Good times at Gotham Girls roller derby at Long Island University tonight. It was a double-header event, well worth the $19 cover charge. The friendly crowd was packed to capacity in the auditorium, cheering madly for the New York teams and shouting out the names of their favorite players. I was there with a bunch of friends and people from my Quaker church, which was a fun mix of folks.
The first match-up was the Wall Street Traitors versus Westchester county's Suburban Brawl. It was a fairly close game for most of the time, but the Traitors were clearly dominant and the outcome was never really ever in doubt. I had never heard of the Wall Street Traitors before. Perhaps they are a new team in development?
The main event was the Gotham All-stars (composed of the best skaters from Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn) against the Boston Massacre. Boston never really seemed to get their act together and were clearly outskated and outmaneuvered the entire game by New York. Gotham Girls captain Bonnie Thunders was unstoppable as jammer, flying through Boston's ranks like they weren't even there. Meanwhile the New York defense formed an nearly impenetrable wall that Boston's jammers very rarely cracked. The final score was like 160 to 40.
But the actual score is somewhat irrelevant in roller derby. The real joy is from seeing a solid hit, a surprising sprint, a deft block. And there is something farcical about the whole affair, everyone both enjoying the game and making fun of the artifice of organized sports.
