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For the latest in Derby news!!
Misfits battle it out on skates
'A sorority with violence'
Southern Misfits member Mandy Jenkins leads the pack during practice at the Petal Roller Dome. The Southern Misfits is a roller derby team based out of Petal. (matt bush | Hattiesburg American)
Competitors slide their well-used mouthpieces in, flexing jaws in anticipation of the next big collision. Pads pop as one body crosses the path of another, sending someone crashing to the ground to the sounds of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" playing overhead. It's just a regular practice for the Southern Misfits roller derby team. The Southern Misfits, a group of around 20 women from the Pine Belt, had its first home bout in late August at the Petal Roller Dome. More than 300 people attended the event in which the Misfits soundly defeated the Capital City Rollergirls 160-75.
The team practices every Monday and Wednesday at the Roller Dome. Courtney Germany, 24, works during the day as a cake decorator. But when she straps on the skates, pads and helmet, she morphs into "Roxy Revolver," a punishing blocker for the team. "The main thing for me is the camaraderie," she said. "Before joining the team I didn't have a lot of female friends, now I have 20. ... It's kinda like a sorority with violence mixed in."
The Misfits face teams from across the Gulf South including the Biloxi Bombshells, the Capital City Rollergirls and the Big Easy Rollergirls. Jennifer Devereaux, 28, goes by the derby name "Bianca Bullet." She said Germany got her involved in the team. "I was a rink rat as a kid, went just about every weekend," she said. "I had heard about roller derby and did some research online, and it looked pretty awesome." Devereaux and Germany said the first recruiting meeting for the team was in mid-2008 and roughly 30 women attended.
Southern Misfits member Bunny Hopson blocks teammate Layla McCord during practice at the Petal Roller Dome. The Southern Misfits is a roller derby team based out of Petal and is made up of about 20 women from the Pine Belt. (matt bush | Hattiesburg
Roller derby competitors from Jackson came down for the meeting to help with recruiting. Germany said the roller derby community is very close-knit even across team lines. "It's a grassroots thing. We've had help from all over because no one really knew what we were doing at first," she said. "We got invited to play a team in Dallas in the future, and they invited the team to stay in their homes." Devereaux said the sport provides an outlet for stress from work or life.
"I really enjoy getting to take out my frustrations," she said. "And you meet a lot of girls who become like your family." The release of angst does come at the price of injuries from time to time. Germany said the team members have endured a shattered elbow, torn ligaments and a broken ankle. Alfred Jordan, 22, of Hattiesburg follows the team very closely. He said he's developed friendships with the women on the team. "It kind of feels like a pro wrestling match. It's a little more intense than football which I know is saying a lot," he said. "It is real though, there is no way you could script any of that."
The Misfits are a nonprofit team with ticket sales and membership dues going directly to pay for travel, Germany said. Tickets for their events usually cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. "It's a little pricey but you get a really good show and you're helping to support the team and that will help them have more bouts and improve the team," Jordan said. Devereaux said some venues even offer "suicide seats" close to the action - so close competitors sometimes end up in the laps of spectators. Germany said she is proud of the team's growth in such a brief time. "It's all about empowering women," she said. "This is a business that we built from the floor up."
Artilce from our last game on 8/29/09
http://www.studentprintz.com/sports/pain-on-wheels-1.347213
Mobile vs. Hub City Southern Misfits 3/14/09
Getting to Mobile was a bit of a headache. Although looking back at it now, I
kinda laugh at myself for being so upset with Delta Airlines. Not so
much because they got me into Mobile about three hours later than
advertised, but due to the fact that it took me the better part of TWO
DAYS to get back home. However, between all my airport woes (have I
mentioned lately how much I hate traveling by plane? I enjoy the flying
part, but not the headaches that go along with it) laid quite possibly
the best time I have ever had on any of these long distance trips of
mine. And…well…yes…a roller derby bout. Betcha didn’t see that coming,
huh?
From everything I was able to gather before the bout, this one went along
about the same lines as I thought it would. Although Mobile has a solid
group of veteran skaters on their roster, they were also suiting up
several others who haven’t had any previous game experience. And on the
other side, from what I understand this was Hub City’s (Hattiesburg,
MS) second or third bout ever. Although they had the help of some Red
Stick skaters from Baton Rouge, you could tell that they still had some
of those “haven’t bouted much” jitters in them. Although as I had
pretty much thought they would (from having seen as many bouts as I
have with similar storylines as this one), Hub City had the look of a
completely new team in the second half; fewer jitters, more confidence.
After weathering an early 9-0 run in the first two jams
courtesy of Nitty Gritty Kitty and Faust N Furious, Hub City actually
made a nice little early comeback in jams 3 and 4 as jammers
Bulletproof Barbie and Pissed off Pixie earned a nice two-jam 7-1
scoring run of their own to make the score 10-7 in favor of Mobile.
However, that was as close as it would get for the rest of the game on
the scoreboard. Over the next four jams, Southern Misfit jammer
Bulletproof Barbie spent way too much time sitting in the sin bin in
each one of those runs. And Mobile took full advantage of all those
free runs by racking up a 23-0 run over that period of time. And even
when Bulletproof Barbie was able to earn 6 points in the 9th
jam, it was still stymied by the 8 points Faust N Furious tacked up
there for Mobile. The home team was clearly out-playing their visitors
in every aspect of the game. In the first period alone, Mobile put
points on the board in the first 19 jams of the half (only being
shut-out in the final two jams of the half). Meeanwhile, the Mobile
defense was equally impressive, allowing Hub City to score in only 5 of
the 21 jams played. After the first 30 minutes of play, Mobile held a
commanding 94-21 lead.
But the second half was a completely
different story. Even down by 73 points, the Southern Misfits came out
of the locker room with the look of a team that had a lot more
confidence and a chip on their shoulder. Mobile did take the first jam
of the half by a 4-0 margin. But over the next three jams, Hub City
suddenly sprang to life. After a 4-4 draw between Mobile’s Faust N
Furious and Hattiesburg’s Pissed Off Pixie, Heidi Hellcat picked up a
solid 3-0 decision in the 4th. Then in the fifth jam with
Furious spending time in the penalty box, Pissed Off Pixie earned lead
jammer and skated her way to a very impressive 11-0 decision, helped by
a lot of good, solid smart help by her blockers. Hub City also claimed
the 6th and 7th jams of the second half by a
combined score of 12-4. Over those first seven jams of the second half,
the Southern Misfits outscored Mobile to the tune of 32-16.
The most exciting jam of the night came in the 9th
run of the second half as Mobile’s Sonic Boom was able to out-run
Bulletproof Barbie 12-7. And the hitting within the pack became more
and more furious as the game wore on. Mobile blockers Violet Vengeance,
Tata Bodacious and Buxom Bombshell traded heavy blows with the likes of
Misfits Peppermint Punisher and Unholy Horror (who was one of the Red
Stick players). And up until the last couple of minutes of the bout,
the two teams traded fairly equally on the scoreboard. But in the final
two jams of the night, Mobile reclaimed their superiority that they
showed in the first half as Nitty Gritty Kitty picked up a 15-0
decision in the 17th jam and Faust N Furious closed out the
festivities with an 8-3 run to end the game. The final score was Mobile
Roller Derby 172, Hub City 87.
Three Stars
3. Terror Tess. Especially
early on, I thought she was the most impressive of all the Hub City
blockers, and possibly even the best one in the game for either team.
Her stats are kinda small (four blocked jammers and one open hole block
and big hit), but she played a very solid game out there for the
Southern Misfits.
2. Sonic Boom. If you know me, you
know that one thing I can’t stand are blockers who are too lazy to step
up and help their jammers out. Sonic Boom is not one of these blockers.
From my stats, she totaled 5 hole opening blocks that assisted her
jammer through the pack. And that’s a pretty good number for any
blocker in any league. To me, her hustle and relatively clean play
(only two minutes in the sin bin for a very active blocker is also an
excellent night) set her apart from everyone else in the pack on this
night. And oh yeah…she also had that nice little 12 point jam as some
icing on the cake.
1. Nitty Gritty Kitty. Well she did
lead the game in scoring (although Faust N Furious had a slightly
better points per jam average). But she also earned lead jammer in 10
of those 16 jams. And at least from what I could gather, didn’t sit for
one single second in the penalty box. Seriously…how often does anyone
out there ever hear of a jammer donning that jammers cap 16 times in a
game and not serve a single penalty minute? I’m thinking she may have
figured something out that most other jammers haven’t.
Key Jam of the Game
With
Hub City making a comeback after a shaky start, Nitty Gritty Kitty
started making that Southern Misfit wall come crumbling down a bit in
the 6th jam of the first half with a commanding 10-0 decision over the penalized Bulletproof Barbie.
Bad Girl of the Game
Tata
Bodacious of Mobile easily earns the award in this bout. She served 6
minutes in the sin bin and was also ejected from the first half. Oh…and
I have a skate mark on my blockers sheet from when she came crashing
out of bounds and into me after committing one of those first half
majors (lol). What Franky Bones has sometimes threatened, Tata actually
came through with without ever saying anything (lol).
Stats
Jamming
Mobile (Jams-Lead Jammer-Points)
Nitty Gritty Kitty (16-10-71)
Faust N Furious (14-6-68)
Violet Vengeance (4-3-17)
Sonic Boom (4-0-12)
Devilynn Mee (1-0-4)
Hub City (Jams-Lead Jammer-Points)
Bulletproof Barbie (17-6-36)
Pissed Off Pixie (10-2-23)
Heidi Hellcat (10-1-25)
Unholy Horror (1-1-5)
Blocking
Mobile (Blocked Jammers-Open Holes-Big Hits)
Violet Vengeance (4-2-3)
Nitty Gritty Kitty (1-0-1)
Tata Bodacious (5-1-2)
Sonic Boom (5-5-2)
Southern Bell From Hell (3-1-0)
Sadie Masochist (1-1-0)
Buxom Bombshell (5-1-2)
MaryJane De La Pain (1-0-0)
Sailor Moon-ya (0-1-0)
Roxxie Ram Her (1-0-0)
Hub City (Blocked Jammers-Open Holes-Big Hits)
Anthrax Angel (0-0-1)
Ballistic BAMbie (0-1-0)
Bulletproof Barbie (2-0-1)
Heidi Hellcat (0-2-1)
Pissed Off Pixie (1-0-1)
Peppermint Punisher (0-2-2)
Skatie Scrappler (1-1-0)
Terror Tess (4-1-1)
RC Rola (4-1-1)
Heidi Volatile (1-1-1)
Violet Reaction (1-0-1)
Unholy Horror (3-0-3)
Penalties
Mobile (PIM)
Faust N Furious (3)
Violet Vengeance (4)
Tata Bodacious (6—ejected 1st half)
Sonic Boom (2)
Southern Belle From Hell (2)
Sadie Masochist (1)
Buxom Bombshell (3)
Mary Jane De La Pain (1)
Hub City (PIM)
Bulletproof Barbie (4)
Heidi Hellcat (3—ejected 1st half)
Peppermint Punisher (3)
Skatie Scrappler (1)
Sookie Smashbox (2)
Terror Tess (1)
RC Rola (2)
Heidi Volatile (1)
Unholy Horror (2)
————————————————————
One
note on the penalty stats; usually I’m pretty good on those. But this
was kind of a weird situation for me this time in that they put the
penalty box on the infield instead of somewhere on the outside of the
track. So I may not have gotten every one of the penalties down.
However, I will say that this is where the excellent announcer Minnie
the Mauler came in. Although her play-by-play skills aren’t nearly as
polished as so many others out there, she did an outstanding job of
keeping the crowd informed as to not only who was in the penalty box at
any given time, but also with announcing the score and keeping people
up to date with stuff in general. Without even knowing it, she was my
spotter for the night (lol).
And for all you northwest derby
folks (especially those in Slaughter County), Albino Wookie seemed to
enjoy his booing (lol). He also provided me with a pretty good laugh.
He was one of the outside refs in the second half. And during one jam,
a blocker hit a jammer with a pretty good elbow that wasn’t called. For
the record, it wasn’t Wookie’s call (he was on the other side of the
track). But since there was a quick break in the action after that jam,
I did something I NEVER do…I called out to him saying “dude, you missed
that elbow”! He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said “it had
no impact on the play” and skated off (lol).
Before I get
into who to thank on this trip, I will tell you who I WON’T thank;
Delta Airlines. Not only am I surprised that I actually somehow made it
there and back, I’m also stunned my plane didn’t crash or something.
Well, I made it back courtesy of a real airline…United. But that was
only after some fist pounding at the check-in desk in Mobile on Sunday
afternoon. It’s a pretty wild tale, really. But I’m gonna save that for
tomorrow. Oh, it’ll have next to nothing to do with the roller derby.
Still, it’s one of those stories that even though it was hell living
through, the more I talked about it at work and even thought about it,
the more fun it was to re-live. I almost felt at times that they were
shooting a real life, hidden camera sequel to “Airplane”. Still, I’m
NEVER flying Delta again.
Now, for the thanks and the props!
Really,
I don’t even know where to start here! I don’t know if one person did
it or if the entire league somehow chipped-in, but Mobile actually paid
for my hotel room! That was a first and even though I could have
afforded it, I was still thankful and humbled by that gesture. I also
got a gift bag packed with Moon Pie’s and Rockstars. They hadn’t even
met me and they already knew their way to my heart (lol).
I
believe it was Buxom Bombshell’s house some of us gathered at on Friday
night (although I may be wrong there). Just like with the Lubbock trip,
I was kinda out of it in the later stages of that day since I had only
gotten some airplane sleep along the way. So I probably didn’t make the
best first impression on everyone there (lol). Still, it was fun
hanging out at that house. I’ll thank Buxom, although it may have been
someone else’s crib.
I will thank Sadie Masochist for driving
me from that house to my hotel on Friday night. And I might as well
thank Sailor Moon-ya for tagging along. I’ll also thank Sailor for
almost making me fall on my face when I first saw her; she is almost
the spitting image of the Dockyard’s Pain Goodall (lol…zip it you
guys…lol).
Big thanks go out to Hellbilly Lily for taking me on
a Saturday tour of Mobile and getting me to the rink. We mostly just
drove around a little bit. Saw the USS Alabama from the road, drove
around downtown a little bit and paid a visit to the Mardi Gras museum
(something I believe was recommended to me by Jet City’s
Re-AnimateHer). We also hung out at her house for a few hours on
Saturday before heading out to the rink.
Thanks to Nitty
Gritty Kitty and Chuck n’ Hoes for taking me back to my hotel room on
Saturday night. Also thanks to Nitty for driving me around a bit on
Sunday, picking me up at the hotel, heading back downtown so we could
meet up with a bunch of the Mobile peeps for some lunch, taking me out
to the mall to buy that Alabama Crimson Tide football jersey and
mini-helmet (for those Auburn fans out there…I wanted a jersey and
mini-helmet from them, too. But that wacky store…two rivals sharing the
same store???…didn’t have either of those items) and dropping me off at
the airport in what turned out to be about three hours too early
(although that wasn’t her fault…lol).
Matt Adore didn’t
really do anything, but the dude was pretty much always around at every
turn (lol). But he’s a cool guy. Thanks for hanging out!
And
thanks to the one responsible for putting the idea of getting out to
Mobile in my head in the first place; Tata Bodacious. Somehow or
another, about a year ago the subject came up in an email conversation.
Just like with Minnesota, I was planning on getting there last year,
but couldn’t for job reasons. But I also told her at the time that I
would do my best to make up for it this year (just like with
Minnesota). And when this date came up, I jumped at the chance to take
it. I don’t know what her entire role in this process was, but she at
least got the ball rolling on everything. She also picked me up at the
airport on Friday and took me to Buxom’s house.
Of course I
have a blast wherever I go and leagues always seem to do things that
they really don’t have to. And I have loved each and every trip I have
ever taken to see a league in this derby world. But thinking about it
at the airports on Sunday and Monday (and believe me…I had PLENTY of
time to think about it), Mobile has set the bar freakishly high for
anyone else to beat. And I’m talking about outside of the northwest.
Most of the northwest teams are very cool to me (lol). Still, I don’t
want to turn it into a competition or anything, but I have a hard time
believing a league could treat me any better than Mobile did. It really
was a great time and I’m eternally grateful for everything they did!
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