(20) Ohio Welcomes (16) Detroit Derby Girls
This weekend, the #20 Ohio Roller Girls welcome to Columbus the #16 Detroit Derby Girls for their second-to-last home bout of the 2013 season. This bout means a considerable amount for both squads, as only one more rankings release will come before the teams know their final rank and seeding as they both head into the Division 1 playoffs. Both Ohio and Detroit are original members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, with seven full seasons of All Star competition under their belts. Amazingly, of Ohio’s 91 sanctioned bouts as an All Star team, only three have come against the ladies from Detroit. In fact, Detroit is only one of three higher-echelon teams in the North Central that Ohio has never defeated (Windy City and Minnesota being the other two). In those three bouts, Detroit has defeated the Ohio Roller Girls 131-114 (2007), 105-57 (2008), and most recently right after last year’s regional playoffs 159-129 (2012). In their most recent bout, Ohio and Detroit battled through three lead changes before Detroit claimed the lead for good with just over seven minutes remaining in the bout. It was an exciting bout for skaters and fans alike, and has set the expectations for