Arguably the UK’s premier derby league, when it comes to international challenges, London Rollergirls are the obvious choice to be taking on the best the world has to offer. And let’s face it, they’ve pretty much annihilated any UK opposition they’ve faced in recent years. They’re the longest established publicly bouting league in the country, WFTDA accredited, and with the organisation and clout to organise bouts at big venues like Earls Court – hell, they’ve even been on Radio 4.
All that said though, I can’t help but think they’ve bitten off a little more than they could chew here tonight. Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, from Denver Colorado, are reigning WFTDA champions, and by all available measures the best team in the world. The World, ladies and gentlemen!
From an early LRG lead of a full one point, RMRG soon start the battering, racking up points left right and centre. On the scoring front, key jammers like Whipity Pow for Denver showed complete ease in breaking through the London pack and making the best of any lead, while their teammates did an amazing job of blocking London’s attempts to pass though, and at points bringing the pack to a dead halt to allow big point scoring opportunities.
Years of practice and experience have given RMRG a blocking pack that’s damn near impossible to pass at times, and that really makes all the difference. Interestingly, it was the bigger jammers like Stephanie Mainey who seemed to have better luck, using strength rather than agility to pass – perhaps something to note for future tactics. More penalties, but you’ll get through.
London did have one bit of outrageous luck in the final minutes though, with team captain Kamikaze Kitten landing a whopping 25 points in one powerjam, more than doubling their score, and sending the crowds into an uproar of deafening cheers – there’s nothing like a last-minute comeback to get the fans going, even if you ultimately still lose!
I have to say it though, I can’t help thinking it looked a bit like (dare I say it?) a set up. It’s not the first time this kind of improbable last minute big score has happened at an LRG bout, but this was certainly one of the most notable. With hardly any change to the line-ups, is it really all that feasible to score 25 points in under two minutes, after a gruelling hour-long battle to get those first 24? Against the best opposition team in the world? It’s possible I suppose, rollerderby is nothing if not unpredictable, but really doesn’t seem all that likely to me, and I’m not the only one who has commented on it.
I know there are many on the LRG benches that like to consider themselves sportswomen now, some even dropping their ‘derby names’ to go semi-pro under their own names. If this kind of fixing is going on, please have a word and make it stop. Let’s keep this a sport if we can, please don’t let this turn into scripted Pro-Wrestling-style spectacle nonsense – the fans, and the players, want a real game.
