Windy City Rollers Roll Into 2010
By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 1, 2010 5:00PM
The Windy City Rollers kicked off the 2010 season with a packed house (reported attendance was around 3,900) at the UIC Pavilion with a pair of bouts, one a blow-out and the other a close, hard-hitting match-up for the defending champs.
Double Crossers - 171, Hell's Belles - 48
Returning only five skaters from last year's roster, it figured to be a rebuilding year for the Belles, the perennial league powerhouse. And the Double-Crossers took advantage of that, romping past the Belles by a huge margin. The Crossers jumped on top early with a big 42-14 lead that set the tone for the rest of the bout. There were some nice hits and great work on the jamming side, but there were some slips and falls as the skaters shook off the off-season rust and some of the newer skaters adjusted to the speed and hits of a full-on bout. It's a great start to the season for the Crossers after just missing out on a shot at last year's Ivy King Cup. As for the Belles, it was a rough start to the season but we figure the team will find their skate legs soon enough and rebound to their winning ways soon.
Manic Attackers - 101, The Fury - 83
The second bout of the night had a quicker pace and plenty of hard hitting action as last year's champion Manics took to the floor to begin their title defense. The Manics got off to a quick 24-11 lead thanks to some solid jams from Beth Amphetamine and Ruth Enasia. But The Fury wouldn't let the Manics pull away; jammers Kola Loka and Jackie Daniels showed quickness and agility of their own, cutting into the early lead and trailing only 39-33 at the half and forcing the Manics into a tie later in the second half. But it was the defending champs who would pull away late in the game and start the title defense on a winning note.
Bout 2 is Sunday, February 21 at 6 p.m., UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine