By Laurie
After winning the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) national championship in 2009 by a landslide, then losing it by a mere 1 point in 2010, the Oly Rollers travel team, the Cosa Nostra Donnas, seemed poised to bring the Hydra trophy back to Olympia in 2011. Alas, it was not to be. Despite dominating in the first two rounds of the national championship tournament, the penalty plagued Oly team lost to New York City’s Gotham Girls 140-97 in the finals match in Denver last Sunday.
When they first met in 2009, the Gotham Girls weren’t expecting the force that is the Cosa Nostra Donnas. The Oly team had only been admitted to the WFTDA in February of that that year and went to the national tournament as a relative unknown. After upsetting the number one ranked Gotham Girls in the quarter finals round, the Oly Rollers cruised through the semis, then upset another former national champion team when they won the title in a decisive victory over the Texecutioners from Austin, Texas.
Last year the two teams did not meet during the regular season or in the national tournament as Gotham was eliminated in an earlier round. In 2010, Oly went on to place second in the nation, losing the finals match to the Rocky Mountain Roller Girls out of Denver by the slimmest margin in tournament history.
Last week, the two powerhouse teams worked their way to the championship bout in separate brackets. This time Gotham knew what to expect, and they came out ready to avenge their loss from two years before. With the win, the New York team becomes the first team in WFTDA history to repeat as champions.
But don’t count the Oly Rollers out. “We’ve placed second for two consecutive years, and we’ve had only three WFTDA losses since we became members of the league,” says Julie Glass, a.k.a. Atomatrix. “Those two stats alone are unmatched by any other team in roller derby. Even though we came for gold, it was a respectable silver medal performance.”
Before the dust settled on this year’s national tournament, Atomatrix and two of her teammates, Dani Lewis, a.k.a. Sassy, and Tannah Elwess-Jones, a.k.a. Tannibal Lector, suited up for their first practice with Team USA. For the first time, an international roller derby championship trophy will be awarded. The Roller Derby World Cup will be held in Toronto Canada December 1-4, 2011.
“The three of us made the top 20 roster of Team USA,” explains Glass. “(That’s ) quite a feat, being all from Oly. We are proud to represent not only the USA, but Olympia in this inaugural event. There are twelve countries entered, and Team USA plans to become World Champions!”
The international level experience by three of its key players will no doubt inspire the rest of the Oly team as they look toward 2012. The team is unclear how many from the 2011 elite squad will return, but Glass knows that they draw from a very competitive pool of athletes. They have their own feeder teams, the Dropkick Donnas and the Bella Donnas, and they’re always on the lookout for more women interested in learning the sport. “Oly is the type of team to build from whatever we have. With such a great track record on the national scene, skaters come to us hoping for a chance to (make it into) the top 14 Cosa Nostra Donnas.”
For more information on the Oly Rollers:
http://www.olyrollers.com/aboutus.html
For more on the Roller Derby World Cup:
http://rollerderbyworldcup.com/
Photo Credits: Joe Schwartz http://JoeRollerfan.com
