As I watched the Bronx Gridlock skate their way to victory,
I had mixed emotions. I was happy,
because they won in a neck-to-neck game against the Manhattan Mayhem, but sad
as well since their victory symbolized the end of the 2009 derby season. This was my first year watching the
Gotham Girls and, honestly, they are a pretty amazing bunch of women. To witness the players and teams
grow in these eight games has truly been a wonderful adventure. Now, to try and summarize the incredible
game last Saturday.
The first jam of the night featured Bronx’s golden gal Bonnie Thunders (No. 340) against Manhattan’s speedy Em Dash (No. –). Despite superior blocking by Manhattan’s Sweet Sherry Pie (No. 201), Pie was forced to yield to Thunders after straying to far from her team. Thunders took the lead and scored four points for the Bronx. Next up, Bronx’s Luna Impact (No. 29.5) vs. Manhattan’s Polly Gone (No. >2) in a jam that truly showed how far Gone’s skills have come. In past games, Gone proved one of the best and most solid blockers, but it became apparent she was gearing up to take a jammer position. Practice makes pretty darn close to perfect in her case, and as Gone breezed past Bronx’s Brigitte Barhot (No. swingin’ 60’s) and scored six points, the crowd went crazy.
Gone’s next opponent was a surprise guest skater, Brooklyn Bombshell’s own rookie, OMG WTF (No. 753), playing for the Bronx. Immediately Gone got sentenced to the penalty box, which helped her lithe opponent to take the lead. Manhattan blocked OMG well, but the skilled jammer managed to score three points before Gone could really get back in the game.
At this point, Bronx’s steadily rising score got its first hit when Manhattan’s Fisti Cuffs (No. 241) battled it out against Impact. Despite Impact’s cheering squad in the bleachers, it wasn’t enough to get her away from the awesome blocking by Surly Temple (No. 99). Cuffs took the lead and bumped Manhattan’s score up by eight points. Next up, Barhot against Manhattan’s Roxy Gibrawlter (No. 426), who scored three more points for Manhattan, making it 17 to Bronx’s 22. The game was on. Gone came up again and as she raised Manhattan’s score to a whopping 33 points, the fans whooped and stomped. Down in the track seating, you could smell player’s sweat and see the smiles as Manhattan cheered her on.
In the last 15 minutes of the first half of the game we saw a handful of time-outs and a OMG take a wicked fall that silenced the whole rink. After a few minutes of dead air and bewilderment, the audience started clapping, and, like Tinkerbelle from Peter Pan, she got up and resumed her position. With less then a minute to go, Gone battled against an absent Thunders who has been sent to the penalty box along with one of Bronx’s blockers. Gone cut through the remaining Gridlock gals like a knife through butter and took the lead. Thunders got back in the game and Gone instantly fouled while trying to call it off. No dice. She was sent to the box and Thunders took the reins. Though, it wasn’t enough to push the Bronx ahead. As the time bell rang, Manhattan remained in the lead, 80 to 39.
The half time show featured the super sexy Minsky Sisters, who did a burlesque act using sultry white feathers and a lot of leg. They were followed by the heartfelt and energetic Jeerleader troops, The Backseat Betties and The Jailhouse Rockettes.
The second half kicked off with a jam between Thunders and Gone, who was still in the penalty box from the last jam. Thunders had a little trouble getting through Manhattan’s blockers, but finally managed to break through just as Gone got back in the game. As soon as Gone worked her way through Bronx’s blockers, Thunders called off the jam, having scored eight points for her team. Next up, OMG against Dash. After taking that nasty spill in the first half, OMG showed how she well had bounced back and took the lead jammer position, scoring five more points for Bronx. At this point, the Bronx team slowly pushed forward until they were only a few points behind Manhattan.
With two minutes left in the game, the Mayhem had 101 points, only seven less then the Gridlock. Thunders and Gone stepped up to the line. Thunders had the advantage in this battle since two of the Manhattan players were in the penalty box. She took advantage of the lack of blockers and trumped Gone, scoring four more points. The last battle of the season pitted Impact against Cuffs. Despite smooth blocking moves from Barhot, Cuffs made her way through and took the lead. Temple and Pie blocked Impact with all their force as Bronx’s Kandy Kakes (No. perfect 10) bumped Cuffs out of the rink. Both teams scored, but Bronx took the championship title for the second time in the league’s five year history with 116 points against Manhattan’s 105.
The season ended, Bronx got the golden skates, and Manhattan said farewell to two of their players, GoGo BaiBai (No. 3) and Lucille Ballistic (No. M-16). In those eight games, I learned a lot about roller derby, but not just the rules and what those crazy hand gestures the referees use mean. I discovered the raw fervor the Gotham Girls have for their sport, the camaraderie and love for each other, and their all out joy of kicking ass on skates. The women that play this game do all sorts of things in their day-to-day life: from a graphic designer, musician, editor, paper maker, doctor, and student, among other things. But, in this moment, a big part of what really defines them is the game. A few chats with some of these players yielded phrases like “derby widow” (what happens to significant others when their ladies join the league) and talks about how friendships shift into derbyland. In the end, it’s an incredible sport played by amazing people and I am happy to have spent a season dipping in.
One final note, based on growth and prowess, my Gotham Girl’s MVP of the year is Manhattan Mayhem’s Polly Gone. Look out for her next year, it’s going to be wicked.
