Posted by unregistered user at 10/1/07 8:12 a.m.

Go you good girls! You did us proud.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/1/07 8:27 a.m.

Go Rat City!!! I would love to see more in depth coverage of our hometown Champs in the P-I! They are fierce competitors and this grass roots sports movement is something Seattle can really be proud of.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/1/07 10:38 p.m.

The Mariners, Sonics, and Seahawks go in the sports section, this doesn't.
Regardless what they tell you, it's all phony!

Posted by Fran Checkya at 10/2/07 12:51 a.m.

Who ever wrote that last comment is a fool, and has obviously never been to a Rat City Bout.
Rat City Rollergirls rock your sports page, you moron.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/2/07 7:21 a.m.

I'll give the moron from two comments above the benefit of the doubt and assume he hasn't seen modern-day Derby and is still thinking of 70's Derby.
Hey Moron! It's a pure sport now, not predetermined like Football or imaginary like the Sonics.
I'm not gonna rest until the PI (keep up the great reportage, PI) and every other paper put the Roller Derby results in the box scores with the other sports

Posted by unregistered user at 10/2/07 10:49 a.m.

For the record....
The Texas Rollergirls were the defending champions of the National tournament in Austin over the weekend. Rat City placed 1st in the Western Regionals and were ranked #1 with WFTDA. BUT!! Texas Rollergirls won the 2006 National tournament in Tucson last year.

Posted by unregistered user at 10/2/07 11:28 a.m.

"The Mariners, Sonics, and Seahawks go in the sports section, this doesn't. Regardless what they tell you, it's all phony!"

I would happily buy you two tickets to our opening bout in March 2008. And then you can rant about why POKER is in the Sports section, but not roller derby.

~Sara Problem ?~
Grave Danger
2007 RCRG Champions

Posted by unregistered user at 10/2/07 11:35 a.m.

You should be proud of your derby women. They were amazing.

Much respect!

--Annie Maul
KC Roller Warriors

Posted by unregistered user at 10/2/07 12:18 p.m.

It was a pleasure and joy playing the Rat City Rollergirls.
Much Love,
Bruz-Her
Captain-KC Roller Warriors

Posted by unregistered user at 10/2/07 3:35 p.m.

I loved watching two of my favorite teams skate it out at top speed on Sunday~Great job Seattle and KC, you deserve 1 and 2!

Candy Vour
Denver Roller Dolls
Denver, CO

Posted by rita ploy at 10/3/07 7:56 a.m.

I was so excited going into the game knowing that we would be playing the "big" girls. They are fast,strong and amazing skaters. It was such an honor to play them for the title. It was hands down one of the funnest games that I have been a part of.

Rita Ploy
Kansas city roller warriors

Posted by unregistered user at 10/3/07 10:25 p.m.

Moron has obviously never seen Rat City play. Lot's of people have come to see a bout with that attitude and some like it, a few don't, but nobody leaves thinking it's fake. Come see one bout and you'll see the light.

Kansas City may have walked away with the trophy this year, but Rat City was the team EVERYBODY was there to see.

Bulldog
RCRG LFoS

Posted by unregistered user at 10/5/07 2:28 p.m.

"The Mariners, Sonics, and Seahawks go in the sports section, this doesn't. Regardless what they tell you, it's all phony!"

tell the seven pins and a plate in my ankle that it's phony. go to a bout and be informed before you post such drivel.

better yet, go to a practice and see if you can make it through 10 minutes.

apocalippz
texas rollergirls
austin, TX

Posted by unregistered user at 10/8/07 2:48 a.m.

Seven pins, steel plates, and lack of skating ability aside...
Anyone who believes that some or all of Roller Derby is a real is "a mark".
Sorry people, Roller Derby was never and can never be a real sport.
Roller Derby is a soap opera dreamed up by a Hollywood script writer.
At least the old-time derby people have the guts to admit that it's fake.
But I would gladly accept a free ticket to the dress rehearsals.
Maybe I could direct a girly fight or two!

Posted by unregistered user at 10/11/07 7:29 a.m.

In reply to comment # 56449...
OHHH, I see.....
Your only "knowledge" of derby is what you saw on A&E!
That show could not be any further from what we do on the flat track.
Who are you to say what is "real" sport? What sports, other than 'smak talk jockey', have you played recently? Or are you one of those domestic-beer guzzlin', beer bellied men who have no woman of their own, so they poke at women they don't know?
My advice is to get a life and leave us to do what we love and spare us of any ignorance you spew all over a message board.
If you are in such disgust of what we do....then don't you see how that makes you look foolish to banter the most amazing women on skates?
But if you would like to be educated, I'll buy you a ticket to see the Texas Rollergirls if you dare to come to Austin and introduce yourself!

love love,

Cat Tastrophe XX
Captain of the Hotrod Honeys
all around bad a** Tecxacutioner

Posted by unregistered user at 10/14/07 11:33 p.m.

Ok tough guy.
Why does the pack skate so slowly?

Posted by unregistered user at 10/30/07 3:51 a.m.

The pack speed can vary for many different reasons.

There are three common reasons for blockers of one team to slow the blockers of the other team down.

1)Their jammer is ahead and about to score points. They are hitting and slowing the other team to create more opportunity for their jammer.

2) The jammer of the other team happens to be in the peanalty box.

3) They have the jammer of the other team trapped by brute force within the pack and their own jammer is lapping the pack repeatedly.

In any pack, the optimal speed for each team to skate will be slightly different. A big part of the sport is using strategy and teamwork to outplay the other team into playing at the speed that you want them to play.

Perhaps if you came to see a bout you would understand what a fool you truly are.

Posted by unregistered user at 11/9/07 12:22 a.m.

Roller Derby was created by writer and humorist Damon Runyon as an entertainment. Roller Derby as a sport is fundamentally flawed and the problem is in the way the pack works. In speed skating a pack is formed. The pack circles the track at a high speed, and although there is interchange within the pack it is impossible for someone to lap the pack. To make this look possible in Roller Derby the pack skates deliberately slowly. If the objective for the blocker is to deny the jammer a point, why would you then slow down allowing a jammer to pass you? Why would either team slow down? In reality you would just skate faster and the jammer would never be able to catch up with you. And even if a jammer could outskate the pack, the fastest skater would always win and blocking isn't really possible. As an entertainment Roller Derby might be passable, but as a real sport it simply doesn't work.

Posted by unregistered user at 3/31/08 12:12 a.m.

Once again you clearly display your ignorance of the sport. The situation you are discussing has a nickname not suitable for a family newspaper. The long and short of it is that any skater who gets more than 20 feet from the pack to avoid being passed is required by the rules to allow the opposing jammer to pass. Hence it's in her interest to stay within the pack (at whatever speed it travels at) so that she has a legal opportunity to block the opposing jammer.

A legal pack consists of more than fifty percent of the blockers and pivots. A team of skilled players adjusts the pack speed to their own advantage.

Jammers are generally the faster skaters. Typically (but certainly not always) the smaller girls. Larger girls tend to be (but certainly aren't always) blockers. They'll tend to be slower, but better suited to knocking down a jammer, or at least preventing them from getting past.

Each team is allowed a 15 player roster. Any player can be a jammer as assigned by the coaches. Jammers don't typical jam multiple jams consecutively. Skating that fast tires one out.

Were it staged like you claim, home teams would likely never lose, except to forment a feud. As was stated in this story, the Texas Rollergirls didn't win the WFTDA 2007 Championships, in fact, they were eliminated in the semi-finals and finished third. Were it faked, they'd have either won outright or lost the finals to Rat City in a squeaker.

Regards,
Grand Poobah
Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls