Rally decides final roller derby bout of regular season

The Enterprise roller derby season wrapped up Oct. 17 with the Superhero Smashup bout in Ozark —  which pitted a team of All-American Heroes against one of Renegades, Rebels and Rogues —  and it took a late rally to decide the winner.

The Heroes led for most of the bout, but the Rogues earned a 173-151 victory after a furious scoring surge in the final five minutes.

“It was amazing,” Liz Johnson-Bailey, who is known as Major Morphine on the derby track and skated for the Rogues in the final bout, said. “You kind of get discouraged when you’re on the bench and you’re  like, ‘Oh, no. We’re going to lose. No, we’re we’re not. We’re going to win.”

The Heroes had a slim, 13-12 advantage early after a five-point grand slam from the Rogues.

Bouts are divided into two, 30-minute halves. The 30-minute halves are divided into jams, which can last two minutes apiece or be called early by the lead jammer. Each team's jammer must make an initial pass through the four opposing blockers before points can be scored by passing opponents again. The lead jammer can score an extra point, or a five-point grand slam, if she laps everyone on the track including the opposing jammer.

A 16-point jam widened the Heroes’ lead to  43-24, but some big jams later in the bout closed the gap to 57-43 before the Heroes took a 20-point advantage.

The Rogues, however, made a push for points late in the opening half and trimmed their deficit to 69-63 at the break.

The bout was the final one of the regular season, but Saturday was also a special day in derby for another reason. It was the first co-ed bout in the Wiregrass, and the skaters embraced the change.

“It was so much fun,” Emily Poppell, who is known as Nurse Rita Ratchet and skated with the Heroes, said. “All of us have got a little girly girly in us, but the bottom line (is) we come to practice, we have our friends and we hit them. It’s almost like more of a challenge. It’s now a guy who outweighs me (and) is way stronger than I am. Can I hit him? Can I knock him down? Can I stop him? It’s a great feeling when you can.”

The roller derby team is working to increase the sport, and Johnson-Bailey said hosting a co-ed match helps.

“ Men’s roller derby is starting to pick up,” she said. “Co-ed is starting to pick up. It is traditionally a women’s flat track roller derby sport, but we’re trying to get some more interest in other types of players.”

Roller derby has grown in the Wiregrass recently, despite changes on the Boll Weevil Bruisers’ roster.

“Being in a military town, we’ve had so much turnover,” Poppell said. “To see it growing, to see a sport that is empowering women and the men (who) get to come in and play with us or ref against us, it is so amazing.”

The Heroes scored a three-point jam out of the half, but the bout was eventually tied 72-72 after the Rogues took advantage of a thin Heroes blocking pack and surged.

The Heroes began to widen their margin, but their opponents did not go quietly.

The Rogues crept up and trailed 150-134 until they went on a 39-1 run late to take the lead and seal the victory.

The bout drew a crowd into the Ozark Civic Center, and partial proceeds went to the S.O.S. Animal Shelter.

“We have been able to earn so much money for the different charities (throughout the season),” Poppell said. “We love having a fan base, just because it’s great to be cheered on, but the money we are able to donate is such a great feeling. Maybe it’s not only money, but the donations we take for the dog food or whatever anybody chose to bring (Saturday). That all goes, and it’s expenses the shelter doesn’t have to provide. Having a bunch of people is awesome. It just makes us all feel good, makes it worthwhile and it’s just great for our charity.”

Though the season has ended, the Enterprise team is already practicing for next season. A trio of Boll Weevil Bruisers — Johnson-Bailey, Stephanie Moon and Mindy Boline — have another competition later this year.

“We actually have three players on our team who made Team Alabama, which is the top 20 players in the state, and they go to what’s called State Wars in Daytona in December,” Johnson-Bailey said. “Even though the public display has stopped, we’re still training as hard as ever.”