After an off-season packed with fierce inter-league competition and fun-filled events, the long-awaited third season of Mad Rollin' Dolls women's flat track roller derby got underway Jan. 13 at Madison's Fast Forward Skate Center. A record-breaking crowd packed the rink; some took seats on top of the lockers to get an eyeful of hot girl vs. girl action.

This season, each period will last 20 minutes instead of 16, and any derby fan knows that a lot can happen in 4 minutes.

Two expo bouts in November and December introduced a slew of impressive new skaters on all four home teams; the season opener was their chance to make every pass, point, block and blow count.

Period one pitted the best against the best as the '05 champion Reservoir Dolls showed the reigning Quad Squad just how hungry they are to get that trophy back. It didn't take long for the black-tie beauties to throw everything they had at the Green Machine. The Quads may have been surprised by the Res Dolls' ferocity, but their defensive line set the pace for the night by tightening up on their opponents' star jammers. Princess Die (QS) took out Pocahotass (RD) just before she could take the lead, but Poca got revenge on the next lap. After Jenny Knoxville served up 8 points in jam # 6, the Quads went scoreless for the next 6 consecutive jams as the Res Dolls carved out a lead a few points at a time. Even with three Res Dolls in the penalty box at one point, the Quad Squad's impressive blocking still wasn't enough to keep Carrie, Mouse and the gang from scoring. The feud was definitely alive and kicking, and the Reservoir Dolls went into halftime leading 37-20.

Having built up quite a rivalry of their own over the past two seasons, the action on the track got hotter as the Unholy Rollers went up against the Vaudeville Vixens in the second period. Newcomers from both teams wowed the crowd in their first regular season bout. At the start of the 4th jam, all but one of the Unholies were in the penalty box, and rookie Vixen Harlot Bronte made the most of it by writing up 10 points before the evil ones came swarming back on the track. Returning to the Unholies after a year off, Maverick was quick to answer those 10 points in the next jam. The veterans were in full force, with Jewels of Denile (UR) delivering several signature sliding takedowns, and Chop Suzzy (VV) knocking the Unholies out of her way with ease. Both teams' jammers were giving it their all, but this round was more about teamwork and defense as the blocks came hard and fast, allowing little scoring towards the end of the period. When the period ended, the Vixens strutted off to the locker room with a 30-21 lead. During halftime, the Tribes of the Blue Rose turned the rink into a different kind of battlefield with an eye-popping, ear-splitting display of medieval weaponry and warfare, making more than one fan exclaim: "What's in your wallet?"

The furious Quad Squad and the feisty Reservoir Dolls hit the track to settle the score in a third period full of trick moves and powerful passes. Res Doll rookie blocker Cassidy Butch robbed returning Squad jammer Thunder Kitten of the lead position, but Thunder Kitten managed to scratch up a few points against the versatile Tatum Tantrum. In what the announcers called the 'battle of the asses', Quad newcomer Sassafrass scored a tidy 4 points in a no-lead jam against Pocahotass who ended up scuffling with Vanna Whitetrash as the whistle blew. Vanna ended up in the naughty box for a full 2 minutes, and Crackerjack kicked it into overdrive with a perfect 13-point jam. RD fan favorite Dutch Oven debuted in the jammer position, pulling the covers over Princess Die to take the lead and increase the Dolls' total by 4. Quad Squad star Jenny Knoxville racked up 16 points in two out of the last three jams, not enough to catch up to the Reservoir Dolls, who took the first win of the year 74-56.

By the time round 4 started, the fans had screamed their throats dry and cleaned Fast Forward out of beer. The vivacious Vaudeville Vixens and the undaunted Unholy Rollers returned to the oval to put the lid on the night. Wildberry Punch (UR) earned quite a few cheers with some hellacious outside passing, and Jewels of Denile caught the jeers, slide-tackling right into the penalty box. The Vixens' up-and-coming blocker/jammer Octopushy gave as many hits as she took without slowing down. After spending the '06 season out at pasture, the VV's compact yet powerful Mustang fended off the evil ones with 9 points in the 6th jam. The defense stayed brutal, resulting in several scoreless runs. Maverick suffered a double-team takedown in jam 11, sliding right into Unholy mascot Snack - hard to say who got the worst end of that collision. At the final whistle of the night, the Vaudeville Vixens had earned themselves a 63-39 victory over the Unholy Rollers.

Final scores:

Reservoir Dolls 74, Quad Squad 56
Vaudeville Vixens 63, Unholy Rollers 39