Cape Girardeau Roller Girls Season Opener Recap

The Cape Girardeau Roller Girls (CGRG) kicked off the 2014 season with a mashup scrimmage on Saturday, February 22nd at A.C. Brase Arena. After three months without a bout, the fans and skaters were ready to get back to the track with some hard-hitting action, and they definitely got what they wanted! CGRG went big for their opener and rostered 18 skaters per team, rather than the typical fourteen. The teams were made up of skaters from CGRG as well as guests from surrounding teams including Midstate Mayhem (Springfield, IL), Clarksvillain Roller Girls (Clarksville, TN), Red River Sirens (Clarksville, TN), West Kentucky Rockin' Rollers (Paducah, KY), and the Southern Illinois Roller Girls (Marion, IL). Rivals turned into teammates as skaters were mashed up between two teams; the "White Wolves" or the "Black Wolves".

In addition to the excitement of the new season, the bout itself was a nail-biter. The rosters were very evenly matched, with the lead going back and forth multiple times between teams. To allow more playing time for all the skaters, the typical bout of two 30 minute periods was expanded to three 25 minute periods. At the end of the first period, the White Wolves led the game by 4 points with a score of 66-70. By the end of the second period, the score was 145-139 with the Black Wolves leading by 6 points. Penalty trouble hit both teams hard during the third period, but the Black Wolves managed to take the win with a final score of 236-219;just a seventeen point difference!

With so many great skaters from both teams, picking standout moments is nearly impossible; however, there were a few highlights of the night. The bout marked a return to the track for CGRG skaters Sue Bob Fight, Meya Wham, and Treblesome. Queen Cobra hurdled her way through an impressive 20-point jam to assist the Black Wolves while Bruise Fairy and Dame Visceral Flux kept the opposing team's jammers at bay. Bombshell Bomber and Shantastic Vixen from the White Wolves showed off some new skills learned during the offseason while Block Widow and Molotov were a force to be reckoned with on defense. Meya Wham (CGRG) and Flesner (CGRG) took home Most Valuable Blocker and Jammer for the Black Wolves while Skaytor Moon (QCRD) and Shekill O'Neal (CGRG) claimed the MVP's for the White Wolves.

With skaters from area leagues working together as a team, there were no losers at the end of this hard fought bout. We were especially proud to include some local charitable organizations in our big night. $600 raised from the November bout was presented to "Room for One More" while a portion of the proceeds from the February bout will benefit the Special Olympics Missouri. The donation to the Special Olympics is in addition to over $3000 raised by CGRG for the organization's "Polar Plunge". We also included our fans by inviting community members interested in becoming skaters, referees, or volunteers to a CGRG practice on February 24th to learn what roller derby is all about.

The team is excited about its 2014 season, and hopes to see you at our next bout on March 29th versus the MO-KAN Roller Girlz! For more information, visit www.capegirardeaurollergirls.com or e-mail JOIN@CapeGirardeauRollerGirls.com!