It’s becoming a recurring theme for the primary team of St. Louis-based Arch Rival Roller Derby (ARCH).
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Claim a playoff medal in September and compete at an international championship tournament in November.
The local rollers appear at the global finale of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) that starts this Friday at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ranked seventh internationally by the WFTDA, ARCH earned placement in the Hydra Cup bracket with a third place finish in the Division 1 playoff held in Irving, Texas in late-September.
That now culminates in Friday’s quarterfinal qualifier that takes place at 10 AM Eastern (9 AM Central) where Arch Rival faces the London Rollergirls, who are currently ranked eighth on the planet.
ARCH’s aforementioned bronze medal finish at the Dallas suburb marked the third straight collection of playoff hardware. Their 186-91 victory over Minnesota boosted the team’s record to 6-4 and provided upward trajectory heading into the championship weekend.
“Our Sunday game against Minnesota at Playoffs was our best game of the weekend,” reflected ARCH co-captain Bricktator. “Finishing with medals around our necks felt good. Plus, our success at Playoffs bumped us up in the WFTDA rankings, which gives us even more confidence heading into Champs.”
Making their third straight appearance at the Hydra Cup finale, a sizable amount of the squad’s 20-skater charter competed at last year’s WFTDA international tournament and were starters in head-to-head battles against the upper echelon of global factions the past five months.
“This season, we have played nearly every team in the top 12 in the WFTDA,” said Bricktator. “While we didn’t win them all, we continued to demonstrate that we are a team that plays high-level derby. In the past, big teams like Rose City, Angel City, and Texas would overlook Arch Rival. Now, they’re paying attention.”
St. Louis’ three-game, Texan playoff tussle had individual scoring paced by jammer Annie Swanson’s 170 points. Also contributing numbers were veterans Bolt Action (157) and Harmony Killerbruise (154) as well as Psychokid D’ Freakout and Reptar.
The solid ARCH blocking schema, which helped the team cumulatively outscore their three playoff opponents 634-423, was propelled by veterans Cloak N’ Drag-Her, Smarty McFly, Shear-Ra Powers, Salty, Shimmy Hoffa, Kayla Woodward, Jamheiser Bush, Krista Grant, CupQuake and Vicious VanGogo.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
This weekend, blockers Party Foul, Cruella Belle-ville, Fletch-A-Sketch, Nox and Pegasass will accompany the ARCH charter.
“The depth of our team allows us to compete with anyone, regardless of who is on the track,” said Bricktator.
Arch Rival’s Friday morning adversary also looks to use their respective bronze medal victory as motivation and entry to the quarterfinals.
London, ranked eighth internationally by the WFTDA, earned a Champs’ bid with their third place finish at the WFTDA Division 1 playoff round held in Malmo, Sweden in early-September. The Brits’ 181-138 victory over hostesses Crime City pushed the team’s record to an identical 6-4.
“Our teams are ranked within one position by the WFTDA, which means this will be a good game,” projected Bricktator. “Despite losing some well-known skaters, London has proven themselves worthy of Championship-level play.”
During the Swedish weekend, jammer Rogue Runner paced the team with 195 points. Scoring was supplemented by AnDracula, Delta Strike, Trisha Smackanawa and Jack Attack.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The London Brawling’s blocking schema is paced by Kid Block, Katie “Helvetica” Black, Gaz, Arocha, Onyeka Igwe and Kristen Lee.
Arch Rival looks to make a push to the “Elite Eight” this Friday by dishing out a little post-season payback on the Brits. At last year’s tourney held in Portland, Oregon, London topped St. Louis 197-94 in the quarterfinals.
“This season has turned into our revenge tour,” said Bricktator. “Last season at Playoffs, we lost to Minnesota. This year at Playoffs, we beat Minnesota. Last season at Champs, we lost to London. This year at Champs, we will beat London.”
A free audio stream of Friday’s game is available at THIS LINK.
Sunday’s Championship game will be broadcasted by ESPN 3.
For more information on Arch Rival Roller Derby, go to THIS LINK.
After this weekend, ARCH prepares for their three-team local campaign that competes at Midwest Sport Hockey in Ballwin, MO. A season-ticket package, which includes a free t-shirt and discounted tickets, can be purchased for $70 by going to THIS LINK.
Arch City Sports will have updates on the team’s progress throughout the weekend.
By trade, he is a six-time, regional Emmy Award-winning news videographer/editor for KTVI/KPLR-TV. By hobby, he is a writer for Arch City Media, dating back to February 2014. Emphasis is on featuring and promoting local women's sports, but will cover anything that is not reported by traditional media outlets. Also a contributor to local concert reviews.
