Grits and Glory: The Atlanta Rollergirls host the 2012 WFTDA Championships

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Grits and Glory:  The Atlanta Rollergirls host the 2012 WFTDA Championships

By Ziv Kruger reporting from Dallas, Texas

The Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Championship tournament will be hosted by the Atlanta Rollergirls at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd. NW, Atlanta, Georgia.  Single day tickets are available online for $27.00 at http://wftda.ticketleap.com/2012-wftda-champs/ .  Also available are weekend passes for $80.00 – a $1.00 savings – as well as the home team’s Friday night bout only for $15.00.  (All tickets are “general admission only”)

Can’t make it to Atlanta?  Watch the bouts live on WFTDA TV: http://wftda.tv/ .  For $20.00 you can watch all 12 bouts in the comfort of your home or favorite coffee shop or park.

The schedule below is broken down by date, time, and bracket.  I’ve included a brief “how they got here” regional tournament scores summary, and my controversial predictions – just for fun.

The bouts begin:

Friday at 2:00pm:  Denver Roller Dolls vs. Charm City (Top Bracket) – winner faces Windy City Rollers Saturday at 2:00pm.

I predict that Denver will beat the always game and well-loved Charm City (of Baltimore, MD).  Denver will then eliminate Windy City (of Chicago, IL), the top seed from the North Central.

In regional play this season:

Denver destroyed Sacred City 339-86, then edged Bay Area 187-167, then lost to Oly in a virtual tie 161-168.  For those with good memories, Denver lost in regional play to cross-town rival Rocky Mountain in 2009 but then defeated Rocky Mountain (the 2010 Champion) at the 2009 Championships, and earned third overall.  They have a history of learning quickly and improving instantly.

Charm City beat Steel City 263-214, then lost badly to Gotham 283-86, then beat London 183-159.

Windy City demolished Brewcity 315-76, then dodged Ohio 187-135, then squeaked by Minnesota 165-153.  On paper, Windy City and Minnesota are interchangeable based on their regional tournament performances.

Friday at 4:00pm:  Minnesota Rollergirls vs. KC Roller Warriors (Bottom Bracket) – winner faces Oly Rollers (of Olympia, WA) Saturday at 12:00pm.

I predict that Minnesota will defeat the 2007 WFTDA Champion Kansas City, and that Minnesota will then lose to the 2009 WFTDA Champion Oly, who were robbed by themselves and Rocky Mountain in 2010, and easily handled by the reigning 2011 Champions Gotham in last season’s final.

In regional play this season:

Minnesota beat Madison handily 202-125, then dominated Naptown 283-86, then lost a virtual tie to Windy City 153-165.

Kansas City survived NoCoast 171-130, then lost handily to Atlanta 192-122, then beat Tampa 209-168.

Oly beat Rocky Mountain 157-92, then controlled Rose City 188-121, then survived Denver 168-161.

Friday at 6:00pm:  Philly Roller Girls vs. Bay Area Derby Girls (Bottom Bracket) – winner faces Texas Rollergirls Saturday at 10:00am.

I predict that Bay Area will defeat Philly, and then defeat the 2006 Champion Texas Rollergirls.

In regional play this season:

Philly beat Boston 229-110, then survived London 179-144, then got crushed by Gotham 232-107.

Bay Area beat Rat City 229-177, then lost to Denver 187-167, then survived Rose City 135-123.

Texas killed Omaha 375-72, then dominated Tampa 249-98, then survived Atlanta 144-124.

Friday at 8:00pm Atlanta Rollergirls vs. Naptown Roller Girls (Top Bracket) – winner faces Gotham Girls Roller Derby.

I predict that Atlanta will squeak by the always feisty Naptown (of Indianapolis, IN), and then get crushed by the 2008 and current WFTDA Champion Gotham Girls Roller Derby (of New York City, NY).

In regional play this season:

Atlanta beat Houston 165-104, then beat Kansas City 192-122, then lost a squeaker to Texas 124-144.

Naptown snuck past Detroit 187-156, then lost big to Minnesota 86-283, then beat Ohio big 222-86.  Ohio played Windy City close losing 135-187 – which means the right Naptown team could be very strong.

Gotham snuffed Carolina 437-8, which might be one of the most dominant bouts ever executed by ANY team, then demolished Charm City 283-86, then brushed Philly aside 232-107.

Saturday late bouts:  (My predictions for participants in the blank brackets posted online)

Gotham Girls Roller Derby vs. Denver Roller Dolls at 8:30pm (top bracket):  Expect Gotham to win on poise, coaching, and experience at this level of play.  Denver is incredibly able to upset Gotham, but they will have to execute a near flawless bout to do so – and they CAN.

Oly Rollers vs. Bay Area Derby Girls at 6:30pm:  On any given bout night or bout day in the Western Region, Rose City, Bay Area, Oly Rollers, and Denver could win or lose against each other.  It’s just that close.  Having missed an opportunity for THEIR second Championship Trophy last season, I believe Oly will come in with a slight edge in focus, as well as experience, and after they win, we’ll see a repeat of last season’s Championship bout between Oly and Gotham.

Sunday at 1:00pm:  I believe that Denver will beat Bay Area to take third place overall, an incredibly high honor which gains more and more meaning as the WFTDA swells with talented member leagues.  It’s far from a lock though, Bay Area has the skaters and coaches to ruin Denver’s day, and the bragging rights are definitely worth the effort.

Sunday at 3:00pm:  My prediction?  Gotham Girls Roller Derby becomes the most dominant dynasty in the current era winning 3 of 7 Titles, including 2 “back-to-back”.  Contact Pat Riley for use of the term “Threepeat” in lucky 2013.  I will buy one (1) beer for the team that proves me wrong – on tap – Oly Oly Oly, Oy Oy Oy!!!

Past Champions date to “pre-WFTDA”:  2006 – Texas Rollergirls; 2007 – Kansas City Roller Warriors; 2008 – Gotham Girls Roller Derby; 2009 – Oly Rollers; 2010 – Rocky Mountain Roller Girls; 2011 – Gotham Girls Roller Derby.

Final footnotes:

This tournament will mark the end of an era.  In 2013, teams will no longer compete based on rank in their respective geographic regions, they will instead compete in four Division 1 playoffs based on their national rank.

The WFTDA’s official website doesn’t appear to list national rank at this time, so the notes below are based on the highly respected Derby News Network which historically relies on WFTDA rankings based on past tournaments.  Unfortunately, Derby News Network only tracks the top 25 teams in the WFTDA.  For an interesting perspective on overall rank based on an algorithm which takes into account head-to-head competition and point spreads, check out FlatTrackStats.com, currently ranking 152 teams internationally.

Based on the current structure, North Central teams ranked in the top 25, and assumed to remain in Division 1 are:  Windy City (7), Minnesota (10),Arch Rival (16), Naptown (17), Detroit (18), Ohio (24).  Potentially dropping out of Division 1 are Brewcity, Chicago Outfit, Madison, and Cincinnati.

Western teams ranked in the top 25, and assumed to remain in Division 1 would be:  Oly (2), Denver (3), Rose City (4), Bay Area (5), Rat City (6), and Rocky Mountain (9).  Potentially dropping out of Division 1 are:  Wasatch, Angel City, Sacred City, and Arizona.

Eastern teams ranked in the top 25, and assumed to remain in Division 1 would be:  Gotham (1), Philly (8), Charm City (12), Montreal (13), London (14), Steel City (15), Boston (20), and Carolina (22).  Potentially dropping out of Division 1 are:  Duchland and DC.

South Central teams ranked in the top 25, and assumed to be remaining in Division 1 are:  Texas (11), Kansas City (19), Atlanta (21), Tampa (23) and Houston (25).  Potentially dropping out of Division 1 are:  Tallahassee, Omaha, Jacksonville, NoCoast, and Nashville.

Since the Championships structure for 2013 will remain the same, one would guess that the top 12 would be granted the top three seeds of the four playoff tournaments, thus favoring the top 12 in future seeding, schedule, and competition.  For example, all South Central teams other than Texas would have to fight their way up the playoff brackets which would see them facing teams like Rose City (Porland, OR – ranked 4 in WFTDA, but eliminated in the 2012 Western Regional), or Rat City (Seattle, WA – ranked 6 in WFTDA, but eliminated in the 2012 Western Regional.)

On paper, it seems the new structure will benefit Western teams most in bracket position and Eastern teams in overall participation, and hurt South Central teams most as they could potentially lose representation in Division 1 playoffs by five of their region’s current “top-ten” teams. 

The greatest benefit will be enjoyed by the top 8 ranked teams in 2013 as they will enjoy much easier brackets in the playoffs and therefore a greater chance of playing for the trophy in the 2013 Championships.

Will it make the playoff’s better?  Potentially not, since there is still a huge disparity between teams ranked even 5 positions apart – especially when you get below the top 20.  Will it make the Championship tournament more competitive in 2013?  Most likely yes, assuming that the ranking system is tweaked to reflect a bit more accuracy in real time vs. the current system which always appears 90-120 days stale.

There are currently 159 “Full Member” leagues in the WFTDA, as well as 109 “Apprentice Leagues” hoping for full membership and a future opportunity to compete on a “Division 1” level.

This will also mark the end of the “minor penalty” system in WFTDA sanctioned bouts.  While skaters are currently allowed to remain on the track with as many as 3 minor infractions, going to the penalty box for 1 minute only after being charged with a fourth minor penalty (or a penalty deemed a “major” at any time), future infractions will be judged either “major penalty” or “no penalty”, in a move that’s sure to help the fans of the sport keep up with the action on the track.  While this move appears neutral on paper, it will surely favor teams with deeper benches, and as with most other sports, teams which can control their infractions will be more likely to win.  (According to WFTDA regulations, a skater must be ejected after accruing her seventh “major penalty.”

2013 will also usher in a new era of simultaneous start by the pack and the jammer, which should eliminate the need to start “out of play” in order to force the jammer whistle, or to crawl past the pivot line in order to prevent the jammers from being released.  This rules correction will eliminate the originally unforeseen interpretations of the start rules which have frustrated fans and skaters internationally for at least the past two seasons.

Special thanks to Derby News Network for the regional tournament scores and top 25 rankings, and to Flat Track Stats for going “all the way!”  For the record:  I just completed Flat Track Stats’ “bracket predictor”, and we agreed on ALL bouts above, except for the 3-4 bout which they did not predict.  ZK

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