Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
St. Louis-based Arch Rival Roller Derby (ARCH) is amped for Saturday’s flat-track frenzy at home that has all of their travel squads competing, highlighted by their primary “A-team” sharpening skills prior to the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Global Championships.
ARCH’s local triple-header takes place at Midwest Sport Hockey at Queeny Park (550 Weidman Rd, Ballwin, MO) beginning at 3 pm. General admission tickets for the all-ages event are $15 at the door while children 10 and under are free.
The league’s developmental C-team, the Fleur-De-Linquents, launches the event with a 60-minute sprint against Davenport, Iowa’s Quad City Rollers.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The 5 p.m. signature match-up follows as the Arch Rival All Stars, currently the top-ranked team in the WFTDA North American Northeast region, tussles with Louisiana’s Red Stick Roller Derby All Stars, currently ranked fourth in WFTDA North American South.
The 7 p.m. finale features ARCH’s Nemesis, the league’s B-team, challenging Ohio Roller Derby All Stars in a battle of Top 20 teams in WFTDA NA Northeast.
Saturday’s triple-tilt is projected to be extremely competitive and the trio of locals can’t wait for their respective first whistles.
“We love Queeny as our home base,” said All-Stars co-captain Bricktator. “(We) haven’t played at home since April, so we are excited for families and friends to come out and cheer us on.”
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
“The Nems are very excited to finish out our 2024 season at home,” added Nemesis co-captain Tempo Tantrum. “It has been a great year for us, and it feels great to be able to play at home for our final game.”
“We always look forward to playing at Queeny,” punctuated Fleur De Linquents co-captain Warpath O’ Jen. “It’s our second home! After traveling so much this summer, it will be nice to play a competitive game on our own stomping grounds.”
Many eyes, both on-site and online, will be watching the marquee game featuring the Arch Rival All Stars, who claimed the top prize at the WFTDA’s Northeast post-season tourney held in mid-May at State College, Pennsylvania.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The primary travel team pushed their 2024 sanctioned record to 8-0 after collecting a three-game sweep at the Chicago Beef Tournament in early-August. ARCH posted dominant triple-digits wins over host Windy City (319-28), Texas (272-48) and Gotham (219-48). The weekend finale against the five-time WFTDA champs marked St. Louis’ inaugural victory against the New Yorkers.
“Playing three games in a weekend was critical to our Champs prep,” reflected Bricktator of last month’s trifecta. “We don’t practice three days in a row, so these kinds of tournaments help test our physical and mental strength. We came out of that weekend playing better derby than we started and as a bonus, that was the first time in history that we beat Gotham!”
Alongside the co-captain, jamming will be propelled by veterans Vicious Van GoGo, Jedi Knight-N-Gale, Loki Doki, Hart, Pork T’Choup Slamwich and Annie Swanson.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The primary focus is the ongoing work of ARCH’s veteran blocking, paced by K. Woodward, LuxFurious, Shear-Ra Powers, Cloak N’ Drag-Her, Bolt Action, Splatter, dad bod, Eirinn Go Brawl, Cruella, Pegasass, Birdsong, Slaythoven and Sheesh.
During their undefeated stretch this season, Arch Rival has collectively outscored their opponents 2,213-367 thanks to the perpetual defensive shutdowns.
Saturday’s game will present the opportunity to hone play prior to November’s WFTDA Global Championships in Portland, Oregon. ARCH’s playoff sweep netted them a first-round bye and automatic placement in the weekend’s quarterfinal round.
“This upcoming game is the final stop of this season’s ‘trek,’” projected Bricktator. “This season has been likened to climbing a mountain. The game this weekend is a celebration of our journey so far before we direct all our attention to Global Champs.”
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The All Stars’ Saturday opponent from Baton Rouge, Louisiana is certainly ready to “let the good times roll” as they continue a breakthrough 2024 campaign that reached new heights in the WFTDA complexion.
Red Stick Roller Derby claimed a solid 141-111 victory over Texas in the bronze medal game of June’s WFTDA North American South regional playoff. For the league established in 2007, their whirlwind 2-1 weekend established a new benchmark.
However, the WFTDA only allowed the top two finishers of the NA South tourney to advance to November’s global finale.
Understandably, that was a little bit of a bummer for the Cajuns. However, ARCH is fully aware that the scrappy visitors (4-6) are ready to shine at Queeny as Saturday’s affair will be the historical first-time meeting between the pair.
“Red Stick has seen tremendous growth in the rankings over the last few years,” evaluated Bricktator. “We are really excited to play a team that we haven’t played before.”
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Saturday’s final game holds plenty of intrigue as ARCH’s Nemesis B-team, currently ranked #16 in the WFTDA North America Northeast, faces the All-Stars of Ohio Roller Derby, currently ranked tenth.
The Nemesis pushed their sanctioned record to 5-2 this year following a solid 2-1 showing at the aforementioned Chicago Beef Tournament. Wins over b-team adversaries Texas Roller Derby Chainsaws (193-101) and Windy City Second Wind (177-95) provided the propeller heading into this weekend’s play at Queeny.
“We had a fantastic weekend in Chicago and got to show off the depth of our charter and what we have to offer,” reflected Tantrum of the road trip. “We showed our ability to play and win against higher-ranked teams, and teams that have competed in their respective playoffs. We want to carry the intensity as well as the positivity of those games into our match up against Ohio.”
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Alongside Tantrum, Nemesis blocking this season has included co-captain Dee Bomb, WyldeSyde, Miss N. Link, POW! Slaythoven, Hammer, R2DESTROYU, Scarley Davidson, Spider Monkey, Birdsong, Sin and Regrets.
Meanwhile, jamming has been paced by Skeevie Nicks, Donna Diablo, Ultraviolet, Malibruiser Barbie, Hell Spellz, Trauma and M Squared.
Within the hierarchy of the WFTDA rankings this season, a sanctioned league’s B-team is eligible to be internationally-ranked alongside A-teams. ARCH’s Nemesis have retained their current #16 rank since May. Having a balance of seasoned veterans and rising talent has provided that stability.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
“This season the success of the Nems comes from our dynamic as a team and our dedication to improvement,” assessed Tantrum. “All of our skaters and coaches have put in a ton of work all season long to build both our skills and strategy, as well as our trust and chemistry with each other.”
The Nemesis’ opponent ranked six spots higher in the region, Columbus-based Ohio Roller Derby, pushed their 2024 record to 5-3 following a 112-103 nail biting win over #14 Black Rose Rollers in late-June.
The nine-point duke resulted in Ohio’s fourth-straight triumph. Tantrum feels like the Nemesis are primed to snap the Buckeye State streak.
“We are expecting a good game,” anticipated the co-captain. “Ohio should not be underestimated, but we are ready! It should be a good fight, and a great opportunity to finish off our season with a win. It would be an exclamation point on an already great season for the Nems.”
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Saturday’s 3 p.m. opener has ARCH’s C-team, the Fleur-De-Linquents, facing the primary travel squad of Quad City Rollers, who are currently ranked #41 in WFTDA NA Northeast.
The faction’s make-up consists of the league’s newer skaters and tenured players that prefer to keep travel games close in geographical range. On Saturday, the FDL’s (2-3) will double the number of minutes logged this season compared to last calendar year.
“We’ve been able to play more games this travel season than ever before and it really shows in the growth of our team,” assessed Warpath O’ Jen.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Alongside the co-captain, Saturday’s FDL roster includes (in alphabetical order): Alisin Wonderbra, Art Brute, Catra, Comet, Donna Diablo, Ema Kidd, Fly By Birdie, Hell Spellz, Lisa Shank, Machine Gun Maggie, Natural Disaster, Scarley Davidson, Sin, Slamrock, Spider Monkey, Strawberry MILFShake and Thrasher.
Quad City (2-2 in sanctioned play) looks to end their own respective travel campaign on a high note. They had a 1-1 finish in a June triangular against Detroit Roller Derby’s B-team (120-point loss) and Windy’s C-team (154-point win.)
“We are expecting a very tough fight, but we are looking forward to the challenge,” assessed ARCH’s Warpath O’ Jen of the opponents.
Overall, ARCH would appreciate your support at Queeny Park on Saturday.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
“St. Louis is great at a lot of things but not many people know that roller derby is at the top of that list,” beamed Bricktator. “Our team represents St. Louis all over the world and it’s a treat to watch us play at home. If you don’t make it to the game on Saturday, well, that’s a mistake.”
“Nems are the final game of the evening,” added Tantrum. “Stick around to see the Nems showcase everything we have learned and become this season!”
“This event will be an excellent opportunity for fans to witness roller derby played at multiple levels,” said Warpath O’ Jen.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
For those that cannot attend, the game can be seen live online for free at ARCH’s official Twitch feed.
For more information on ARCH, go to their official website.
Arch City Media will have a full recap of the event posted Sunday.
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.
