Bout Recap: Amber Waves of Pain, August 14

Socialites Win One, Lose One in Hard-Fought Final Bout of the Home Season
By Robin Sock’em
Photos by Damage Control

BOUT 1: CCS BLACK TEAM vs. JACK TOWN ROLLERS
118-74, CCS Black Team. The Circle City Socialites’ last home bout of the second season included a debut by some of the league’s newer derby debutantes, who took on the Jack Town Rollers of Jackson, Mich., in a 40-minute intro bout. CCS jammer Pistol Hips started off smart against Jack Town’s BabeZilla by getting lead and calling it after 4 points to Babe’s 0. Liberty Spykes then took the star and racked up 14 points before calling it in a full 2-minute jam. In her first bout ever, Jackie Bauer took the floor as jammer and continued the shutdown with 4 points to Jack Town’s 0.

The night was good to CCS’s jammers, with several grand slams and power jams due to numerous major penalties landing Jack Town’s jammers in the box. Luci Fear presented a double threat as both jammer and blocker (ultimately earning her CCS’s best jammer award), but saw her fair share of trips to the box too. Vicious Velma slid through the pack hot on CCS jammers’ tails, and Jack Town blocker McGritty kept CCS blockers on their toes, earning her the CCS best blocker award.

Mean Norma Jean was the first Jack Town jammer to get lead status near the end of the first half to score 8 against Jackie Bauer’s 2 before calling it. Vicious Velma followed suit, calling it after 7 points and a devastating blow by CCS’s Polly Dent. CCS had some trouble keeping Hard Rock Candy in the pack and formed a 3-person bridge to chase her down. CCS ended the half with a comfortable lead, 71-28.

Jack Town came out swinging after the break, forcing Liberty Sypkes to call it after taking a big blow. Jackie Bauer had to call it off quick with jammer Shove-Elle hot on her tail, and later, Pistol had to do the same. Mistress Azrael endured a fantastic spill, tumbling over the backs of two fallen skaters while CCS blockers landed big hits, buying time for Azrael to get back on her feet. Luci Fear scored big for Jack Town with 14 points and then proved her endurance in another jam as she was hit first by Screama Donna, then Bona Contention, barely staying inbounds while balancing on one foot. Blockers Screama Donna, Wrecker Becker, Bona Contention, and Polly Dent took advantage of a power jam by containing a “goat” and bringing the pack to a crawl while Liberty Spykes racked up 25 points. CCS killed some time in the last few jams by delaying the jammer whistle, and Jack Town’s Shove-Elle was ejected from the game in the very last jam for having 7 trips to the box. The CCS black team ended up celebrating their first ever bout and victory simultaneously with a 118-74 win.

BOUT 2: CCS GREEN TEAM vs. FOX CITYZ FOXZ
84-73, Fox Cityz Foxz. After a seven-point loss last season to the Fox Cityz Foxz of Appleton, Wisc., the Socialites looked forward to a rematch on their own turf. The Foxz brought a good fight, effectively destroying CCS walls and containing CCS jammers at the back of the pack. CCS jammers received help from big hits by Faye Stunaway, impassible walls by Beattie Sedgwick and Lady Miss Bier, and effective beatings by Shock Hop.

Anya Booty matched the speed of quick Boun C. Ballz to win close jams, and Fly took advantage of a power jam, managing to stay on her feet the entire 2 minutes despite relentless hits by Woman O’War. Anya was able to knock Skeater Beater out of bounds at the start of one jam, making her ineligible to receive lead status. Salacious T set a pick for Anya, who caught up to Skeeter and then strategically called the neck-and-neck jam just in time to score a few points. Roll-R fell victim to sandwiching and solid walls but was still able to tie the low-scoring game at 20-20.

Anya Booty made the first big scoring jam of the night with 15 points after a whip from Megan Enemies and help by Ionic Bondage and Vivi Section, who held Skeeter Beater back. Shock Hop took a rare turn at jamming but was stumped by the Foxz’ impenetrable walls and turned to playing defense with some jammer-on-jammer action. Just before the half, CCS had a 39-20 lead, but the Foxz scored a 9-point jam to narrow the lead to 10 points by the time everyone headed for the locker rooms.

CCS started the second period with a slow pack to help Anya Booty during a power jam, but Lolly Pop Ya returned to the track and scored big. With the score uncomfortably close at 44-43, visibly tired jammers and blockers from both teams were sent to the box like crazy. Jammer-on-jammer races usually led to one or the other calling it off at 0 points, while power jams boosted the score in one team’s favor and then another to keep it neck-and-neck.

Faye Stunaway joined the CCS jammer rotation and set up a power jam situation for Fly. She was joined on the track by a strong pack, but Megan Enemies, Beattie Sedgwick, Lady Miss Bier, and Shock Hop were unsuccessful in their attempt to contain a goat and force the Foxz blockers out of play. Skater pile-ups and point margins of just 3 or 4 points kept the crowd at the edge of their seats.

In a power jam situation, Roll-R-Damage pushed blockers Bambi Lance, Splatty Hearst, and Salacious T out of her way, sending each to the floor and unintentionally creating a no-pack situation which allowed her to whiz right past the stunned Foxz. CCS was back in the lead, 60-54. Later Roll-R played some defense as jammer, slowing opposing jammer Boun C. Ballz to be absorbed again by the pack. Little by little, though, the Foxz inched the score back to 65-69 in their favor. Yaya Der Hey gave CCS the most trouble, earning her the best blocker award, while Boun C. Ballz was named best jammer. The score remained close to end with the Foxz coming out on top, 73-84.

The Socialites travel one last time this year to Beloit, Wisconsin, for a rematch with the Stateline Derby Divas who narrowly lost to CCS last season. Be on the lookout for the 2011 schedule soon!

Third Straight Win! Socialites Beat Lafayette 157-46

PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31093299@N05/sets/72157624267698518/

If fans at the Forum in Fishers on Saturday night were expecting a repeat of last October's match-up between us and the Lafayette Brawlin' Dolls -- a nailbiter with fierce packs and big hits in which the Socialites squeaked out a victory in the very last jam -- they were in for a surprise. CCS dominated this game from the start, building strong defense, playing aggressive offense, and grabbing lead jammer status 17 out of 20 times in the first half.

In one particularly dramatic moment, Socialite jammer Anya Booty showedjust how low she could go when, on turn three, a Lafayette blocker went in for a big hit and flipped over Booty's back, giving Booty lead jammer status (and cheers from the stands). Jammer Roll-R Damage pleased the crowd by gliding on one foot around turn 4 to get lead jammer even while receiving a big hit from Lafayette. When the first half ended, Lafayette had only scored during three jams, trailing CCS 88 to 8.

Lafayette kicked things up in the second half, with their jammer grabbing 4 unanswered points in the first jam while Socialite jammer Robin Sock'em was in the box. Then a controversial call ejected Socialite blocker Faye Stunaway from the bout -- a ref decided that an errant elbow amounted to "gross misconduct." Lafayette went on to rack up 38 points in the second half. Cruel Whip of CCS managed to get two grand slams and 10 points her first time jamming. Beattie Sedgwick jammed just once to grab the most points in a single jam, with an unanswered 13 points.

This marks the third win in a row for the Circle City Socialites, who next take the floor July 3 at home against Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls of Bloomington.

Socialites Triumph 134-41 in Southern Illinois

By Jamburglar, Race City Rebels

The Circle City Socialites racked up a second win in a row on May 22 when they defeated the So Ill Roller Girls in a bout in Southern Illinois. A major second-period comeback by So Ill wasn’t enough to stem the damage, and the Socialites skated off with a 134-41 victory.

The Socialites have been training hard, but were traveling with only two of their regular jammers. Couple that with the fact that So Ill had home track advantage plus a physically forceful team, and the Socialites knew they had their work cut out for them.

First Period
When the first whistle blew, Socialite jammer Roll-R Damage faced off So Ill jammer Tess LaCoil. The Socialites immediately established strong walls up front to hold back Tess while clearing a path for Damage. Beattie Sedgwick and Shock Hop repeatedly pulled LeCoil back into the pack, trapping her there for the entire first jam. Damage racked up 2 grand slams before being sent to the penalty box with 5 seconds remaining.

Several Socialites made their debut as jammers, including Bambi Lance, Liberty Spykes, and Spleana Rupture. They each learned the hard way that opposing blockers enjoy nothing more than hitting a fresh jammer.

Beattie Sedgwick also stepped up to the line as jammer against So Ill’s Arcane Sugar. Despite an increasingly fast pack, Socialite blockers slammed and trapped Arcane. Before the jam ended, Sedgwick scored two grand slams and 14 unanswered points.

With only minutes remaining in the first half, Jammer Atilley The Hun suffered a wardrobe malfunction. Not the scandalous variety—her numbers just slid off her jersey to send her to the penalty box. Socialite jammer Robin Sock’em powered her way through the pack despite fierce opposition from Krush Groove and Ninja Hurtle, who laid her out in turn four. Sock’em quickly recovered and managed to rack up a grand slam before being sent to the penalty box herself. Atilley The Hun’s reentry to the action was short-lived, however, as she lost her jersey numbers once again and left the track for the box.

In a real crowd-pleasing move, Beattie Sedgwick nailed Dawn Gin Master right at the whistle that started the last jam of the period. By the time the clock ran out on first half action, So Ill had only accumulated 9 points due to some good teamwork and rock-solid Socialite walls.

Second Period
At the top of the second half, Ionic Bondage met the floor after a hard-core hit from Krush Groove. Two laps later, Bondage hit the ground again after catching her toe stop and required medical treatment before a quick trip to the local emergency room for what appeared to be a rather seriously sprained left ankle.

As the action resumed, Socialites Beattie Sedgwick, Roxi Razorblade, and Shock Hop formed an almost impenetrable wall, enabling Roll-R Damage to score her fifth grand slam of the night. Dread Pirate Roberta, in an outstanding effort of her own, shoulder-checked a So Ill blocker into her own jammer, leaving a pile of 3 opposing skaters on the floor.

So Ill rallied with their best efforts midway through the second period. Atilley The Hun repeatedly slammed jammer Spleana Rupture until she fell to the floor, which allowed Krush Groove to earn lead jammer status. In what was possibly the most exciting jam of the evening, Bambi Lance took a pounding from Atilley The Hun and a bonafide sheriff block from opposing jammer Krush Groove. Atilley The Hun, along with Cassablockya, also isolated Socialite jammer Nova Blaze, giving So Ill their only grand slam of the bout. So Ill’s rally ended in the next jam with jammer Tess LaCoil in the penalty box as all four Socialite blockers schooled their opponents in ‘getting a goat’. The Socialites trapped a single So Ill blocker in the back of the pack, allowing Roll-R Damage to score unopposed.

The Socialites once again built a rock-solid wall of Beattie Sedgwick, Bona Contention, and Lady Miss Bier and trapped jammer Muchos Bustos for most of the final jam of the night. Just as the So Ill jammer attempted to make a move on the outside, Bona Contention slammed her to the ground. With Muchos Bustos out of commission temporarily, Socialite jammer Shock Hop piled on a few grand slams of her own. So Ill fought hard to the very end, scoring 32 points to the Socialite’s 48 points in the second half.

Bunnie Low-Browski and Screama Donna managed strategically from the bench, sending out untraditional jammers and watching for opportune moments for jammers to collect their fourth minors. Socialites Roll-R Damage and Robin Sock’em jammed for 28 out of 34 jams, racking up over 40 points each. Roll-R-Damage was named Socialite MVP of the evening by So Ill.

Final Score: CCS 134, SIRG 41

Circle City Socialites Prance Across Quad City Roller Girls

By Jamburglar, Race City Rebels

The Circle City Socialites of Indianapolis took on the Quad City Rollers of Moline, Ill, at The Forum at Fishers in front of a full house on May 1 for a fight to the death (or at least roller-girl exhaustion) in “Fishnets of Fury.” After a suspenseful first half, with both teams taking turns in the lead, CCS skated away at the end of the night with a decisive victory of 178-89.

Socialite Roll-R-Damage became lead jammer after a false start and sailed past Quad City with a grand slam thanks to solid Socialite defense. During the first period, Socialites Anya Booty, Roll-R Damage, Fly, and Robin Sock'em scored multiple grand slams as jammers thanks to solid defensive work from teammates Splatty Hearst, Lady Miss Bier, Spleana Rupture, Beattie Sedgwick, and Faye Stunaway. Quad City’s Hannibal Nixon and Mexican Monster delivered tremendous hits and established solid defensive walls up front, while jammers JoJo Killabytch, Lady Gotcha, and Sugar N' Slice scored for Quad City. CCS used several opportunities to score offensively, effectively slowing the pack while Quad City jammers waited it out in the penalty box.

Anya Booty took advantage of Lady Gotcha being in the box by scoring two grand slams, then quickly calling the jam before Lady Gotcha could exit the box. CCS was actually able to call off at least six jams while a QCR jammer was in the box that night, a smart strategy to handicap that team’s jammers.

During jam five, Hannibal Nixon established herself up front well, though Faye Stunaway would battle her in the front and back throughout the night, despite falling victim to an apparently sprained ankle in the first period. Sugar N' Slice became lead jammer and quickly scored four points, but just before she attempted to call of the jam she received a major penalty, sending herself to the box and giving Roll-R Damage a chance to earn five points before getting sent to the box herself.

In jam six, though Sugar N' Slice became lead jammer before the pack had reached turn three, a huge whip from Beattie and some good defense allowed Robin to score 12 unanswered points. Sugar N' Slice exacted some revenge two jams later when Fly was sent to the box, getting 14 quick, unanswered points.

The QCR jammers had a difficult time breaking free from the CCS blockers whenever Beattie, LMB, or Splatty set up walls in front despite good hits from Hannibal Nixon and Mexican Monster. With 16 minutes left, Lady Gotcha skated with one foot hanging over the outside line to snag lead jam position, but was forced to call the jam to conserve energy.

As the final jam of the first half got underway, only three blockers were on the track and the penalty box was full. As jammer, Robin Sock'em fell to the ground, knocking opposing jammer JoJo Killabytch past two CCS blockers outside the track, sending JoJo to the box for a major track cut. This gave Robin a chance to score five unanswered points at the close of the half.

Hannibal Nixon gave Lady Gotcha a huge whip on the first pass, sending her out of bounds and in front of two CCS blockers. When Lady Gotcha re-entered the track, she immediately received a major track cut and was sent to the box, giving Fly a chance to score two more grand slams. The Quad City Rollers would continue to roll into foul trouble for the rest of the period, their jammers frequently heading over to the penalty box, and CCS took advantage with slow packs and aggressive offense.

Despite a long, hard-fought bout, everyone had plenty of energy for the final jam of the night, keeping the pack speed fast and throwing plenty of hits. Both teams had fun, and you could tell.

CCS's Dexter said his new coaching strategy, in which the bench coach concentrates almost exclusively on the pack and the assistant coach on the jammers, worked well. This allowed the coaches to give more focused directions during play and more personal instruction during timeouts, improving CCS's ability to change strategy.

Announcers Mr. Macabre and Major Rupture kept the mood light and the crowd happy, with a little extra help from DJ Barbed Wire as well as a giant panda—our very own Ho CrackHer donned the large, fuzzy “kung-fu” panda suit, kindly donated by Southland Skate Center, to emphasize the “Fishnets of Fury” theme. Also playing up the theme was the crowd-pleasing half-time act by Korea Taekwondo Academy, whose powerful kicks and board-breaking entertained the approximately 800 people packing the bleachers and chairs.

CCS gave the blocker MVP to Quad City's Mexican Monster and the jammer MVP to Sugar ‘n Slice. Final Score: CCS 178, QCR 89.

Then it was time to par-tay down at Claude & Annie’s, where memorable karaoke performances included Uzi Q’s now-signature “I Touch Myself” to get the party started, followed by Dex’s vocal stylings on “Say It Ain’t So” (with artistic background dancing from Red ‘Stang).

We can’t wait to do it all over again on June 12 – “The Summer of Shove” – when the guys will play in a bout of their own before we take the track that night! Start gathering your best hippie costume now and stay tuned for details!

Cincinnati Bout Recap

Walking into the Cincinnati Gardens on March 27, we felt not unlike the little hicks-from-the-sticks basketball team of Milan heading into Hinkle Fieldhouse for the climactic showdown in “Hoosiers.” Ooh! Fancy: Our names on the Jumbotron, seats instead of bleachers, 3,500 spectators in the stands (a record for CRG). And they don’t just know how to put on a good show, they know their derby, as CCS was to learn during the course of the 40-minute bout. We stayed ahead for most of the first 20-minute period – until the CCS jammer went to the box and CRG racked up a 20-point jam, helping them head into halftime with a 24-point deficit. The Socialites never rebounded. Our attention was diverted by CRG’s quick, agile jammers, leaving little time to battle the rock-solid CRG walls that kept CCS jammers languishing in the pack. Even our reliably fast jammers like Fly, Roll-R-Damage, and Anya Booty were mostly helpless behind the CRG walls of three that consistently sprang into place.

The stalwart Celia Graves swung her purple spandex-clad hips to great effect, breaking up walls and sending jammers flying. Wheezy stepped up to the jammer line over and over again, cutting through the pack like butter each time. Givin’ em a run for their money were Spleana Rupture, a new CCS skater who hits like she means it – again and again and again – and Beattie Sedgwick, who floated in front with quick laterals to hold back the CRG jammer until the millisecond she had to let her go or risk a 20-foot violation. The Socialites’ MVP, as awarded by the CRG skaters, was Faye Stunaway. Final score: 112 to 30, Cincinnati.

Muskegon Bout Recap

The upstart Skeetown Skirtz swept past us 142-54 on Saturday, March 13, in Muskegon, Michigan. The new league, founded by former members of Grand Raggidy Roller Girls, has just a couple of bouts under its belt but is off to a roaring start.

CCS was hampered going in thanks to a recent rash of injuries; in the week and a half leading up to Saturday's bout, we lost three of our most experienced skaters. Our gracious Skeetown hostesses allowed us to sub in some last-minute alternates so we pulled together a roster of 14 in time for the first whistle. Skeetown established an early lead, with the CCS jammer going to the penalty box in the second jam and the Michigan girls seizing their chance to rack up a few grand slams. They're a team of jammers – fast and agile – and almost every skater took on that role with ease. But they're equally fierce blockers, going on offense at the blow of nearly every starting whistle long enough to break up our walls, then quickly falling together to form impenetrable walls of their own. Thanks to their fast footwork, decisive hip hits, and ability to quickly drop low to avoid many CCS hits, the Skirtz smoothly juggled offense and defense with ease.

Quarterboy, Rika Wreckless, and Dot Matrix were among the many Skeetown skaters who posed double threats as jammers and blockers. At the end of the bout, announcers handed Best Jammer (Skeetown) to Keisha Mei Ash and Best Blocker (Skeetown) to Tamara Hurtsworse. Anya Booty, skating in just her second bout ever, was named Best Jammer (CCS), while Beattie Sedgwick picked up Best Blocker (CCS). This was the debut bout for CCS skaters Luscious Lisa, Ionic Bondage and Nova Blaze.

We take the rink again in two weeks in a recently added bout in Cincinnati on March 27. Road trip!

Socialites battle Fort Wayne in a nail-biter

We played our very first bout of the season on February 13th in Fort Wayne, where we got edged out 52-45 in a hotly contested match-up. In the first half of a sold-out double-header, we played the Fort Wayne SWAT Team in a 40-minute bout, followed by a full 60-minute game between the Hammer City Roller Girls of Ontario, Canada, vs. the Fort Wayne Bomb Squad.

The SWAT girls took the lead right off the bat for a score of 9-2, but the Socialites quickly gained ground throughout the 20-minute first period. We built up to around a 25-16 lead just before halftime, but then the Socialite jammer went to the penalty box and Fort Wayne racked up a 6-point jam to end the first half down at 25-22.

At the start of the second period, with our jammer still in the box, Fort Wayne scored a major jam to quickly establish a lead of around 15 points. The score then stayed pretty close for the rest of the bout, with strong blocking from both teams consistently keeping the jammers back -- often on the ground -- and the overall score low. A last-minute rally by the Socialites wasn't quite enough to earn that key final 7 points.

This was the first bout ever for four Socialites: Anya Booty, Dublin Ur Pain, Spleana Rupture, and Trouble Helix. Our very gracious hosts also handed out awards, as decided on by the three announcers, to three of our players: Roll-R-Damage (best CCS jammer), Robin Sock'em (best CCS pivot), and Beattie Sedgwick (best CCS blocker).

We already can't wait to take the track again on March 13 in Muskegon, Michigan. And watch for more details soon on our April 10 home season opener at the Forum at Fishers!

Photos by Junior Say-ow