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Is June 12th a Championship Preview? Manhattan and Bronx Hope So

Is June 12^th a Championship Preview? Manhattan and Bronx Hope So

By Thomas Gerbasi

This is IT. Well, not really, but if you’re looking for the closest thing to a championship bout this early in the 2010 Gotham Girls Roller Derby season, then you’ll need to be at Hunter College in New York City this Saturday night as unbeaten squads from Manhattan and the Bronx collide in a rematch of 2009’s GGRD title bout.

In that bout last November, the Gridlock made an amazing comeback from a 42 point halftime deficit to win 116-105 and earn a second championship banner. But that was then, and with a new season underway, the quest to unseat the gals from the Bronx is underway.

Unfortunately for the rest of the league, that looks to be a tall order, especially if you go by the Gridlock’s opening season win over the Brooklyn Bombshells on May 1^st, a 145-52 victory that saw the team hitting on all cylinders from start to finish. Leading the way was 2009’s Best Jammer, Bonnie Thunders (who put 71 points on the board).  Halting the yellow-clad speedster is high on the list of priorities for the Mayhem.

“Bonnie can’t be stopped by one person,” said Manhattan’s rookie blocker Mayday Malone. “We just need to slow her down, and everybody’s job is to get in her path and make her take an extra step so she’s slower, and then we have the chance to get our jammer that little bit further.”

Above: Mayday Malone (right) works with Miss American Thighs and Sweet Sherry Pie to wall in Suzy Hotrod during the May 22nd bout.  Photo: Asa Frye

Adding to the intrigue for Mayday, who comes to the league after a stint with Madison, Wisconsin’s Mad Rollin’ Dolls, is that Thunders was her “Bruise Director” during her “fresh meat” stint, helping her get up to speed with life in the GGRD. Yet while the respect for her upcoming foe is evident, it’s also clear that once the whistle blows, it’s time to get down to business.

“Bonnie is one of those amazing athletes and skaters, and she’s one of the best skaters in the world of derby,” she said. “That, in itself, can be really daunting to go up against, especially as a rookie. But in derby, you can’t think about those things, and when you see her flying from the back of the pack, you just think ‘I’m gonna get in front of her,’ and if it means throwing my body in her way where I can make her two seconds slower, then I’ve helped out my team.”

This selfless attitude was out in force on May 22^nd, when Manhattan scored a stirring 94-84 win over the Queens of Pain in an instant classic that wasn’t decided until the final jam.

“I think we felt like the underdogs in that bout, so to come out victorious felt so good,” said Mayday, who hit the track for eight jams during which her team scored a 17-8 point differential. “For us, that just showed us that we could do this, and our team really came together.”

Perhaps most impressive was how Mayday and her fellow newcomers, including transfer (and Manhattan's May 22 bout MVP) Swede Hurt, and rookies Anne Frankenstein, Jensurgency, and Tip-Her Gore, bonded on the track and showed the poise of derby veterans.

“It’s so hard for us rookies,” admits Mayday. “We go through a really intense fresh meat period. We have three months of training, and during that time, you’re kinda on your own going through this crazy process of becoming a Gotham Girls derby skater. And you have the other fresh meat, but you don’t really have a team. So once the draft happens and you have these other players and a team to call home, it’s such a good feeling, and right from the start, I think our rookies on the Manhattan Mayhem said that we’re gonna step up. We all feel like equals, and it’s so nice; it feels like a little family that you have.”

And when you add in a veteran core unit that includes captain and vice-captain Sweet Sherry Pie and Fisti Cuffs, along with jammer Em Dash and blockers GalXC and Miss American Thighs, the Mayhem are a tough out for anyone in the league, including the defending champions.

Above: Mayday malone slides Stevie Kicks to the outside to open the line for her jamming Mayhem teammate Em Dash.  Photo: Brendan McMullen

But the Gridlock are on top for a reason, and whether it’s Bonnie Thunders racing around the track in the lead jammer spot or Beyonsláy making highlight reel hits on opposing jammers, facing them is an imposing task for anyone, and the Bronx has a five bout winning streak to prove it. Even scarier is the fact that with a consistent core of all-stars including Thunders and Beyonslay, Beatrix Slaughter, Kandy Kakes, and Ginger Snap, as well as 2009 team MVP Luna Impact and emerging All-Star rookie B-Zerk, the Gridlock can hurt foes – literally and figuratively – from anywhere on the track.

As Manhattan blocker GalXC said in a recent interview, “They’re the one team that has maintained a core group that has never left. They work really well together and they’re also on the All-Star team together, so they’re just really, really tuned.”

Manhattan is getting there though, perhaps even faster than anyone expected. And if they’re looking for a mid-term exam to see where they’re at, June 12^th will be their day to not only lay their claim to first place in the standings, but to let the Bronx know that there just may be a new sheriff in town, one wearing orange.

“They (the fans) should expect a very hard-fought game,” said Mayday. “I think you’re gonna see a lot of tension and it’s just gonna be a really good time. We’re coming off our big win over Queens, so the momentum’s really with us, and I think meshing that with the basically unbeatable team from the Bronx right now is just gonna make for something really fun, and really magical. We all know that this is our game and the pressure may be on, but we’re really ready for it, and it’s time to prove ourselves. We’re excited.”

Tickets for the June 12th battle between Queens and Manhattan are available at www.ggrdtix.com.

The bout will be streamed live on the internet at DerbyNewsNetwork.com at 8:30pm (click on 'LIVE')

The bout will be televised on NYC life (local TV Channel 25 / 22) on Wednesday, June 23rd, at 11:30pm-1:00am, and on Saturday, June 26th, at 12:30am-2:00am.  It will thereafter be viewable on demand, along with all 2010 season bouts, at www.ggrd-nyclife.com.