I Was Wrong: My Recap and Thoughts of Thunda on the Tundra: The WFTDA North Central Regionals 2010.

The first tournament of the WFTDA Regionals has come and gone and what looked to be a pretty, easy to call tournament was anything but. I got some picks right, I got some wrong, and I was WAY off on one, which I will get to in a bit (read my predictions here). Also if you’re new to roller derby and don’t understand why a 1-2 team is above a 2-1 and some 2-2 teams checkout Mike Chexx’s article on the current WFTDA Regional brackets and why they need to change. Let’s dive in and take a look at the Midwest derby scene post TOTT.

NC Regional Tournament Rankings

10. Arch Rival Rollergirls 0-3: ARRG closes out the season on a major down note, going 0-3 for the weekend. They seem to come out of the gate slow but are a big second half team. They are going to need to work on that in the off-season if they want to regain ground in the North Central standings. The 10th spot is a place they don’t want to be at especially with teams such as Grand Raggidy, Burning River, Ohio, and Fort Wayne on the outside looking in.

9. Omaha Rollergirls 1-2: This was Omaha’s first Regional tournament and it showed this past weekend. My grandfather had a poster in his office that read “Youth and skill are no match for old age and treachery”. That quote sums up what happened to Omaha, although I did have high hopes for them after keeping it within 11 points of Kansas City earlier this season, they don’t have the big game experience to play on this level yet. Ima Firestarter and Anna Manic could develop into great jammers, but ORG’s packs are going to need to be able to control pack speed, invest in better strategy, and stop their over aggressive penalties before that can happen. I am going to keep an eye on Omaha as next year is going to be when we figure out if they are a flash in the pan or young team on the rise.

8. Brew City Bruisers 1-3: It was a tough weekend for the Regionals’ hosts as they were looking to make their first WFTDA Championships this year. Instead they took a few steps back down the ladder, losing a knock down, drag out battle with Cincinnati and then dropping games to Naptown and Northstar, two teams who continue to be on the rise in the North Central. Brew City had a really good regular season, but part of the drama of sports is the unforgiving importance of the playoffs. I don’t look for them to stay down long though as they should have a lot of talent returning for 2011.

On a side note, I want a miniature 18 inch tall High D Voltage that lives in my apartment. She would skate around my living room, screaming, showing me how many points she just scored after lapping my dog, and hyping up anyone who came over to hang out with us. Seriously, I love watching that woman (and her sports goggles) play roller derby.

7. North Star Roller Girls 2-2: North Star is leaving the Thunda on the Tundra down a spot from the 6th to the 7th spot. That being said its important to note who those two losses were to, Madison and Detroit. Medusa played like the stand out she is and Katarina Hit had an excellent showing as well. North Star is a good team with nothing to hang their head about but 2010 is going to be a pivotal year for them as its time for them to move up the mountain or risk cementing them selves as a middle of the pack team for years to come. I would love to see Naptown vs. North Star in 2011.

6. Naptown Roller Girls 2-2: Naptown isn’t punching a ticket to Chicago, but this past weekend capped off their best year yet. Their only losses in the tournament came to Detroit and Windy City, a game in which they showed a lot of spunk and grit. They also pulled off a huge win over 5th ranked Brew City in the final game of the night on Saturday in front of one of the largest crowds of the weekend. They proved that they are not intimidated by anyone and the word quit does not exist in their vocabulary. Katya Lookin’ is a firebrand that sets the tone for hard hitting pack play and I was impressed at how far Maiden America has come since ECDX 2010. Look for them to try and ride this wave of success into 2011.

5. Detroit Derby Girls 2-1: The scene that unfolded Friday night between Minnesota and Detroit, reminded me of when Rashad Evans knocked out Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. The jubilant underdog celebrated as the heavy favorite looked on, defeated and stunned. Coming into this tournament Detroit had only suffered 2 losses to Philly, who I pick to make the WFTDA Championships again this year. Detroit did have a midseason scare against Naptown, proving that they were susceptible to an upset. Minnesota played a great game, taking it a jam at a time and came out on top. DDG went on to beat North Star and Naptown later that weekend.

The question now becomes where does Detroit go from here? The simple fact is Detroit is still Detroit, a solid team that lost a game they didn’t expect to lose. I foresee them redoubling their efforts in the off-season and come out as a fierce contender for a WFTDA Championship spot again next year. With Cookie Rumble in the pack and jammer corps consisting of Racer McChaseher, Effin Money, and Sister Slitchya that maybe down now but they are far from out.

4. Cincinnati Rollergirls 1-2: For the second year in a row, Cincinnati just misses the WFTDA Championships, but they were memorable in many ways this weekend. Cincy kicked off Friday night by surprising everyone in attendance by skating in matching jerseys that all read “Sadistic Sadie” on their name plate, this was the first time, nationally known instance of one team all playing under the same name. Some people loved it; others hated it, which is an obviously fitting, poetic end to Sadie’s current derby career.

The team often mockingly dubbed “The Sadie Show” proved they were anything but by winning a back and forth war with Bruise City on Friday night. Cincinnati came up short both Saturday and Sunday, but proved they can hang with the top teams in the regional trading multiple lead changes with both Windy City and Madison before losing to both teams. Hannah Ouchocinco continues to play her best in big games and Nuk’em continues to prove herself as a top level player in the rear of the pack. Pivot Sk8er Kinney showed why she should be invited to play on a national all-star team. Cincinnati is stuck in the same role Boston was in 2007 and 2008, coming close to the big dance but not quite ready to go there yet. If they can keep their core group together and develop their bench 2011 could be their year.

3. Mad Rollin’ Dolls 2-1: The Dairyland Dolls captured their second trip to the WFTDA Championships in the past two years. Madison had to work to make it happen though. They made it through North Star with little trouble, but then ran into old rival, Minnesota and lost by 12 points, this evens their all time series record at 2-2 a piece. MRD rebounded and showed they can win a tight game, by defeating Cincinnati to secure their spot in Chicago.

Madison gambled this entire season by playing top ranked teams and while their regular season record was awful (1-7), they won when it mattered in the post season. Jewels of De Nile continues to play on a national level, year in and year out and Darling Nikki comes through in the clutch when needed. I don’t see Madison winning the Hydra, but they could make some noise in the first round depending on which number 1 seed they end up facing.

2. Minnesota Roller Girls 3-1: The title of this blog comes from this section. I originally picked MNRG to end up 0-4 in this tournament. Why did I pick them to finish so low? Minnesota has not been to a National/WFTDA Championship tournament since the Dust Devil 2006 in which they lost the opening round. Last year at Brawl of America they lost by 130 points to Windy City in the opening round. Then I saw them in person only beat Tampa Bay and Providence by 2 and 4 points respectively. Tampa is 6th in the South Central and Providence is 8th in the East. And they dropped a 40 point game to Dallas (4th in the SC) at the end of July.

Minnesota became the biggest Cinderella since Kansas City in 2007 and Rocky Mountain last year. I knew my picks were in trouble when I watched their 1st jam against Omaha. MNRG lost their jammer to the box and their defense would not let them score for the entire minute they didn’t have a jammer on the floor. Vuedoo Prodigy spent the entire time pinballing off of red jerseys and setting the tone for the entire tournament. Minnesota played smart, fundamental roller derby all weekend long. Setting up a traditional 2-2 pack (pivot/inside mid blocker and outside blocker/back blocker) that used checks to the outside and walls to coral opposing jammers. When you do the little things right, that’s when the big plays come together. Mix in Jukebox, L’exi Cuter, and Suzie Smashbox and you have a team that was built to create an upset. That’s what they did by going through Detroit and then Madison.

What does the future hold for Minnesota? Only time and the how the other tournaments shake out will tell. That being said, they definitely made this tournament memorable for everyone that watched it.

1. Windy City 3-0: Windy City captures their second North Central title in a row and continues their streak of never losing to a North Central team, but are there chinks in their armor? Naptown kept their game within striking distance for at least 20 minutes and that was followed by instant classic against Cincinnati. What is causing the WCR machine to sputter? Penalties, especially jammer penalties, have been plaguing them as of late (check out their 6 point home win over Boston during the summer), and if they don’t solve this problem it’s eventually going to cost them in a close game.

When Windy City is on; they are one of the best teams in the world, period. Minnesota rolled into the final game of the tournament riding a hot hand and Windy City didn’t even flinch, they played as a unit and picked MNRG apart with decisive defense and the high octane jamming of Varla Vendetta and Shocka Conduit which they are known for. On top of that, Jackie Daniels just keeps getting better and better as she looks to be in the best shape of her career.

Where does WCR go now? If they draw the 3rd seed from the East or South Central they should be able to move on, but if they get the 3rd seed from the West its going to be a battle especially if they don’t get a handle on their jammer penalties. Windy draws a very supportive home crowd so that should help them but it does not guarantee absolute victory. No matter what, Windy City is going to make The Uproar on the Lake Shore very interesting.

Final Thoughts

I originally thought that the North Central Regional would be pretty straightforward with few surprises thrown in. Madison and Windy City advancing is not a shock. Brew City going 1-3 and of course Minnesota are definitely two things I didn’t see coming. That is the beauty of sports though; the unscripted drama in which anyone can win and anyone can lose. Join me again next week as I break down and give my predictions for the Eastern Regional, Derby in the Burbs.