OHRG Gets RESPECT at WFTDA Champs, Defeats Rat City

Much like Jacob Rodney Cohen’s more popular persona, Rodney Dangerfield, the Ohio Roller Girls didn’t get much respect this season.  They didn’t play anyone strong, they said.  They’ll never make it out of playoffs, they said.  They don’t deserve to play at Champs, they said.  There’s no way they’ll win a game in Milwaukee, they said.  Well, Ohio did play teams.  They played anyone who wanted to play.  They played 50 bouts in the last two seasons!  FIFTY!  They went into the Ft. Wayne Division 1 Playoffs as the 6^th seed, practically written off before they even took the track.  Ohio then overcame a big first half deficit and knocked off the #3 Arch Rival Roller Girls.  Their run would surely come to an end the following day as they were scheduled to play #2 Montreal, the team most thought would be the first international team to qualify for Champs, right?  As heard from Lee Corso every Saturday morning on College Gameday, “Not so fast, my friend.”  Ohio controlled the bout against Montreal and cemented their appearance at Champs.  The WFTDA currently has 212 member leagues… 12 made it to Champs, including the Ohio Roller Girls.  As they continued to be doubted, Ohio would have to defeat Rat City at Champs to get the respect they deserved; and that’s exactly what they did.

OHIO EXTERMINATES RAT CITY 230-212

Phoenix Bunz scores 130 points

Ohio, the lowest ranked team in the WFTDA to make Champs, showed their moxie right from the start of the bout as they quickly amassed a 22-0 lead over Rat City.  The scoring started on the bout’s second jam, a 4-0 by The Smacktivist.  Three more by Phoenix Bunz and a 15-0 power jam by The Smacktivist took Ohio to their 22 point advantage four minutes into the contest.  A back block to Pippi RipYourStockings on the following jam allowed Rat City’s Sintripetal Force to put the first 14 Rat City points on the board.  Starting unopposed on jam number seven, Salem Playoff MVP Luna Negra quickly picked up a forearm penalty.  The penalty box jammer switch allowed Pippi RipYourStockings to obtain lead and score five points.  She then passed the star to the pivot, Phoenix Bunz, who continued scoring for 29 additional points.  The 34 point power jam took Ohio’s lead to 56-14 with 19:30 remaining in the first period.

The next jam saw Ohio’s The Smacktivist sent to the box for a forearm that was upheld following an Ohio review.  Jalapeno Business was only able to score nine points during the power jam, and cut the Rat City deficit to 56-23.  Much like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, paid to lead rats away from the city with his magic flute, the music emanating from the DJ booth at the US Cellular Arena led Rat City’s jammer, Jukestapose, to the penalty box twice during the following jam, the first being a track cut caused by Bratislava Bruiser.  The Smacktivist, once released from the penalty box, posted 15 points before the jam clock expired.  Starting unopposed, Phoenix Bunz, then ripped off 14 more of her game-high 130 points to extend Ohio’s lead to 85-27 with 15:00 remaining.

A 16-4 run by Rat City over the next two jams cut Ohio’s lead to 89-43.  Ohio then switched up their jammer rotation, and put the incredibly small but incredibly mighty Bigg Rigg on the jammer line.  Rigg, who hadn’t jammed for the OHRG in their previous three bouts, hadn’t worn the star since Ohio’s final home bout against Carolina when she went 2-2 for 41 points.  Proving that it’s not always the biggest tool in the shed that does the most damage, Bigg Rigg would score a 15-0 power jam following a Luna Negra track cut caused by Outa My Wayman.  Rigg, arguably the difference maker of the contest, would eventually jam three more times for Ohio, obtained lead jammer every time, and tallied 23 points for her efforts.  Rigg’s power jam took Ohio over the century mark, 104-43.

Points were scored by both squads over the next three jams before a Kitty Liquorbottom track cut allowed Luna Negra to score 19 points and cut Ohio’s lead to 117-79 with 4:00 remaining.  A Jalapeno Business forearm turned the tables back to Ohio, and Phoenix Bunz scored 15 before calling the jam to start the next unopposed.  A Rat City review overturned Jalapeno Business’ penalty, and allowed them to field Carmen Getsome on the following jam.  The final 4:00 of the period saw Rat City outscore Ohio 17-10, but Ohio held strong headed into halftime, 142-96.

Primarily a pack player, Rat City created a spark for themselves as they inserted Carmen Getsome into the jammer rotation on a regular basis.  Carmen posted 29 points over the first four jams of the half, and carried Rat City on a 51-9 run over the half’s first 6:15.  Ohio’s halftime lead of 46 points had been cut to only four points.  A jammer do-is-do in the penalty box between The Smacktivist and Carmen Getsome resulted in a 15-10 jam for Rat City, and the first lead change, 162-161.  With Carmen still boxed, Phoenix Bunz secured a 9-0 jam, and reclaimed the lead for Ohio, 170-162, with 19:15 left.  The following jam saw The Smacktivist outscored by Jalapeno Business, 3-0, but contact after the whistle sent The Smacktivist to the box.  Unopposed, it was again Carmen Getsome who scored 8 points and gave Rat City a 173-170 lead.  A 4-0 by Luna Negra on the following jam gave Rat City a 7 point advantage at the half’s midway point.