On Sunday night, the TXRD Rhinestone Cowgirls skated against the Holy Rollers.  Would last year’s victory by the Rhinestone Cowgirls that marred the otherwise perfect season for the Holy Rollers prove to be a fluke?  Or would the Holy Rollers revenge themselves?

The bout began slowly.  Kategory 5 scored one point for the Rhinestone in the first jam.  A scorelss jam followed, and then Truckstop Trixie added another point for the Rhinestones. Smarty Pants took away a Rhinestone point by standing her ground during a tug of war penalty.  Several times in this quarter, the Holy Rollers used the strategy of gaining lead jammer status and then calling off the jam before either team could score points.  Kategory 5, showing why she was last season’s rookie of the year, finally shot through the pack to give three more points to her team.  A penalty on Ms. Behavin’ drew a Two Lap Duel on the penalty wheel; she tagged out and Sacralicious took her place against Truckstop Trixie.  Trixie won, taking two points away from the Holy Rollers, which put them into negative point totals.  Smarty Pants got one point back for the Holy Rollers, but it was just as quickly taken away by a pillow fight victory for Kategory 5.  On the next jam, Smarty Pants snuck through the pack and scored three points, finally putting the Rollers into the positive score totals.  (She was helped through the pack with nice blocks by Anita Confess and Sacralicious)  Kategory 5 scored a full jam for the Rhinestones, and then Sacralicious did the same for the Rollers, bringing the score at the end of the first quarter to Rhinestone Cowgirls 8, Holy Rollers 5.
The second quarter began with Miss Canada scoring two points for the Rhinestones while several hard blocks from Ali Mony held back HR jammer Damsel Distresser.  A duo of close jams followed: Smarty Pants and Kategory 5 sped through their pack to score two and four points; Truckstop Trixie and Horrorshow each picked up a single point on the next jam.  The Holy Rollers then began to cut away at the Rhinestone Cowgirl lead: Sacralicious scored 3 points after winning an arm wrestling penalty, Hispanic Panic added one point, and Smarty Pants jammed for two more.  This tied the score at 14.  A tight jam between Damsel Disresser (two points) and Rollergasm (three points) was followed by a jam where a major penalty was called on Smarty Pants.  On the reskate, Truckstop Trixie subbed in for an injured Rollergasm, got into a fight with Sacralicious, and ended the half without either team scoring in the jam.  The score at the half was Rhinestone Cowgirls 17, Holy Rollers 15.

The top point scorers for the first half were Kategory 5 for the Rhinestones and Smarty Pants and Sacralicious for the Holy Rollers. The top blocker for the Rhinestones was Mummy Dearest and Anita Confess for the Holy Rollers.

After half time, it seemed like the Rhinestone Cowgirls adjusted their strategy.  They began to control the pack speed and better use that speed to their advantage.  Sacralicious and Kategory 5 opened the second half with a very fast jam where they each picked up two points.  Both jammers in the next jam set were thwarted by big blocks: Damsel Distresser was hit by Miss Canada, and Rollergasm was railed by Mz. Behavin’.  Miss Canada was called for a major and Damsel Distresser scored a full jam on the reskate.  In addition to adjusting their pack speed, the Rhinestones really began to give some hard hits.  After a scoreless jam where Smarty Pants was held back by Mummy Dearest, Truckstop Trixie won a pillow fight penalty against Smarty Pants.  The next jam was huge for the Rhinestones: Kategory 5 scored SIX POINTS in a “grand slam plus one” jam.  This charged up the momentum towards the Rhinestones.  Rollergasm added another point for the Rhinestones; Smarty scored one for the Rollers.  The Rhinestones were doing a great job of getting to the front of the pack so they could control the speed and hold back the Holy Roller jammers.  The score at the end of the third quarter was Rhinestone Cowgirls 26, Holy Rollers 22.

Sacralicious broke out of the first jam set and got way out in front, but then tripped over her own team member and injured her shoulder.  Rollergasm scored another Rhinestone point, but Motley Sue picked up a minor.  Sacralicious, using her good arm, defeated her in an arm wrestling penalty.  Smarty Pants scored a point to continue to chip away at the Rhinestone lead.  A major penalty on Mummy Dearest resulted in a reskate, but both jammers were held scoreless. The Rhinestone Cowgirl skaters were simply speeding away, making it very difficult for the Holy Rollers to catch them and score.  Sacralicious, as lead jammer over Kategory 5, called off her jam in a defensive maneuver.  Damsel Distresser made use of a good whip by Sacralicious to score two points for the Rollers.  A penalty called on Cathy Lix spun a two-lap duel on the penalty wheel.  With the score so close, this penalty really mattered.  Truckstop Trixie eked out a victory over Cathy Lix, who fought her every step of the way, to take away a crucial Holy Roller point.  In the next jam, neither jammer (Sacralicious and Rollergasm) could make it into scoring position due to the speed of the pack.  Sacralicious attempted to whip herself past Rollergasm to score a last second point.  Rollergasm went down with an injury.  For the final jam, the Rhinestone Cowgirls were ahead by two points.  Each team sent their most reliable jammer to the line: Smarty Pants and Kategory 5.  The pack speed kept either jammer from scoring and gave the Rhinestones the victory.  Final score: Rhinestone Cowgirls 26, Holy Rollers 24.  This bout was very close and intense.  There was a lot of exciting skating, with some of the fastest jammers and hardest hitting blockers in the league squaring off against each other.

See you all at the next bout–the undefeated Hellcats skate against the undefeated Cherry Bombs to determine who will have the advantage going into the playoffs.  See you at the Thunderdome!

On Sunday night, the TXRD Rhinestone Cowgirls skated against the Holy Rollers.  Would last year’s victory by the Rhinestone Cowgirls that marred the otherwise perfect season for the Holy Rollers prove to be a fluke?  Or would the Holy Rollers revenge themselves?

The bout began slowly.  Kategory 5 scored one point for the Rhinestone in the first jam.  A scorelss jam followed, and then Truckstop Trixie added another point for the Rhinestones. Smarty Pants took away a Rhinestone point by standing her ground during a tug of war penalty.  Several times in this quarter, the Holy Rollers used the strategy of gaining lead jammer status and then calling off the jam before either team could score points.  Kategory 5, showing why she was last season’s rookie of the year, finally shot through the pack to give three more points to her team.  A penalty on Ms. Behavin’ drew a Two Lap Duel on the penalty wheel; she tagged out and Sacralicious took her place against Truckstop Trixie.  Trixie won, taking two points away from the Holy Rollers, which put them into negative point totals.  Smarty Pants got one point back for the Holy Rollers, but it was just as quickly taken away by a pillow fight victory for Kategory 5.  On the next jam, Smarty Pants snuck through the pack and scored three points, finally putting the Rollers into the positive score totals.  (She was helped through the pack with nice blocks by Anita Confess and Sacralicious)  Kategory 5 scored a full jam for the Rhinestones, and then Sacralicious did the same for the Rollers, bringing the score at the end of the first quarter to Rhinestone Cowgirls 8, Holy Rollers 5.

The second quarter began with Miss Canada scoring two points for the Rhinestones while several hard blocks from Ali Mony held back HR jammer Damsel Distresser.  A duo of close jams followed: Smarty Pants and Kategory 5 sped through their pack to score two and four points; Truckstop Trixie and Horrorshow each picked up a single point on the next jam.  The Holy Rollers then began to cut away at the Rhinestone Cowgirl lead: Sacralicious scored 3 points after winning an arm wrestling penalty, Hispanic Panic added one point, and Smarty Pants jammed for two more.  This tied the score at 14.  A tight jam between Damsel Disresser (two points) and Rollergasm (three points) was followed by a jam where a major penalty was called on Smarty Pants.  On the reskate, Truckstop Trixie subbed in for an injured Rollergasm, got into a fight with Sacralicious, and ended the half without either team scoring in the jam.  The score at the half was Rhinestone Cowgirls 17, Holy Rollers 15.

The top point scorers for the first half were Kategory 5 for the Rhinestones and Smarty Pants and Sacralicious for the Holy Rollers. The top blocker for the Rhinestones was Mummy Dearest and Anita Confess for the Holy Rollers.

After half time, it seemed like the Rhinestone Cowgirls adjusted their strategy.  They began to control the pack speed and better use that speed to their advantage.  Sacralicious and Kategory 5 opened the second half with a very fast jam where they each picked up two points.  Both jammers in the next jam set were thwarted by big blocks: Damsel Distresser was hit by Miss Canada, and Rollergasm was railed by Mz. Behavin’.  Miss Canada was called for a major and Damsel Distresser scored a full jam on the reskate.  In addition to adjusting their pack speed, the Rhinestones really began to give some hard hits.  After a scoreless jam where Smarty Pants was held back by Mummy Dearest, Truckstop Trixie won a pillow fight penalty against Smarty Pants.  The next jam was huge for the Rhinestones: Kategory 5 scored SIX POINTS in a “grand slam plus one” jam.  This charged up the momentum towards the Rhinestones.  Rollergasm added another point for the Rhinestones; Smarty scored one for the Rollers.  The Rhinestones were doing a great job of getting to the front of the pack so they could control the speed and hold back the Holy Roller jammers.  The score at the end of the third quarter was Rhinestone Cowgirls 26, Holy Rollers 22.

Sacralicious broke out of the first jam set and got way out in front, but then tripped over her own team member and injured her shoulder.  Rollergasm scored another Rhinestone point, but Motley Sue picked up a minor.  Sacralicious, using her good arm, defeated her in an arm wrestling penalty.  Smarty Pants scored a point to continue to chip away at the Rhinestone lead.  A major penalty on Mummy Dearest resulted in a reskate, but both jammers were held scoreless. The Rhinestone Cowgirl skaters were simply speeding away, making it very difficult for the Holy Rollers to catch them and score.  Sacralicious, as lead jammer over Kategory 5, called off her jam in a defensive maneuver.  Damsel Distresser made use of a good whip by Sacralicious to score two points for the Rollers.  A penalty called on Cathy Lix spun a two-lap duel on the penalty wheel.  With the score so close, this penalty really mattered.  Truckstop Trixie eked out a victory over Cathy Lix, who fought her every step of the way, to take away a crucial Holy Roller point.  In the next jam, neither jammer (Sacralicious and Rollergasm) could make it into scoring position due to the speed of the pack.  Sacralicious attempted to whip herself past Rollergasm to score a last second point.  Rollergasm went down with an injury.  For the final jam, the Rhinestone Cowgirls were ahead by two points.  Each team sent their most reliable jammer to the line: Smarty Pants and Kategory 5.  The pack speed kept either jammer from scoring and gave the Rhinestones the victory.  Final score: Rhinestone Cowgirls 26, Holy Rollers 24.  This bout was very close and intense.  There was a lot of exciting skating, with some of the fastest jammers and hardest hitting blockers in the league squaring off against each other.

See you all at the next bout–the undefeated Hellcats skate against the undefeated Cherry Bombs to determine who will have the advantage going into the playoffs.  See you at the Thunderdome!

Lady A

The TXRD Cherry Bombs and Holy Rollers met Sunday night at the Austin Convention Center in a bout that was full of grudges and history. The Holy Rollers were looking to defend their 2008 Calvello Cup championship, and the Cherry Bombs were looking to defeat the Holy Rollers for the first time in the team’s history. This season’s Holy Rollers have been hard hit by injuries and other woes; fully half of the team’s roster was made up of alternates. Missing players included: Smarty Pants, Karma, Cathy Lixx, and Hades Lady, with Punky Bruiser now acting as manager, which left holes in both offensive and defensive attacks. The Cherry Bombs, for a change, were healthy, organized, and ready to roll.

On the first jam of the bout, Cherry Chainsaw picked up what would be the first of many major penalties for both teams. Rocky Casbah, Lucy Cannon, and Rice Rice Baby then helped the Cherry Bombs jump to a quick lead with back to back to back full jams. Sacralicious responded with a full jam for the Holy Rollers. Kate or Dye added two more points for the Bombs while skating against rookie alternate Lady Libertine, who was railed by Polly Urethane. Two minor penalties resulted in a two lap duel between Lucy Cannon and Moko Loco (tagging in for Mz. Behavin’). Lucy Cannon managed to recover from a vicious takedown and win the two lap duel, taking two points away from the Holy Rollers. Damsel Distresser and Sacralicious put back a few more points for the Holy Rollers, bringing the score at the end of the first quarter to Cherry Bombs 18, Holy Rollers 4.
The second quarter began with a major penalty on Honey Homicide. Sacralicious scored a full jam on the reskate. During some confusion, due to a time clock issue, Lucy Cannon injured her ankle, which took her out of the rest of the bout. After a full jam by Rocky Casbah, there were several scoreless jams in which the jammers called them off in defensive maneuvers. During a jam between Daisy Mae Damage and Sacralicious, Moko Loco committed a major penalty that got her ejected from the bout. On the reskate, both Daisy Mae Damage and Sacralicious scored two points. A grand slam jam by Rocky Casbah at the end of the half brought the score to Cherry Bombs 30, Holy Rollers 11.
The leading scorers in the first half were Rocky Casbah (CB) and Sacralicious (HR). The leading blockers for the half were Polly Urethane (CB) and Anita Confess (HR).
The third quarter had a lot of back and forth point scoring. Sacralicious got a full jam for the Holy Rollers; Daisy Mae Damage got one for the Cherry Bombs, and Horrorshow scored three for the Rollers. Sacralicious won a long jump to save points for the Holy Rollers. Rice Rice Baby and Rocky Casbah picked up back to back grand slams to extend the Cherry Bomb lead to 46 over the Holy Rollers 20 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was full of fights, defensive calls, and major penalties. (The Cherry Bombs had clearly called off the dogs a bit at this point. This did not mean the Holy Rollers were going down easily.) Honey Homicide picked up her second major penalty. Daisy Mae Damage and Lady Libertine scored 3 points for their teams. Honey Homicide served up a third major penalty and was accordingly ejected from the bout. Alison Chains won a pillow fight over ReNeePalm. Hispanic Panic scored a full jam for the Holy Rollers in a last effort to contribute. She was then ejected for pushing a referee. The final jam featured a speed race between Rocky Casbah and Sacralicious that was thrilling: the two jammers were skating so fast that they ended up wiping out on a curve. The final score: Cherry Bombs 53, Holy Rollers 29 in this first ever victory for the Cherry Bombs over the Holy Rollers. The Cherry Bombs displayed excellent communication between their blockers while in the pack, and their scoring threat proves to be both highly skilled and deep in numbers. The Holy Rollers, while missing the contributions of their absent players, did pick up some valuable experience for their rookies, especially Damsel Distresser, who saw a lot of action at the jam line.
Next bout: Sunday, April 19, with the Hellcats taking on las Putas del Fuego.
Lady A