A battle between women’s flat track roller derby leagues from St. Charles and St. Louis Counties commences this Saturday as the St. Chux Derby Chix (1-0) host the Arch Rival Roller Girls All-Stars (0-0) at its season opener.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
The main event of the two-bout evening takes place at Matteson Square Gardens Tri-Plex in St. Peters (3051 Industrial Park Place West.) Action launches at 6 pm with an undercard bout featuring the SC/DC Hell’s Belles vs. Confluence Crush of Metro East Illinois.
The two Missourian “A-team” travel squads featured in the nightcap are currently ranked internationally by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Out of the 175 leagues ranked by the WFTDA, Arch Rival, classified as a Division 1 league, is ranked #20 while SC/DC’s Pack in Black, classified as Division 2, is ranked #68.
The bout is WFTDA non-sanctioned, meaning that the end result does not apply to their respective calculated rankings. Yet, both teams look to gain traction at this early stage of the travel season.
St. Chux launched its 2014 campaign with a 241-175 road victory over #65 Omaha two Saturdays ago. The rankings upset provided an upward push in the Division 2 hierarchy and the team looks forward to taking on St. Louis’ finest this Saturday.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
“We have a great relationship with Arch Rival,” said SC/DC blocker Ninja Sass’em, a five-year vet with the league. “Because they are D1 and we are D2, we can support each other fully.”
Returning veterans dot the Pack in Black’s roster, including starting jammers Flash, G.I. Jamie, Jedi Knight-N-Gale and Vixen. Alongside the aforementioned Sass ‘em, blocking will be paced by Whip L’ Ash, Pixie Dustruction, SlaughterHaus, Zo D. Axe, Bobbie Slamher, Tara Eyes, Zombie F-bomb, Jane Error and former Arch Rival skater Stabby McCutcha.
SC/DC’s objective in 2014 is to inevitably break into the WFTDA’s Top 60 internationally by July. Busting through that glass barrier would earn the league its inaugural trip to the Division 2 playoffs later in the year.
In short, a solid effort against a team ranked higher than them on the WFTDA rankings’ totem pole could potentially reap benefits down the road.
“We’ve built a challenging season and have even scheduled un-sanctioned bouts against teams who are leaps and bounds better than us,” said Sass ‘em. “I feel that we have a very good handle on what it will take to make the playoffs this season and that is our ultimate goal.”
Meanwhile, Arch Rival looks to start its respective season on a high note after finishing last year 13-6 against other WFTDA-affiliated leagues.
Jamming will be paced by returning starter Brickyard, who scored an Arch Rival record 192 points in a victory against Pikes Peak, Colorado last May. New jammer additions IDA the Living Dead, Sleazy E, Dirt Diggler and Chokehold Chanel will have an opportunity to raise their respective games to a whole new level.
Blocking will be augmented by returning starters Rhino-Might, Mayor Francis Slayer and Tupac Shank-Her. Eli Wallop and Party Foul return to the A-squad following a one year sabbatical and newcomers Girl Fawkes, The Ginger Assassin, Prof. Rumbledore and Cloak N’ Drag-Her will have a chance to impress on the flat-track.
For more information on the St. Chux Derby Chix, which includes a link to discounted tickets to this event, go to stchuxderbychix.com.
By trade, he is a six-time, regional Emmy Award-winning news videographer/editor for KTVI/KPLR-TV. By hobby, he is a writer for Arch City Media, dating back to February 2014. Emphasis is on featuring and promoting local women's sports, but will cover anything that is not reported by traditional media outlets. Also a contributor to local concert reviews.
