The St. Louis GateKeepers, the area’s first men’s roller derby franchise, are prepared to continue its season-opening sprint by competing at a highly-competitive invitational this weekend.
The travel squad, currently ranked third internationally by the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA), is set for a trio of bouts at Spring Roll 2014, held at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne, IN.
The fifth installment of the three-day invitational features 11 MRDA leagues competing in 17 sanctioned bouts.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
On Saturday, St. Louis faces the Mont Royals (Montreal, QC, Canada) at 7 p.m. Central. On Sunday following an 11 a.m. tangle with the Magic City Misfits (Jacksonville, FL), the GateKeepers play in the event’s 7:30 p.m. finale against Southern Discomfort (London, UK.)
(Note: FREE online coverage of the entire Spring Roll event will be available via THIS LINK beginning Friday.)
The GateKeepers (1-0) pummeled the Cincinnati Battering Rams, 432-33, on April 21 at Cincinnati Gardens. Possessing a mind-numbing 207-0 advantage at intermission, the locals outscored Cincinnati 225-33 in the second period to collect the 399-point victory, its largest winning point differential in league history.
“We’re looking great,” said GateKeepers’ co-captain Magnum P.I.M.P. “We’ve got a lot of momentum on our side right now.”
This is important for the locals as he mentions that this year’s squad features a solid mix of returning veterans and newer additions that have vast derby experience.
“We did lose some important players, but we feel like we’re stronger than ever,” said the co-captain. “A lot of players who have been in development are going to be breaking through this year. The Saint is looking amazing, Bled (Zeppelin) is on an upward swing, Spin Diesel’s going to be joining our ranks and we’re adding Screecharound, too. We’ve got some exciting guys that are going to be contributing this year.”
The aforementioned additions will be a fixture of a high-octane blocking attack that also features returning starters Percy Controll, Double Excel, Neil Death Experience, Wrecking Bill, High Pains Drifter, Inquadable Hulk and Kyle Stark.
Jamming will be paced by returning starters Debaucherous Prime, Shane Bower and Gnat King Kill. Handrail, M. Uttendorf, Monster Jam, Skulls McCracken and Specs Offender also compliment the GateKeepers’ travel roster.
The St. Louis derby docket this weekend contains three hard-charging squads that would love nothing more than to notch an upset over the locals.
Saturday’s opponent, the Mont Royals, finished 2013 ranked #16 in the MRDA. This season, the Canadian rollers have raced out to an impressive 2-0 start with April wins over #13 Capital District Trauma Authority (223-128) and #15 Connecticut Death Quads (265-90).
The third-year league is only 13 members deep, but possesses plenty of flat-track experience to give St. Louis a challenge. Starters Big Panda, El Tannant, Homer Jency, Marty Gras, Tank and The Rev all played for Team Canada at the inaugural Men’s World Cup in March. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two leagues.
“They have the players from Team Canada and some big hitters out there, so we’re going to have to out strategize them and maybe have our experience work to our advantage,” said Magnum. “They’re going to have the size and muscle, so we’re going to try to outmaneuver them.”
Sunday morning’s opponent, the Magic City Misfits, is somewhat more familiar. Historically, the leagues have split its two MRDA bouts against each other, which included a GateKeepers’ 220-114 win last June.
Magic City, seventh place finishers at the 2013 MRDA Championships, is currently 2-0 via a pair of wins over #21 Carolina Wreckingballs.
Veterans Jeremy Strecker and TJ Binkley both played for Team USA at the Men’s World Cup, but plenty of new faces dot the Misfits’ charter.
“They’re a fun squad,“ assesses Magnum. “They have lost some people, but they also have retained some of their big hitters, so we’re expecting a good bout against them. It will be interesting to see their future, but as always, we look forward to playing them.”
The GateKeepers’ final Spring Roll opponent, Southern Discomfort, finished 2013 ranked #11 in the MRDA and is off to a solid start this year. The Knights of Discomfort (2-1) launched the season with a 192-97 March win over #19 Manchester (UK). This past weekend after falling to two-time defending MRDA champ Your Mom, 273-87, the Brits rebounded and defeated #10 Twin Cities Terrors, 259-121.
“We’re really excited to be playing them,” said the GateKeeper co-captain. “It’s a great match-up for us. The experience that they have is at the highest level.”
Southern Discomfort’s Ballistic Whistle, Flat Track Bully, Nanaki, Reaper, Rollin Stone R, Spectral Aberwraytion and Sutton Impact started for Team England at the Men’s World Derby Cup and all will be in the line-up for the first meeting between the pair.
The Knights are currently engaged in a whirlwind tour of the United States. By the time they face the GateKeepers Sunday, it will be the team’s seventh MRDA sanctioned bout in eight days.
“We’re their last game, so it will be interesting to see how their squad holds up,” says Magnum.
Since the invitational’s inception in 2010, the GateKeepers have been at every Spring Roll, where it has amassed a historical record of 10-2, which includes a three-bout sweep last year. Another trifecta is the goal again this weekend.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
“We love Spring Roll,” said Magnum. “We’re going to use it as a learning tool and we’re also trying to prove ourselves and show where we really are at this season. We love everything about it and it certainly is a great event for us.”
The three day schedule also features 11 women’s squads, all members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), competing in 17 sanctioned bouts.
For more information on Spring Roll, go to The event’s official website.
For more information on the St. Louis GateKeepers, go to www.stlgatekeepers.com.
