The primary travel squads of the Arch Rival Roller Girls and the St. Chux Derby Chix are set for road trips this weekend, each looking to solidify its respective placement in the international rankings of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
This weekend marks the final regular season push for both squads as the WFTDA’s latest calculated rankings will be released after Monday. Playoff classifications, tournament designations and seedings for both will be determined thereafter.
But that’s where the similarities end. This weekend, there are glaring differences in the amount of games played, the rank of the opposition faced and the proximity for each league’s respective road trip.
Arch Rival, currently ranked #21 internationally in the WFTDA, travels to the Pacific Northwest for a trio of games this weekend. St. Louis faces #35 Jet City (Seattle, WA) on Friday, #4 Rose City (Portland, OR) on Saturday and #19 Oly Rollers (Olympia, WA) on Sunday. Total mileage round trip: approximately 4,200 miles.
St. Chux, ranked #43 internationally in the WFTDA, faces #68 Demolition City in Evansville, Indiana on Saturday night. Total mileage round trip: 360 miles.
But let’s put numbers aside for a moment, as the competitive road treks for both are important.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Arch Rival (4-4), is currently designated as a Division 1 team in the WFTDA, which is earmarked for the international leagues ranked first to fortieth. St. Louis was handed its third straight loss in a 250-67 setback against #13 Atlanta two Saturdays ago in the Peach State. Although three straight setbacks might appear rough on paper, those games were against teams currently ranked in the WFTDA Top 20.
Although its placement in the upcoming Division 1 playoff is pretty much solidified regardless of this weekend’s outcomes, Arch Rival does have the opportunity to move up in the rankings, and inevitably raise its playoff seed, with strong performances this weekend.
The task, however, will be difficult. Friday’s opponent, #35 Jet City, is the defending WFTDA Division 2 champion. The Bombers (3-3) aim for its second straight win after besting #97 Silicon Valley, 244-97, three weekends ago.
Saturday night finds Arch Rival facing its highest-ranked foe this season, #4 Rose City. The Wheels of Justice (4-1) are projected to be a potential high seed in the upcoming WFTDA playoff round. Rose City has been idle since mid-May, yet posted two straight triple-digit wins during the month.
Sunday morning’s game versus #19 Oly is arguably the most intriguing of the weekend. The Cosa Nostra Donnas (2-3) won the WFTDA Championship in 2009 and finished second the following three seasons. By failing to meet the required number of sanctioned games to be eligible for playoffs, Oly did not compete in the 2013 WFTDA post-season.
With both teams comparable in rankings, needless to say, Sunday’s battle might potentially shift the complexion of the WFTDA Division 1 playoff, depending on the result.
Arch Rival will be paced in jamming by Brickyard, Mighty Mighty Boston and Annie Swanson, aided in blocking by veterans Mayor Francis Slayer, Eli Wallop, Shimmy Hoffa, Party Foul, Kayla Seiber, Emily Rinehart and a host of others.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
Meanwhile, the St. Chux Derby Chix (8-1) has solidified its placement in the WFTDA post-season. The mystery, however, is which division and playoff they might potentially end up in.
The Pack In Black, currently ranked #43, is classified at the moment as a Division 2 playoff team, which is designated for the international leagues ranked #41 through #60. With its current rank, SC/DC has secured its first-ever trip to the WFTDA post-season. However, there is the slight possibility that St. Chux, with a big victory over Demolition City Saturday combined with setbacks from the leagues closely ranked above them, might leapfrog into the Division 1 playoff bracket. Given the perpetual activity of this year’s rankings, and its unpredictability, anything is possible.
First things first, however. St. Chux is looking for its third straight victory following a 182-125 road win over #64 Dallas on June 7. Saturday night’s opponent, #68 Demolition City, is 1-1 following a 221-88 loss to #18 Naptown (Indianapolis) Wednesday night.
SC/DC is fully aware that the Demo Dolls are looking to throw the proverbial monkey wrench into its playoff dreams. The two squads split its last set of bouts against each other.
The Pack In Black will be paced by jammers Flash, GI Jamie, Vixen Tagetcha and Jedi Knight-N-Gale, aided by blockers Whip L’Ash, Ninja Sass’Em, Stabby McCutcha, Slaughterhaus, Bobbi Slamher, Tara Eyes, Zombie F’Bomb and a host of others.
This weekend, both Arch Rival and St. Chux will find themselves engaged in highly-competitive action and both will look to secure its respective post-season placement with hard-fought efforts.
And one can easily assume that both wouldn’t want it any other way.
For more information on the Arch Rival Roller Girls, go to archrivalrollergirls.com.
For more information on the St. Chux Derby Chix, go to stchuxderbychix.com.
