Here it is the Wednesday after one of the most exciting Dames bouts of the entire season and I finally got about 90 percent of my voice back. If you missed that bout, you really missed out. Remember the number one rule for being a Dames fan.. SHOW UP EARLY!!!!
DAMES
While the game was a sell-out, there were quite a few empty rink seats come halftime because of the normal problems that the Castle has with it's cooling system especially on summer days where there are monsoon conditions outside. I remember last year about this time when the Dames were doing one bout in a night and had a nice long halftime period, many people went outside to get a break. One thing I did notice from my Turn 3 position was that it appeared that some of the Scrapper fans sat out the second half of the Beauties vs. Bombshells bout to get a break but then they were back for their team to play. Unfortunately, those fans did miss out on a very interesting second half in the Beauties/Bombshells bout.
I think that there will be a lot of good memories from this bout. JUGGER NAUGHTY getting humped by RED ROCKER, the debut of ex-Arizona Brusiers NACHO GIRLFRIEND for the Bombshells and NURSE RATCHET for the Beauties, the four fights (oops, extended takedowns) at the second to last jam, Rocker's final jam and the dogpile that entailed. All great memories.
Proably the most memorable moment from this bout was when JOJA PEACH was jamming for the Bombshells and she pulled CELESTE's trademark hair ribbons and ran with them. By the time Joja made it around again to turn-4, Celeste was there to get those ribbons back. I sure hope that AZDD definitely considers that as one of the nominees for the "Best Fight" award for this year's ROLLERBRAWL.
Just for the record on this bout, I made a major mistake during the night of the bout. I think it may have been the thin air tied with a huge case of fatigue on my part. I stated that I got this bout within prediction (Beauties by 80-100 points) but actually after running the stats (which in this case was basic second grade math), I realized that they won by 74 points. My apologies for me making an ass of myself on that one.
Now, let's get to SCHOOL YARD SCRAPPERS vs. RUNAWAY BRIDES. This bout I predicted would be very close and that it was. What was very impressive about this bout was that even though the Brides had the lead during the entire bout, the margin never slipped by more than 15 points. The Scrappers were in there to answer Bride points and vice versa. After the first jam, the plaid was able to at one point get to within 5 points of the Brides. This was thanks to a fantastic 9-point jam by Scrapper MIZZ NASHTY, the highest scoring jam of the night.
Who I was very impressed with in this bout was rookie Bride skater who goes by "T.B.D.". Honestly, I hope she keeps the name "T.B.D.". I am not sure of acronyms are allowed on the roster (I need to check on that). In a way, she reminds me about FORBID N. FRUIT from last year's COFFIN DRAGGERS who came in near the end of the season and was a major contributor to getting the Draggers to the championship bout against the Beauties. I surely hope T.B.D. (or whatever name she eventually chooses) sticks around the Dames for awhile.
I hope the Arizona Bruiser influence now in the Dames will take the league's jamming to the next level (they are already at a very high level in my book.. you can only get better).
Dames' all-star team THE LADY LUX are going to ROLLERCON and will be scrimmaging against the SILICON VALLEY ROLLERGIRLS on Friday August 1. I assume it will be at Flamingo Banks. I have no other information at this time. I am pretty sure the Dames will announce it. For those going to the Con who are not familiar with this league, please take some time and check them out. The Lady Lux will have an expo bout later on Saturday August 23 at the Castle. No opponent has been officially announced for this one. Stay tuned for news on this one!
So with that said, in September, the Brides take on the Draggers and the Beauties will take on the Scrappers. I will make predictions as we get closer. We need to see who will be skating in those bouts.
TUCSON
On the same night as the exciting Dames bouts, our TUCSON SADDLETRAMPS were getting a major butt-kicking on the slick track in WINDY CITY. While this bout will not reflect in the second quarter WFTDA rankings which shoud be due out anytime, it will definitely have an impact. Honestly, the bouts against BAY AREA and PIKES PEAK are going to hurt already.
Now to be fair, I have not been into this as long as some of you and go ahead and flame me on MySpace if you want to on this but is it me or does it seem like that at one time it was a case where the other leagues were looking towards Arizona and now it's Arizona looking towards the other leagues? In other words, the skills and moves that the other leagues are doing are evolving and Arizona does not seem to be catching up with them. Instead, the comment I have heard from some is that the other leagues "play dirty". Are they really playing dirty or are they skirting the rules but still playing a legal game? I would love to hear from some of you with opinions on this. Is Arizona having a hard time keeping up with the other travel teams? I am not bashing either the Tramps or the TCT here, I am just making an observation based on my own experiences and many stories I have heard about the history of WFTDA derby and the rich histories of AZRD and TRD.
Tucson is bouting this weekend. This is the last regulation bout of the season. COPPER QUEENS vs. VICE SQUAD is definitely going to be a "must see" bout because both teams have been showing strong, especially with the recent outcomes of bouts involving the FTW. I have not heard who is out for this bout but based on their recent bouts, I am going to say VICE SQUAD BY 10-30. Now for the IRON CURTAIN, they continue trying and trying and no matter what, they just can't seem to make it. Like I told Rowdy's Scrappers last year, I will tell the IC, it's all about focus. As far as I know, SLOPPY FLO is still out and the FTW may be in more of a weak position however, I am not sure that they will be in a position where the determined Iron Curtain team is going to overtake them. FTW BY 30-50.
AZRD
Will the real BABE RUTHLESS, please stand up. There have been some recent chatter on the Rollergirl lists from AZRD's Babe Ruthless with concern that the new DREW BERRYMORE movie "WHIP IT" was stealing her skate name. Those on the list suggested that the league should capitalize on it to the advantage of the league. When I was at the last Dames bout, I noticed a couple of fans with stickers that had the AZRD "Fahrvergnügen" logo with the caption "HOME OF THE REAL BABE RUTHLESS". I was like.. WOW!! Great job AZRD on that one. I will tell the entire entertainment industry what I told to DAVID SAMS awhile ago.. RESPECT THE ROSTER.
While on the subject of AZRD, did you know that there will now be an official magazine of the WOMEN'S FLAT TRACK ASSOCIATION? The new magazine will be called FIVEONFIVE and will be issued quarterly. Contributing writers include COACH PAULY and INVANNA S. PANKIN from AZRD. The magazine will cover topics like business, health & fitness, coaching, WFTDA, JFTDA, rookie help, gear, art and media, etc.
For more information, check out http://www.fiveonfivemag.com
RENEGADES
What more can I say about them but "WOW!". The RRG had their second offical 2008 season bout last Friday at the Marr Properties Warehouse. This time the layout was different as more of the warehouse space was used for a bigger track, but that meant that there were pillars that could cause an issue. Renegades have skated with pillars before (the ESPN bout from earlier this year) so they are used to it. Interestingly enough, they used inflatable pool toys to pad the pillars. The area that I referred to during the last bout as the "wall of death" was built out with a more permanent wall. What was last bout's bench area was the turn 3/4 area. My only comment about this layout was that it made it slightly harder for me to work, especially with the pillars in the way and that most of the good action that night took place in turn-1/2, but I managed to get some good stuff. Renegades should get the next Michi-chan AZDR video coming pretty soon.
Joining the ranks of MAYHEMILY was new Renegade CHUCK (Berrings) who decided after the first period of the game to skate the rest of the bout with no helmet. I also note that Chuck was the only skater that night to crash into the pillars.
The next Renegades bout will be Friday, August 15 .. which is also MICHI-CHAN'S 40TH BIRTHDAY. I plan to be at this bout. Please come by and support your Renegade Rollergirls and wish me a nice ride on the other side of the hill. Those who know me personally know that I feel like my life has started over since I have made some changes in my personal life and have been involved in derby but even with that, turning 40 is a milestone. Please come out and celebrate with me!
BRATS
I had asked about the new team names for the TUCSON DERBY BRATS and here they are. They are the NATURAL DISASTERS and the INJUSTICE LEAGUE. I love 'em! Just a reminder, Brats are bouting on Sunday August 3 at Bladeworld. Dan and I will try to make it there. Work schedule and gas prices have been a major hamper on my Arizona derby love. Hopefully we will also get a chance to see the SKATER TOTS!
OSDA
I would love to see something like this here. The OSDA ALL KNIGHT TOURNEY hosted by the MAN'S RUIN ROLLERGIRLS on Saturday August 16 at THE CASTLE on Brookside Av in Chester NY. Events through the all-knight event include go-carts, mini golf, laser tag, skating, mini-scrimmages, skate clinics, movies, free breakfast and practice with Man's Ruin. Bring your own sleeping bag. Only $35 for the entire night. Open to all leagues, associated with OSDA or not. This is a co-ed event open to all skaters and refs. RSVP by 8/9 to MRRG@hvc.rr.com.
Wow. I think we got them all in there. Remember to watch michichan.com for upcoming derby events, scores and stuff. We'll hopefully see you all on August 3 at Bladeworld for the Brats. I can't do Rollercon this year due to a new work schedule. Those going to the Con, please be safe and take the time to visit the workshops. Anything you can learn from your peers in other states can help improve derby for the fans here in Arizona. I hope I can make it to Rollercon 2009. Until then, peace and derby love.
THE ARIZONA DERBY REPORT
Michelle A. Eyre/Michi-chan
http://www.michichan.com
(opinions are those of Michelle herself and do not reflect the opinions of any affiliated league or association.)
This was recovered from the MCRSP records, December 4, 2025.
