The HARD Way

It will be no surprise to readers of this blog that the author was trackside at last night’s local derby bout in Morristown between the Jerzey Derby Brigade (JDB) and the Harrisburg Area Roller Derby (HARD).

The bout began promisingly for the home JDB. Jams put the #3846 CaliforniKate and #8 Lil MO Peep put the JDB into an early lead. JDB countered HARD’s exceptionally effective blocking with “hit and quit it” jams that favored locking in gains over gambling for larger ones. HARD soon was on the board, however, and for a time in the first quarter the score seesawed, tying at 17-17. The game-changing moment was a power jam by #12 Trixie 12 Gauge who added 23 points for HARD bringing the score to 17-40. JDB would struggle for the rest of the bout to overcome that lead. Whenever the gap would close, HARD would reopen it. In the last minutes of the first half, effective jams by #24 Rainbow’s Revenge and #12 Trixie 12 Gauge brought the score to 84-110 in favor of HARD.

This is not an insurmountable lead in derby, so the second half began with both sides upping their game, especially on blocking. HARD’s defensive wall tactics were crucial to preserving its lead. Despite spirited skating and power jams by both sides, the gap persisted as the minutes ticked away. Trixie put the last points on the board in the final jam.

Final Score: JDB-149/HARD-196.

MVPs: Lil MO Peep (jammer) and LL Kill J (blocker) for JDB; Trixie 12 Gauge (jammer) and Anida Blade (blocker) for HARD.