RDCL Battle on the Bank IX Preview

This weekend in Philadelphia, Penn., Penn Jersey Roller Derby and the Roller Derby Coalition of Leagues will present Battle on the Bank IX, banked track roller derby’s biggest tournament of the year. Eight teams from literally all corners of the United States will play over three days to determine a champ.

Battle on the Bank is always exciting for everyone in the RDCL, but this year they are extra-excited. This will mark the first time the tournament has taken place east of the Mississippi river, and is also the first time that two east coast teams will be participating. That’s a big deal.

The L.A. Derby Dolls are also a big deal, having won five of eight BotB championships including the last four in a row. They once again come into the weekend as the favorite, though their traditional southwestern rivals will have something to say about that.

Along with the eight adult teams, three junior RDCL teams will contest a junior’s title. And after an absence last year, the men are back on the banked track with a full-length exhibition game on Friday night.

Thanks to the hard work of Penn Jersey, it looks like most if not all of the games will be streamed live and free. For the stream location and latest details, check out the BotBIX Facebook event page, here. You can also follow on Twitter and Instagram @derbynotes for live updates all weekend.

The tournament is double-elimination featuring 30-minute games on the first two days, leading into the final placement games  on Sunday. The bracket and schedule is below.

rdcl-battle-on-the-bank-ix-bracket

Battle on the Bank IX Schedule
All Times Eastern

Friday, June 3
30 Minute Games

10:00 a.m. – Game 1:  (1) Los Angeles vs. (8) Deadly Rival
11:15 a.m. – Game 2: (4) Arizona vs. (5) South Side
12:30 p.m. – Game 3: (3) Tilted Thunder vs. (6) Penn Jersey
2:30 p.m. – Game 4: (2) San Diego vs. (7) Texas
3:45 p.m. – Game 5: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
5:00 p.m. – Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser
7:00 p.m. – Men’s Exhibition: Penn Jersey vs. Banked Track Bullies (60 minutes)

Saturday, June 4
30 Minute Games

9:00 a.m. – Jr. Game 1: Tilted Thunder vs. San Diego
10:15 a.m. – Game 7: Winner’s Bracket Semifinal 1
11:30 a.m. – Game 8: Winner’s Bracket Semifinal 2
1:30 p.m. – Jr. Game 2: Arizona vs. Tilted Thunder
2:45 p.m. – Game 9: Game 8 Loser vs. Game 5 Winner
4:00 p.m. – Game 10: Game 7 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner
6:00 p.m. – Jr. Game 3: Arizona vs. San Diego
7:15 p.m. – Game 11: Winner’s Bracket Final
8:30 p.m. – Game 12: Loser’s Bracket Semifinal

Sunday, June 5
All Games 60 Minutes
Final Day Schedule Subject to Change

10:00 a.m. – Game 13: Loser’s Bracket Final
1:00 p.m. – Jr. Game 4: Juniors Championship Game
4:00 p.m. – Game 14: Championship Final

The Teams

(1) Los Angeles Derby Dolls Ri-EttesLARiettes-300x293

BotB Appearance: 9th
BotB Championships: 5 (2008, 2012~2015)
Last Year: 1st

Yup, the L.A. Ri-Ettes are the favorites once again. Their dominance in the banked track world is something you’ve been able to set your watch to over the last five years, so much so that I literally copied and pasted the first bit of this paragraph from last year’s Battle on the Bank preview.

As it has been the last few years, the only question is how competitive the best of the rest are in comparison to L.A., and if there’s any whiff of a hope at an upset that would topple them.

Well, maybe a whiff this year, yes. Last month the Ri-Ettes had their annual interleague game against San Diego in San Diego, and to pull a cliche out of the bag, the final score was somewhat deceptive.

rdcl-la-vs-san-diego-may-2016-score

L.A. won comfortably, but nowhere near as comfortably as their 261-67 win over San Diego at Battle in the Bank VIII in Seattle last year. In attending this game, we noticed that San Diego was actually not that far away from L.A. in terms of skating skill or potential player ability.

It’s still the Ri-Ettes’ tournament to lose, though. However, this year should provide them with the stiffest final opponent they’ve had to face in a while.

L.A. Ri-Ettes Roster

627 Kitcat Go BOOM
w00t STEFCON 1
3 Jade to Black
715 Remix to Submission
85 Belle Scorcho
$787B Wreckonomic Stimulus
1988 Hurt LockHer
i Jackie Nimble
430 Oblivienne Westwood
248 Goodnight Doom
83 DIE-ana Ross
211 Elle Driver
33D D’Cup Runith Ov’r
Fleetwood Smack (Captain)
43 Bam Bam McGee
91 Purrfect
312.3 Mental Skate

 

(2) San Diego Derby Dolls Wildfiresxwildfires-logo-128x128.png.pagespeed.ic.DVYyqmxDIc

BotB Appearance: 9th
BotB Championships: 2 (2009 & 2010)
Last Year: 2nd Place

(4) Arizona Derby Dames Hot ShotsAZDD_HotShots-214x300

BotB Appearance: 8th
Last Year: 4nd Place

We’re grouping these teams together in our preview for two reasons. Here’s the first one, from a game played in Arizona at the end of February:

The second reason is this one, from a game in San Diego six weeks later:

Arizona has consistently been the second- or third-best team in the RDCL, but got bumped off the podium last year after one of the tightest and closest Battle on the Bank games in history against then-hosts Tilted Thunder. (Seriously, it was amazing. Watch it here.) Though the Hotshots placed fourth, they were deserving of a top three placing.

San Diego has not been consistent. They’ve gone from double Battle on the Bank winner six years ago. to as low as 5th place two years ago, filling in the lower steps of the rostrum along the way. The Wildfires are on a definite upswing at the moment, looking as good against L.A. as they ever have been in some time.

However,  both of these teams have weaknesses. Arizona has traditionally been a bit on the lazy and sloppy side in giving up penalties, particularly jammer penalties leading to costly power jams. San Diego, while strong on their skates, has recently appeared to be stuck in flat-track strategy mode, letting the opposing blockers take control of the front of the pack. This often squanders good scoring chances and leaves a lot of potential points on the table over the course of a game.

This year it’s looking like one of the two will be the one to take on L.A. in the final. For that to be the case, they’ll likely have to meet in the 60-minute loser’s bracket final. If this year’s earlier results are any indication, it may be the best game of the tournament, especially if both can correct their issues and play to the best of their abilities.

San Diego Wildfires Roster

215lbs Boo LaLa (Captain)
870 Brazen Bull (Captain)
138 Cecelia
1022 Hartlyn!
00 Hells Mels
77 Kung POW Tina
999 Iggy Cocks
22 Ivanna S. Pankin
10 Olive Rock ‘N Roll
105 Phoenix Endsong
72 Ryder Hard
7 Slamurai
110% Trish the Dish
9.5 Tsunami
99 Reck ’em Ralph
242 Kelly Clocks’em
389 Stiletto
3.14 Kim Kong
2CUP Karen Bout Nuffin
1131 Rose AnnThrax

 

Arizona Hotshots Roster

00 Nova Kane
1 Ellie Mayhem
2 Goody Goody Blooddrop
13 Abby Arsenic
34 Pretty Hurt Machine
55 Skid Vicious
420 Elizabitch Taylor
616 Craven Cadavers
623 Hollyhood
669 Nikki Badazz
724 Dolly Spartan
772 Al Anihilhate’ya
803 The Panda Face Killer
918 Ballistic Buffalo
1677 hElla Rude
2-22 Scarlett Knockout
OMG Killin’ Mae Smallz

 

(3) Tilted Thunder Railbirds All-Starstiltedthunder_logo-243x300-243x300

BotB Appearance: 7th
Last Year: 3th Place

The Railbirds used home court advantage at Battle on the Bank VIII to finish in the top three at the event for the second time in a row, despite not having much practice time on their track last year due to relocation difficulties. That’s a testament to the long road Tilted Thunder took to become one of the better banked track teams out there.

It really was a long road. Here’s how the team placed at all of the BotBs it has entered, starting with its first in 2010:

2010 (III, San Diego) – 8th
2011 (IV, Arizona) – 7th
2012 (V, Seattle) – 6th
2013 (VI, Los Angeles) – 4th
2014 (VII, San Diego) – 3rd
2015 (VIII, Seattle) – 3rd
2016 (IX, Philadelphia) – ???

Since 2014, Tilted Thunder has demonstrated that it was neck-and-neck with the likes of Arizona and San Diego as a perennial top-three contender at the national tournament. It happened that all three teams played each other in a round robin in San Diego, the same event where SD beat AZ 167-135.

Surely, Tilted Thunder would be able to match wits with the both of them!

Oh, well…uh. Hmm. Those results don’t look good. (At least they confirm that San Diego and Arizona are pretty equal opponents!) We weren’t able to make it down for this event, so we don’t have a clear reason why Tilted Thunder wasn’t playing at the same level they were last year.

You can make the case that San Diego is a lot better than they have been, but Arizona’s team is largely the same as it was last year when Tilted Thunder beat them in 30 minutes and both games ended with similar margins. We’ll see if this was a one-time issue or the start of a trend this weekend.

Railbirds All-Stars Roster

32 Honey Badger (Captain)
101 J Crew Ella
222 Narca-Lexie (Captain)
.41 Kimsa Kaos
503 Mk Ultra
5’1 Slaughterhouse
33 Slammi Sweetheart
320 Benson Bruiser
31 Dirty D. Stroyher
5 Tara Hoedown
2 Square Ruthless
4 Killz 4 Thrillz
13 Creep Suzette
428 Karny Aslaughta
1968 DeeWitched
N7 Shadow Breaker
1019 Bad Wolf
2-11 Tae Kwon DOPE
34 Berserker
N20 Krozo the Klown

 

southside(5) South Side Roller Derby All-Stars

BotB Appearance: 4th
Last Year: 6th Place

Print(6) Penn Jersey Roller Derby She Devils

BotB Appearance: 4th
Last Year: 7th Place

South Side Roller Derby of Houston, and this year’s host league Penn Jersey Roller Derby, have some history.

Last year in Seattle, many expected that Penn Jersey would earn their first Battle on the Bank victory. That didn’t happen after they were sent home by South Side in their loser’s bracket game, and PJRD finished in joint-last with an 0-2 record.

The She Devils learned from that loss a lot. Earlier this year in San Diego they played in the Spring Fling interleague mixer, an event that also included one South Side Roller Derby. The final score of that 30-minute game was 83-37, with Penn Jersey getting the revenge win.

Penn Jersey will be greatly advantaged by playing on their home track, though likely won’t see Houston again since they are on opposite sides of the bracket. But don’t discount South Side, who went 2-1 at Spring Fling and are coming into BotBIX with their highest-ever seeding.1

South Side All-Stars Roster

721 Mojo (Captain)
2 Stunt Double
42 Trauma Queen
127 Violent Viking
19 Boutte Call
311 Evil I Kandy
4 Paula Cream Her
22 Hulk Smash Her
37 Bruiz N Bury
333 Triple X
511 Roofie Punch
10 Demon Spawn
2626 Lunar Tick
3352 Texas Slam Her
8 Dolly B Rotten
317 Wreck N Roll
629 Krash N Burn (Captain)

 

Penn Jersey She Devils Roster

1313 Maulin Munster (Captain)
91 Deez (Captain)
789 MC Slamher
1798 Misfortune Cookie
3000 Monster
53 Classy Chassis
52 Stella Threat
1337 Bexi Wrexi
45 Ruby Bruiseday
93 Kelly Kapowski
6789 Beatrix R Forkids
80 Dani Longlegger
42 Topainga Clawrence
350 Gingershred
1000 Chelshock
987 Arsenic
40 May Q Wink
AR15 Predator
99 Anita Bodybag
44 Beer Kitty Kitty

 

txrd-150x150(7) TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls All-Scar Army

BotB Appearance: 7th
Last Year: 8th Place

Ah, the Lonestar Rollergirls. TXRD is the original modern roller derby league, though ironically it has remained more “original” than “modern.” Remember the penalty wheel? TXRD still has one, and they use it quite liberally during their home team events. Pillow fights, Tug-of-War, long jumping contests, “fights.” They still do ’em, and their fans still love ’em.

However, all of that stuff is kept mostly separate from the roller derby they play between the whistles, which is as legitimate as any other form of the game out there. That the All-Scar Army is here at Battle on the Bank, and indeed has been here for all but two years of the event’s history, says more than enough about their dedication to the game, sans the kitsch.

But being around as long as they have, things are bound to change. TXRD has a lot of new faces on the roster this year, and one very notable name left off of it. Rocky Casbah, who’s been around Texas Roller Derby since…God, who knows how long she’s been around? She won’t be playing this weekend, but players like her have come to define the TXRD legacy and its very unique place in roller derby today.

TXRD All-Scar Army Roster

1917 Soviet Crusha
T101 Elle B Bach
42DD Emerson Biggins
404 Heathen
9 Jammit Janet
7 Juicy Cooter
10-34 Mardi Brawl
5th Milla Juke-a-Bitch
5’3″ Maya Mayhem (Captain)
3 Mo-lest-her
4EVA Pea Khante
7X Ramona DeFlowers
B11 Rolla Parks
512 Shania Pain
00 Smash
James 4:7 Bible ThumpHer

 

deadly-rival-logo(8) Deadly Rival Roller Derby All-Stars

First BotB Appearance

Early last year, Deadly Rival didn’t even have a banked track. Now they’re jumping in feet-first for their first Battle on the Bank tournament, coming up from the Tampa, Fla. area.

This isn’t their first RDCL tournament, however. They too were at Spring Fling and broke their interleague virginity against the two teams seeded above them. The results of the games went pretty much like everyone expected, with South Side beating them 161-18 and Penn Jersey winning 174-21. Unless Arizona is the victim of a shocking upset, it’s looking like South Side will face DRRD again early in the loser’s bracket to knock them out of the weekend’s proceedings.

Expect Deadly Rival to do what most teams would do in their situation: Play some roller derby, learn some stuff, and have fun out there.

 

Deadly Rival All-Stars Roster

33 M. Pyre Wrecker (Captain)
42 Puck Her Up (Captain)
308 Time Bomb Bettie
D3AD Bone Saw Betty
09 Red Death
WD40 TT Motorboat
808 Mamavicious
1942 Bambi’s Revenge
BB8 Princess Slaya
143 D-Train
863 Polk Pixie
0 Lyka Fox
12 ReBelle Yell
67 Country Bumpskin
187 Murder Ride
211 Killa Thug
171 Suzie B. Catastrophe

The Men’s Exhibition Game

We’re in for a treat on Friday night, with the boys returning to Battle on the Bank for a full-length featured bout between Penn Jersey’s men’s team, The Hooligans, and a mashup team of top area skaters called the Bank Track Bullies.

The last time there was a men’s game at BotB was two years ago in San Diego, when two MRDA teams, the SD Aftershocks and the Arizona Rattleskates played a full-length game that was cut short after just three quarters due to literally everyone fouling out.

There are higher hopes for the guys this year. The Hooligans know the banked track as well as any other (women’s) banked track league, having originally been one back in their MADE days. The Bullies are packing some serious talent, including a few USA Roller Derby players like Chuck Hendrick.

 

Banked tracks teams are few and far between, and men playing games on them are very rare occurrences. This is a game that probably shouldn’t be missed for that reason alone.

Penn Jersey Hooligans Roster

9 T-Ice
187 Dudley Do Wrong
4 Nurse Ratchet
8 Yosemite Slam
0 Grasso
90 Betty Switch
245 Zombicidal Maniac
899 General Tso Fine
23 Slmbino
420 Jay
16 Speed Tree
81 XXX Games
2469 Timmy Twitch
44 Sharkskin

 

Bank Track Bullies Roster

10 Rollomite
1983 I Don’t Care Bear
430 Moore
66 Nicki Slixx
5 Hurt Vonnegut
Rob the Firecrotch
68 Jay Raw
89 Hoefling
24/7 Hendrick
703 Smash Ketch’em
080 Special Ed
9 Kenbo
14 Maulin Brando
608 Ham Solo

 

The Juniors Tournament

The three fully-rostered juniors programs of the RDCL are also here in Philadelphia, and will play three round-robin games on Saturday with the best two teams advancing to the full-length championship game on Sunday. The San Diego Dollinquents are the favorites, though the Arizona Derby Brats and Tilted Thunder Peeps will want to be sure they are in the final along with them.

The kids these days have extra motivation to perform well this weekend. Like their adult counterparts, the RDCL features a junior all-star team that takes the best players from all leagues. Earlier this year at the Jantastic Invitational in San Diego, the RDCL Jr. All-Stars played an all-star team from the JRDA. Skaters looking to get on the team next year will want to make an impression on Saturday on Sunday.

San Diego Dollinquents Roster

10c Bubblegum Brawl
17 Donahella
29 Fender Bender
394 Hellanor
10-34 Leada Riot
4 Maliboomer
57 Mona Lina
99 Poison I.V.
213 Ric-A-Shea
451 Tiger Lily
2000 Tinkerhell

 

Arizona Derby Brats Roster

4 Cherry Kiss
95 Lightning the Queen (Captain)
100 Kryptic Kaly
17 Madzilla
25 Black Eyed Please
22 Mimi Mauler
7 Anna Mayhem
38 NC Jammer
23 Crash Dancer
101 Hurracane May (Captain)
3 GoldieBlocks

 

Tilted Thunder Peeps Roster

23 Afro Jamurai
18 Thomson
21 Queen of Harm
80 Mad Taco
00 EllaPhobia (Captain)
54 Chewblocka
66 Frank the Bunny
26 M. Sagos
667 Turtle Death
106 Bombshell (Captain)
34 Pooky Poundya