On Saturday, February 11, 2012, NEO Roller Derby’s “Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls” started their morning traveling through the worst snow storm of the season, on treacherous roads to bout the Little Steel Derby Girls (from Youngstown, Ohio) “Lawless Rollers” in Little Steel’s first WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association) mock sanctioned bout. The Little Steel Derby Girls are a WFTDA apprentice league. The apprentice program is designed to take WFTDA inspired leagues through the process of joining the association by completing several tasks, which includes hosting mock sanctioned bouts with WFTDA member leagues. NEO Roller Derby was proud to help their little sisters complete one of their tasks.

The Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls (RnR) were facing multiple challenges with several veteran skaters, such as Carmella the Crusher (CC), Monty PipeBomb, Rosa Mariposa, Truly Outrageous, and Twin Pistol  unable to skate. Their short roster of 9 skaters consisted of both veteran and rookie RnR skaters. As they stood in their sisterly circle before the game started, they knew that regardless of all that was working against them, they were there to show their little sisters how RnR rolls as a team.

From the impressive jamming of Holley Car Brader and Elektra Magneto, to the hard hitting pack action of Taking Names, Wes Cravin Brainz, Sicilian Slicer, CrossBone Cutie and Kitty Black, to the booty blocking of Olive Pain and Teeny Houdini, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls pulled together as a team and played one of their most impressive offensive and defensive games to date. The final score was NEO 243, Little Steel 65.  The teams got to pick an opposing jammer and blocker Most Valuable Player for the bout.  Little Steel chose Holley Car Brader as Jammer MVP and Taking Names for the Blocker MVP, however NEO felt every skater on the team was an MVP that evening.   The Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls awarded Little Steel’s MVP Jammer to Leannibal Lecter and the MVP Blocker to Ground Zero.

RnR wasn’t expecting such a big gap in the score, as the Lawless Rollers consists of many talented skaters and derby players. This bout proved to everyone on NEO that the hard work of their coaches, Alchemist Prime and Rich Ratcliff, and the captains of both teams, is continuing to pay off.  Anyone witnessing this bout wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between the veteran or rookie Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls.

Next up, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Girls will be taking on the Burning River All-Stars in a WFTDA Sanctioned Bout, and Audio Assault will be taking on the Burning River HazMat Team on February 26, 2012 at 10:15 at the Pla-Mor Roller Rink in Euclid.