Rat City Rollergirls vs. Rose City Rollers *exhibition* - July 15
(Belatedly crossposted from the Roller Derby Is Sport yahoo group)
This weekend, Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls hosts their first home interleague bout, featuring Portland's Rose City Rollers in a much-anticipated exhibition bout. Rose City was founded only a few months after Rat City, and has adopted the girls to the north as their "big sister" league (mirroring the relationship between these two beautiful northwest cities).
The better part of a year elapsed between Rat City's inaugural bout and the Rose City Rollers' bouting debut, but this has only inspired the Portland league to train more intensely and close the gap. A first meeting of the leagues' traveling units at the 2006 Dust Devil went decisively in Rat City's favor, leaving the younger league even more determined to close the gap.
This weekend's exhibition will feature each local team on the Rat City Rollergirls playing one 20-minute period against a Rose City Rollergirls team. The matchups (home teams listed second):
Breakneck Betties vs. Throttle Rockets
High Rollers vs. Grave Danger
Guns n Rollers vs. Sockit Wenches
Heartless Heathers vs. Derby Liberation Front
Pairings were set largely by current standings. The Heartless Heathers are undefeated in local play, as are Rat City's defending 2005 champions DLF, so that matchup will be closely watched. By mutual agreement, game-day roster caps have been lifted for this event, so tomorrow's bouting will showcase every able skater from both leagues!
Many skaters view this event as a "graduation day" of sorts for both leagues. Since early on, many an after party in both cities has featured a conversation along the lines of, "wouldn't it be great if, one day, we'll be able to play against each other?" As the only two bouting leagues within weekend driving distance, Rat City Rollergirls and Rose City Rollers have bonded tightly, so tomorrow's event is sure to be exciting, celebratory, and not just a little bit sentimental for many people involved.
One only wonders what topic will take its place in this after party!
This weekend, Seattle's Rat City Rollergirls hosts their first home interleague bout, featuring Portland's Rose City Rollers in a much-anticipated exhibition bout. Rose City was founded only a few months after Rat City, and has adopted the girls to the north as their "big sister" league (mirroring the relationship between these two beautiful northwest cities).
The better part of a year elapsed between Rat City's inaugural bout and the Rose City Rollers' bouting debut, but this has only inspired the Portland league to train more intensely and close the gap. A first meeting of the leagues' traveling units at the 2006 Dust Devil went decisively in Rat City's favor, leaving the younger league even more determined to close the gap.
This weekend's exhibition will feature each local team on the Rat City Rollergirls playing one 20-minute period against a Rose City Rollergirls team. The matchups (home teams listed second):
Breakneck Betties vs. Throttle Rockets
High Rollers vs. Grave Danger
Guns n Rollers vs. Sockit Wenches
Heartless Heathers vs. Derby Liberation Front
Pairings were set largely by current standings. The Heartless Heathers are undefeated in local play, as are Rat City's defending 2005 champions DLF, so that matchup will be closely watched. By mutual agreement, game-day roster caps have been lifted for this event, so tomorrow's bouting will showcase every able skater from both leagues!
Many skaters view this event as a "graduation day" of sorts for both leagues. Since early on, many an after party in both cities has featured a conversation along the lines of, "wouldn't it be great if, one day, we'll be able to play against each other?" As the only two bouting leagues within weekend driving distance, Rat City Rollergirls and Rose City Rollers have bonded tightly, so tomorrow's event is sure to be exciting, celebratory, and not just a little bit sentimental for many people involved.
One only wonders what topic will take its place in this after party!