Central Maine Derby 87, RIP Tides 196
Central Maine Derby vs RIP Tides | September 22, 2013 | The Cross Insurance Center, Bangor Maine | Bout Recap by Jimmy Rollsome
Roller derby made its debut at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Sunday September 22, 2013. The event, dubbed ‘Double Cross’, featured a roller derby double-header and live musical performances from When Particles Collide. The date marked the first local sports competition and first live music performance in the state-of-the-art venue’s brief history. Maine Roller Derby’s RIP Tides returned to the Queen City of the East for their second meeting of the year against Central Maine Derby in the first bout of the afternoon. The two teams had previously played at the March 23rd Inaugural Brawl, with the RIP Tides skating away with a hard fought 171-138 win. Each team was eager to display what they had learned in those six months.
The RIP Tides dominated both sides of the game in the first half and were bolstered by transfer skaters InfraRed, Lolo, and Phoenix Down, as well as Wrex Zilla rising from the depths of retirement. The RIP Tides were able to pick up lead jammer status in 18 out of 23 jams during the half and took advantage of the power jam opportunities presented. The RIP Tides’ blockers held CMD scoreless in 11 out of the first 12 jams and never allowed more than 11 points in a single jam during the first half. Scoring was tight in the early going, but that changed in jam 6 when InfraRed forced a track cut on Nurse Heartless, giving the RIP Tides the power jam. Zeldangerous would score 12 points on that power jam with the assistance of Byte Size Bandit, Phoenix Down, and InfraRed, whose active offense opened holes in the CMD wall. Penalties proved to be a problem for CMD during the first half, as Siren Plague went to the box in jam 7 after Kirsten Damned forced the track cut. Siren would be in and out of the box until the whistle blew to end jam 11. During that time, the RIP Tides took full advantage of their extended time on the power jam, opening up the score to lead 68-1 (Nutritional Beast scoring 13 in jam 7 and 5 in jam 10; InfraRed scoring 15 in both jams 8 and 9, and Kirsten Damned scoring 4 in jam 11). CMD came back to hold the RIP Tides scoreless in jams 12 through 16, while racking up 20 points including 11 by Ransom Note in jam 16. The storm waters of the RIP Tides could only be held back for so long by the CMD walls and after Kirsten Damned forced the track cut on Nurse Heartless in jam 18, Zeldangerous capitalized on another power jam scoring 25 (of 74) points to extend the lead to 102-21. Hit it and quit it jams for both sides closed out the first half of the bout. When Particles Collide started the half-time show with the RIP Tides leading Central Maine Derby 117-29.
The second half of the bout was more tightly played with CMD avoiding the penalty troubles they had experienced in the first half that led to costly power jams. It played like an entirely different bout, filled with “hit it and quit it” jams and hard hits. CMD doubled their first half tally scoring 58 additional points while the RIP Tides continued with their steady play and put up 79 of their own. The RIP’s blockers continued their strong play holding CMD scoreless in jams 6 through 12. InfraRed’s timely block knocking Serpent’s Kiss out of bounds led to Kirsten Damned picking up lead jammer for the RIP Tides in jam 8 along with 8 points. Wrex Zilla’s hard block forced Ransom Note to call it off with InfraRed closing the gap in jam 12. The strong defense continued in jam 15 with the RIP Tides’ Curve Appeal, Dubliner Broozes, EmVincible, and Phoenix Down containing Siren Plague and allowing Zeldangerous to pick up 5 points with the natural grand slam. Jam 18 spurred the one big power jam of the half for the RIP Tides with Zeldangerous scoring 20 points after Mary Bo Reap, who had been tied up by Cabbage Smash Kid and Lolo, went to the box on a track cut. Throughout the half, CMD jammers Nurse Heartless, Ransom Note, and Siren Plague consistently scored points, but never got the power jams needed to close the large gap created after the first half. EmVincible wore the star for the RIP Tides in the last jam of the bout picking up 7 points with teammates Byte Size Bandit, Curve Appeal, Nutritional Beast, and Phoenix Down holding CMD scoreless. At the final whistle, the score was 196-87 with the win going to the RIP Tides.
With the first bout of the day in the books, it was time for When Particles Collide to hit the stage. This allowed time for CMD to prepare for the second bout of the day, which was a Spy vs. Spy themed intraleague contest inspired by the recurring comic in Mad Magazine. It was an extremely tight bout with lots of hard hits, as well as numerous lead changes and comebacks. The winner was not decided until the final jam and it could have gone either way. In the end, the black team was victorious 149-131. Overall, it was a great event with Central Maine Derby being superb hosts (I have never seen so many trophies, and then there were the capes!) and the Cross Insurance Center proving to be an awesome venue for both the music and the derby action. All the skaters in both bouts skated hard while displaying great sportsmanship and competitive spirit. I look forward to future bouts between these leagues in this venue.
MVPs
RIP Tides:
Nutritional Beast (Jammer)
Curve Appeal (Blocker)
Central Maine Derby:
Ransom Note (Jammer)
Mary Bo Reap (Blocker)
Top Scorers
RIP Tides: Zeldangerous (74)
Central Maine Derby: Ransom Note (29)
RIP Tides Roster
Byte Size Bandit | Cabbage Smash Kid | Curve Appeal | Dubliner Broozes | Em Vincible | Half-pint Hellcat (scratch) | Hans Yolo | Infrared | Kirsten Damned | Lolo | Nutritional Beast | Phoenix Down | Wrexzilla | Zeldangerous | Joech (Coach) | Sparrow Hawk (Bench Manager)
Central Maine Derby Roster
Aroostook Bounty | Artemis Wrecks | Auxiliary Clutch (alt) | Knife Edge |
KTNT (alt)| Mary Bo Reap | Miss Anthrope | Nurse Heartless | Pickle Bunny | Ransom Note | Serpent’s Kiss | Siren Plague | Stargazer | Sweet Peacock | Wicked Blonde | Wined Up| Shelby Fastback (Coach/Bench Manager) | Cracked Pepper (Coach/Bench Manager)
