South Bend Studebreakers Earn Victory Over Socialites
May 11th, 2013
By Megan Enemies
Photos by Junior
In a long-anticipated rematch, Circle City Derby Girls’ Socialites traveled to South Bend, Ind., to take on the South Bend Roller Girls’ Studebreakers. Last year, CCDG edged by South Bend to win 120-101. This year, the WFTDA Apprentice league triumphed over Circle City, 205-174.
The game was the second of two that evening, with the first bout pitting CCDG’s Party Crashers against South Bend’s Bonnie Dooms. Penalties were a problem for both of Circle City’s teams. 
The Socialites spent a total of 39 minutes in the penalty box, to South Bend’s 22 minutes, which enabled the Studebreaker jammers to rack up a lot of uncontested points.
Collectively, the Studebreaker and Socialite jammers were evenly matched, with South Bend earning lead-jammer status in 26 jams, and Circle City earning lead in 25 jams. But when South Bend’s jammers went to the penalty box, Circle City was often unable to capitalize on that advantage.
New to the Socialites jammer pool in 2013, The Killer Purple had only one penalty in 12 jams, scoring a total of 47 points, with 30 of those points coming in a power jam minutes before the end of the game. Veteran jammer Vivi Section scored 73 points and wowed the crowd with a ballerina-like evasive maneuver around a tough South Bend blocker.
Wicked Baum-Chele won the Most Valuable Jammer award for the Socialites, despite being expelled in the second half. 
In a jam that caused chaos on the track and confusion in the crowd, Wicked Baum-Chele and Studebreaker jammer Hoytie Toity both went to the penalty box twice in one jam. Wicked Baum-Chele went first, and Hoytie Toity was sent to the box right afterward, so both jammers sat for only a matter of seconds before returning to the track. Then both jammers committed a second penalty and raced to the penalty box, where Wicked Baum-Chele got tangled up in a folding chair that slid backward and hit the penalty box manager. According to rule 6.17.10, this is grounds for immediate expulsion, even when it is unintentional.
The always-tenacious Nova Blaze earned the Most Valuable Blocker award for the Socialites, demonstrating outstanding awareness and positional blocking in her 27 jams on the track. And the Socialites demonstrated their knack for controlling pack speed, artfully slowing the pack—and often—getting South Bend’s blockers to follow them backward on the track.
If not for the number of penalties, Circle City might have been able to bring home a win against South Bend. The Socialites, now 3-1 this season, will be fighting for a win at home June 15, when they take on the Twin City Derby Girls from Champaign/Urbana, Ill.
South Bend’s Bonnie Dooms Trounce Party Crashers
May 11th, 2013
By Megan Enemies
Photos by Junior
The Circle City Derby Girls traveled north to play a doubleheader against the South Bend (Ind.) Roller Girls. In the first bout of the night, CCDG’s B-team, the Party Crashers, put up a good fight against South Bend’s Bonnie Dooms, 
but South Bend was able to capitalize on several power jams, racking up points early and coming away with a 222-73 win.
CCDG’s jammers struggled in the first nine jams against South Bend jammers HitBull, Death Rae and Poison Maivy. But after HitBull went to the penalty box on a track-cut call, CCDG’s Trudy Bauchery made three scoring passes on a power jam for 15 points. Robin Sock’em added five more points in the next jam, bringing the score to 35-25 in favor of South Bend.
Thanks to CCDG’s tough defense and smart jamming, six consecutive jams in the first half were scoreless for both teams. The Party Crashers got lead-jammer status in three consecutive jams, calling off the jam before South Bend could score. In the next three jams, even though CCDG’s jammers didn’t get lead, they were seconds behind the South Bend jammers, leaving the latter no choice but to call the jam.
CCDG had 26 penalties in the game to South Bend’s 15, with the Party Crashers serving six minutes for direction-of-gameplay penalties.
The Party Crashers were missing some go-to players for this match-up, skating with a roster of 12 instead of 14. But rookie skaters put up a great fight against South Bend. In their first season bouting for CCDG, Albee Chooup and Kneads Therapy had some impressive plays. During a power jam for South Bend, Albee Chooup forced jammer Poison Maivy out of bounds, then ran backwards, forcing the opposing jammer to go back almost half the track before reentering. Kneads Therapy delivered bone-rattling sheriff blocks to South Bend’s jammers, earning the Most Valuable Blocker award for the Party Crashers. Trudy Bauchery—who skated in the second game of the night, too—took home the Most Valuable Jammer Award for CCDG’s B-team.
Look for the Party Crashers to play aggressively as they take on the Twin City Derby Girls B-team at The Forum in Fishers, Ind., June 15.
About the Circle City Derby Girls
CCDG is an independent women’s flat-track roller derby league based in Indianapolis. We compete with roller derby teams throughout the Midwest, and host our popular home season bouts at the Forum in Fishers, Ind. We are skater-owned and -operated, with a network of dedicated volunteers and fans who help make our league thrive. We aim to provide opportunities for skaters of all levels to play roller derby. For more information about the league, visit our About Page.
June 15th Bout
Come watch the fishnets fly as the Circle City Derby Girls take on the Twin City Rollergirls of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois! First, CCDG's Party Crashers battle the B-team, followed by a throwdown between the CCDG Socialites and the A-team. Stay tuned for ticket info.
In the News
The Circle City Derby Girls were recently featured in the Indianapolis Star. Check out the article, Roller derby helps local women feel like big wheels, featuring interviews with Vivi Section and Faye Stunaway.
St. Patrick's Day Parade
The Circle City Derby Girls participated in the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Friday March 15th in downtown Indianapolis.
