(47) Ohio to Host Northern Neighbors (37) Ann Arbor
With their home season well underway following a decisive victory over North Star Roller Derby in March, Ohio Roller Derby gears up for game two against Ann Arbor Roller Derby (Ann Arbor, MI) in what has become a yearly matchup. The teams have met twice now, each taking away a win: Ohio opened their 2016 home season with a 244-139 win against the Brawlstars, and Ann Arbor pulled off a 193-124 victory when hosting the Columbus squad last June.
Ann Arbor went 4-6 in regular season play in 2017 before making their second postseason appearance and finishing out the year with two losses at the 2017 WFTDA Division 1 Playoff in Seattle. The Brawlstars kicked off their 2018 season with a trip to Buffalo, NY, where they lost an unsanctioned game to Queen City Roller Girls on March 24th. In addition to the trip to Ohio this weekend, they will also travel to South Carolina at the end of April for the fourth annual Southern Discomfort invitational, hosted by Columbia Roller Derby, and to the inaugural Udder Chaos tournament hosted by Mad Rollin’ Dolls (Madison WI) in May. A handful of home games against more local opponents such as Detroit Roller Derby will round out the competitive season for Ann Arbor.
Twelve skaters from last year’s Brawlstar lineup will take the track in this third matchup, including veteran jammers Slamlet, Helen Killer, Sonnet Boom, and Lezzie Arnaz, but Ohio will present a fresh challenge with added depth to their own jammer rotation. Pain Train, Bigg Rigg, Kitty Liquorbottom, and Paige Bleed provide experienced options. Although newer to charter-level gameplay, BrussKnuckles and Jessica Rabid had great success in OHRD’s season opener against North Star, scoring a combined 25% of Ohio’s points.
Doors open to the public at 4 p.m.; the Ohio Roller Derby All Stars will take on the Ann Arbor Roller Derby Brawlstars at 5 p.m., followed by Ohio Roller Derby Gang Green versus the Ann Arbor Roller Derby Arbor Bruising Co. around 7 p.m. Pre-sale tickets and group sales are available online at ohiorollerderby.com/tickets through Friday, April 6th. Be sure to order tickets in advance for this exciting matchup, and we’ll see you trackside!
Photograph by Matthew Hatcher.