Dutch Treat

Last night the Morristown based NJRD (New Jersey Roller Derby) on its home track met the Dutchland Rollers visiting from Lancaster, PA. 

From the outset it was clear the NJRD had a stiff bout on its hands. Dutchland’s #302 Genghis Bon scored 3 points in the first jam and #17 Metaphor Shadow added 8 more in the second. Dutchland’s blocking was well-coordinated and aggressive; it is normally not easy to slow down or stall NJRD jammer #44 Maulin Rouge, but Dutchland’s walls and formations proved to be tough barriers. A series of penalties also plagued NJRD in the early jams. At 15 minutes into the bout the score stood at 9-53 in favor of Dutchland. Dutchland’s jammers, notably #302 Genghis Bon and #151 Acute Toxicity, repeatedly broke out and added points. Despite star passes and a multipass jam by Maulin Rouge, the first half ended with NJRD trailing 39-96. 

96 is a good but not exceptional point total for a first half, demonstrating that Dutchland’s advantage lay in defense. In the second half NJRD skaters redoubled their determination to overcome it. This paid off quickly with Maulin Rouge and #5 Chase Windu battling through Dutchland defenses for 21 points. Dutchland skaters added points of their own however. The NJRD no longer lost ground, but in sometimes brutal action on the track struggled to gain on the lead Dutchland had built in the first half. Though Maulin Rouge put the last points of the bout on the board, the final whistle blew with a final score of 121-169 in favor of Dutchland. 

MVPs: #5 Chase Windu (jammer) and #117 Nessa (blocker) for NJRD; #302 Genghis Bon (jammer) and #52 Salt N Decker (blocker) for Dutchland Rollers.