#9 Philly Holds Off #17 Madison, 106-93

Dairyland Dolls surged at East Coast Extravaganza!

The 2008 ECE ended with event hosts Philly beating back a tough challenge from a resurgent Madison squad.

The last of the ECE's 20 WFTDA bouts continued to redefine the power balances in the East. Event hosts Philly would have been forgiven for coming into this bout with a little confidence. They'd just taken down the highly respected #7 Windy City squad 92-76 on the previous night, and on the previous weekend, Madison had gone down by 58 points to the same Windy City. But Madison stayed in it to the very last minutes, forcing Philly to scramble for their 106-93 win.

Read the rest of the recap at Derby News Network....

DDs lose in close match with Philadelphia

The final score was Philly 106, DDs 93.

DDs destroy Fort Wayne at East Coast Extravaganza

Here's the final score from this afternoon's bout at East Coast Extravaganza:

MAD ROLLIN' DOLLS (Madison WI) 250 vs. Fort Wayne Derby Girls (Fort Wayne IN) 38 FINAL

Well, that was decisive!

Dairyland Diary, East Coast Extravaganza

Wow, it's finally here -- the East Coast Extravaganza! The Dairyland Dolls have been training hard, working out and eating right for the last several months. Soon all of that should be paying some massive dividends.

Tomorrow (6/21/08), the DD's are up against the Fort Wayne Derby Girls, and on Sunday they'll be knocking heads with Philly's own Liberty Belles. As of today, Fort Wayne is ranked #31 in the nation and Philly is at #9. The Dairyland Dolls are right in between at #17. (Rankings here.) It would be nice to bump our way up to the top of the rankings after this weekend -- only time will tell!

Sadly I can't make it out to Philly to watch the bouts in person, but one of the features of the newly updated Derby News Network is a Twitter feed right to your phone with the most current scores. You better believe I'm signing up for that.

Good luck ladies, you are going to kick ass!

Derby Girl of the Month - Paine Mansfield

Welcome to a new feature of the Mad Rollin' Blog -- Derby Girl of the Month! There are so many awesome ladies in this league, I thought it was about time to give a little bloggy love.

I'm going to start this series with great skater and all-around nice girl Paine Mansfield. Not only does she give her all on the track, Paine is giving her all to the league as our newly elected General Manager. Let's see what she has to say!

What got you started in roller derby?

It was July in 2004 and I just happened to be meeting some friends at the Wisco for a drink after work and there was a bunch of girls doing something in the back. I saw two girls I knew from around town (currently known as Mouse and Cha Ching) so I went over to say hello to them and find out what was going on with all the ladies. Well that and there were buffalo wings and I wanted some, so to be polite, I talked to Crackerjack and Pam Demonium since they seemed to be running the meeting. I signed up with the thought, hey, I can roller skate, I need a hobby, I'll sign up and see what this is all about! That was the end of my boredom!

What is your favorite position to play, and why? Has it changed as you grew as a skater?

My favorite position right now is jammer. It isn't my best position, but it is the most exciting because you get to weave in and out of people, avoid hits, and score points! Since I started, I have played all five positions and what has really changed is my confidence in my playing skills and that allows me to jump into any position that needs to be filled. Blocking is my first love in roller derby because it is what I am really good at! I have played all five positions but Pivot is what I started out playing and is now where I have the most experience.

I'm sure you are looking forward to knocking some heads at the East Coast Extravaganza -- anyone in particular?

Of course I am excited to knock some girls around! I would say I am an equal opportunity hitter though - I am not gunning for anyone in particular, just everyone at the same time! What I am really excited about is getting to see my little sister (Lixxie Stix, of the Garden State Roller Girls) play in a few of the exhibition games at ECE!

How do you feel about your new position as GM?

I am honored and excited to have been voted in as the General Manager. I am thrilled to begin working within our new structure because I know we will be able to accomplish more for the Mad Rollin' Dolls.

What do you see the league accomplishing over the next year?

I see the league working to develop a communication network that will help us to function as a more cohesive network. I also hope that we can to begin exploring options that will bring bigger and better things for the Mad Rollin' Dolls in the near and not so near future. The most pressing accomplishment on our horizon is Derby in Dairyland, the WFTDA's eastern regional tournament being headed by our own Kill Billie. This should prove to Madison and the greater derby world that MRD is ready for some big change!

Anything you want to address that I didn't ask about?

Don't give me no pop, no pop,
don't give me no tea, no tea,
just me that milk, moo moo moo,
Wisconsin milk, moo moo moo,
bitch!

I think that just about sums it all up right there. Thanks for your time Paine, and for being the inaugural Derby Girl of the Month!

Recap up on Derby News Network

Here's the full recap from Geoffrey Saucer on Derby News Network. A little taste:

A year ago, Madison’s Dairyland Dolls were the top-ranked travel squad in the East, their eyes on the national tournament. The Windy City Rollers put an end to those dreams with an upset win in Columbus at Heartland Havoc, and it was Windy City who traveled to Austin instead. The rematch on June 14th at the Cicero Stadium just outside Chicago would be a test of just how big an upset that bout really was; whether Windy City would be a contender again, and whether Madison had adjusted to the combination of strength and skill that has come to characterize the best teams in WFTDA.

Dairyland Diary, DD's vs. WCR, part II

As I mentioned last week, on Saturday I headed down to Chicago to watch the DD's go head to head with the WCR All Stars. An official recap is coming soon, but I'll share my thoughts on the game now.

Ouch.

There were rumblings that the floor at the Cicero Stadium is an especially slippery one, and it's true. Usually it's lame to talk about home field advantage, but once in a while I think there is some truth to it. To see skaters like Stitch, who normally has burst speed like no one else, struggle to keep her skates moving where she wanted them, shows me that there is a technique needed to skate this floor that we just didn't have the time to learn.

Windy City has some standout players (I wish their names were on their uniforms! #777 really stood out for me), but where their game really shined was with their teamwork. They were consistently able to hold two or more skaters together at the front of the pack, and our girls struggled to get the grip and the speed needed to knock them out of the way.

Now it's on. After this weekend, the DD's are more focused than ever before, and ready to bring their all at the East Coast Extravaganza. Fort Wayne and Liberty Belles, get ready for a real fight!