Photo by Nocklbeast
A brisk March evening saw the blessed return of the Santa Cruz Derby Girls, who inaugurated their 2010 season in front of yet another sold-out hometown crowd. Sellouts may be nothing new for SCDG, but this year starts off with some big changes. The Boardwalk Bombshells feature three new faces with Bella Trixx transferring in from Memphis and Glitter HitHer and Maiden Hades both coming over from Jet City. Heather Headlocklear, after a season off, returned to the track, but Shamrock N. Roller stepped off it – or rather, inside it – to assume head coaching duties. 2009’s announcing trio was cut down to two when Lex van den Berghe stepped aside, bequeathing “Smokin’ Hot” label-dispensing duties to Mildred Fierce, who pulled that trigger with grace and aplomb.
The bout’s theme of “Red Carpet” called forth from the local populace a reserve of tuxedo T-shirts, the depths of which had been left previously unplumbed by any comparable area event, and the night’s opponent, Central Coast, had every reason to inspire confidence in the Boardwalk Bombshells. Last year’s sound victory over Central Coast in an away bout had been one the high points of Santa Cruz’s previous campaign. And at the end of the second jam of the night, Candy Hooligan’s stellar work had put Santa Cruz up 10-5, but Jam 5 saw Candy, Liv N. Letdie, Brawley Parton, and Eden Yourheartout all make trips to the penalty box, and Central Coast went ahead 15-10. It was symptomatic of a night when mistakes and penalties came at all the wrong times for Santa Cruz. Perhaps it was the time elapsed since last season, perhaps it was a sticky track, or perhaps it was just the contrast with the fey David Sedaris anecdotes usually hosted at the Civic, but the bout looked particularly hard-hitting, with fearsome collisions and spills all night. Santa Cruz was clearly on the wrong end of this brutality as they skated into halftime with fewer than half Central Coast’s point total, just 37 to their 80.
Santa Cruz rolled back out of the locker room to the inspiring strains of “Blitzkrieg Bop,” but their attempted rally was hey-ho-let’s-going nowhere for much of the second period. Keyed by ace blockers Foxee Firestorm and Liv N. Letdie, whose stark physical differences mask the gutsy play that unites them, Santa Cruz was able to slow Central Coast’s scoring explosions, but the Bombshells were still hurting for some offense. Candy’s 52-point performance was as dominant as expected (the next highest scorer was Central Coast’s Hill-Fire with 34), but Sheila Princess of Power, the yin to Candy’s yang, struggled mightily all night, finishing with only nine points. The sight of Sheila repeatedly knocked to the track surely shocked anyone with memories of her 2009 transcendence, but Santa Cruz’s problems were not limited to just one person. A lowlight on the way to a 115-52 Central Coast lead occurred in Jam 2 of the second half, when Candy either forgot her jammer panty or lost it during play, rendering her unable to score. The usually raucous fans sat on their hands until late into Period 2, when Santa Cruz’s hoped-for comeback was sparked by back-to-back power jams by Bella and Candy. A deficit which had seemed insurmountable was suddenly slashed by 33 points, but Santa Cruz would need nearly that much again to win. It was stalemate from Jams 17 through 20, but 21 witnessed yet another breakthrough. Lulu Lockjaw, who had been quiet all bout, took advantage when Central Coast’s dynamite jammer, Hill-Fire, was sent to the penalty box. Lulu exploded for 19 points before calling off the jam.
With only one minute remaining, Santa Cruz sent Candy to the line, down 128-110. A 19-point jam would be unlikely but not impossible – Santa Cruz just had one the jam before, and Candy had had another in her last attempt – but before any miracles could take place, the referees realized their mistake. In the last jam, Hill-Fire became lead jammer before being sent to the penalty box. Lulu did not have the right to call off the jam, and her attempt to do so was illegal. Had the officiating crew not called it off when Lulu’s hands hit her hips, it would have been just a minor penalty for trying, but since the jam was, in fact, stopped, it was a major penalty, and it kept Lulu confined to the box. Santa Cruz, jammer-less, watched as Central Coast ran out the last minute of the clock, that 18-point margin undented by the last-minute heroics fans were aching to see. SCDG’s ferocious rally allowed them to salvage their pride, but when critical mistakes proved fatal, they had to know just how close they had been to salvaging a victory.
Write-up by Brian James
Santa Cruz Derby Girls - THE Rollergirls of Santa Cruz
