portland – Khaos Theory Derby

Bled Zeppelin #612; St. Louis Gatekeepers (2)

1) What pump up song plays in your head when you take the track? I like to listen to a lot of old school hip hop, and metal. I listen to a lot of Bring me the horizon, suicide silence, job for a cowboy, and then mix it with some nwa, snoop dog, or some real slow jam playa music. I’m a little bit everywhere, depends on the mood I am trying to set the game, smooth and stable, or chaotic “SoGo” (my nick name for when i get bro-ed out for Suns Out Guns Out) style. And of course, sweet melodies of Led Zeppelin.

2) What is your favorite city to travel to play derby in? Fort Wayne, always a good time at springroll. Sad that it won’t happen this year. Florida is also a good time, last time we went we played and went straight to the beach where we swam with sharks, rode alligators like surf boards, and got epic sun burns.

3) Who is your favorite WFTDA skater and why? Kayla Seiber, soon to be Woodward. She got me into the game, shes got the moves, the determination, the passion to be one of the best wftda skaters. and man does she got some sexy thighs, huh.

4) When the team travels, which team mate(s) do you room with? I always room with Pink and Saint. Because we are besties, it is the circle of trust.

5) Which MRDA skater pushes you to be better [because they’ve beaten you in the past]? I am constantly trying to move my body like Sugar Boots, I want to push people out like Cory Pain. I want to play to the crowd like Seahorses. I want to stop Jonathan R as the dragon. I want the derby knowledge of my buddy “The Saint”. There are a lot of talented dudes that I get to play, I learn a little from all of them.

6) What is your favorite post-bout food? You have to eat the potatoes to make the potatoes. Thats the secret sauce.

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Cozmo Damage #512; Bridgetown Menace (7)

1) What pump up song plays in your head when you take the track? Iggy and the Stooges- Search and Destroy

2) What is your favorite city to travel to play derby in? To be honest with you, they’re all about the same to me. I generally don’t see much of the cities when I travel. I’m either at the venue, the hotel, or some bar where the after party is being held. It’s really for the people, and the sport that I’m there, not the city.

3) Who is your favorite WFTDA skater and why? I don’t have one specific WFTDA skater that’s my favorite. I’ve seen many skaters, at all levels, do really great things.

4) When the team travels, which team mate(s) do you room with? I guess, over the years, I’ve roomed with Munster, and Demolition Man, and Miller more than anyone else.

5) Which MRDA skater pushes you to be better [because they’ve beaten you in the past]? There isn’t one particular MRDA skater that pushes me to be better. There’s been plenty over the years, but I’d say my team mates are the ones that push me the hardest, and make me want to be a better player.

6) What is your favorite post-bout food? Definitely burritos, but for me, that’s an anytime favorite.

Thank you to MR MCWHEELY for the photos!!

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The Match Up

Bridgetown looked strong this morning against the 10 seed, Twin City Terrors, but they’re going to have to ratchet down their defense against a team like the Gatekeepers. St. Louis has been described as “brutal” and “exacting”. Bridgetown defense tends to expand and contract depending on the position of the jammer, but against the Keepers they’ll have to hit their brakes and use their strength and patience if they want to keep up.

Gatekeepers took on Bridgetown earlier this year. Photo by Mr. McWheely

The Keepers are excellent at keeping blockers away from each other, if they take advantage of the Menace’s natural movement, their jammers may only need to slalom through the defense. The Keepers’ jammers are excellent at momentum control, so the strength of Bridgetown’s hits may not phase them. For the Menace, the first game used a five jammer rotation. We’ll see if they continue that trend.

The Gatekeepers face the Bridgetown Menace at 5p CST WFTDA.tv

Munster #82; Bridgetown Menace (7)

1) What pump up song plays in your head when you take the track? I always listen to 96 Quite Bitter Beings by CKY. I used to listen to it before football games in high school and so it still do it to pump me up.

2) What is your favorite city to travel to play derby in? My favorite city to travel to for derby is Vegas. That means I’m at Rollercon!

3) Who is your favorite WFTDA skater and why? All of my fav skaters are on the Wheels of Justice. But if I had to choose another one S.H Long from Denver. She runs nasty defense, and throws a damn good party too.

4) When the team travels, which team mate(s) do you room with? I usually room with Shreddy and Demolition Man. They don’t mind seeing me naked.

5) Which MRDA skater pushes you to be better [because they’ve beaten you in the past]? Magnum PIMP [of St Louis]. He’s the smartest jammer in the MRDA. It’s a chess game with him. So if you outsmart him, you still have to try and block him.

6) What is your favorite post-bout food? Poutine and coconut water.

Photo used with permission by Masonite Burn

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Egon Strangler #42; Twin City Terrors (10)

1) What pump up song plays in your head when you take the track? I’m always rocking out to Anamanaguchi. It’s a couple guitars, drums, and a pair of Nintendo’s. Get’s me in the right mindset and gives me bonus XP after the game.
2) What is your favorite city to travel to play derby in? I love Saint Louis and Saint Louis as far as I can tell loves me too. It’s derby scene is right up my ally, I’ve got a ton of close derby friends there, and they always treat me right. I’m pretty hyped that champs is there this year. I feel at home and know I’m going to have a blast.
3) Who is your favorite WFTDA skater and why? Awwwww man. That’s so tough! I gotta rep my MNRG girls though. Hurtrude Stein from MNRG has had an incredible season. She’s always been a good player but this year she’s really stood out as someone to watch on that team. Every time I see her out there she’s doing exactly what she should be and executing the fuck out of it. She’s one of those skaters I’m hyped to skate against when we scrimmage MNRG. It seems like no matter what the situation she offers me a new challenge.
4) When the team travels, which team mate(s) do you room with? I think the appropriate question would be which team do I room with 😉 I’m kind of a derby gypsy by nature. That approach has had me on couches and floors of more teams than I can remember. Although the number of beers had prior to aforementioned unconsciousness might have something to do with the fuzzy nature of those memories.
5) Which MRDA skater pushes you to be better [because they’ve beaten you in the past]? There are a lot of names on that list. At home Freight Trainand Derbie Monster always play their size against me which is crucial for my progress as a small fry in my sport. Skaters like Magnum and Gnat always seem to be one mental step ahead which I need exposure to keep moving forward.
Of course you’re got your untamed beasts like Feelgood, Steve Sweat, or Shane Bower too. It’s always good to have someone on the other team who just might do something really nuts. It makes me have to throw caution to the wind as you don’t stand a chance if you can’t meet them at their level.
6) What is your favorite post-bout food? Beer. I know it’s not technically food and I’m probably supposed to say candy but after an hour of giving my all I just want a drink. Perhaps a few too many if I can help it.

The Match-Up

Twin City is coming into champs the #14 ranked team, in the slot of the 10 seed; they are excited to learn, grow as a team, and make a case for them to be ranked #10 next time around. Last year at Champs, Bridgetown narrowly lost to SoDisco in the Saturday evening game, thus a chance to play for 5^th place. This year, with extra teams shaping the brackets differently, the winner of this first match up will have to beat the St. Louis Gatekeepers, or have Sunday off. Bridgetown does not want to have Sunday off again.

Photo by Ryan Siverson.

Both TC and the Menace have a solid core jammer rotation, with subs they can throw in based on performance. Both teams play with positional walls, and tornado-type recycling. Bridgetown has the upper hand in the area of experience, but this should be a fun first match up of the weekend.

Tune in on WFTDA.tv at 9a CST, Saturday October 17, 2015.

Bridgetown between jams. Photo by Mr. McWheely

Tag: portland

After the Jam, Man Champs Edition: G5 Gatekeepers v Bridgetown

After the Jam, Man Champs Edition: Bridgetown Menace v Twin City