Finally...Let It Rain

For some time now the Bombshells have been on their hands and knees crawling around the derby desert in this Arizona heat. Defeated, delirious and dying of dehydration they've begged for something to quench their thirst; something, anything to give them just a little more life to keep fighting a little longer. They've seen the oasis of victory at times lying far, far out of reach only to find its a mirage as they try their hardest to inch closer and closer to it. But no more. The winning drought the Bombshells have had to endure over the last 2+ years has come to an end. Finally, the rain has come for this team, and finally, we bathe in the waters of victory.

Out of the 12 girls we have on our roster, only two of them have ever known the feeling of winning a derby bout. Prima Donna is the O.G. Bombshell and being one of the founders of this great league, she was around during the Bombshells early winning days of Season 1. Celeste came to Bombshells this season after 4 very successful years with the Brutal Beauties dynasty. Other than these two ladies, not a single skater on this team has ever taken a victory lap. Most significantly the Bombshells 2nd most senior skater, Alkaline Trina, has never skated to victory. When we got the news that this would be her last bout with us before she moved back to Texas, the entire team's focus shifted from just winning the bout, to wanting to win the bout for Trina. It was our desire to send off our beloved jammer with a win under her belt after 3 seasons.

Alkaline Trina has always held a very special place in my heart. When I first started coaching this team there was one skater that always stood out to me, and it was her. She was the smallest skater on the team, but what she lacked in size she made up with speed, desire, and good ole' fashioned hard work. At practice, when some skaters would waffle, I could always expect that Trina would bring it every time for every drill. She stood out to me because the athlete that lives in her is almost a mirror image of the athlete that lives in me. I wasn't the biggest or the strongest, no matter what sport I played. But I was jam packed full of desire, speed, and a hunger to learn the game so that I could use my mind more than my body when I play. Just like Trina. I looked to my leaders for guidance and took seriously what they gave me. Trina does that. I took that same advice and passed it on when it was my time to lead. Trina does that too. She put on a great performance for her farewell bout putting up 24 points and averaging 3.4 ppj (points per jam). She controlled most of her jams acquiring the lead jam 6 out of 7 times. She will be missed. Not just by this team, but by the lives of the people that she became a part of during her time here. I'm going to miss her so much I had to show her somehow, so I wore a special edition T-Shirt in her honor.


Did anyone happen to catch a glimpse of Celeste on the track? I think the only instances where I was able to get her in focus was when she was on the bench resting and when she went wheels-over-heals in the air in the beginning of the 4th quarter. I swear, it was like I was watching that moment in slow motion thinking like Ricky Bobby, "Oh man, she's flying through the air. That ain't good." Other than that, the girl was in constant motion rotating around the track racking up points. She brings a much needed killer instinct to this team. She wants to dominate and destroy opponents and she did just that. She stepped in as our jammer 9 times and logged 50 points. Yes, you read that right. But I'll repeat it just in case. She scored 50 of the Bombshells' 121 points, in 9 jams. She logged jams of 7, 8, 8 and a mind blowing 10 point power jam. Her performance earned her the admiration of her team which voted her the game's MVP. Well deserved.

We executed our game plan well against the Beauties, which was to neutralize their power blockers who like to hang out in the back of the pack. I understand it was the first bout of the season, however, we didn't play at the level of derby excellence we strive for. There is much we need to do to get to that level. One thing we really need to work on is our awareness on the track. The ladies did a great job in containing the Beauties' jammers for a majority of the bout, but there were too many instances where their jammers were coasting by a Bombshell blocker and they didn't even realize it until they saw the star shoot by. Its easy to tell when they know they've missed her because I can see that look on the Bombshell's faces the moment it happens like, "Aw sh*t! There she goes. Dammit!" We played a clean bout for the most part only logging 8 major penalties a couple of which came by way of accumulation of minors. I say that because I honestly thought we would have more for our first live action banked-track bout. We had a bit of scare in the first quarter when our power blocker, Ruff Ryder, picked up a major penalty in each of the first three jams she skated in. We weren't half way through the 1st quarter and we still had 3 whole quarters to play and I had already watched our strongest blocker sit in the box three times. Two more majors and she was a gonner. It was like she was hyping herself up before the bout with some Ludacris the way she was throwin' them 'bows. And as I said before, and I'll say it again, elbows are the number one killer of all the penalties in this game. Fortunately, Ruff Ryder was able to regroup and get her head back on because after that she didn't log a single penalty for the rest of the bout.

I have to give much credit to our blockers. I've spent much time developing our blocking schemes that at times I think the Jammers feel like they don't get enough individualized attention during practice. I don't do a lot of Jammer-specific drills. The bout on Saturday made a good case as to why. We put 120 points up on the score board and the lion's share of the credit goes to our blockers. Hellcat Maggie, Sho'Nuff, Samba Slugger, and Ruff Ryder and the rest of our blocking crew are the reasons we were able to put those kinds of points up. They created lanes and allowed the inherent agility and speed of our jammers to do the rest. Blockers win games, Jammers get the glory. We won that game in large part due to how these skaters executed our strategy.

The Brutal Beauties rookies stole the show on Saturday night. Their team as a whole showed a lot of great improvements with the addition of these new skaters. The break-out performance of the night goes to Kimber Slice. The announcers had a little difficulty with her name but I don't think any of us will forget it again the way she ripped the Bombshells apart. We were able to contain her on a few jams but what impressed me was how smart she played after breaking the pack. She completely owned the track the three times she had lead jam. The three times she acquired lead jam she had jams of 4, 4, and 5 points. These jams were devastating to us because she blazed through our pack, scored her points, called off the jam, and the Bombshells jammer had to skate off the track with 0 points, EACH TIME. She put up 13 unanswered points for her team. If she can find more support from her blockers to help her get out of the pack first, she's going to be a Beauty to be reckoned with in bouts to come. In this case, I don't think its fair to say, "Welcome to derby, Kimber Slice." I think its more appropriate to say, "Welcome to Kimber Slice, derby!"

The Beauties top point scorer was also a rookie. The "LAP" Dancer sits at the top of the point totals with 25 points averaging 2.5 ppj. She jammed for her team the most, putting that star on her helmet 10 times during the bout. Also, I would upgrade Pint-Sized Punch to a Quart-Sized Punch after the improvements I saw in her jamming game from last month. Her point totals and averages went up while the frequency of her jamming went down. Last month she jammed 13 times for 15 points and an average of 1.1 points per jam. Saturday night she jammed 8 times for 18 points and an average of 2.25 ppj. That's a nice jump. This in itself shows how much of an impact the rookies are having on this team. They picked up at least two rookies that could fill in at the Jammer spot right out of Fresh Meat. They just didn't have enough jammers last month and I think that made all the difference this month because they put up more points against us than they did in the last bout. And speaking of Jammers, where was Tabby T-Bag all night? We didn't see her jam till the 4th quarter. I found that a bit curious considering she was the Beauties' top point scorer in last month's bout, scoring half of her team's points. Each team thinks and does things differently, but if it was me managing I wouldn't have waited till the 4th quarter to put in the jammer that has already shown she can get lead jam, score points and call off jams. Overall, the Beauties were a much better looking team this month. Not only do I think so, but the numbers say so too.

I gotta give it up to the captains and leaders of the Bombshells and Brutal Beauties, Lady Lawless and Red Rocker, respectively. Lady Lawless was the spark plug that not only got her team going, but she had the fans going as well. She played a big part in leading and directing the blocking schemes on the track which translated to easy pickins for our jammers. She hyped up the crowd and sent the Bombshells into half time with a boat-load of momentum with her 10 point power jam at the end of the 2nd quarter. She didn't wear the star very much on the night but she was efficient when she did. She put up 18 unanswered points. She had 3 jams, owned 'em all from start to finish, doing her part to shut out the opposing jammer each time. She had two jams of 4 points to the Beauties 0 and had the highest average of the night with 6 ppj. I really enjoy watching Red Rocker skate. She's fierce and she has no quit in her. When I see her skate up to the high side of the track, I know only one thing is to follow: DEVASTATION TO ALL BELOW. She laid some great hits on every corner of the track and almost sent one of our jammers out of the track between the guard rail and the kick rail. She's consistently exhibits great sportswomanship. When she stepped off the track, she was ready to have a good time and even took a few moment to razz it up with Lawless and I at the after party. I had fun watching the two of them bounce off of each other repeatedly during a jam in the 2nd half. It was like watching a bee trapped inside the house that's trying to get out but doesn't realize it keeps flying into a window....bzzzzzzzzz......DOINK......bzzzzzzzzz......DOINK......bzzzzzzzz....DOINK!

The win was a great experience and it took a little while for it to actually sink in. When I was asked to step in as coach last season, my goal was to help these skaters get a win. Ideally it would have happened last season, but the bright side was that we got better after each loss and learned something different that we took into the next bout. We became more and more hungry for that win after each loss. Last season a lot of the skaters were brand new and didn't know much about this game and the way it's played and they were being led by a guy who didn't know the first thing about derby, much less how to strategize for it. After a year of losing and lot of hard work during the off season we have all finally reached our goal of grabbing a win. Everyone played a role in this achievement, from the captains and coaches to the rookies and team managers. The Bombshells rained down on the Coliseum last Saturday night and the fans responded with flattering praise. I love to see them all stand up and cheer for my skaters because they work so hard and they deserve that type of recognition. Part of me believes they were as anxious to see us win as we were. I'm grateful the fans stuck with us from our losing flat track days and it paid off for them as we were able to quench their thirst for a Bombshells' win at the well of the banked track. We've achieved that goal, and now its time to move on to the next one. Obviously we want to keep winning, but the next concrete goal on my mind is to get into the playoffs and make a run for the trophy.

We finally ended the drought and we did it in convincing fashion. The crowd was speckled with red and their thunderous cheers gave me a very cold rush. We're still in the Arizona desert, but things aren't so hot anymore. The Bombshells brought a red storm into the Coliseum. Better bring your rain coats next month; 'cause the way the skies look now, this storm ain't lettin' up any time soon.

Fresh Off the Grill

Its been an exciting weekend filled with anticipation. The Arizona Derby Dames held their draft to distribute the Fresh Meat amongst the league's teams. The Bombshells' roster got a much needed shot in the arm that increased its size by 50%. That's gonna make a big difference for us as the season progresses. Our team Captains, Lady Lawless and Sho'Nuff, did an excellent job in drafting some great skaters to the team. This Fresh Meat class had a ton of talent and I imagine there a rookies being introduced to their teams this week that are going to give the veterans a run for their money. From a coach's perspective, there are two reason why this draft is going to make our team better.

First, not since we started skating on the banked track have I seen my skaters so enthused about coming to practice and skating. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that my skaters aren't enthused as it is. It was just that the energy, intensity and enthusiasm for the game was through that rusty warehouse roof last night at practice. The most telling thing about it was that the Bombshells were on the track, laced and strapped up, ready to go at 10 minutes till practice! Usually I'm blowing my whistle at the start of practice and there are still few of 'em putting their skates on. The rookie Bombshells, as well as all the other rookies in the league, are playing an important roll on the team right off the Fresh Meat grill. When I saw how excited both the vets and the rookies were to skate with one another, I realized it: These rookies are reminding the vets of what it was like back when they were standing in their rookie skates; of the things they felt back when they stepped on to the track for the first time with their new team. The rookies gave the vets a much needed flashback of all the reasons they decided to join roller derby in the first place. I see it with Lawless and I deal with it myself on occasion, but after some time in the league, you become slightly jaded. After a while the excitement of doing something new kinda fades. You become comfortable in your groove, often turned off by the drama that comes with derby, and taking for granted all the little things that used to pump you up about the sport. But when the rookies took their first strides as Bombshells, they re-lit the charcoal briquettes that used to burn vigorously under the vets when they were rookies. There's a new energy on this team, and just from the first practice I can tell that these rookies are going to make the team better physically, but more importantly, mentally.

The other reason I believe the rookies are going to make the team better is because it increases our roster size and creates an element of intra-team competition. I believe its healthy to have competition within the team. It keeps each individual skater on the up and up, which makes the whole much better. You see, when we only had nine skaters, all of them had to skate out of necessity and they were likely all going to get equal playing time, regardless of their attendance at practice and their attitude and effort at practice. Now that we have more bodies on the team, there are less spots available when we write out line-ups for the bout. If its me out there, and there's a chance that I could lose my spot to a rookie, I'm gonna raise my game to make sure that doesn't happen. I know that rookie is coming for my spot and for my playing time, so my effort at practice is going to take a positive leap. No player on this team is guaranteed playing time, regardless of skill and/or seniority. How much you give at practice determines how much you play. The rookies on our team are very talented. As such, I think they're going to raise the bar for the vets. In the end, it makes the entire team better.

As I mentioned, Lady Lawless and Sho'Nuff conducted a successful draft for the Bombshells. They struck the perfect balance between blockers and jammers, each of them showing last night that they can crossover into other assignments. I want to welcome each of them to the team and share my first impressions.

Sweet Revenge #140 has an excellent awareness of what's going on on the track and is excellent at taking direction. She keeps her head on a constant swivel. That awareness makes for an excellent foundation on which to build a solid blocker. She's exhibiting a very reassuring desire to learn about the mental part of the game as well as the physical part of it. She asks tons of questions, which I absolutely love because I can tell when she's sure about something that confused her before. Like the saying goes: She who asks a question is only a fool for a few minutes; She who does not remains a fool forever.

Dotti Danger #357 is a tenacious little skater with a lot of speed. She's as agile as anyone on the team and her recovery after taking a fall is impressive and lightning quick. That's such a necessary skill for a skater of her size. Like most smaller skaters, she's going to get bullied a lot by the larger skaters but nothing discourages a bigger blocker more than when they take a smaller skater off her skates and the little one is back up and in hot pursuit before the big one has finished reveling in her short-lived achievement. What stood out to me the most was her vocal timing. She's constantly communicating with her teammates during drills, and she's attentive and quiet in between. But she spoke up and addressed her team on a couple occasions when the timing was perfect.


Elizabitch Taylor #11582 is going to be a nightmare for other teams. Some of you might know a blocker on our team that goes by Ruff Ryder. She would cause opposing jammers and blockers to lose sleep before and after a bout. Well, I think she has a new protege in this rookie which should have everyone really worried. She's got a great handle on her skates and knows how to lay a great block and throw a vicious hit. Whats more, she has aspirations of being a jammer. As a coach, its ALWAYS nice to know you have people on your team who WANT to be a triple threat. Visible goals always facilitate more effort; you're consciously working towards something. We're gonna do our part to help her reach that goal.

Holly Hood #623 has scores of talent. She has triple threat written all over her right off the grill. I saw something in this skater in January that most people in the league didn't see till late March, so I took pleasure in working with her when ever she had the opportunity. She's skilled, determined, and quite simply, just wants to work. The rhythm skating skills she possessed before entering derby translate well into this game. She's confident and has swagger on her skates. That kind of confidence can be felt by other skaters. What I like about her most is that she wants to know the who, what, when, where, and why of derby. She wants to learn and know ev-ry-thing. She's got the physical part of the game in a tight grip with a lot of room for improvement. She's going to become exponentially dangerous when she gets the mental game under wraps.

I imagine its a proud feeling to shake that tag of Fresh Meat and become a full-fledged skater in the league. I pledged a fraternity in undergrad and one of my proudest moments was when I finished that 10 week pledge program, shook the "pledge" tag, and was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the guys that trained me to be a brother of Omega Delta Phi. I think that's no different than the experience these rookies are having now addressing the skaters that once trained them as "teammates." Its a great achievement and they should all be proud. But now, the REAL work starts.

Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

The Numbers Don't Lie

I started taking bout statistics for roller derby last season after the Bombshells played the Runaway Brides. Of the three bouts that I coached the Bombshells through that season, that bout was my favorite by far. The Bombshells were really starting to gel as a team right about that time. The Brides were an extremely technical team, armed with blinding speed. They put up a boat load of points against us, but the Bombshells scored more points in that bout than they had scored in any bout over the last 2 seasons. I was curious to see how the numbers broke down. I wanted to see where the holes were in our game, which line-ups were strong in keeping the other team from scoring points, and which of our jammers were more dependable in scoring points than the others. So I started watching tape from the bouts and keeping track. These stats also give me a great insight into the tendencies of our opponents. Not only do they tell a story of the bout, but they also help me prepare for the next one.

The league keeps their own stats, those are the official AZDD stats. The stats that I take and that I'm about to share with you are not official and are only for my own reference. However, be sure that I keep them as accurate as they can be. I've crunched some numbers from the bout between the Beauties and the Scrappers and they tell quite the story. In fact, they tell a slightly different story than the one I told just a few weeks ago.

The Scrappers went on a scoring binge in their debut bout logging 148 total points. That's a solid average of 37 points per quarter. When the bout was all said and done, the teams had skated 37 jams. That means the Scrappers were averaging 4 points per jam. 4 POINTS PER JAM! Impressive. The ladies in blue plaid also dominated the lead jam position. Out of the 37 jams the Scrappers were able to acquire the Lead Jam 25 times and didn't lose it once. In addition to that, the Scrappers had 4 different jammers that stole the lead jam from a Beauties' jammer on 4 different occasions. The Scrappers have their offensive scheme down getting their jammer out of the pack first 67pct. of the time. Further, on the flip side of that coin the Scrapper had a curtain of plaid out there on the track that kept the Beauties' jammers from seeing daylight for more than half the bout. They shut out the Beauties in 21 of the 37 jams. That's some solid defense. I'd like to dub their blockers with this moniker: The Plaid Curtain. One of the more astounding facts I learned from looking at the stats was that the Scrappers had 14 different skaters step in at the jammer position. I think they only have 15 skaters on their roster so by my observation the only Scrapper that didn't jam was their MVP, Cruella DeMille. Almost everyone got a chance to Jam. How fun is that?

When we talk about individual performances the skater whose numbers stuck out the most were Mizz Nashty's. She jammed 6 times for her team, more than any other Scrapper, and was perfect in acquiring the Lead Jam all 6 times. She racked up some major points on a few of those jams logging jams of 9, 10, and 6 points. In the end she's credited with scoring 32 of her teams points with a killer average of 5.3 points per jam. Mizz Nashty is no joke. I can't go without mentioning the performances by Jenna Talls and Goody Goody Blooddrop. They did a great job in complimenting the success that Nashty was enjoying, showing that there's more than one jammer on this team that we're all going to have to worry about. Jenna Talls was also perfect in acquiring the lead jam on each of her 4 chances at the jammer spot. She racked up 20 point in all and when you think of how many times she showed the crowd they had NO CHANCE while she was jamming, you have to be pretty impressed with a 5 point per jam average. Goody had the highest scoring average of the bout with 6.5 points per jam, only taking 4 turns with the star on her helmet. Nice job, ladies!

In looking at the stats for the Beauties, I see one overriding concern. And I know I'm being Captain Obvious here, but they need more jammers. They ran a three jammer rotation with Tabby T. Bag, Pint Sized Punch, and Nasty Nelly. The Beauties played with a short roster for this bout and the effects of that really started to show in the last quarter. You can see that fatigue had finally gotten to the Beauties jammers in the 4th quarter as they were able to log points in only 3 of the 9 jams that quarter, 9 points in all.

Tabby T. Bag carried her team that night; a well deserved MVP. She carried much of the jamming load, jamming 13 times for the Beauties. She acquired the lead jam in 5 instances and though she had it taken from her twice she had the highest point total and scoring average for her team with 23 points and 1.7 points per jam, respectively. As the season goes forward I can only expect that she's going to get better and continue to play a big roll in scoring points for her team.

The numbers don't lie. The Scrappers are a well balanced team. They played solid defense and their jammers played their positions well. A 4 point per jam average screams EFFICIENCY. Almost everyone on their team had a chance to put points on the board. But I'll say it again, jammers are nothing without their blockers, and the Plaid Curtain has proven they're more than ready to scrap.