A little something about myself: I like sports okay. I rarely go to games or even watch them on tv, so I’ve never really gotten into the whole seeding/tournament business. But roller derby, being the sport for people who don’t like sports (but sporty enough to be appreciated as a sport for those people who do), has changed all of that.
The WFTDA has released their second-quarter rankings and regional tournament structure. For the first time, I am so psyched to make bets on seedings and tournament outcomes.
Here’s the WFTDA regional tournament structure (or view it larger here):
Being that I’m fairly new to roller derby, I’m going to stick mainly with the East Coast Regionals, since that’s what I know best.
Gotham (New York), Philly, Charm City (Baltimore), Carolina, and Boston are the top 5 in the East, and their positions in those slots are pretty solid. Here’s the bracket that the Derby News Network has posted for them:
And here’s what I think/hope it’ll look like:
The Boston/Carolina bout should be the best nail-biter. At ECE (East Coast Extravaganza) last month, Carolina barely beat Boston 82-81. But I think if the Massacre can really focus and pull it together as a team, they can come out on top. However, Gotham is a force to be reckoned with. I haven’t had the privilege of seeing them play live, but their reputation is known far and wide. They were champions last year, and I anticipate that they will continue their reign.
Philly is another solid team. I loved watching them bout against the Massacre. Also, I grew up in southern New Jersey, close to Philly, so we all rooted for the Philly teams. I will continue to do so during derby Regionals (after Boston, that is).
I hate putting Charm City over Boston, but they’re probably a slightly stronger team. When they played the Massacre in March, they really used the split pack rule to their advantage, which has since been remedied by the 4.0 rules. While I thought this was a bit of a cop-out, this probably showed (although I didn’t know it at the time), good communication and the ability to work as a team. The Massacre/Charm City game was only my second bout and I was still trying to figure things out, so I don’t think I soaked in much. But, if there’s one thing I remember clearly, it was being in awe of Joy Collison. I’m a fan of hers for life.
I’m not all that familiar with Steel City (Pittsburgh), Harrisburg, or Connecticut (except I know that the Massacre gave Connecticut quite a smackdown last weekend), so the placements for those teams are mostly based on current rankings.
And here’s (or here for another larger view) the WFTDA’s structure for Nationals that will take place in Philly November 13-15 where the top 12 teams from each region (East, West, North Central, South Central) will compete:
It would be really awesome to go. Especially if Boston ends up kicking ass and claiming the number 3 spot in the east! (In which case I think I’d HAVE to go.) And it’s pretty sweet that I can stay at my parents’ house for the weekend. Speaking of my parents…
My parents coming up to Boston August 15 and going to the Masssacre/Detroit and Cosmos/Pissahs bouts with us! I am SO excited!
When my mom called me last night to say that she and my dad wanted to come visit that weekend and I told her they would have to go watch roller derby with us, my mom sounded so excited and would not even consider coming up an alternative weekend. That made me very happy. I think my dad will really like it too.
Posted by rusticurbanity 
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