Texecutioners are the Reason

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Yellow Die gets lead jammer for the Mother Truckers as they take on the Holy Hand Grenades. MidSummer Night's Dream Team, Playland Skate Center, Sept. 7, 2008. (Photo by Bill Smotrilla)

It's a long way from Detroit to Austin. So when the Detroit Derby Girls came all that distance to take on the Texecutioners in their own house on Sunday, Sept. 7, they were determined to take a victory back with them.

Before getting down to WFTDA-sanctioned business, there was some old-school fun: The Clash of the Midsummer Night's Dream Teams. It was a one-night-only special, with one-off teams the Holy Hand Grenades and the Mother Truckers, and brief returns from retirement for both Trouble and Voodoo Doll. But the intention was just good fun, with well-mannered brawling to boot. The 53-19 victory for the Mother Truckers wasn't for anything except entertainment (although there may be one big lesson: If there's a free draft bout like this next year, don't expect Das-It to be available for it. If she keeps improving like she has this season, she's touring-team-bound.)

Speaking of the Texecutioners: With Western Regionals a month away, they were looking for a big win. Even though they had the home advantage, laurel-resting wasn't an option since Detroit didn't get that #9 ranking free in a box of Crackerjacks. After some recent shaky travel bout results, the Texecutioners would benefit from a momentum builder.

Olivia Shootin’ John racked up the points for Texas, while Rice Rocket, rather than pushing herself in advance of the Western Regionals next month, proved the other reason that she's become the gold standard amongst jammers. Strategy, not speed, was the key as she let jams run long enough to let the other skater burn herself out catching up with the pack. Then Rice would tease calling the jam until the last second. It was a tactic that depended upon the lead that Texas had already established, and Rice was adding to that score pretty handily herself.

Looking for an MVP could be a tough choice: Rice may have the best mind for the sport, and she deployed it shutting Detroit down. But Lucille Brawl's 24 points, including a massive 9 in a single jam, proved the red-haired terror is a key component in the team's jamming depth. In the pack, Bullet Tooth Tracy is helping redefine the fast hard-hitting block. Not that Texas had it all their own way: No team going up against Detroit in the Eastern Regionals should take their eye off Racer McChaseher or Kat Von D'Stroya.

But for all their strength, Detroit could only slow Texas, not stop them. Still, it took until jam 14 of the first period for the home team to put a convincing 26-18 lead on the board. Facing a mixture of conservative calls and explosive points scoring, Detroit still managed to stop Texas scoring in 10 of period two's 18 jams. Both teams even managed to hold the other to a scoreless five-jam run. But the difference was that, when there were points available, Texas scored more, finishing the night up with a convincing 83-46 win over a top-flight team.