The Hard Road to Chicago

The good news: The Texecutioners are going to nationals.

The not-so-good news: The Texas Rollergirls' travel team enters the uncharted waters of entering the championship quest ranked second in their region.

The upset came courtesy of the Kansas City Road Warriors at this weekend's Women's Flat Track Derby Association South-Central regionals, the Amber Waves of Pain in Lincoln, Neb. Prior to that, the weekend had all been going Texas' way. A 251-50 domination of the host team, Lincoln's No Coast Derby Girls, on Friday afternoon was followed by a similarly definitive 62-167 win over the Nashville Rollergirls. Yet the regional title bout was a different proposition. A neck-and-neck game broke Kansas' way just before halftime, and while Texas pulled back to 123-124, a 29-point power jam from Kansas' Kelley Young followed by a dead-draw four points each in the final jam closed the bout at 157-127.

Now Kansas, Texas, and Nashville all head to the Uproar on the Lakeshore in Chicago, Nov. 8-10. However, Kansas' top slot means they get an all-important bye on the first round and head straight into the quarter finals. If Texas want to win the title, they'll have to slog through four bouts in the weekend.

The WFTDA bracket draw took place yesterday, so Texas knows what they're facing. They'll open up with the weekend's first bout, facing Western regionals' No. 3 seed the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls. If they can best the pacific girls, it's an Atlantic challenge, with the No. 1 seed in the East, the Gotham Girls.

Tough? Yes. Impossible? No. However, what may be most interesting is that the South Central region (sometimes regarded as the most predictable in WFTDA) is becoming tougher again. Kansas look to be regaining their 2007 championship form, while both Nashville and the fourth place Atlanta Rollergirls proved well worth a place on the national stage.