(WRIGHT CITY, MO) To say that the past week was a whirlwind for the St. Chux Derby Chix might be an understatement.
The St. Charles County-based roller derby league, ranked #53 internationally by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), found out Wednesday that it had leapfrogged ten positions to its current placement, resulting in its highest benchmark yet.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
This past weekend, the squad swept its three respective bouts at its inaugural “Skate to Thrill” invitational, held at The Wheel in Wright City.
The two-day event featured ten teams that were jockeying for position within the WFTDA Division 2 rankings.
The Pack In Black posted an impressive 214-99 victory over #58 Paper Valley (WI) Saturday night and continued the momentum with Sunday wins over #54 Ft. Myers (FL) and #57 NEO (Akron, OH).
The SC/DC trifecta collected at “Skate to Thrill” boosted its record to 6-0 and continued the storybook season for the five-year league.
“I’m gonna cry is what I’m going to do,” said SC/DC blocker Ninja Sass ’Em after the event. “We played three really strong games. The tournament experience is what we needed and now we know that we can go day after day.”
SC/DC found itself in a roster kerfuffle early as veteran blocker Whip L’ Ash went down with a groin injury ten minutes deep into its opening bout against Paper Valley Saturday. As a result, she would be unavailable for the remainder of the weekend tilt.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
Nonetheless, the Pack In Black operated without fear. Blockers Stabby McCutcha, Tara Eyes, SlaughterHaus, Bobbi Slamher, Zo D. Axe, Zombie F-Bomb and Lisa Frank-N-Stein provided the walls to allow jammers Flash, G.I. Jamie, Vixen TaGetcha and Jedi Knight-N-Gale to post points.
“It’s just a real testament to how deep our team has become, how we were able to pull out those three wins without our strongest player in there,” said Sass ‘Em. “I’m just so surprised at the growth of this team. We’re not just a single-person team. We are a lot deeper.”
St. Chux’s Sunday night match-up against Ft. Myers, positioned one rank behind, featured numerous lead changes and a last-jam heart stopper. With SC/DC clinging onto the lead heading into the final jam, both squads engaged in a multi-point sprint to the finish.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
SC/DC notched the 145-137 win against the Floridians, which solidified its placement in the Division 2 rankings.
“Now people are getting to know who St. Chux is,” said Sass ‘Em.
The Pack In Black’s current position in the WFTDA rankings may reap benefits down the road. If the league maintains its “Top 60” status at the end of the governing body’s June 30 rankings’ release, it would be eligible for its inaugural trip to the Division 2 playoffs.
The Pack In Black is idle in WFTDA-sanctioned play until it travels to the three-day Midwest Brewhaha in Milwaukee, WI in late May. Its opponents have yet to be determined.
SC/DC hosts an exhibition bout against Team United Roller Derby at Matteson Square Gardens in St. Peters on May 3.
In other action over the weekend, #45 Blue Ridge Rollergirls of Asheville, NC mirrored SC/DC’s result and won all three of its respective bouts. The highest-ranked WFTDA team competing at the weekend event posted wins over #54 Ft. Myers, #57 NEO and #73 Fargo Moorhead to finish 3-0.
A pair of squads in the lower half of the ten ranked leagues notched impressive victories and finished with 2-1 records. #64 Brewcity from Milwaukee, WI and #77 Twin City from Champaign/Urbana, IL each compiled identical records. One of Brewcity’s wins was a 184-114 victory over Twin City Sunday afternoon.
SKATE TO THRILL RESULTS:
TEAM FINISHES
3-0: St. Chux & Blue Ridge
2-1: Brewcity & Twin City
1-2: Ft. Myers, NEO, North Star, Fargo Moorhead & Des Moines
0-3: Paper Valley
BOUT FINALS
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
Des Moines 175, North Star 116
Twin City 202, Fargo Moorhead 168
NEO 152, Paper Valley 131
Ft. Myers 176, Brewcity 153
Twin City 162, North Star 122
St. Chux 214, Paper Valley 99
Blue Ridge 219, NEO 136
SUNDAY, APRIL 13
Brewcity 137, Des Moines 113
St. Chux 189, NEO 112
Blue Ridge 180, Ft. Myers 115
North Star 144, Paper Valley 134
Brewcity 184, Twin City 114
Blue Ridge 149, Fargo Moorhead 140
St. Chux 145, Ft. Myers 137
For more information on the St. Chux Derby Chix, go to stchuxderbychix.com.
