(corrected to add missing jam)
On Saturday January 19, operating under their newly formed corporation, the Arizona Bruisers Roller Derby team have played their first public scrimmage against the Copper Queens of Tucson Roller Derby at a somewhat nippy Casey at the Bat.
The Copper Queens brought a short roster to Phoenix including Ferocious Oxide, Lavender Pitt, Dirty Teri, Cheap Ore, Kay Boom, Venus Dynamite, Blue Mauli and Pixie Axe.
The scrimmage will be played as 2 30-minute periods. This is commonplace in Tucson and according to the Bruisers, this is how they will do their bouts going forward.
We have Jam-by-Jam coverage.
FIRST HALF:
JAM 1 : The first period starts off with a jam where the Copper Queens' Cheap Ore takes on Helen Wheels of the Bruisers. With no lead jammer, both jammers break through and Cheap Ore picks up 8 while Helen picks up 4. 8-4 Copper Queens.
JAM 2: In the next jam, The Bruiser's Cookie Cut-Her gets the first lead jam over Dirty Teri and picks up 4 while Dirty Teri breaks through and gets 2 before the jam is called. 10-8 Copper Queens.
JAM 3: Mizz Nashty for the Bruisers jamming against Cheap Ore. Cheap Ore picks up the lead very promptly and Nash breaks with her. Cheap Ore takes a slight slip in turn 4, sees Nash passing a blocker and calls the jam very short. 10-9 Copper Queens.
JAM 4: Ginger Vicious for the Bruisers takes on Blue Mali for the Queens. Both jammers were having difficulty trying to break through a stonewall pack. While Blue Mali finally breaks through about a minute and a half into the jam and picks up a point, Ginger successfully breaks through to pick up lead jam and promptly calls it off. 11-9 Copper Queens.
JAM 5: Helen Wheels & Ferocious Oxide both break through with Ferocious picking up the lead but then has difficulty making it through the pack again and then calls it off. 13-10 Copper Queens.
JAM 6: Cookie Cut-Her jamming against Cheap Ore. Nicole Bitchie whips Cookie Cut-Her through for a Bruiser lead jam. She gets into a collision with a Copper Queen on the backstretch and calls off the jam but then is penalized and sent to the box. Still 13-10.
JAM 7: Kay Boom is solo jammer for the Copper Queens. She breaks but does not attain lead jam. Cookie Cut-Her reenters the jam and also breaks. 19-13 Copper Queens.
JAM 8: Mizz Nashty for the Bruisers vs. Pixie Axe. Nash's first jam of the day is a lead jam. She calls off the jam after getting a lot of resistance in the pack by Dirty Teri but still picks up 3. 19-16 Copper Queens.
Fans are noticing that the scoreboard operator is stopping the game clock between each jam.
JAM 9: Cookie Cut-Her vs. Cheap Ore. Cheap Ore rides the outside and quickly gets lead jam. Cookie eventually makes her way past Ferocious Oxide and breaks. Cheap Ore calls the jam after scoring 8. 26-20 Copper Queens.
JAM 10: Helen Wheels vs. Dirty Teri. They both break through with no lead jam. Dirty Teri doing a good job finding those holes in the pack. 32-27 Copper Queens.
We are noticing the clock is operating properly now.
JAM 11: Cheap Ore is solo jammer for Copper Queens. She sneaks by Redhead Revolver and TNTia for a lead jam. She then sneaks by them again for 2 points. 34-27 Copper Queens.
JAM 12: Mizz Nashty vs. Blue Mahli. A whip well into the jam by Cookie Cut-Her sends Nash to a lead jam. Blue Mahli also breaks. Realizing how powerful the Copper Queen blockers were in this jam, Nash calls it off after picking up 3. 34-30 Copper Queens.
The clock is definitely working now as we are at about 10 minutes remaining for this half.
JAM 13: A classic match up of Helen Wheels vs. Cheap Ore. Helen makes a pretty easy lead jam. Cheap Ore finally breaks. Redhead Revolver tries to whip Helen through but Dirty Terri is right there to sideswipe her at the blocker line. Helen calls. 34-32 Copper Queens.
JAM 14: Cookie Cut-Her vs. Kay Boom. Cookie Cut-Her takes the lead. Kay Boom eventually breaks. After picking up a few points, Cookie had enough and called it. But that jam gives the Bruisers their first lead of the day. 36-34 Bruisers with 6 minutes remaining in the half.
JAM 15: Mizz Nashty vs. Pixie Axe. Nash was able to work through Blue Mahli and Ferocious Oxide for a lead jam. Pixie breaks and Nash calls after picking up 4. 40-34 Bruisers.
JAM 16: Bad Betty's first jam of the day against Cheap Ore with 5 minutes remaining in the first half. Cheap Ore breaks but is not lead. Bad Betty having a lot of difficulty breaking while Cheap Ore comes around for 4. Bad Betty eventually breaks but not as a lead. Cheap Ore laps around for another 4 and then while lapping again, the jam is called for time but overall she manages to pick up a 10 point jam putting the Copper Queens out in front again, 44-40.
JAM 17: 2:29 remaining in the half with Kay Boom as solo jammer for the Queens. Mink Stole does a great job working her in the back of the pack, then TNTia has some fun with her and then she eventually breaks. Helen Wheels comes out of the box and attains lead jam. The jam was called after 2 minutes.
There was not enough time to start another jam and at the half, The Copper Queens have a lead over the Bruisers 48 to 43.
Due to the scoreboard operator error in the first half and because the Bruisers need to clear the track by 6PM for the upcoming AZRD bout, the second half was set up for 20 minutes instead of 30.
SECOND HALF
JAM 18: Helen Wheels vs. Cheap Ore. Cheap Ore gets lead jam and Helen breaks. No one scores and it stays 48-43 Copper Queens.
JAM 19: Cookie Cut Her vs. Dirty Teri. Teri does the swiss cheese thing again and finds her way through the pack to get a nearly instant lead jam. Cookie Cut Her breaks through but Dirty Teri is rockin' and picks up 4. 52-43 Copper Queens.
JAM 20: Mizz Nashty and Cheap Ore are jamming. Both jammers break but Cheap Ore is the lead jammer. Cheap Ore than laps and sails by the pack to pick up 4.
56-45 Copper Queens.
JAM 21: Bad Betty vs. Ferocious Oxide. While Ferocious was having to deal with Mink Stole, Betty was really trying to make through with no help from Dirty Teri who gives her a big hit in turn 1 which is effective in slowing down the Bruiser jammer. Ferocious was able to break the pack. Dirty Teri was determined to stay on Betty to the point where Betty seemed to start tiring out late in the jam. Betty never broke. 59-45 Copper Queens.
JAM 22: Helen Wheels vs. Hey Boom. Helen quickly achieves lead jammer status. Hey Boom also breaks the pack. Helen breaks through again for 4 and promptly calls it off. 59-49 Copper Queens.
JAM 23: Cookie Cut Her vs. Cheap Ore. Cheap Ore found the right hole and comes through for a lead jam. Cookie Cut Her also breaks. Cheap Ore breaks through for 4. With the pack at the start lines, Cheap Ore notices Cookie Cut Her starting to make her way through and Cheap Ore calls off the jam from clear across the backstretch. 63-49 Copper Queens.
JAM 24: Mizz Nashty vs. Pixie Axe with 10 minutes remaining in the scrimmage. Helen Wheels whips Nash right into the lead jam. While Pixie is still trying to break, Nash is showing Tucson what Bruiser speed is all about. Nash gets into a little collision in turn 3 and calls the jam after causing 10 points of damage. Bruisers start to close in but the Copper Queens are still ahead 63-59.
JAM 25: The Bruisers' Ginger Vicious jams against Cheap Ore. Cheap Ore takes lead jam, picks up 3 and calls it. Ginger didn't break. 66-59 Copper Queens.
JAM 26: Helen Wheels vs. Kay Boom. Helen breaks first but was outside and did not make lead. Kay Boom achieved lead jam but concerned over the small margin, called off the jam very quickly. 5 minutes remain and it's still 66-59.
JAM 27: Cookie Cut Her vs. Cheap Ore. Cheap Ore finds the hole and breaks through for a lead jam and also promptly calls the jam. Still 66-59.
JAM 28: Helen Wheels vs. Dirty Teri. Helen gets through but not lead jam. Dirty Teri gets sent to the box and Helen Wheels has an entire two minute jam to do as much damage as she can. Another Copper Queen gets sent to the box putting the Bruisers in a major advantage when they need it the most. But Helen did some serious damage with a fantastic 9 point jam that puts the Bruisers into the lead 68-66.
JAM 29: With 1:20 remaining in the scrimmage, Bad Betty takes on Cheap Ore. Bad Betty then gets an accidental wrist to the face by Redhead Revolver who was trying to keep her balance after some hip contact with Cheap Ore and then she gets hip-checked by a Copper Queen blocker who sends her right into the wall and literally through the door of the Copper Queen dug-out. After getting a final knock by Cookie Cut Her, Cheap Ore calls the jam with 20 seconds remaining. There's not enough time for another jam. But as the clock runs down, the scoreboard lights up the dramatic ending to this exciting scrimmage.
The scrimmage ends tied at 68. Due to time factors with AZRD needing the rink to be set up for their bout, no overtime was played and everyone walked away from this scrimmage a winner.
At the end of the scrimmage, the Bruisers told the AZDR that they have sealed a date with Duke City for Sunday, February 17 at a Phoenix area venue to be determined.
THE ARIZONA DERBY REPORT
Michelle A. Eyre/Michi-chan
http://www.michichan.com
