Ghouls Take Skatemare III

Skatemare is an awesome event because we get to be really competitive against some of our biggest motivators, idols, and opponents—our own teammates. Skatemare is not a sanctioned WFTDA game, meaning that it is basically about having a great time playing roller derby with our awesome home-team crowd cheering us on. Ghostly music was juxtaposed with holiday tunes. About 250 derby fans joined us for viewing the game, many of them new to the raucous game.

The track on game-day was a consortium of color and flare. Team costumes are created every year to capture each holiday’s mystique. Creativity was definitely on display and much of the finery was hand-made and the face-paintings were all game-day originals. Even our individual player names took on the spirit of our team holiday.  For example Val-N-Tina Sauci, playing for the Jingle Belles, was transformed to Cranberry Sauci. On the Ghouls team, Kill Basa became Haloweenie. This rivalry, friendly only while off-skates, has been three years in the making. For the last two years the Belles have won, but like the ghastly zombies they are, the Ghouls were poised for a comeback, with a hunger for Belle brainsssss.

The teams have remained the same every year— meaning that any player assigned to a team will be with that team from that day forth (in terms of the Skatemare divide—and these teams are maintained only for the use of Skatemare). So, the only change experienced by the teams were those of new players incurred as a result of new players joining OHRG in the 2009 skating season. The teams were as follows:

Jingle Belles:
Amy Spears
Bratislava Bruiser
Drrty Grrl
Handle Barz
Pippi Ripyourstockings
Hellion BOI
Royal Pain
Seoul Sister
ValNTina Sauci

Roller Ghouls:
Chewblocka
Dixie Heartless
Foxy Force
Kill Basa
Kitty Liquorbottom
Lorain Acid
Nailher
Phoenix Bunz
Roulette Rose
Triptease

       The stage was set for the continuation of an epic face-off: This annual bout, pitting the spooky Roller Ghouls against the cheery Jingle Belles was a super smash! The battle between the dead-skinned Ghouls and the red, green and sparkle Belles was full of back-and-forth lead changes. The lead was overtaken by the opponenet team nearly every jam! By halftime the score was very close, 43-49 Ghouls. The game between these teams was fast-paced and full of energy. It has often been commented that this game could possibly be the hardest of the season, as we were playing ourselves. In such a game the opponent is familiar with the moves and tactics of the opponent team’s players… but ultimately it was how the individuals gelled as a team that determined final success.

       Second half started with both teams ready for the other to come out stronger. What had started as a back-and-forth game slowly lost its balance to an incremental lead gain by the Ghouls. Effective walls halted the Belle jammers while penalties further damaged the Belles’s defensive strength. The final score was 77-123 Ghouls. The last two years saw the Win go to the Belles, but this year was captured by the Halloween spirit, the first win claimed by the Ghouls.

I was asking around on forums, trying to gather some opinions and insight in review of this game, and a cheeky ballerina called The Nutcracker at Skatemare, and otherwise known as Bratislava Brusier commented on the Jingle Belle loss,

“You can mention how at the half the Belles decided to let the Ghouls win because we did not think the Ghouls could handle another humiliating defeat. So in the spirit of christmas we made a pact, and decided that the only way to lose was if we were not actually on the track, so we decided to take our lumps of coal and spend that second half in the box, thus insuring victory by the ghouls and preserving their delicate feelings.”

O Seouly Sister, usually known as Seoul Sister, atested to the Nutcracker’s claimed tactic, ” Ha ha! Yes! Sooo true!”

To which, The Ghoulish NailHer Coffin sardonically replied,

“Is that how it really happened?? Hmmm. Happy Halloween.  I’m going to say that we scared you into the box to hide. Aawhh Ha Ha Ha!! … Wait is this the beginning of the trash talk for next year?”

My dearest Ghoul, I think the trash talk began a long time ago, and we are here to contiunue the tradition of fine fine competition.

Yours truly,
Acid Fundip— a Roller Ghoul.  (aka Loraine Acid)

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On a side (though essentially key note), our games would not be possible without the generous support of our fans and volunteers. Thank-you to everyone for keeping the roller derby dream alive. We love our fans and appreciate your continued support!!