I am not gonna lie, I wanted more bread stealing in Seattle. Only 2 upsets all weekend and only one game with a margin less than 20 points. We didn’t get the upsets or thrillers of Winston-Salem, however, we did get a pretty amazing show of skill. We also got another great Bronze Medal narrative, with Philly Roller Derby (who I love) going back to Champs! Below is our recap of the weekend.
#MileHydra Layover in Seattle
Denver power dunked like Shawn Kemp on the competition in Seattle, no one came within 120 points. Klein won tournament MVP and the entire Denver jammer rotation was so damn gifable it was absurd. Scald Eagle also put up a casual 35 points in a jam this weekend. Unreal.
There is still lots to work on, Denver left a -51.51 on the weekend, but with Thin Air this weekend and this Playoff, Denver has lots of time still to figure it out before Champs. One big highlight for me was seeing the #MileHydra hashtag on official Denver merch. You gotta believe!
The RatxCityxYouthxCrew
Rat City hosted another WFTDA Playoff tournament, picked up a solid win over Minnesota and made an important political statement as a team in support of MMIWG. Veterans Carmen Getsome and H. Botts announced their retirement post game after their Sunday loss to Jacksonville, but Seattle also saw the debut of MORE talented aged up Jrs in Bella DeBrawl and Rival-E. Playing at JRDA Champs in July for the Seattle Derby Brats, Rival E made opponents who slept on JRDA Champs pay — putting up a team leading 39 points in a +21 performance against Crime City, her first sanctioned WFTDA game. Bella DeBrawl started the tournament on Friday with a 72 point +41 performance. Grunge was the theme this weekend, but this Rat City team is more Washington Hardcore at heart.
We’re future girls
Living outside society’s shit
PHILADELPHIA IS GOING BACK TO CHAMPS!!!
I am still screaming about this. I love Philly. I love their work ethic, I love the priority they put on defense and I love it when they lock in. Their 156–104 Bronze Medal win over Crime City shut out Europeans at Champs for the first time since 2012 and returned Philly to Champs for the first time since 2014. They started the year in 23rd! #20JawnTeen isn’t over yet and I am excited to just how much further Philly can push this year. This team is dangerous.
BUFFALO BRO CULTURE
Buffalo’s Lake Effect Furies kicked off the 2nd half against London Brawling with a run to cut London’s lead to single digits, but London was able to counter with their own run and finish 201–136. The loss moved the Furies to a combined 0–6 all time against European teams (Helsinki, Stockholm, Bear City x2, Paris and London). It also set up a post season rematch against Stockholm, who the Furies dropped a 237–142 loss to at the 2016 Playoff in Vancouver.
The #11 seed Furies finally shook off their Euro curse, grabbing the lead early and holding it til the last whistle to provide the first upset in Seattle and their first ever win against a European team 224–176.
Inspired by watching and cheering for their Jr team, the Buffalo Shark Girls, at ECDX earlier this year the Furies made a conscious decision to focus on their body language throughout games. BUFFALO BRO CULTURE was on full display in Seattle, with non stop cheering from the bench, aggressive high fives and chest bumps. The positivity netted them a win and a +55.64 scoring average to help set up the 2020 run.
The team needs a chest protector sponsor in 2020 though if folks are gonna keep chest bumping Laci Knight like this.
Skids Will Play At Their Champs
For the first time since Rose City hosted in 2016, the host team will be playing at Champs. Montreal New Skids beat Jacksonville handily in a post season rematch 216–115 and followed it up on Saturday with another win in the semis over Philly 181–147 to book their spot. True to their name, their success in Seattle included lots of break out performances by NEW SKIDS — Papercut’s team leading +51 performance against Philly and Scar2’s 30 points in 5 jams against Denver stood out as highlights for me. Aside from their Silver medals, the Skids will also pick up a boost from Seattle as they played +20.82 over their incoming average.
London Brawling Were A “Delight”
London Brawling left Seattle with two wins and my wife Murphy says they were, “a delight to play” and that Beth Lord is, “frustratingly good.” Sable continued to impress after getting the call up for ECDX and that London defense is still terrifying when it locks down. There was also an extremely cute video on London’s insta stories of Delta Strike’s mom cheering for her in Seattle, I seriously hope you saw that OR London reposts it.
Last but not least, Beth Lord (as a pivot turned jammer) remains a VERY bad gamble.
Jacksonville Was Not a 7 Seed
Just like their South Central neighbours Atlanta Roller Derby, Jacksonville came into Playoffs severely under ranked because of a combination of injuries, availability, scheduling and game play. They dominated Ann Arbor in the 7v10 match up 251–123, lost to Montreal in the rematch and then finished strong with an upset win over the hosts Rat City 184–122 on Sunday. They left a +59.55 on the weekend, top of the field over incoming average, and of course fans got a heavy dose of amazing jammer tricks from the deep and exceptionally talented rotation of Erin Jackson, Snot Rock Science, Jamsterella, Mad Dog Murph, Sinner and Lil’ Ass Kicker.
Goddamn, Goddamn!
Endless apex jumps AND a name that announcers love to say, Goddamn Goddamn had a break out tournament for Ann Arbor in Seattle. Ann Arbor fell to Jacksonville 251–123 in their first game, but grabbed their 2nd all time Playoff win 201–153 on Saturday in the consolation round against Minnesota. In that game Goddamn Goddamn managed to jump the apex 3 TIMES IN ONE JAM.
Crime City and Stockholm La La La La ❤️
Flight delays seriously impacted travel plans for the two Swedish teams in Seattle and although Crime couldn’t keep their Champs streak alive and Stockholm didn’t grab a win, the solidarity in the crowd between the Swedish teams was amazing to see. Both teams will be looking to regroup in 2020, but they continue to pick up more and more fans each time they play.
Arizona Going 📈
Arizona dominated their opening game rematch against Stockholm, impressively stretching their margin of victory from 5 at Boardwalk Empire to 102 in Seattle. They also made Denver work in the 8v1 game, coming out with a better WFTDA game score than #4 seed Crime City would nab in the semis. They capped the weekend off with a nail biter against London Brawling, losing 175–159, but again winning the WFTDA game score. Even with the 1–2 record and a game against the 1 seed, they still managed to play +54.22 over their incoming average. This sets up the 2020 run nicely, although they will be without LONG time WFTDA Veteran (2004–2019) Deez Nutz who announced her retirement post game against London.
THAT MNRD DEBUT THO!
Aside from a SLICK new rebrand, Minnesota Roller Derby also brought 11 skaters to Seattle who made their Playoff debut. The only extended invite, Minnesota couldn’t pull off an upset as a 12 seed, but their willingness to try new things and gain experience for so many skaters should set them up well for years to come.
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