By Valerie Hurtinelli

For their last bout of the season, the Warning Belles traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, on June 27 to meet the Derby City Roller Girls and some of the leading ladies of the flat track. DCRG, a team known for its power hits and confident skating, brought the likes of Celia Graves, Carrie A. Glock, Sir Wheel, and Lil’ Bo Teeps to the track. But the Belles brought their game. This bout promised to be a showcase of two different playing styles: individual standout performances (for DCRG) and solid teamwork (NRG’s forte).

The first jam put Blue Messiah on the line with Mel O Drama. While DCRG grabbed lead jammer status, Blue found herself on the receiving end of a hard hit from Sir Wheel. Five points right out of the gate for DCRG lit a fire under the Belles, who answered with three lead jams in a row, including a 10-point dazzler from Racer Xtasy. Meanwhile, NRG’s pack kept things under control. Team captain Ana Slays Ya’s retractable leg turned the inside line into No Man’s Land, while Joanie Gouge, Ima Hurchu, and Joan of Dark kept the opposing jammers on their toes. The race to halftime was neck in neck, with both teams jockeying for the lead score. But DCRG was ahead by one point as the scoreboard read 30-31 at the buzzer.

Neither team had it easy in the beginning of the second half, with the Naptown’s jammers taking some especially hard hits. Not until Racer scored 9 points in the third jam did the momentum turn in NRG’s favor. The Belles maintained the lead for the rest of the bout, in spite of some impressive jams by Mel O Drama and Envy MiYoni and plenty of back-of-the-pack enforcing by DCRG’s Celia, Sir, and Sweet Mama. While Derby City clearly had the hitting down, proving that no Suicide Seat is safe at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, the Belles confidently referred to their playbook for ways to crack the DCRG code. In the end, Naptown skated away with a hard-fought 77 to 59 win.