The Cincinnati Rollergirls will travel to Bloomington, IN on Saturday, March 2 for a double-header against the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls. Tank has a preview of what could be two close matchups.

Catchers and pitchers reported a few weeks ago for the Reds in Goodyear, Arizona. While they spend a few hours a day leisurely playing catch in between rounds of golf, the Cincinnati Rollergirls are continuing to prep for the upcoming season as well. The difference, of course, being that CRG practices on concrete in a dust-covered warehouse and spends more than six hours a week there smashing each other, running a series of endurance drills and not getting paid millions of dollars to do so.
2013 is being looked at as a rebirth year for the league as a whole, summed up by this year’s preseason marketing tagline, “We’re Back.” After two years of declining performances that have seen them go from possible WFTDA Championship contenders to a team barely holding onto a Top 10 ranking in the North Central region, change is definitely needed. The Scorpions once sang about the “Winds of Change,” but will they truly blow through the avenues and alleyways of the Queen City this year?
Both the Violent Lambs and the Black Sheep kicked off the season with a pair of losses to the Naptown Roller Girls, one of the premiere leagues in the North Central and back-to-back WFTDA Championship qualifiers, which means they were one of the WFTDA’s 12 best teams in the world in 2011 and 2012. Naptown’s B team could beat many WFTDA’s leagues’ A teams and it showed, with backward skating and strong defensive play in the pack. Four jams in and it was 48-0 for The Warning Belles, which set the tone for the game. While there were a few Lambs bright spots, the final score was 313 to 62. The Black Sheep game against the Tornado Sirens was a carbon copy of the past few times these teams had met with the Sirens earning a 254-107 win. Old problems reared their ugly heads as CRG jammers went to the penalty box and the Sheep were not able to consistently get lead jammer, two key parts of the game that determine who wins and who loses.
While no one likes to start the season with a loss, you learn more from defeat then you do in victory. Playing Naptown allowed Cincinnati to test some of their new strategies and how the team reacts to the return of Sadistic Sadie as a player and coach. While they didn’t win the game, neither the Sheep nor the Lambs lost their cool, a problem that has plagued the Black Sheep especially in recent years.
This Saturday night, both teams return to Indiana to take on the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls of Bloomington. Bleeding Heartland has seen their shares of ups and downs through out the year, but last year played the Sheep very close in a closed-door scrimmage. They have also shown flashes of brilliance in the past year, losing to 2012 NC Regional qualifiers Ohio by 25 points and Brewcity by two. So far this season they are 2-1, which includes a win over state rival Fort Wayne, a loss to Naptown (211-85, giving up fewer points then CRG did), and drumming Old Capitol City 320-74. A victory here for Bleeding Heartland would knock CRG down several pegs and catapult themselves up the ladder in the process.
The Lambs are currently sharing players with the Flock Ewes (Cincinnati’s C Team) and the talent pool has become a virtual hot bed of future stars of tomorrow. Sista Shovechild is coming off a huge game last weekend against the Black-n-Bluegrass Rollergirls ‘Shiners — she scored 133 of the Ewes’ game-winning 308 points — and after a few seasons, it looks like she has finally merged her jam skating with her jamming to create a hybrid style that is hard to contain. After sitting out her rookie season due to surgery, Truxtal makes her first roster, and the insider word is she impresses the coaching staff with her tenacious pack play at practice. Finally, rookie La Bruja makes her first appearance on the Lambs. Rumors are floating around that she is so good that she will be playing for the Sheep by the playoffs in late summer/early fall. Will she? Only time and her performance on the track will tell.
As I stated earlier, the Black Sheep have continued to have trouble with jammer penalties, obtaining lead jammer and a roster that has been stagnant over the past three to four years. With a number of Lambs and Ewes competing to break through the glass ceiling, I do believe this will be a year of change. Case in point: Lambs jammer Bombtrack makes her first appearance on a Sheep roster (facing off against Bleeding Heartland jammer Kaka Caliente, her former teammate from an Indiana University Ultimate team, no less). I like Bomb’s jamming for two reasons: 1. She doesn’t make stupid penalties while wearing the star and 2. She skates like a great white shark on the track, no compassion for those against her, always muscling her way forward no matter how many times she is hit. The question, is after playing on the B team level, will the pace of the A team level be too fast for her? This will be a good game to find out.
Sadistic Sadie looks to be steering clear of the jammer line upon her return to the sport, as she only blocked against Naptown. Personally, I think this is a good decision, as Sadie’s brain and leadership is more important to the team then her quick feet. I am also looking for Ruff’n the Passer to provide some much needed leadership in the pack as well, as this team has to figure out a way to contain the other team’s jammers while breaking their own jammers free. The team is also trying to figure out who will replace the gaping hole left by stand out Sk8r-Kinney at pivot, as last game the striped helmet panty got passed around more then a bottle of Jager at the after party. Currently candyKICKass! looks like she might be the player to fill that role.
Is this a must win game for Cincinnati? Yes and no. Bleeding Heartland is a league both the Sheep and the Lambs should beat, but should does not mean the same thing as will. When they are motivated, Bleeding Heartland is a hard-nosed team that can play quality roller derby, and mixing that with this game being at home for them and you have the ingredients for an upset in the making. On the flipside, Cincinnati is a team with a lot of athletic individuals with a renewed sense of purpose, roster spots that are up for grabs on the A and B team level, and after two years of struggle are starting to merge together again. This is going to be a fun double header with serious implications for the March 23 home season opener against NEO Roller Derby (Akron, OH) at the Cincinnati Gardens.
For more information on the home season, season tickets and single tickets, click here.
-Tank

Cincinnati vs. Bleeding Heartland Rosters

Cincinnati Black Sheep: Bombtrack 12 // Buckhead Betty 33 // CandyKICKass 32 // Hannah Barbaric 85 // June with a Cleaver 21 // Jungle Lacy 83 // K. Lethal 18 // Karma Krash 3 // Kitten Kicker 30 // Nuk’em 86 // Penn Tupanga 77 // Ruff’n the Passer 29 // Sadistic Sadie 76 // Wheezy 43
Bleeding Heartland Flatliners: 0 Manda Runyon // 12 Shifty Mcgee // 17 Kaka Caliente // 130 Dirt Diggler // 21 NaylorCoffenshutt // 27 Terror d’Bits // 225 Bobbi McGuillotine // 247 Shock’n Roll // 38 Special Sass // 44 Nuck L. Sammie // 500 Aceta Menacin’ // 594 Mauls Dolls // 808 Pele’s Melee // 99 Bombshell Shock // Alternates: 407 Uh Huh Hurricane // 619 Dare E. Eryn
Cincinnati Violent Lambs: Big Ugly 72 // Cherry Choke 0 // Cincy Psych-O 99 // Imma Tattooher 81 // La Bruja 66 // Mirderher 44 // Pistol Whippin’ Wendy 38 // Poppy Chulo 27 // Railroad 6 // Roxx Solid 74 // Ruthless Chris 5 // Sailor Scary 92 // Sista Shovechild // Truxtal 10
Bleeding Heartland Code Blue Assassins: 11 Patches O’Houlihan // 14 Knitty Gritty // 21 Naylor Coffenshutt // 311 Scarlet Witch // 38 Special Sass // 4 Mae Kim Hurl // 407 Uh Huh Hurricane // 415 The Gwen Reaper // 594 Mauls Dolls // 619 Dare E. Eryn // 70 Mersadist // 71 Biscuit Cutter // 762 Sock’emz Razor // 82 Goldilock Stock ‘n Barrel // Alternates: 727 Eddie Muncher // 23 Mad-Eye Maggie