The Naptown Roller Girls kicked off their seventh season December 29th with an exhibition bout, pitting Red against Black.
Appropriately titled “Mauled Lang Syne,” the sold-out bout had the ladies of NRG returning to the Marsh Blue Ribbon Pavilion while the Pepsi Coliseum undergoes a facelift.
The opening bout featured teams made up of ladies from the Warning Belles and Third Alarm, giving fans a preview of some rookie skaters working their way up the ranks. Not wanting to miss out on any of the action, members of the Tornado Sirens acted as an extra loud cheering section.
Black jumped out of the pack earning the first lead jammer status. An early trip to the box by the Red jammer propelled Black to a quick lead. The first jam ended with a 25-point run by Willa Hoeflinch. Red finally put a few points on the board as Black approached a 60 point lead.
Pirouette Threat of the Red team secured lead jammer, adding 10 points to the board. The following jam saw Itsy Gitsi rocketing out of the pack getting a consecutive lead jam status for Red.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, Red started to mount a comeback. On a roll, Itsy helped bring the score gap closer and right before half time, Red took the lead.
The second half started with Honey Badger taking lead jammer for Black. The score remained close for much of the second half but Black eventually pushed ahead. With seven minutes left, Black pulled ahead by thirty points. Black took home the win with a final score of 193 to 164.
For more information about the Naptown Roller Girls, check out naptownrollergirls.com, “like” Naptown Roller Girls on Facebook, “follow” @naptownrg on Twitter or read the blog naptownrollergirls.wordpress.com.
Upcoming bout: “Brawl of the Wild” against the Cincinnati Roller Girs, January 26th at the Indiana Convention Center – tickets are available at our vendors across the city, the Lucas Oil Stadium box office, or through Ticketmaster
Photo: Tom Klubens