Derby Wars: Pink Power

Muñecas Roughed Up By Arch Rival Roller Girls

\ Jun 25, 2009

5 min read

Pink Power — This rosy army killed the Duke City’s Muñecas Muertas dead. (Minie Gonzalez)

It didn’t look like a team that could pose a threat to the Muñecas Muertas.

The Arch Rival Roller Girls‘ unremarkable pink, sleeveless shirts with black numbers stuck to them was hardly the uniform of ass-kickers. But when the wheels hit the track, Duke City was stunned by St. Louis’ superior intensity in a 128-113 defeat at the Santa Ana Star Center.

Jammer Amanda Jammitinya said the Muñecas underestimated the Roller Girls. "I don’t think we expected them to bring it as hard as they did," she said. "If you come into a game thinking you’re going to win, things can surprise you."

Jammitinya said they watched game footage of St. Louis that didn’t impress. The tapes were about four months old, she said, and the Roller Girls were a lot better in person.

St. Louis leaped out to a 39-19 lead by containing the Muñecas jammers. But Duke City regained focus, charged back and kept the point margin slim at halftime: 56-53.

The Roller Girls solidified their defense in the second half and left the Muñecas choking on fuchsia-colored dust. Duke City jammers were trapped behind impenetrable stacks of blockers. St. Louis’ lead climbed to 50 points, but the Muñecas took advantage of a pile of penalties and closed the gap in the final minutes of the bout.

Time ran out on the Duke City comeback when, in the last few minutes, jammer Kamikaze Kim was called for a penalty, rendering the team unable to score points. The team captain rolled to the box with her head hung low. Her team was forced to watch the Roller Girls celebrate with the kind of jubilation reserved for underdogs.

"We were definitely not the favorite to win this game," said St. Louis blocker Joanie Rollmoan. "That makes it sweeter."

During referee time-outs, Muñecas players danced and laughed, signs their focus could have been lacking. Duke City didn’t put up a solid defense, allowing opposing jammers to dodge hits and scoop up points with ease.

The all-star squad was without jammers Muffin and Meep Meep and key blocker Elviramental. Meep Meep is still nursing a knee sprain she suffered in her last game playing for the Santa Fe Disco Brawlers. Muffin and Elviramental were out of town.

Muñecas blocker Neko Chase said the fact that her team came back from a 50-point deficit proves they can count on their bench players for quality minutes. "We need to realize that we have a deeper roster," Chase said. "It’s frustrating to not be able to come all the way back, but the comeback itself means a lot."

Ho-Bots Hang On To Championship Dreams

The DoomsDames have come a long way since they were manhandled by the Derby Intelligence Agency in their first bout on May 16. The walls of Dames’ blockers are better-constructed, their jammers seem less intimidated by contact and their communication within the pack is much improved. Unfortunately for the DoomsDames, they came up against a similarly improved Ho-Bots team hungry for a first win on Saturday, June 20. The veteran-laden Ho-Bots would not be denied, and their 126-90 victory keeps them in the running to compete for the league title.

"Our girls have worked really hard," said Ho-Bot blocker Anita Lenyo. "The win puts us in a really good place for a championship."

With one win apiece, the Disco Brawlers and Ho-Bots are scrapping for the last championship game slot. (The Derby Intelligence Agency secured a slot in the league’s final showdown with convincing triumphs over the Santa Fe Disco Brawlers and the DoomsDames.)

The Ho-Bots won in no small part because of two speed-demon jammers, Brutalitaur and Katillac Koffin. Both proved adept at shirking contact. When they did hit the floor, they dusted themselves off and kept scoring points. Brutalitaur suffered a nasty face plant after it appeared her skates got tangled up with a DoomsDames blocker. Unfazed, Brutalitaur whizzed past the defense on the next turn, frustrating the opposing blockers and delighting the Ho-Bot faithful.

DoomsDames Captain Miss L. Command said she’s proud of her troops for hanging tough despite a shallow roster that kept skaters on the track with little rest. "We didn’t have a bench to pull from, and we just had to keep going," she said. "You skate ’til you feel like your lungs are bleeding."