The worries of balance bothering you? Wait a season.

Last season, I’d been involved in a few conversations with East Coast widows, coaches, and skaters about the Eastern Region’s top two teams. In almost all of these talks (booze didn’t seem to inspire/dissuade the topic), at least one person would claim that Gotham and Philly’s level of play was at an insane level of play compared to those even in the third and fourth spots (Charm City and Boston). On the second day of 2010 Easterns, both Philly and Gotham handed out solid defeats to the third and fourth teams who had been otherwise in competitive fighting form throughout the season. A few Massacre fans were under the impression that the fight for many of the teams at Derby in the Burbs was never for the top rung but for the third spot, which allowed them to get to Uproar on the Lakeshore (Championships 2010). The consensus was that the Boston Massacre or Charm City simply couldn’t defeat Philly or Gotham. The “Glass Ceiling” of third place was, in their minds, the ultimate goal. Weighing the opinions of widows, team managers, and skaters I scratched my sideburns thoughtfully before finding more important things to think about, such as where would I eat in White Plains, New York.

The Glass Ceiling debate at Derby in the Burbs seemed to be echoed on the West Coast a week later, but to a lesser degree. There were fewer blowouts than at Easterns, but it was Oly and Rocky Mountain’s dominance that left the outcome in little doubt. BAD scared the hell out of the world by proving sass kicks ass and Rose City did a fantastic job of messing with Oly, causing a bit of bloodletting on the 2009 Champs that showed that no Titan is invincible, even if it does nearly bite off your head.

SoulFearic Acid, Wheels of Justice, Rose City Rollers

Resorting to journalism, I asked Rose City’s SoulFearic Acid about the Wheels of Justice strategy during that game.

“Oly’s advantage is speed and endurance,” Acid said. “They don’t hit that hard, and they are not the most aware team like Rocky Mountain or Gotham, so I think our ability to slow and speed the pack was advantageous against them.”

Which is true. The strategy did pay off and Rose City had an incredible first period against Oly, leading me think that not only did they have a chance of beating Oly, but that I was watching another evolution of the sport. Rose City, who has really battened down the hatches, used strategy and their knowledge of the top teams to their own advantage. Sure, Oly won in the end, but Rocky Mountain smashed the undefeated streak of the Rollers that weekend.

Yes, Rocky Mountain. Do you remember the Rocky Mountain of 2009? Because it wasn’t the Rocky Mountain that we alternately cheer and boo depending on the anti-psychotics folks are taking that day. No, Rocky Mountain wasn’t the behemoth we see now. They were on their way, however.

Overthrowing Giants

Derby careers are short and our recollections about who was on top of the pile the previous year often end with the top three rankings on DNN or WFTDA at the end of the season. Perhaps measuring everything in dog years is why we see so much melodrama, vitriol, false outrage, and armchair expert opinions on why Team X will never win the Hydra (Hint: because I made Team X up). It’s also why the idea of redistricting regions, messing with brackets, and contracting hitmen seems like a good idea. My opinion on this: Relax and just focus on the games at hand.

New training methods are coming out all the time, but old standbys for sports-folk are being used by WFTDA teams throughout the country to step things up. Endurance Training’s on the rise, as is watching bout footage of other teams (especially outside of your own region), and actually exchanging ideas with other leagues. This shit’s still all volunteer, DIY stuff, no?

Community is part of the game. Insular, xenophobic teams can only go so far and that type of attitude invites cheers when they are beaten. Getting out there, competing and looking how to makes one’s team the best seems to work. Hungry teams excel by moving out of the comfort zones.

I had asked Acid what the Wheels of Justice were doing in preparation for this season. Without going into specifics that could give a prying eye one-up on Rose City, here’s her answer:

We are ridiculously focused on our mental game, which I think has been a second half roadblock for us. We are also committed to more off skates training, plyometrics and weight training than ever. Our sponsor athletic trainer, Get Fit, helped us develop a fitness plan, and we’re pretty rocked right now, just saying. Our captains really stepped it up also and are big on having everyone commit to the lifestyle of competitive derby. A lot of us even quit drinking for a while. Some of us are eating healthier. As far as strategy, we are mixing it up. Our coach, Lobster, devised some completely new ideas and were experimenting. Our 3-wall has been too much of a staple and it doesn’t work all the time. We are working on being more fluid with different set ups. You have to be adaptable and fit at a higher level.

Why’d you get that big block of text? Because it’s a similar strategy that some leagues on the East Coast, South and North Central regions are embracing. Bay Area, the team that fueled its recent rise in rankings on the tears of all opposing teams’ fans ended the season in a similar position to RMRG in 2009. Could 2011 be their year? What of my own hometown’s Boston Massacre? Watching them pump themselves up for the season has been actually pretty wonderful in a head-scratching “wow, that’s new” sort of way.

The lesson of 2010 is that everything can be broken. Undefeated streaks, tibiae (no more of those, please), and glass ceilings are all temporary. The absolutes about teams, or even skaters, that are formed today are lazy. Jaded voices, armed with stats and a more serious idea of how this game should be may disagree with me. That’s cool. But the good ol’ days we’re using for precedent aren’t that far in the past. We laugh at jaded teens who spout off nonsense based on their limited number of years and modern derby isn’t even old enough to drive. Chill out and watch this new season with some fresh eyes. You’re too young to be jaded.

Photos by Axle Adams and Sharkey