2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad for the Riveters

Providence Roller Derby’s “A Team,” the Rhode Island Riveters, rolled into Rome, NY, April 21-22 to compete at the 2018 Siege of Central New York Tournament. The sanctioned tournament gave eight teams divided into two divisions a round-robin opportunity to not only win a trophy, but to improve their overall WFTDA ranking.

Ranked #97, PRD kicked off their weekend with a Game 3 victory over #117 Cape Fear’s All Stars. While Cape Fear’s #1776 Red White N’ Brooze led in jams for her team, supported by hard-hitters #43 Hawaiian Puncher and #180 Toe Up, their heavy penalties gave PRD multiple opportunities to score high-point jams. After the final whistle, PRD conquered with the final score 123-194.

On Sunday, PRD opened up the morning against #123 Muddy River’s Lumbersmacks.  Muddy River attempted to use a two-jammer rotation of #8 Tootsie Valentino and #316 Rosie the Rivhitter to keep the momentum in their favor, capitalizing on any power jams. PRD’s consistent gameplay from the previous day proved effective to capture the victory 145-179.

Wrapping up the event, the final bout featured PRD battling #92 Toronto’s CN Power with both teams coming in 2-0. These teams faced each other this past March with Toronto winning 237-141, and now there was more at stake. Toronto’s already impressive defense seems to improve with every bout. Their tripod formation anchored by #01 Commander Will Wrecker fluidly locked up opposing jammers, draining them of time and energy in each jam.  Matched with the speed and footwork of star jammers #1314 Pikante and #934 Code Blue, Toronto took a strong lead by halftime and held on to the end to win 208-119.

Throughout the tournament, PRD presented some standout performers as noted by other teams and announcers. Rocking the star were #1860 Oakley, #013 Monswoon, and #042 Flyin’ King (who scored multiple jams of 15 points and more). When in need, #40 Milla Lowlife swapped her pivot position for jammer to force opponents to call off jams. Defensively, #00 Puma Thurman and #83 Delta Bravo delivered some of the stiffest hits of the weekend with #26 Shreddy Roosevelt and #350 Susie Homewrecker proving to be an effective combo.

Coming up, PRD will host a double header against Boston on May 19, followed by their annual Derbytaunt Ball on Memorial Day weekend. After that comes the three-day tournament Brewhaha in Milwaukee, Wis, on the first weekend of June featuring both the Riveters and their “B-team” stars the Killah Bees.

To stay up-to-date on bouts and learn how you can join as a skater, official, volunteer or announcer, go to providencerollerderby.com.