San Diego Roller Derby fought hard against the Bakersfield Diamond Divas during their last home bout on Saturday April 10th, but after a largely defensive game in which they led by as much as 20 points during the first half, they lost with a final score of 80-64.
As a fan and genuine admirer of the Starlettes, I find it hard to believe they lost. Yes, there were some genuine successes. Icepax, a former artistic skater, showed her strength and stamina as a jammer as she repeatedly melted through the Diamond Divas solid front wall. Dorothy Dangerous , in her last bout as a Starlette, showed us her signature move as she dropped her shoulder and broke through their wall, making her own holes through the pack. Juno EscareMe and Wicked Angel also contributed nicely to the Starlettes’ jammer line-up.
Let’s not forget the amazing strength of the Starlettes’ defense. Lady Diesel, as always, was in the midst of the pack, creating havoc. Robyn Urpride was armed and dangerous. She really needs to register those hips with San Diego Police Department as a deadly weapon. Other defensive moves by the ever elegant Rumble Pie and scrappy little Mrs. Brigg 'em Down were beautifully executed and strongly effective. Sweet Pain, Supersize’n and Red Hot Penni held a solid inside line while Block ‘N Roll and Marcy Slayground made some nice defensive plays. They kept the Bakersfield jammers behind the pack and kept the score low.
But the Starlettes could not penetrate Sticky Vicky’s solid front wall of defense enough times to bring home the win. How did this upset happen? I realize that Bakersfield’s Diamond Divas are a solid team, but not for the likes of the your Starlettes! Where were the SDRD derby girls who won their last bout by 90 points? And what happened to Wonder Whoop’em?
“Those girls were like 250 pounds against the Starlettes‘ 116 pounds,” said one fan trying to explain the upset.
“I just wanted to give Wonder Whoop’em a hug. She just couldn’t get through that wall,” said another endearing fan.
“I thought she was injured?” said still another bewildered fan.
She did suffer from the hard hitting Divas. In fact there was no shortage of derby girls flying into the crowd at this game. But after the second half of bench warming, Wonder skated the track with the rest of her teammates and did not appear to be injured, those amazing boot covers kicked it into gear. One can only speculate, that maybe she is going to take a step down and let Icepax bring home the points.
This does not bode well for the Starlettes’ jammer line-up. With Dorothy Dangerous leaving the team and Wonder Whoop’em’s failure to make a valuable contribution, Icepax is the only experienced jammer left. Icepax is very talented, but she can’t skate every jam! What will coach B Stang do next? Definitely, we can expect to see some new jammer talent from the Starlettes.
At this point, I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what San Diego Roller Derby has in store for us this upcoming month. With their game against Angel City Derby Girl’s in Los Angeles coming up on April 24th and the Battle for the Coast Tournament in Ventura on May 1st & 2nd, San Diego Roller Derby has a lot of work to do to prove once again to their fans that they are the best roller derby team in southern California. Go Starlettes!
