Following its two-game sweep in the Sunshine State this past weekend, the St. Louis GateKeepers, currently ranked second internationally by the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA), are primed to host a competitive weekend of flat-track action and plans to solidify its position within the governing bodies’ hierarchy prior to post-season play.
GKRD presents “River City Warm-Up” this Saturday and Sunday at Midwest Sport Hockey (570 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO). The six-league, two-day event features eight games and showcases four tussles with leagues currently ranked within the MRDA’s Top 15. (Event line-up and ticket info listed at the end of this article.)
St. Louis (7-1) notched road victories over #12 Magic City (222-116) and unranked Tampa (422-21) in Florida last weekend and the ensuing momentum paces this weekend’s itinerary against #6 Texas, #7 Bridgetown and #14 Twin Cities.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
“All of these games are important,” said GateKeepers blocker Double Excel of his team’s packed August docket. “Obviously, the one we’re keeping our eyes on the most is the Texas game. It’s our tiebreaker with them prior to the rankings coming out, so it’s not only important that we do well in that game but all the games.”
When mentioning Texas, Excel is specifically referring to the two-game split that St. Louis has had against the Lone Star State league so far this season. At May’s Spring Roll invitational, the GateKeepers collected a 163-115 victory over Texas. Then one month later at the Midwest Brewhaha invitational, the Outlaws knotted up the series at one win apiece with a 10-point duke, 175-165.
The result of Saturday night’s rubber match ultimately leads to traction heading into the reveal of the MRDA post-season seeds, projected to be released the first week of September.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Alongside Excel, blocking will be paced by Percy Controll, Bled Zeppelin, Kyle Stark, Wrecking Bill, Inquadable Hulk, Spin Diesel, The Saint and Walker Hamilton.
In the jamming rotation will be veterans Corey Porter, Shane Bower, Magnum P.I.M.P., Screecharound and Hand Rail. A-team charter members Gnat King Kill, David Metcalfe, Specs Offender, Monster Jam, Mueller and Nate Bower are also projected to get quality minutes over the weekend.
The GateKeepers host the 2015 MRDA Championships in October at Midwest Sport Hockey and desire to retain its current #2 rank heading into the post-season tournament. A home trifecta potentially keeps the plan intact.
The league’s developmental B-team, the STL B-Keepers (6-0), has a Saturday night game on the docket with an exhibition tilt against upstart New Orleans.
Here is a capsule summary of the other five leagues competing at River City Warm-Up (in order of current MRDA rank).
#6 TEXAS MEN’S ROLLER DERBY (7-1) – Based in Denton, the Outlaws have opened eyes within men’s derby circles with its impressive victories this season, which included the aforementioned victory over St. Louis two months ago. The Lone Star State also notched a 186-98 victory over #4 Puget Sound in June. A re-match with Twin Cities, who they topped 342-67 earlier this season, is on this weekend’s three-game itinerary. Already projected to climb in the rankings once the MRDA’s post-season is revealed, a sweep in the Gateway City this weekend might push them potentially into top three status.
#7 BRIDGETOWN MENACE (3-1) – Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the Menace have dominated its lower-ranked opponents this season for its three wins. The Menace’s lone blemish in the record book was a 171-129 setback to #4 Puget Sound in early May. It’s an important weekend for the veteran league with games against St. Louis, Texas and Twin Cities. If they get dukes over the two teams ranked higher than them, it would undoubtedly send the MRDA rankings into a kerfuffle.
#14 TWIN CITIES TERRORS (5-4) – The underdog from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota has not avoided competitive play this season, having battled MRDA three-time defending champion Your Mom, St. Louis, Texas and Puget Sound already this season. Re-matches with St. Louis and Texas are on the ledger this weekend as well as an inaugural meeting with Bridgetown. The Sunday opener with the Menace will be an intriguing bout and provides prime opportunity for the Terrors to collect its sixth victory of the season and a surefire climb in the MRDA rankings.
#29 CAPITAL CITY HOOLIGANS (2-4) – Like Twin Cities, the squad from Springfield, Illinois has also competed against some of the top-ranked MRDA squads this season. Results against #1 Your Mom and #3 New York are best left unsaid, but its 244-136 victory over #27 Milwaukee in June showed that it can impressively succeed over comparably-ranked opposition. Lone game during the weekend is the Sunday tilt against New Orleans, which should net the Illinoisans its third victory.
(UR) – NEW ORLEANS BRASS – This is a weekend that the Crescent City rollers will utilize in order to raise their derby IQ. Founded in 2013, this is the first invitational that the Brass has ever competed at. Unranked and yet to be MRDA-sanctioned, they have a 2-1 exhibition record in 2015. With games against the B-Keepers on Saturday and #29 Capital City on Sunday, New Orleans has a prime opportunity to gain traction as a franchise.
RIVER CITY WARMUP – AUGUST 15 & 16
Midwest Sport Hockey – Ballwin, MO
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
2 PM – STL GATEKEEPERS VS. TWIN CITIES
4 PM – BRIDGETOWN VS. TEXAS
6 PM – STL B-KEEPERS VS. NEW ORLEANS
8 PM – STL GATEKEEPERS VS. TEXAS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
9 AM – TWIN CITIES VS. BRIDGETOWN
11 AM – NEW ORLEANS VS. CAPITAL CITY
1 PM – TEXAS VS. TWIN CITIES
3 PM – STL GATEKEEPERS VS. BRIDGETOWN
Fans can purchase a full weekend pass that covers all eight games for $25 or a “Saturday Night Special” ticket for the two St. Louis games on Saturday evening for $10 by going to THIS LINK ONLINE.
For more information on GateKeepers Roller Derby, go to stlgatekeepers.com.
