The West Texas Roller Dollz have only been skating together for six months. Saturday night they beat a veteran WFTDA league team in Mesquite, Texas. The final score was West Texas 114, Assassination City Roller Derby's Lone Star Assassins 79. In the second bout of the evening, ACD's Bombshell Brigade defeated West Texas' Purple Pain 143-66.

West Texas and the local Lone Star Assassins would trade leads in the first half with the home team taking a 22-20 lead on a three point jam by Arsen Elle in the tenth jam of the half. However from that point on, the Roller Dollz would outscore the team in black 26-4 to take a 20-point lead at the half.

In the last eight jams, the travel team from Lubbock, Texas would play like a veteran team taking advantages of the Assassins not getting two blockers on the track in the twelfth jam of the half. The young team would score an eight-point jam with the durable Slyder drawing the lead out to 37-26 over the team from Dallas. Then in the 18th jam of the first half Mulisha Maiden would score nine points for West Texas while the Dollz were shutting out the home team to give the young team a 46-26 advantage at the end of the half.

The local team would not give up and would come out on fire in the second half. Led by Kernal Angus' seven point jam in the fifth jam of the second half, and an eight point jam scored by Mia Hammer in the sixth jam, the Lone Star Assassins would narrow West Texas' margin to 57-55 lead. Then after an exciting jammer helmet cover pass from Mia Hammer to Wonda Whompya in the seventh jam, the home team would take a 67-65 lead. In that jam Mia Hammer scored eight points and Wonda Whompya scored the last two points before time ran out in the jam.


Perhaps it was all the energy expended by the ACD team, or perhaps it was the cool and calm leadership beyond the half-year of skating experience for the team from Lubbock, but the Roller Dollz would proceed to outscore the Assassins 49-12 in the last seven jams of the game. Marie LaRolle would score 15 points in the twelfth jam and Hotwhlzz would add an 11-point jam in the next jam while West Texas was controlling the front of the pack and shutting out the team in
black. At that point the game was all but over except for a final score.

Top scorers for the West Texas Roller Dollz were Marie LaRolle with 47 points, Mulisha Maiden with 27 points, Hotwhlzz with 25 points and Slyder with 14 points. Top blockers for West Texas included Lethal Whoopin, Smack in the Box, and Cool Rockin Rolletta.

Top scorers for the Lone Star Assassins included Mia Hammer with 27 points, and Olive Illegal and Kernal Angus chipping in 12 points. All individual scoring is unofficial. Top blockers for the home team included Whonda Wompya, Wendy O. Wheels, and Red Hot Rage.

In the second game of the night, the Bombshell Brigade from Assassination City would take advantage of their derby experience over the Purple Pain that had many of their skaters participating in their first derby bout ever. Harrassiz Mine would score jams of eight points, 15 points, and 10 points to lead the Brigade in opening up a 78-31 lead at the end of the first half.

Those would be the only jams the Brigade team captain would skate, but Vanna Rockin would take over scoring leadership in the second half including a 19 point jam in the tenth jam. Slyder would throw in a ten-point jam in the second half for the Purple Pain team from West Texas for the team's high point jam of the game. The team from North Texas ended up dominating the game, making very few mistakes, while jamming almost every skater on the team.

Top scorers for the Bombshell Brigade were Vanna Rockin with 46 points, Harrassiz Mine with 33, Mona BruisseR with 24, and Leile with 17. Top blockers included Mary Ate Ashley, Luanne Splatter, and Gloria Vanderbitch for the home team.

Top scorers for Purple Pain of the West Texas Roller Dollz included Slyder with 43 points, and Rollin Atkinson with 11 points. All individual scoring points are unofficial. Top blockers included
Twanda, Scary Go Round, and Wild Wookiee.

It should be mentioned that Twanda, Slyder, and Wild Wookiee all played two 60-minute bouts on Saturday evening. In fact Slyder and Twanda have played four bouts worth of derby in the last three weekends, and should be given an Iron Maiden award for their skating durability.

Next month in Lubbock, the West Texas Roller Dollz will be in action on May 17th for their first official home bout ever at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. And on the same evening, the Assassination City Roller Derby will also be in action featuring their two home teams at Dads Broadway Skateland in Mesquite, Texas.

-Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is the moderator of the Yahoo Group, Roller Derby Is Sport. A big thanks to him for the bout recap and be sure to check outhis Yahoo Group .