Photo by Derek Opdyke
If you can remember back to the first time you did something you truly loved, then you’ll understand the appeal of the opening home bout of the 2010 Harbor Hellcats. Coach Crushed N. SlayedHer packed the team with eight (count ‘em!) first-timers, all of whom experienced the pleasures of rolling around in circles before yet another sold-out crowd.
So that’s all well and good for these shiny new skaters, but the Civic does not sell out for sentimental reasons. It sells out for victory, sweet, sweet victory, and also for the private reasons of some of our local perverts, but victory’s the main thing, and the ability of this new team to bring it home was completely untested as Saturday night’s bout against Modesto’s SINtral Valley Derby Girls kicked off. The first 15 minutes were a white-knuckle affair, as SINtral Valley saw an early lead wither like a Clinton-era surplus in the Bush years, with Santa Cruz racing ahead, 18-5. But through the determined jamming of SINtral Valley’s Rebel Renegade and Lights Out Buchannan, they fought back to a 21-19 lead in Jam 9 after about fifteen minutes of play. It was gut-check time for the rookies –how would they respond?
Fabulously well, as it turns out. SINtral Valley’s two-point advantage was first slashed in half (if “slash” is an appropriate verb for a one-point jam) and then obliterated entirely and permanently. By halftime, Santa Cruz was up 68-30, and the rout was on. What accounted for such a mature performance from so green a group? Was it the multi-colored handkerchiefs deployed by Crushed? The leadership of team captain (and recipient of this reporter’s imaginary trophy for World’s Best Derby Name) Pippi Hardsocking? Certainly those helped, but credit must finally go to the prodigious skills displayed by this new batch of oven-fresh Hellcats. By the time Santa Cruz completed their 126-62 demolition of SINtral Valley, new players had accounted for all but 13 of the team’s points. Septicemia tallied 25, and Ida Blacksheep coupled fierce defense with 34 points on offense, but the game belonged to newborn superstar Polly KneesYa, who brought home 47 points in her debut, a total even a more seasoned skater could proudly call whopping.
The outnumbered veterans keyed a stellar defensive effort. All night, the Hellcats looked disciplined and cohesive, not to mention bone-cracking. Pigeon was a rolling bulldozer as usual (her hit on a San Diego Derby Doll from last season was as unforgettable as it was illegal, which is to say, completely), but the quintessential derby sequence of the night came in the first half’s 13th jam courtesy of Mojo Vixen, who flattened two SINners in short order before being clobbered herself. Awesome! If you don’t know ‘bout Mojo Vixen, then your fandom could use some fixin’, and the same should be said in rhymeless fashion about this superb collection of new derby girls.
Write-up by Brian James
Santa Cruz Derby Girls - THE Rollergirls of Santa Cruz
