One Night in Grand Rapids

All Change! Don't you know that when you play at this level there's no ordinary venue. It's Iceland, or the Philippines, or Hastings, or... or this place! I've been told that one night in Grand Rapids can make a tough guy tumble, but the closest I got was spinning out on a snowy highway. Let's kick off my return to blogging with news of a quick 24-hour jaunt to the northwest.

The Good:

***Getting away from home, even for a day, seems like a nice break. Grand Rapids, Michigan in February is not exactly Cancun, but it did offer the potential to meet up with some of my fiancee's family and catch some Roller Derby.

***We got a good deal on a nice room at a local Red Roof Inn. It ran us under $40, and we got a clean room and good service, just off of I-96.

***We attended a roller derby doubleheader. The Grand Raggidy Roller Girls (GRRG) All-Stars took on the Cincinnati Rollergirls (CRG) Black Sheep, and the leagues' B-teams (The G-Rap Attack and Silent Lambs, respectively) also bouted. Anyone who knows me knows that roller derby has rapidly become one of my favorite sports. If you have never been to a bout, you should make every effort to see one. Most cities now have a league, so finding a local event should be pretty easy. If you're within driving distance, I recommend heading to Cincy to see CRG at the Cincinnati Gardens. You'll see a team that is quickly rising in the rankings at a great venue. Our first trip to the derby was a couple of years ago, when we found ourselves with nothing to do in Cincy the night before a Reds game. Since then, we've made the trip a few times, whenever possible pairing a night of derby with a Sunday afternoon at the Great American Ballpark. In addition to CRG (our favorite team, as you never forget your first), we have now seen bouts in Grand Rapids and in Cleveland (the Burning River Roller Girls). We are anxious to catch the newly-formed Glass City Rollers when they begin play in Toledo. Here are some of the derby-related highlights:

• The Librarian (CRG's Silent Lambs) cemented her status as my #1 favorite rollergirl. Her skills have consistently improved, and she was named captain of the Silent Lambs. Her blocking and work as the pivot were superb. She's also a great person off the track, and we always look forward to talking with her after the bout. She took the time to stop and chat even as her team was trying to get organized and leave the venue. She's always friendly, gracious, and funny, and quick with a hug. People like her, both in her on-track and off-track capacities, make it worth the commute for us. I need to find and post the picture of her giving me the classic Librarian "shush." (Full disclosure: The Librarian is quite easy on the eyes. Don't get too excited, guys, she's married.)
  
• Two of the jammers for the CRG Black Sheep had their personal best performances (at least in terms of bouts I have seen). Hannah Barbaric added a bit of grit and power to her usual outstanding speed, making it through the pack with regularity. Candy KickASS also turned in a great performance, deftly slipping by the pack, often speeding by on the outside.
• K Lethal made her debut for the Black Sheep and showed some serious potential as a jammer. At times last year, the Black Sheep seemed to be the Sadistic Sadie Show, but contributions from other jammers both new and old are on the rise.
• Speaking of Sadistic Sadie, the most talented and versatile skater I have seen, she turned in a very solid and balanced performance. Thanks to strong support from the other jammers, she was able to play a bit more blocker than usual, and she showed her colors as a two-way threat. At least twice in Saturday's bout, the opposing jammer simply called off the jam, rather than even making an attempt to pass Sadie. I didn't get to talk to her, but my fiancee had a nice conversation with Sadie just before the bouts.
• The blocking for the Black Sheep was outstanding. In addition to some big hits at the back of the pack, they absolutely controlled the front of the pack. Blu Bayou, the most effective pivot I have witnessed, is a master tactician and a strong blocker. The CRG pack seemed to act as one, constantly adjusting and walling off opposing attacks, while giving some outstanding whips to free its jammers. Panterrorize, Mae C. Stars, and June With a Cleaver also stood out in the ranks of the blockers.
  
• I was very proud to see that Trauma Tease seems to get better every single bout. We were present at her first bout (then with the Silent Lambs) and noticed both her natural talent and great personality. Since then, she has progressed rapidly, earning a promotion to the Black Sheep in time for last season's regional tournament. As a blocker in this bout, she was instrumental, both dishing out assists and shutting down GRRG jammers.
• The Silent Lambs had their share of standouts as well. Nik Jagger, Bex Pistol, and Geez Louise dealt some major hits at the back of the pack. If only my Blackhawks could check that well, we would see a return to the glory days of Chicago hockey.
• The woefully underutilized Jungle Lacy brought toughness and energy to the Lambs. I was surprised to see that (unless I missed one) she only wore the star for a single jam. Dr. McDerby returned from last season's injury to do some very good work, and she got the most shifts as a jammer.
• GRRG also had some strong performances. Jackie Daniels and Dot Matrix were up to the task, showing great speed and fighting through the stingy Black Sheep pack as jammers. Shutter Speed displayed excellent blocking, often singlehandedly stopping a CRG jammer. GRRG lacked the overall pack discipline and strategy of CRG, but has enough talented skaters that it could develop into a much stronger team with a bit more polish and depth.
• I am not the best in terms of giving bout recaps, so I will leave that to people like Miss Print , CRG Superfan Earl , and others. However, here are a few observations about the bouts overall: In the first bout, G-Rap Attack stormed out to a double-digit lead over the Silent Lambs. Aside from a double grand slam from CRG's Polly Rocket, GRRG had lead jammer almost every time out. Only the strong defense of the CRG pack kept this one from becoming a blowout. The Lambs cut the lead to seven just before half, then took the lead with a strong start after the break. For the entire rest of the game, neither team could take a lead of more than a few points. CRG lost the chance to build a more comfortable advantage when its jammers repeatedly ended up in the penalty box. At the end of the game, the Lambs had just enough to emerge victorious, eking out a single-digit win. In the nightcap, the Black Sheep maintained a slight lead throughout most of the game. Although GRRG seemed to take lead jammer quite often in the first half, the CRG defense limited the damage. In the final ten minutes of the game, CRG slowly increased its lead, finally pushing the edge to 32 points as time expired.

Wow, that was a lot of good. It's time to take a break. I'll be back a little later with some of the Bad and the Ugly. Until then, may you get all of the (Murray) Head you desire!