Season 8 Kicks Off

The Sioux Falls Roller Dollz kicked off Season 8 with back-to-back weekends of away games with tough teams. First up, on Saturday, February 8th the Dollz faced off against the Fargo Moorhead Derby Girls on their home turf in downtown Fargo. Ranked 64 internationally, FMDG has been steadily climbing in the rankings the past few years and delivered a devastating blow-out victory over the Dollz in 2013.

As the first bout of the season the Dollz worked hard on reviewing strategy and integrating new skaters to take on the tough North Dakota team. Known as a team that plays fierce offense with fast jammers, the Dollz brought a solid defensive wall which was highly effective in the first half to keep FMDG in check. The Dollz went to the locker room at half time with a slim lead, 78 to 71.

But in the second period penalties began to take their toll as the Dollz found their jammers in the box frequently and FMDG's effective offense during the power jams racking up the score. The Dollz didn't go down without a fight though, with the official final score of the evening 203 over the Dollz' 153.

The following weekend the Dollz were a little closer to their home turf for an away game at the Swiftel Center in Brooking, SD on February 15th. A co-sponsored bout with the new Brookings derby team, the Midwest Maidens, the event was an exciting double-header game to support the Girl Scouts of America and the Roller Dollz travel fund. The Dollz were taking the track against their home-town rivals, the Sioux City Roller Dames. 

Now in their 6th season, the Dames have always been known as a hard-hitting and agile team, attributes that have helped them claw their way up the rankings in the past few years to an impressive 98th international ranking, 24 spaces ahead of the Dollz. The pace was set with the very first jam and the Dollz knew it was bound to be a tough and physical game.

The Dollz had an early lead but were quickly set back with jammers sent to the box and an injured skater. The Dames put up a solid defensive wall and hammered on the jammers, beating them into submission while the Dollz' blockers focused their attentions on the opposing jammer. The Dollz trailed at the half and attempted to regroup for the second period to regain control.

Unfortunately the rally was too little too late and the Dollz appeared fatigued and ragged after the Dames' hammering in the second period. The Dollz were gaining lead jammer status but unable to group a tough enough offense to break through the Dame's defensive wall. Final official score was 220 to the Dollz' 145.

Though the season kicked off without victory, starting off the season playing some of the highest ranked teams in the region will no doubt help to set the pace for the team's strategic focus and raise the bar on competitive game play, both items made all the more important by the team's up-coming international tournament in Florida this May.

Also of note in these first bouts of the season were the new and returning faces on the track! New this season, the Dollz welcome Kim A. Kazi who recently moved to Sioux Falls and previously skated with the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls. Fans also couldn't help but notice a few familiar faces including Season-One Veterans Hollicidal Maniac, Dusty Bibles, and Dazzer, back this season for some hard-hitting action!

Make sure to check out all the Dollz in their first home bout on April 5th where they will take on the Minnesota North Star Roller Girls!