It’s time for skates and power jams. The start of this month saw the start of Turlock’s derby season for the Sintral Valley Derby Girls.
The first bout of the year was a double header, with the junior derby teams – the Motown Misfits and the Diamond City Minors – facing off first. For the second game, the SVDG Innocents opposed the Merced Rollin’ Roulettes Derby Girls. Both games were nail-biting, and exciting down to the last minute for veterans and newcomers alike.
Visitors were led inside the enormous Stanislaus County Fairgrounds gray exhibit building the Derby Girls call home, packed with people and smelling of food from the vendors that lined the walls. Christen Broussard, the Vice President of SVDG also known as Carly Chaos, greeted guests with a smile and sported a large green bruise on her arm – this was only the first of many indicators that these players meant business.
The junior roller derby game started out neck-and-neck, with nine points on each side. By halftime, the Motown Misfits – our home team from Modesto – were leading 89 to 83. But the Motown Misfits fell behind after halftime, with the Diamond City Minors leading 157 to 113 in jam 10.
Jams are unlimited scoring sessions that can last a maximum of two minutes. It’s a special jam – a power jam – that secured the Motown Misfits’ victory. A power jam occurs when only one team has a jammer; a jammer is the only position that can score points.
With only a minute left to go, Ditto 101 – a jammer for the Motown Misfits – easily lapped the track, scoring 30 points as the crowd cheered. Miraculously, it left the score tied at 193 to 193. With just 22 seconds left, Slaughter Lily 21 scored the winning points, and the game finished in a 198 to 193 hometown victory.
The junior derby teams played an electric game, setting the stage for the rough-and-tumble SVDG Innocents. Jen-O-Side 442 started the game as lead jammer, giving the Innocents a strong start. With one minute left of the first 30 minute period, SVDG was leading 102 to 56. By the end of the game, SVDG was leading 175 to 125, and not even RRDG’s last-minute power jam could bridge the gap. The Innocents won 183 to 152.
If you missed the action-packed bout on March. 1, there are three other home bout dates for 2014: April 19, June 7 and Aug. 23. Practices are also available for viewing at the Turlock Fairgrounds, located at 900 N. Broadway Ave.
As always, the derby teams are continuously looking for new members. For more information, email sinvdg@live.com for Junior Roller Derby (girls and boys 5 to 7 years of age) and missriple@ymail.com for Flat Track Roller Derby (women who are 18 or older).
