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Ohio Roller Derby 2019 Season Preview

After a postseason trip to the North America East Continental Cup last August and a fun-filled season of intraleague play that culminated in the revival of the fan-favorite Skatemare Before Christmas game, Ohio Roller Derby enjoyed a well-deserved off-season. Now, with renewed minds and increased strength, they return once more to their home track at the Ohio Expo Center in 2019, gearing up for their fourteenth year of competition against old rivals and new challengers alike. Twelve skaters from the 2018 playoffs roster return to the All Stars roster this season: Amy Spears (captain), Betty T. KayO, Bigg Rigg, Birch Slap, BrussKnuckles, Kelsey Khaos, KloverKill, Pain Train, and Vyles, as well as crossover skaters Belle A. Trix, Smash Panda (formerly known as Jane Goodfall), and TactiGal. After spending last season coaching, Chainsaw rejoins the pack, and recent transfer Catch Mikachu will provide additional versatility in the jammer pool. New to All Stars but certainly not to the track, Baby Kakes, Jane, Literally, Lara Del Rage, Jonny No, and Oxford Coma join in pulling double duty for both the A and B squads. Already retaining a solid veteran core, Gang Green welcomes a robust rookie class and a few additional transfer skaters

OHIO GAINS EXPERIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL PLAY AT ROYAL BRAWL

While short rosters proved an extra hurdle in Ohio’s path to victory over Memorial Day weekend, both the All Stars and Gang Green challenged themselves and found other successes on the track at the Royal Brawl invitational in Guelph, ON, Canada. Endurance training paid off as skaters played in as many as five games over two days, and utilizing newer talent on both teams allowed for creativity in shifting roles and pack dynamics. SATURDAY: ROYAL CITY AND E-VILLE Gang Green opened the action at the Victoria Road Recreation Centre on Saturday morning against the Royal City Rum Rollers (Guelph, ON, CA). While obtaining lead less often than they would have liked in the first half, Ohio jammers chased down their opponents, forcing short jams and quick call offs. Birch Slap picked up the first lead of the game, but double jammer penalties and a subsequent power start allowed the Royal City B team to quickly open a 32-point lead. Avocado ToeStop, Kegel Scout, and Belle A. Trix clumped up to contain Harley Twin while Just Jane grabbed lead status and the first four points for Gang Green. After a successful official review halfway through the first period landed the Rum Rollers jammer

OHIO HANGS TOUGH AGAINST CHARLOTTESVILLE

Rolling into the second half of their home season, Ohio Roller Derby welcomed Charlottesville Derby Dames (Charlottesville, VA) for an evening of exciting, closely-contested derby action on May 12th. (51) OHIO FALLS SHORT AGAINST (42) CHARLOTTESVILLE, 108 - 165 The All Star game showed itself as a battle of grinding defense early in the first period, with both sides denying any significant point gain and hovering within easy striking distance through halftime. Fighting to establish an initial advantage, BrussKnuckles posted the first four points in jam two, but a power jam for Charlottesville permitted a 5-0 gain and the first of five lead changes. Bigg Rigg flipped the balance in jam four, eking out two points before three lead jammer calls in a row allowed the Virginia squad to retake the lead and begin building on it. Held scoreless for four jams, Ohio offered Charlottesville similar treatment with quick call offs, and jam eleven brought progress to a halt as both jammers spent two full minutes fighting tenacious defense without ever completing their initial passes. While Betty T. KayO forced Gemmatron out of bounds and back to the rear of the pack, Bigg Rigg slipped out to snag lead status and twelve unanswered

OHIO ROLLER DERBY BLASTS INTO THIRTEENTH SEASON

After a lengthy off-season spent rebuilding the charter roster and overhauling strategies, Ohio Roller Derby kicked off their 2018 competitive season with a packed home doubleheader against North Star Roller Derby (Minneapolis, MN). (47) OHIO ALL STARS ROCKET PAST (62) NORTH STAR SUPERNOVAS, 223-111 The sheer number of CT skaters who stepped down since the end of the 2017 competitive season - seven total, some temporarily, some permanently - led to preseason speculation about the stability of the Ohio roster going into a rebuilding year. Never a team to back down from a challenge, the All Stars took the departure of four of their top-scoring jammers in stride, and on March 17th showed Columbus that not only is their jammer pool as deep as ever, but that they’re already well on their way to a strong, cohesive squad. Ohio opted for an aggressive start, nabbing lead jammer status in each of the first three jams. In jam 4, Bigg Rigg evaded a rear North Star defense to escape the pack first; with offensive assistance from Paige Bleed and Kelsey Khaos on scoring passes, she easily doubled Ohio’s score for a 23-3 lead while the North Star pivot-turned-jammer left the track on a forearm

The Motor City VS. The Capital City

This Saturday, your #43 Ohio Roller Derby take on #28 Detroit Roller Derby in the final home bout of the season. This bout will not only continue the long-standing rivalry between the two squads, but also acts as a tribute to the rebirth of roller derby, as both Ohio and Detroit were two of the original 30 teams in the WFTDA. For the first time since 2013, Ohio has slid out of Division 1 and will play at the WFTDA Division II Playoffs in Pittsburgh from August 18-20th. Looking for momentum headed into the DII Playoffs, Ohio will continue to rely on a deeper jammer rotation than in seasons past with Gorges Curves and Pain Train leading the charge. Skaters Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin, Lora “Outa My” Wayman, Bigg Rigg, Val Holla, TactiGal, and BrussKnuckles continue to compete to become that third jammer in Ohio’s rotation, all of whom have found success donning the star at different times during the season. Blockers Wayman, Amy Spears, Kelsey Khaos, Chainsaw, Slammerhead, Betty T. KayO, Rigg, and Acid will have their hands full with Detroit’s speedy and powerful jammers. Much like Ohio, Detroit has a lot of depth on the jammer line, but they do

OHIO ROLLER DERBY RETURNS TO SKATE TO THRILL, FINISHES 2-1

Squeezing in a jam-packed travel weekend between home games, the Ohio Roller Derby All Stars again made the trip to St. Charles, Missouri, to participate in the third annual Skate to Thrill Invitational. Their debut at the tournament in 2016 resulted in a tough first-game loss to No Coast Derby Girls, a last-minute upset over Houston Roller Derby, and a sound victory against the Chicago Outfit. This year, (35) Ohio found themselves rematched against (49) Houston and (34) No Coast on day one, with a third game against the (89) Killamazoo Derby Darlins to round out the weekend. REINED IN BY HOUSTON, 203-259 While Ohio’s season revved up earlier than usual this year, the first game of the weekend was also the first for Houston since WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs last August. Despite the early hour, Houston came out swinging, outscoring Ohio 2-1 over the first twenty minutes of play. Pain Train, Gorges Curves, and Blitz Lemon were undeterred, amassing 34 points over 4 jams; down 82-104 with 5 minutes remaining in the period, a successful official review by Ohio resulted in the expulsion of a Houston skater and a pack advantage. Struggling with penalties for much of the half, Ohio still

OHIO SPLITS WINS WITH NAPTOWN TO KICK OFF SEASON TWELVE

After a road trip to Indianapolis in February, Ohio Roller Derby began their twelfth home season with a doubleheader rematch against Naptown Roller Derby. In their tenth meeting in nearly eight years, the Ohio Roller Derby All Stars looked for a more decisive win than their most recent 147-145 victory over the Naptown Roller Derby Tornado Sirens, while Gang Green aimed to beat Naptown’s B-team, the Warning Belles, for the first time since 2009. (35) OHIO FALLS JUST SHORT OF (31) NAPTOWN, 149-162 Knowing that the track to victory would be hard-fought and every single point could prove crucial, the Ohio Roller Derby All Stars launched a rapid assault from the first whistle, with Gorges Curves and Pain Train opening a 17-0 lead in their first home jams for Ohio. Naptown tied up the score over the next two jams, then forced the first lead change of the game in jam 6. Pain Train grabbed lead status in the following jam as Naptown gave up the first power jam opportunity of the period, and posted 14 unanswered points to retake a 37-26 lead. Despite finding themselves at a 3-4 pack disadvantage and eventually losing their jammer to the penalty box, Ohio’s blockers

OHRD’s 2016 Awards Gala

This past Saturday, December 17th, Ohio Roller Derby held their annual end of the year gala where they celebrate the closing of another great season. Thank you all volunteers, skaters, and fans for another successful season. Below are all the award winners from the night. Amy Spears Award: Chainsaw OHRD Spirit Award: Silver Machine Memorable Mentor: Zee "Lorain Acid" Gulertekin Exemplary SportsPersonship Award: Betty T. KayO Most Versatile: The Smacktivist The Great Motivator:  Bigg Rigg Dynamic Duo: Chainsaw and KloverKill Breakout Player of the Season: Blitz Lemon Jammer To Watch Next Season: Bruss Knuckles Blocker To Watch Next Season: Gorges Curves Sweet Moves: The Smacktivist Megaphone Award: Chainsaw Joker In the Pack Award: Amanda Adams Brickhouse Award: Stevie Brown Crowdpleaser Award: The Smacktivist Mastermind Award: Jesse ʺAva Tarrʺ Fox Rookie of the Year: Bruss Knuckles Volunteers Fast Learner: Silver Machine Most Versatile: Kill C. Grammar Most Cosmopolitan: Kill C. Grammar Most Flair: Wendra Woman Welcome Wagon: GalVaTron Outstanding Team Player: Jason Poindexter Most Motivational: Amy Spears Unsung Hero: Drew ʺOHRGreenmanʺ Stafford Gang Green Outstanding Team Player: Death CertifiKate and Elektra Magneto Jammer's Best Friend: Quiet Storm Pivot of the Year: Elektra Magneto Blocker of the Year: Val Holla Jammer of the Year: Tactigal Most Valuable Player: Elektra Magneto Ohio Roller Derby All stars Outstanding Team Player: Betty T. KayO and  Bigg Rigg Jammer's Best Friend: Stevie Brown Pivot of the Year: Kitty Liquorbottom Blocker of the Year: KloverKill and Stevie Brown Jammer

OHIO FINISHES 2016 SEASON WITH 1-2 RUN AT PLAYOFFS

From a strict win-loss pattern perspective, Ohio’s performance at the 2016 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs in Madison, WI looked eerily similar to their trips to D1s in Evansville, IN in 2014 and Dallas, TX in 2015: a tough loss to a higher-seeded team in their first game on Friday, a much more closely contested loss in the consolation bracket on Saturday, and a sound victory in their final game on Sunday. As teams at Playoffs only know for sure who their first opponent will be, Ohio needed to be prepared not only to play Windy City in Game 1, but any of the other eight teams in the tournament over the course of the weekend, from #10 seed Mad Rollin’ Dolls to the #1-ranked team in the world, Gotham. Of the 16 skaters playing for Ohio over the course of the weekend, 13 had skated at D1s in previous years, giving the team a veteran advantage with a good dose of fresh blood in both the blocker & jammer rotations. SCATTERED BY WINDY CITY, 152-210 The #8-#9 seed game promised to be a close one, as Ohio & Windy City have been closely ranked in Division 1 since the end of

DUAL VICTORIES OVER CAROLINA ROLLERGIRLS

For their fourth home game of the season, Ohio Roller Derby hosted the Carolina Rollergirls (Raleigh, NC) for two roof-raising games that both ended in decisive wins for the Columbus league. (37) OHIO ALL STARS CARVE OUT 206-119 VICTORY OVER (65) CAROLINA ALL-STARS After their last match-up resulted in an overwhelming 432-29 victory for Ohio, Carolina seemed eager for a different outcome this time around. Five lead changes and two tie scores in the first half gave Ohio a very narrow lead at halftime, but the home squad methodically widened the point spread during the second period to secure their sixteenth straight home victory and bring their season record to 6-1. Two quick 4-0 jams gave Carolina the initial lead, but Elektra Magneto, Kitty Liquorbottom, Stevie Brown, and Chainsaw held Magically Maulicious on her initial pass for over a lap while Blitz Lemon put up the first 2 points for Ohio in the third jam. Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin posted 5 clean points in jam 6, and a 4-0 jam by Lora “Outa My” Wayman gave Ohio a 13-12 lead after 8 minutes of gameplay. In the first power jam of the game, Gulertekin punished the Carolina jammer, first knocking her out of