QUAD SQUAD AND RESERVOIR DOLLS ADVANCE TO FINALS

QUAD SQUAD AND RESERVOIR DOLLS ADVANCE TO FINALS


Saturday, April 12, 2008

Final Scores: Reservoir Dolls, 76; Vaudeville Vixens, 66
Quad Squad, 93; Unholy Rollers, 62

After an “anyone can win this thing” season, the Quad Squad and Reservoir Dolls will again face off once again in the 2008 Championship Bout May 10. The Vaudeville Vixens, who ended the regular season as the number two seed, will skate against the Unholy Rollers for third place.

The Res Dolls took a 4-3 lead in the first jam and never gave it up, although the tight Vixen defense made the Res Dolls fight for every point. The pack seemed a little disorganized in the early jams, as both sides adjusted to their opponents’ new defensive strategies. The Vixens seemed particularly intent on frustrating Mouse, tying her up behind a wall of blockers and making her chew her way through. In period two, the Vixen strategy started to backfire, with over-aggressive blocks resulting in a lot of pink in the penalty box. The Res Dolls took advantage of the penalties and continued to pull ahead. The Res Dolls’ jammers are always fast and showy, but this semi-final battle was won by stunning work by the pivots and blockers.

The Unholy Rollers, still charged up from their win over the Vixens in February, knew they were in for a tough challenge taking on the top-seeded Quad Squad. But true to their vampire theme, they played a “never say die” game. The Quads have a deep bench of strong jammers and a disciplined defense – a dangerous combination. But the Unholy Rollers have heart and determination. Take jam five, for example, when Tammy Faye Undertakker put a block on lead jammer and big point collector Thunder Kitten that kept her scoreless. Or a vintage move by the reformed Queen of Penalties, Jewels of Denile: She decided she’d had enough toward the end of the game and took a sacrifice penalty for a blatantly naughty block and skated gleefully to the box. But it was the ever-tough Quad Squad that kept an often seamless pack and racked up the high scoring jams, including several grand slams. Undefeated in the 2008 season, The Quads will face the Res Dolls for the championship.

At half time, team mascots took the floor for the Mascot Olympics, competing in Mascot Bowling and Boxing and the crowd-pleasing Whack-a-Mascot. No one understands what the judging rules were, exactly, but the Quad Squad mascots won.

Part of this bout’s ticket sales benefits the Neighborhood House Community Center, and its programs for youth and seniors, food pantry, and other educational and recreational activities.

The 2008 Finals go down May 10. Get your tickets early! We’ve had to reduce the number of tickets we can sell because of a change in the Fire Marshal’s capacity rules at Fast Forward. We’re very sorry. We love our fans and hate to turn anyone away. Tickets go on sale about two weeks before the final bout at our ticket outlets and on-line and www.madrollindolls.com.

And don’t forget to mark your calendar for Oct. 10-12, when the Mad Rollin’ Dolls host the WFTDA Eastern Regional Tournament at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center.