Grudge match goes to Bad Reps, the Mercury Shield goes to Public Frenemy
The Terminal City Rollergirls’ Season 9.0 wrapped up July 4, 2015 at Royal City Curling Club with a bang! First on the track was the grudge match with the Bad Reputations versus the Faster Pussycats. The following matchup pitted defending champions the Riot Girls against the undefeated Public Frenemy in a bid for the Mercury Shield. Who would reign supreme?
In the match-up for third place, both the Bad Reputations and the Faster Pussycats were looking for redemption. Both teams had lost in last year’s champs, and neither wanted to lose this match-up. The Bad Reps hit the ground running, powering to an early lead due to the explosive jamming of Traumatic Acid and Loca Smoke-ya. For the Pussycats, tough blocker walls by the Bad Reps and jammer penalties for the ‘Cats hurt their chances of recouping the lost points. At half time, the Pussycats had 60 points to the Bad Reputations 101 points.
The Bad Reputations continued to keep the pedal to the metal in the second half. Fantastic offensive play and big hits were delivered by the Bad Reps Major Assets, Sage Rae Martin and Battouta Hell. The Pussycats had a few good hits of their own, including the one that Biff Brisket laid on Traumatic Acid to send her airborne! Lil’Shiv had a tremendous jam for the Faster Pussycats, racking up 13 points and setting up the Pussycats for a come-back. Strong FPC walls lead by veterans Jig-a-watt Jackson and Tiki Timebomb helped hold the Bad Reps in check. The Bad Reps rallied to hold on to the lead in this tough physical game, and finished it as third place winners. The final score was Bad Reputations 191, Faster Pussycats 156.
Next up was the big show, the grand finale, for all the marbles… Public Frenemy faced off against the Riot Girls in a matchup to determine who would take home the Mercury Shield. It was a no-holds barred bout, with both teams looking to field their best line-ups. Mick E Knocks and Justine Timberskate came back to help bolster the Riot Girls, who had been plagued with injuries throughout the season. Things were intense in the first half; in the first eight jams, there were four lead changes and the score stayed within six points. In the ninth jam, Deathly Innocent passed the star to Malicious Reynolds, who proceeded to rack up the points and widen PF’s lead to 19 points. The intensity remained elevated, with both teams’ jammers taking penalties and scoring points. Frenemy and the Riot Girls dug deep into their jammer rotations to mix things up and keep the other team on their toes. For Public Frenemy, Sambooka Cha Cha Cha, ALKAZAR and Jessica Rabid took a turn with the star, while for the Riot Girls, Smackin’ ‘Em and Hurt Russell lined up behind the jammer line. The Riot Girls gained momentum towards the end of the second half, and going into the break the score was 83 for Public Frenemy, 66 for the Riot Girls.
In the first jam of the second half, confusion resulted in Public Frenemy not fielding a jammer, and Annie Means Necessary skated away with twenty unanswered points and the lead. Frenemy regained the lead in the next jam, but still looked a bit mentally frazzled. Riot Girls go lead back, and continued to hold on to a slim lead for the next ten jams. Tensions were high as both teams laid it all on the line, playing a physical, impactful game throughout the second half. Chic and Destroy (PF) and Great Big C (RG) both commanded their blocking lines effectively, allowing only small-change point gains for either team. PF was determined to fight, fight, fight, and rallied back towards the end of the second half. A 13-point jam by Stevie Wonder put Public Frenemy back in the lead, but only a four point margin. With time running down, Public Frenemy looked to All-Star jammer Red Sonja to put some more points on the board, and widen the gap. In the final jam, Frenemy captain Deathly Innocent faced off against Felicity Brammer Only a six point margin separated the two teams, so getting lead jammer was critical in determining who would be champions. The whistle blew, and Deathly Innocent did what she does best, lead jammer went to Public Frenemy. When the final whistles were heard, Public Frenemy were first-time champions, taking home the Mercury Shield in Season 9.0 with a score of 149 – 143.