverse of their typical games, which see them come
out super-strong in the second half. Tonight, the vixens’ jammers are looking
obviously exhausted and can’t seem to crack that half-time score. It’s no
wonder though, being faced with TBR’s intense line of defence. Stand-out
blocking work from Tank U and seemingly effortless jamming from the
awe-inspiring Nitro are hard to counteract.
Even so, TVR are incessant in their ability to keep getting
up and keep fighting. Long-time Vixen Monie Bones deserves a mention for her skilful
offence work (especially in the second half). This woman will never leave her
jammer out in the cold, and blocks like only a seasoned jammer can – with
voraciousness and empathy. The best offensive blocker is one who understands
first hand what it’s like to be a jammer.
Also worthy of a mention is Vixen’s Captain Poisonality,
whose offensive work is pro-active rather than re-active – she has a knack for
predicting the threat to her jammer and taking it out before the damage can be
done. This is something that can only come from a seasoned derby player and
most likely what won her the night’s MVP award (Most Valuable Player), which is
voted by the opposing team.
 |
| TVR's Jac Nippleson gets a clear run thanks to the pro-active offensive work from Poisonality (on the right, holding back a TBR blocker). PHOTO CREDIT: Lyn McCarthy |
TVR newcomers, Bom Zo ‘Way and Whoopsie Daisy deserve to be
commended for their stand-out defence in this game. In what is only their
second official bout for TVR, these two players displayed a keen defensive
instinct, continually chasing out the opposing jammers and never shying away
from attempting good solid hits. Additionally, Whoopsie Daisy gave a
note-worthy assist to jammer Jac Nippleson in the second half, projecting her
with a mighty push that helped her clear the pack after being stuck for several
excruciating seconds in a TBR crush.
TVR’s Jac Nippleson is a stand-out TVR jammer tonight. She
is a classic aggressive jammer, stopping at the back of the pack and getting up
on her toes stops to push on the opposing wall of blockers. She is a skater who
is not intimidated when approaching a solid line of defence – but unfortunately
tonight, her blockers frequently fail to ‘read’ her attempts to push the
opposing blockers out of play and therefore render her jamming style less
effective. Having said this, she still placed a good percentage of points on
the board, and managed to do so whilst accruing only one penalty the entire
game! If it weren’t for a pesky cut-tack in the second half, this veteran skater
– who is known for being penalty heavy in the past – would have come out of
tonight’s game with an unheard of clean slate!
Also particularity effective in her jamming for TVR tonight is Scarlett Slam, who returns to the league after a year-long stint honing her skills in New Zealand. Her time spent in the land of Orks has clearly paid off, as this girl throws herself into battle with the same craziness as said characters, and with an enviable lack of fear. Slam proves tonight that she is definitely an evasive-style jammer that will be worth keeping an eye on this season.
 |
| There's a lot of love between the two leagues, as TBR's Leggy Bomb and TVR's Monie Bones show here. PHOTO CREDIT: Lyn McCarthy |
By the end of the second half, both teams were visibly
spent, with both side’s jammers struggling to get up after being hit down.
Though TBR went away with a convincing win – 264 to 80, it was not an easy game
for them – something which undoubtedly would have come as a surprise to the Bay
women. It seemed that for the first time ever, TBR were challenged by their
long-time pals from TVR. The two teams have faced-off many times before, but tonight
somehow seemed different; almost like TBR sensed a potential in this new Vixens
line-up – a potential for this re-booted team to give them a run for their
money this season. And what a better way to kick of this derby season with a
bout that not only raised the spirits of the skaters, but also raised money for
a worthy cause! Great job Bay Rollers and of course – Viva La TVR!
