Western Regional 2010

Name: Rollin’ on the River
Dates: October 1-3, 2010
Location: Sacramento, California
Host League: Sacred City

The Western Regional should be the best of all the Regionals and could possibly be the tournament of the entire year. Oly, Rocky Mountain, Denver, Rose City, Rat City, and BAD all have legit chances of making the WFTDA Championships in Chicago. While there is a drop off in talent past the top six, its not nearly as steep as the other regions.

Team Breakdowns

1. Oly Rollers: The 2009 World Champions are set to defend their title and try to be the first team to win back-to-back Hydras. They also had a scare this year in which they only beat Rose City by a handful of points. That being said, Oly is still Oly and in the words of the warrior poet Ric Flair “to be the man, you have to beat the man…WOO!” Oly is loaded with talent including Heffer, Tannibal Lector, and Retting to Rumble. Add on top of that Harmony Killerbruise (formerly of Minnesota) and Lick’r n Split (formly of Rose City) are now wearing brown and you have a team that could once again capture the Hydra.

2. Rocky Mountain Roller Girls: Rocky Mountain is a shining example of how quickly a team can become a contender through hard work and recruiting. Rocky Mountain made the WFTDA Championships last year and shocked the derby world by defeating Philly in overtime. Since then Rocky has built on that momentum and is gunning for a Hyrda for their mantle and I think they have a legit chance of making that happen. They are 8-1 this season, beating Rat Ciy and Rose City in the process. Their only loss came to Oly by only 20 points. Frida Beater, Assaultin’ Pepa, Ecko, Pyscho Babble, Whipity Pow, and She Who Cannot be Named are ready to make a WFTDA Championship run and could give Oly their first loss in the process.

3. Denver Roller Dolls: Last year Denver introduced the world to “stopper derby” and brought home a 3rd place finish at the WFTDA Championships in the process. While the slow game and the stop game have become synonymous with Denver, teams have begun to figure out how to counter the strategy. Philly was able to defeat Denver earlier this year and while the East Coast teams aren’t used to this type of roller derby, the other Western teams definitely are. Heather Juska came on strong last year and Angela Death is one of the premier players in the game. In the end I think Denver is one of the best teams in the world, but with only 3 slots in the West, they are going to have to bring their A game this weekend.

4. Rose City Rollers: Rose City has come a long way since the 2007 Dust Devil. They have evolved from a bottom of the barrel team into a national powerhouse and now have a chance to make a WFTDA Championship for the first time. They have a great mix of players with the shut down stall blocking of Blood Clottia, the brawn of Smack Ya Sideways, and the speed of Cadillac. Rose City has looked strong all season nearly beating Oly and getting victories over Philly, Rat City, and a big second half comeback against Boston. Add in bench coach Rob Lobster who will argue anything and everything with the refs to try and swing the calls in Rose City’s direction. If Rose plays at the top of their game, they could punch a ticket to Chicago.

5. Rat City Roller Girls: Rat City got back into the upper echelon of the sport last year with some big victories and is looking to get back on the elite level by making the WFTDA Championships. Anya Heels, Carmen Getsome, Katarina Whip, and Valtron (3000) are all big name players, but I question how deep the Rat City bench is in comparison to Denver, Rocky Mountain, and Oly. They have lost to 3 of the 4 teams ranked above them and have never beaten Oly. Rat City is a good team, but they are in the best division in the WFTDA as far as talent goes and because of this I foresee that they will be on the outside looking in at the WFTDA Championship picture.

6. Bay Area Derby Girls: The BAD girls are in a very odd position. The odds of them making it to the WFTDA Championships is slim but could happen. They have been on the come up all season long as they continue to play at a very high level. Demanda Riot is a roving one woman wall and belle ‘right’ hooks can control the pack as well. Astronaughty and Burlybot can jam effectively but aren’t house hold names. BAD wants to be and could be the Minnesota of the West, if they can keep their late season momentum going.

7. Jet City Rollergirls: Jet City played their first interleague bout on May 30, 2009, a little over a year later they find themselves ranked number 7 in the West. Jet City’s biggest win comes over Arch Rival and they also hold a triple digit victory over one of the oldest flat track leagues in the world, Tucson. While all of this is very positive, they are not ready to seriously contend for a WFTDA Championship spot, especially in the West. Connie Torturous and her crew are going to learn a lot at this tournament and it will be interesting to see what they do when they are matched up with any of the teams ranked above them.

8. Duke City Derby: Duke City’s name will always ring in the annals of WFTDA history; when they shockingly upset defending WFTDA Champions, Kansas City at Battle Royale 2008 and went on to secure themselves a spot at Nationals in Portland at the Northwest Knockdown. 2010 is not 2008 and I don’t see Duke City sneaking up on anyone this year. They have taken some hard losses this year, but do have victories over Scared City and Jet City.  Duke has some good players, but not good enough to capture a spot at the WFTDA Championships. A positive tournament for them would be to finish in the number 5 spot.

9. Tucson Roller Derby: One of the oldest flat track leagues in the world makes their second Western Regional appearance and continue their streak of tournament play that dates back to the original Dust Devil, which they hosted. While Tucson has a proud history they are one of the weaker teams in the Regionals picture this year. They barely secured a victory over Montreal this year and also loss to the young Jet City. A good tournament for Tucson would be to come out ranked higher then they did coming in.

10. Sacred City Derby Girls: I am glad to see Sacred City make their own tournament; unfortunately it’s going to be a rough weekend for them. It’s their first Western Regionals appearance and they should concentrate on soaking up as much high-end derby as they can to prepare for next year.

Summation

What can I say that hasn’t already been said, this should be the best regional this year and might surpass the WFTDA Championships in terms of quality, close games. With 6 teams that have a legit shot of making it to Chicago, that means we are going to see some phenomenal derby with major implications riding on each game. This is what playoffs should be about. Join me again soon as I publish my brackets on who I think will be advancing from the West to the WFTDA Championships.