Season 3, Interleague Bout 2

The Salt City Shakers got a taste of what roller derby is like on the West Coast—blazing fast
and full of crushing hits—in a 130-92 loss against the Angel City Derby Girls' Hollywood
Scarlets all-star team Saturday night at the Utah Olympic Oval.

The Shakers had heard about the Scarlets' reputation as hard hitters. Several Scarlets players
come from a background in California and Texas banked-track leagues known for their high
speeds, agility and roughneck style of play.

The first jam of the bout proved the rumors true. Shakers jammer Lady Shatterly reached the
pack first, but Scarlets blocker Diesel unloaded a jarring "can opener" hit, driving her shoulder
back into Lady Shatterly's chest and knocking her off her feet so hard the jammer's helmet
cover came off. Scarlets jammer Estro Jen took advantage, scoring a 4-0 jam.

The Shakers came right back with their own physical play, shutting out Duchess Von Damn as
NOS racked up four points.

The first half continued as a back-and-forth struggle. The Shakers defense held tough for
several jams at a time as they built a small lead, but the Scarlets found occasional cracks and
broke through for big gains, with Estro Jen and Cherrylicious each getting 10-point jams.
When NOS went to the penalty box, leaving the Shakers without a jammer, the Scarlets
blockers took control of the pack and helped Duchess Von Damn score 11 unanswered
points. At the half, the score was Scarlets 51, Shakers 40.

During the halftime break, the Shakers were upbeat. Coach El Brujo praised the team's efforts.
"Overall, this is the best I've seen you play," he said. "We need to continue to match their
intensity and not let them dictate what happens in the pack."

The Scarlets made some halftime adjustments of their own, and came out focused on helping
their own jammers score consistently. Armed with great skating skills, their pivots determined
they could control the pack by skating backwards to watch the action unfold and
communicating with their blockers.

NOS, who led the Shakers with 29 points in the first half, started the half with an 8-4 jam
against Estro Jen. But over the next five hard-fought jams, the Scarlets extended their lead by
another 10 points. They then blew the game open when Shakers jammer Lady Shatterly got
sent to the penalty box, leaving Duchess Von Damn free to rack up a 15-4 point jam.

In this hard-hitting game, the refs were kept busy handing out penalties. Shakers coach El
Brujo got in on the action, screaming at the refs after Estro Jen leveled NOS with what he
thought was an illegal hit. After the coach threw his clipboard and a chair onto the track, he
was ejected from the game, and Shakers captain Lady Shatterly served the major penalty in
the box.

As the clock wound down on the Scarlets' 130-92 victory, hundreds of appreciative audience
members applauded the L.A. girls' victory, then erupted with cheers and crowded around the
track when their Shakers took the floor for high-fives and handshakes. Salt City Derby Girls
fans agreed that it was the most exciting and entertaining bout they had seen so far, and first-
time bout-goers promised they would be back for more.

"That was a tough game," said Scarlets captain Duchess Von Damn. "We're glad we came to
Utah and found some great competition."

"I think we definitely learned a lot from playing Angel City," said Shakers co-captain Miss Disco
Bliss. "That's one of the best things about playing a team you've never faced before. There are
a lot of things they did that we can incorporate into our own game."

-- Jennifer Philion (Lady Shatterly, SCDG)