It was a hard fought game on 13 April, but Comic Slams took the win from Smash Malice 161-138.

Comic Slams had a stellar first jam, taking a 35 point lead as Smash Malice conceded a power jam. Their momentum continued, taking 43 points unchallenged before Smash Malice finally got lead jammer and began to chip away at the score. Comic Slams showed strong defensive walls to shut down the scoring opportunities for Smash Malice, closing the first half at 98-56 to Comic Slams.

But at the beginning of the second half, Smash Malice fought back strongly – aided by a few power jams to get them within a whisker of Slams at 98-84. Smash Malice made some good headway, baffling the crowd with great use of star passing – with cohesive work between their jammers and pivots to get the star through for scoring.

The game saw new players debuting on both teams – with former NSO Skatehoven taking to wheels for Comic Slams, along with Sweaty Pig; while Jamit Frame and Rainbow Renegade donned the leopard print and black with Smash Malice for their first home games for Richter City.

Power jams swung the game back and forth between the two teams – with Malice getting within 5 points of Slams before another power jam saw Slams race ahead with points. The two teams kept up the intensity throughout – but Slams were valiant at the end.

Richter City Roller Derby’s first home game for 2013 on Saturday will see an epic rematch of last year’s season closer – with winners Comic Slams facing off against Smash Malice to see if they can hold their title for another year.

Both the blue and silver Comic Slams and leopard print clad Smash Malice have highly competitive streaks, promising a fast paced, action packed game. With the season based on a round robin, the stakes are high – as teams are looking for the biggest points differential to secure their place in the final.

Don’t miss the action at TSB Arena on Saturday 13 April. Doors open at 6pm, with the first whistle at 7pm. Tickets are available at the door or at www.ticketek.co.nz

Following fast on the heels of a nail-biting season opener game between the Richter City All Stars and Pirate City Rollers from Auckland, the home season game promises more action packed games of edge-of-your-seat roller derby. Season passes are available to see all four home season games for just $45 at the door.

Saturday 13 April – Comic Slams vs. Smash Malice
Saturday 15 June – Smash Malice vs. Brutal Pageant
Saturday 31 August – Brutal Pageant vs. Comic Slams
Saturday 2 November – Season Final.

Photo courtesy of Masanori Udagawa

Last Saturday, both Richter City travel teams visited Palmerston North for a winning
weekend.

The curtain raiser between the Richter City Convicts and the Swamp City Poison Ivies set the
scene for a great display of strong team work and agility.

The Convicts orchestrated a 266 – 69 win, showing their impressive teamwork with strong
defense that held the Ivies to a low score. The Convicts jammers also played their part,
being light on their feet to take advantage of gaps on the inside and outside lines, racking
up the points from the first whistle. Although making it look effortless, the Convicts players
commented that the Ivies made them work hard, as fierce opponents. Ultimately, the
Convicts took the win - limiting the Ivies ability to score by securing lead jammer status in
the majority of jams.

”I couldn't have asked for a better team atmosphere and attitude both going into and during
the game,” said Convicts Captain, Mā Whero Mischief. “The Convicts played as a tight knit
team and showed that roller derby can be both competitive and the most fun you've ever
had for all involved. Even the opposition shared a laugh during the time-outs.”

“As a Coach, I watched my team execute strategy straight from the Convicts game book all
night long. I couldn't be prouder of their performances both on and off the track. It was a
fantastic way to end a great season and the perfect way to show how far this team has come
together this season."

Buoyed by the Convicts’ convincing win, the All Stars were confident going out to the track
to take on Swamp City’s Plague. The Swamp City team had ranked second to Richter City’s
third at this year’s national tournament so Richter City felt the pressure to up their game
and make this one a win.

The All Stars focus on endurance and containment of the opposition jammer gave them
the edge on the night. Capitalising on Swamp City’s trips to the penalty bin, Richter City
were able to build a solid lead. With some of the Swamp Plague’s players taking part in the
Convicts Ivies game, fatigue was showing after two intense bouts. The final score saw the
Richter City All Stars win 185 – 73.

“We went into this game determined to show dominance from the first whistle,” explained
Richter City All Stars Vice Captain, Rusty Stiletto. “We played as a cohesive unit on and off
the track, and used the depth on the bench to its best capacity to take this decisive win.”

“Captain Tuff Bikkies and I are proud of our All Stars, and we can’t wait to take on the
tournament winners, ARDL, this Saturday”.

The warmth of the Swamp City hospitality and the fun camaraderie on the track was enjoyed
by both Richter City teams. Swamp City is a joy to play and Richter City will be looking
forward to the next time they meet.

Wellingtonians will get their first chance to cheer on Richter City Roller Derby as they meet the currently unbeaten in New Zealand Auckland Roller Derby League on Saturday the 24th of November.

“This is the first time we have played Auckland Roller Derby League since they knocked us out in the semi finals at the national roller derby tournament in August,” said Richter City’s All Star team captain Tuff Bikkies.

“We are extremely excited and ready for this game. The last time we met was a short length tournament game and there were only 11 points in it, with a final result of 69-58. We are prepared to turn the tables," said Bikkies.

“The All Stars have been training really hard all year and have travelled to play around the country, but our eyes have always been set on this rematch," said Tuff Bikkies.

On top of this, the team is excited for the chance to play at a new venue, the ASB sports centre in Kilbirnie. The ASB centre will be a great venue for Richter City Roller Derby, but has substantially fewer seats than the roller derby audience is used to. Tickets will go quickly, so avid fans will have to be on the button.

“Both Auckland Roller Derby League and Richter City Roller Derby are focused on fitness and athleticism, so the crowd on Saturday are in for a hard and close game," Bikkies explained.

“Auckland has some of the best players in the country, but Richter City has a very deep bench and a really cohesive team."

“We are looking forward to showing Auckland what we have been working on since we last met; I’m confident it will be a great game"

Game details:
Venue: ASB Sports Arena,72 Kemp St, Kilbirnie
Time: Saturday 24th November, 4.30pm
Price: $15 incl booking fee from Dashtickets.co.nz

Richter City Roller Derby’s Convicts took their orange power to the East Coast on 27 October for a face off with Bay City Rollers. Victory saw them achieve their third win of the travel season, with a final score of 156 – 94.

The double header ‘Night of the Skating Dead’ was well attended by fans, who were decked out in their spookiest attire for the Halloween theme. The curtain raiser game between Levin’s Whenua Fatales and BCR’s B-Team Twisted Sisters warmed up the crowd, with Levin snatching a win out of BCR's grasp.

The home league was given another chance to show their fans what they can do on the track, as the A Team challenged Wellington’s RCRD’s Convicts for a second time this year.

BCR stepped up their game several notches since the two teams met in Tauranga earlier this year. Their training efforts were clear to see, as they sent out excellent defensive walls. Their strong jammers achieved lead jammer status frequently, keeping up the pressure on the Convicts through the whole game.

The Richter City All Stars continue the league's strong performances against teams from other regions across New Zealand, beating Hamilton's Hellmilton Roller Ghouls 180-118.

After placing third in the inaugural Derby Royale national roller derby tournament in August, the All Stars travelled to Hamilton to take on fifth placed Hellmilton Roller Ghouls Raggedy Angst on October 13.

The Richter City All Stars asserted their dominance from the first whistle, opening the game with a 22-0 jam by Skanda Lass. The All Stars blockers managed to keep Raggedy Angst jammer Miss Metal Militia in the pack to be lapped by Skanda Lass on multiple scoring passes. In what is known as a natural grand slam, this means the maximum five points were awarded to RCRD each time Skanda Lass passed through the pack. Miss Metal Militia eventually fought her way out and forced Skanda Lass to call off the jam before the Hellmilton jammer could score any points.

The visitors were challenged by the powerful offensive tactics used by HRG, renowned for their big hits and wily jammers. As Hellmilton recovered and put some unanswered points on the board, the Richter City All Stars were forced to adapt their strategies to counter the style of their opposition. They regained the upper hand, but never found a moment to relax as HRG kept them on their toe stops in every jam.

The All Stars maintained the lead throughout the half, ending the period 80-51. The team drew on its depth of jammers and versatility of the bench to keep the penalty box clear of jammers for the entire 30 minutes.

Richter City confidently skated through one of the hardest derby days New Zealand has seen so far in the inaugural national tournament ‘Derby Royale’ in Palmerston North on the weekend, securing a place as one of the top teams in the country.

Racking up scores like 318 – 3 Richter City Roller Derby’s team of top skaters the All Stars faced off against five other leagues from 8am on Saturday morning, kicking off the day by defeating the home team from the games - Swamp City Roller Rats The Plague, 36 - 12. A nail biting finish that came down to the very last jam saw a narrow win over Otautahi Roller Derby League just after lunch, RCRD winning 60-58. RCRD were finally knocked out of the tournament late afternoon by overall champions on the day Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL) in the semi-finals with a close and hard fought game that resulted in a loss for RCRD of 69 – 58. RCRD finished the day third overall after The Plague lost to ARDL 168 – 112 in the final.

All Star captain Tuff Bikkies says she's proud of the way the team played.

“All of the hard work and training we have done together as a team paid off and showed on the day. We won our first four games against some tough teams and then came closer than any other New Zealand team to the team who won the tournament. I am very happy with and proud of the team’s performance. We are looking forward to continuing to tidy up our game and play some more New Zealand leagues later this year”.

This is it people - the Richter City home season final between reigning champions Smash Malice and their contenders Comic Slams!

Both teams are ready to pull out all the stops to take home that coveted championship trophy, so make sure you're there in your favourite team's colours to cheer them on!

Saturday July 21st at the TSB Arena is your LAST CHANCE to catch a Richter City roller derby game in the capital so get your tickets quick for this winner-takes-all event.

Door sales from 5pm, doors open at 6pm, bout starts at 7pm. This event is rated PG.

Get your tickets here: http://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=ROLLERFN12

On the 19th of May Smash Malice claimed their second victory of the season, with a resounding win over Brutal Pageant that cements their place firmly in the Season Finals. But there is one more battle to be fought. June 23rd will see Brutal Pageant and Comic Slams return to the track to fight it out for a chance to take revenge on the ladies in leopard in the Final.

With neither teams experiencing a win this season, and a place in the Finals at stake, this is a winner-takes-all event! Will superhero Slams save the day and their chance at season victory? Or will Brutal Pageant sparkle and dazzle – and kill Comic Slams' hopes?

This is not a game to be missed!

Get down to TSB Arena on June 23rd and support your favourite Brutal beauty queens in red and pink or help our Comic superheroes Slam their way to victory in blue and silver! Tickets are $16.50, children (12 & under) are only $10 and kids five and under are FREE! Get there early to avoid the queues. Door sales from 5pm, doors open at 6pm, bout starts at 7pm. Tickets are available through Ticketek. This event is rated PG.

Over the weekend of the 9-11 of June, Adelaide will be hosting the biggest roller derby event in the southern hemisphere – The Great Southern Slam. A bi-annual event, TGSS is held over three days with teams competing on five tracks. Leagues from all over Australia, as well as Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL) and the Pirate City Rollers (PCR) from New Zealand, will be battling it out for the top spot in the tournament round of TGSS.

Richter City skater Lolo Morales will also be travelling to Adelaide to skate in the 'challenge bout' section of TGSS. Lolo Morales is the only skater from New Zealand to have her name drawn from the ballot from which the 100 Challenge skaters were selected.

Challenge bouts are themed 40-minute mini-bouts held over the course of the three days. Playing in a total of five different challenge bouts, Lolo Morales will get the chance to play a different type of derby than what she is used to here. Her team the Major Generals will face off against the Rear Admirals – both teams are co-ed, and will also be playing to the no minors rule set currently being trialled by WFTDA. In another bout, Lolo Morales and her team Infinity+1 will be battling it out against Team Infinity in an experimental bout with four 'endless jams' (which cannot be called off early by the jammer) of 10 minutes.

“I can't wait to get to Radelaide and meet derby players from all over Australasia – and play a whole lot of derby with them!”

To learn more about TGSS check out their website http://greatsouthernslam.com.au/
For a schedule of the tournament round of TGSS go to http://greatsouthernslam.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TGSS_schedule...