Unholy Rollers and Quad Squad Roll to Victory

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Final Scores: Unholy Rollers, 86; Vaudeville Vixens, 77
Quad Squad 80; Reservoir Dolls, 77

Welcome to the 2008 Mad Rollin' Dolls season, when all bets are off and anything can happen. The domination of the Res Dolls and Quad Squad is history. The Unholies and Vixens have clearly become contenders for this year's championship.

The Unholy Rollers, last season's cellar-dwellers, defeated the Vaudeville Vixens, the team that put down the 2007 champion Reservoir Dolls just a month ago. The Res Dolls – Quad Squad bout was a fight to the finish, with the outcome up for grabs until the last moments.

The close scores and hard play kept a sell-out house standing and screaming from "…and the home of the brave," until the final whistle.

The resurrected Unholy Rollers took a commanding lead in the first period, ahead by 42 to 21 after the first 20 minutes and displaying new brilliance in the pack. Casual derby fans tend to focus on the jammers and wonder why Unholy standouts like Jewels of DeNile and Back Doris had been unable to work their magic in previous seasons. Seasoned fans know that the game happens in the pack and defense wins the day. The Unholy blockers have learned how to close holes for the opposition and open them for their own racers.

In the first jam of period two, Jewels (UR) scored an easy 13 points, while the Vixen jammer served a penalty. In the next jam, a determined Harlot Bronte (VV) scored 8. But the Vixens couldn't catch up. At the end, the Unholy Rollers celebrated a long-awaited win with hugs, big smiles and a victory lap.

The Res Dolls – Quad Squad bout was a festival of hard hits, blindingly fast action and penalties. The refs were kept busy, and if they'd been able to catch all the 20-foot rule violations and back blocks, the penalty benches would have been even more crowded. The Quad Squad seized and held the lead throughout the first period. One standout moment for the Res Dolls came in the eighth jam, when tiny Mouse, wearing the star, delivered a powerful hit that almost sent the Vixen's Predator, a considerably bigger girl, into a fan's lap. The period ended with a score of 36 to 44 in favor of the Quads -- and two penalty benches at capacity.

The Res Dolls came back smokin' after the break, pulled the defense together and started scoring. Eight jams into the period, they had claimed a 9-point lead. Then the Quads rallied, displaying some astonishing moves that put them in the lead by 8 with one jam to go. In the last jam, the Res Dolls held the Quads scoreless while claiming 5 points for the Black and White. At the whistle, it was the Quads by just 3 points.

Half-time entertainment featured Capoeira Angola Madison – acrobatic martial arts dancing and rhythms, Brazilian-style.

Part of this bout's ticket sales benefits Options in Community Living, an organization that helps people with developmental disabilities live in their own homes and be active members of the community.

The Quad Squad faces off against the Vaudeville Vixens and the Unholy Rollers battle the Reservoir Dolls on March 22. Get your tickets early. The February bout sold out again, and you do not want to be disappointed if you wait to buy tickets at the door. Tickets are available at ticket outlets and on line about two weeks in advance.

And don't forget to mark your calendar for Oct. 10-12, when the Mad Rollin' Dolls host the Eastern Regional Tournament at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center.