Can I just say something right from the outset?? This was a "must win" for the skaters of Race City and man did they ever get it done. After a ruff start the NRG have found their groove and are playing to their real potential now. I have to say that Saturdays bout was one of the most exciting and tooth n nail bouts that I have ever witnessed. And lets give credit to the FW squad...they played their asses off. They fought with spirit and toughness all night. Pushycat and RIPtide were great and Jammed like hellions. This bout was all that we could have hoped for and I'm just glad that the Nap girls came out on top...twice. My evening went something like this:
*I decided to ride my bike, Elvira, out to the bout because the forecast stated that the threat of rain would be SOUTH of Indy. Mmmm hmmm. NOT. As I pulled into the Fairgrounds it began sprinkling and the "parking folks" said that there was NO parking to be had at the Toyota Pavilion so I would have to park my precious bike elsewhere. Begrudgingly I did, then as I walked towards the Pavilion I noticed Graduation attendees pulling out and there was parking to be had. I got my pass (thanks JL and WH!) and said "Screw this...I'm fetchin my ride!!". After gettin my bike I found an open spot right out front!! Sheeeeesh. When I went inside I made a bee-line to the merch table and nabbed one o' those cool new Naptown tees and got some nachos. The thing about nachos is that once the cheese gets to room temperature its like ehhh...so I pitched 1/3rd into the trash. Oh well. Then the gang started to arrive, yeah, the Naptown FAMILY. Damn I luv you folks! I saw my opportunity to chat up Minx and Rosemary's Baby of F Dubb and found out something disheartening...there will be NO FALL BRAWL this year!! Aaaaargh! There wil be a Tournament in the spring called...uhhh... naturally..."The Spring Thing". Ya wanna know a few of the teams that will be in attendance doncha?? Course ya do. Well howzabout WINDY f'n City?? And Deeeetroit?! And (I'm swooning here) the Archies?? Hopefully Beer City will also be in the mix too. Naptowns a given, right?? Should be EPIC. Early $$$ is on the Crushers!! (WCR). We talked about the lovely Kitty Killjoy too. Seems that her interest in Derby may have been waning and she lives in the Carolinas now.
*Then it was time for the Belles to warm up. Watching Dora skate around the track with that Dora backpack was hilarious. Dora? You are too cool Rollergirl! When it came time for the Belles to bout the SWAT skaters they fired on all cylinders and it was just a matter of time until they took off and never looked back. Told ya Dora! One of the things I noticed was that Racer seemed faster than before. And howzabout that Blue?! Damn that girl ROCKS! You would never even know that she was coming off an injury. Love her. Really, the whole team was so in synch and totally impressive all night that I was just speechless. The Belles would absolutely beat some WFTDA A-teams out there and thats for realz! You skaters are an awesome collection of young talent and speed. Too much. The standout player of the night for me was Ima Hurtchu tho. I turned to Lux several times and said "Did you see that hit??! Who the hell IS this Rollergirl??!". Ima was killin it!! Bright future for her indeed...a natural Blocker. And Sandy! Hurtin skaters the whole bout!
And then...the Main Event, a heavyweight bout between two evenly matched, determined squads. The air was just crackling with electricity. The weird thing was that there were some empty seats in the venue! Not a sell out?? Ya gotta be f'n kiddin me. What do people want? Damn. Anyway, the bout was all we coulda hoped for. Back and forth it went. What adjectives can I use that would do this bout justice? I mean really? And how about that Pushycat? That Rollergirl is a bonafide BADASS. You all KNOW that you would love to have a Jammer like her on yer team. She is INTENSE. Fiery. Passionate. Focused. And RIPtide is so good. But ya know what?? We have ACE. The Amazin Blazin ACE. A pure Jammer talent so extraordinary it makes my Derby-lovin heart pound! I freakin LOVE that Rollergirl. And the continuing evolution of our Power Jammer Fin Addict. She just gets better. The absence of our Sin Lizzy was felt but still the Nap Blockers were in a rythem that just stroked all night long. Is this turning into a lovefest yet? Well, yeah, it should. This is what I live for...pure, passionate Roller Derby action.
*And then Pushy went down hard right in front of me. She was in agony and I felt my spirit sink for a moment. Look...I know that she's the "enemy" but my heart sank in empathy for her. Pushycat KILLS and I totally respect that. She is what Derby is all about so dont hate on me Napfans. When I saw her fightin pain and writhing on the floor I noticed the FW Coach arguing with the Refs about??? A trip?? Touretta not falling small?? (kinda tuff to fall "small" for her ya know??). That pissed me off and I said something that I wont repeat here. Just, like, dude yer BEST player, yer STAR is on the floor hurt...get over there and attend to her!!! Damn. When Pushy struggled to her feet I shouted "You kick ass Pushy!!". And I meant it too. I heard thru the grapevine that fans were laughing when she went down or were perhaps cheering. Some fans may have cheered INTIALLY when she went down because they didnt know that she was hurt but I am here to tell you that Pushy was on the floor right in front of me and so I think I know what the hell I'm talkin about when I say that no one was all giddy that she was hurt. I can tell ya this too...if anyone ever, and I mean EVER laughs or cheers because an opposing Rollergirl is hurt I am gonna be the most intense asshole that they've ever seen. I wont stand for that one minute and they would know real quick-like that its time to just shut up. Or else. More on Pushycat later.
*As the bout unfolded it became obvious that Race City was patient enuff to keep chippin away until they took the lead and then due to several circumstances FW was not able to quite come back. Certainly the loss of their star Pushy had something to do with it but I didnt see any quit in that squad. None. And then came the moment that will live on in my memory forever. Fan favorite Shadi Layne Jamming for the first time in the bout. As we began to chant "Shadi...Shadi...Shadi!!!" she glanced over and gave a subtle horns salute. It was mythic and the crowd ate it up! Talk about energizing an already energetic crowd...it was the moment of the evening for me. I was literally losing my voice from shouting, chanting and screaming so intensely all nite. I need to say that I have never been so animated and freaked out at a bout ever. It was borderline embarrasing. Really. I was INTO this bout like no bout I have ever attended. The only one that even comes close also involved F Dubb. It was the Beer City v FW bout last summer and let me tell ya, that one was classic at the end and came down to the last Jam. The memory of Rejected Seoul scoring the go ahead points and leaping into my arms triumphantly was one that will live forever. Yeah...Brew City love! Ha!
*At the end of the bout the smiles and sense of accomplishment was palpable and it was one of sheer joy. Hugs everywhere. I asked the FW Coach how Pushy was doing and he said something about possible torn tendons. Ouch. Then the radar map was flashed on the screen and it was obvious that a very bad storm was on its way very soon. Talk of 70mph gusts and hail filled my mind with dread as thought about my damn bike. The bike that I've spent thousands and thousands of $$$ on. Hail?? Oh hell no. I would sooner throw my body over that bike than to let f'n hail dent the tank and fenders. I considered pulling it into the building or maybe running it real quick under one of those carport structures at the Fairgrounds. But...only rain fell. And so I got wet goin to the Afterparty. Oh well, at least I got a primo spot right in front of Birdy's! And then MU waved me through and I STILL owe her a beer. I'll getcha at that Ohio bout MU. And damn am I glad that she's still hangin with us, she is such a firecracker.
Upon entering the bar I walked over to grab a beer at the bar and I turned my head and there was Pushycat!! ??? I said "Uhhh Pushy...shouldnt you go to the ER? What are you doing here?". I'm paraphrasing here but she said that they would only schedule an MRI and there probably wasnt much that they could do for her. She said that It would be cheaper to go to the Doc when she got back to Ft Wayne. Maybe her health insurance was one of those "network plans"? At any rate I bought her a beer and said "Here...have a beer cause you are one kick ass Rollergirl" Made her smile 8). I did my usual mingling but honestly I was so caught up in Naptowns celebration that I didnt really get around to chattin as much as I usually would with the visiting team. And that sux because I really did have some questions for the F Dubb skaters. I did notice that I never did see Bang Bang at the Afterparty. Did I miss her? Or did she head right for home? Hmmmm. I also had a conversation with Coaches Rick and Fiesty and it was a VERY interesting conversation to say the least. And noooo...I cant speak of it. I will only say that it was really "interesting". Also had the chance to talk to Coach Di and that was very cool too. She has such a firm grasp of Derby tactics and techniques! At any rate, as I stepped outside to talk with Cat about her cycle problems I noticed lightning flashes in the sky and I thought that it would be best to start the long ride back home before I got soaked again. As I pulled away on Elvira I shouted "Naaaaaptooooowwwn!!" to some fans as they left the bar and turned out onto Keystone Avenue. I was all warm inside and my brain was flooded with a swirl of incredible memories of Naptowns Night of Glory. I will never forget this bout. Years will go by and I will never forget this bout.
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