The first half of the bout saw KCRW slowly picking their way forward in points. With neither team clearly grabbing a firm hold to the top spot, it was anyone’s guess as to how the first half would end. It was a tied game after jam 10, with Zoe Trocious scoring the 3 points to even the score. But the last 10 jams of the half saw WCR only capturing 4 additional points while KCRW pushed ahead, gaining 17 points, to end the half 42 to 29 (Kansas City).

The WCR All-Stars came into the second half with a renewed spirit and brought the fight back the Kansas City. Just as KCRW picked away at the points in the first half, the WCR All-Stars began to chip away at KCRW’s lead with each passing jam. In jam 9, while KCWR was busy attempting a star pass, Athena DeCrime grabbed lead jammer status and  pushed the All-Stars into the lead by getting WCR 4 points, ending the jam with a score 60-57 (WCR).

The All-Stars kept mounting their points and widening the gap as the second half pushed on. But their momentum came to a halt. With12 minutes left in the bout, the tide turned as the All-Stars gained no ground for 7 jams. It didn't help that the All-Stars could not keep themselves out of the penalty box, which included the expulsion of Jackie Daniels with 3 minutes left to the bout. KCRW took advantage of the frequency with which the All-Stars were being sent to the box by claiming lead jammer status jam after jam, clawing their way back into the top position.

With recurring trips to the penalty box, coupled with the repeated claim of lead jammer by KCRW, the All-stars could not gain their footing and lost their chance at the Hydra Trophy. With a final score of 112-95, Kansas City moves forward to face their next opponent tonight while WCR celebrates a top-notch final bout and the end of their 2011 season.

Even though this was a loss, the bout was a wonderful display of the level of tenacity that WCR plays at. It demonstrated why the Windy City Rollers are a top derby team. Varla Vendetta, Yvette YourMaker, Athena DeCrime, Jackie Daniels, Wreck N Shrew and Zoe Trocious all displayed some great jamming when they cleared the pack. It was not just their speed, but also agilely jumping the apex, juking around a seemingly solid wall, and even a display of a “crazy octopus” move (as the announcers called it) which helped the All-Stars rack up points and maintain a close score for most of the bout.

Even with their defense spending a lot of time in the box, WCR’s blocking powerhouse made KCRW fight for their win. Bork Bork Bork, Ol' Drrrty Go-Go, Sargentina, Tori Adore, Jackie Daniels, Hoosier Mama, Amy Nonamey, Georgia on Yer Behind, Deb Autry and the rest of the All-Star defense built tough walls for KCRW to breech and hit hard at every chance. Even with a single blocker on the track at times, it was never an easy pass for KCRW. With great game play and sportsmanship (Hoosier Mama embraced opponent skater Kelly Young after a jam) the All-Stars can return to Chicago still feeling like champions as they set their sights on their 2012 season!

Tournament season comes to an end this weekend, and the Windy City Rollers want to share the excitement with you all weekend long!

The Windy City Rollers All-Stars are ready to conquer Broomfield, Colorado this weekend as they head to the WFTDA Championships! Billed as Continental Divide & Conquer, the top three teams from each of WFTDA's four playoff tournaments will compete to be the 2011 Champion.

Can’t make it to Colorado? Come cheer on the All-Stars with the Windy City Rollers at our viewing party on Saturday, November 12^th. Grab your WCR gear and meet us at 2pm at The Shambles, located at 2050 W Division in Chicago.

The viewing party fun continues on Sunday at Francesca’s Forno, located at 1576 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Sunday's Championships for 1st through 4th place starts at 3pm central!

Come watch the final day of tournament play with us and see who skates away with the Hydra Trophy and the title of being the #1 women's flat track roller derby team!!

Check out the videos below to see what your champions have been up to:

The Windy City Rollers battled their way out of the penalty box to secure the #1 seed in the North Central region and preserve an incredible 23-0 record. Minnesota took an early lead in the Regional final, but with some incredibly physical gameplay the Rollers struggled back to retake the lead. Those points came at a huge cost, however, as jammer Zoe Trocious was expelled from the game for gross misconduct and Windy City found themselves constantly cycling in and out of the penalty box. Despite a strong effort by Yvette YourMaker to close out the half, when the dust cleared the Minnesota RollerGirls led the Windy City Rollers 55-41.

The second half opened with stutters and starts, with both teams trading a number of low-point jams, but with 25 minutes remaining Jackie Daniels coupled a heroic effort with a locked-in group of blockers for a tide-turning run to put Windy City up 69-56. Just a few jams later the crowd held its breath as Varla granted Minnesota with a power jam opportunity, but a crucial hit by Yvette YourMaker saved the day and Windy City's lead. From there, the Rollers were able to hold on to their lead, closing out the bout 123-100.

With their win, Windy City holds on to their undefeated record in the region and will head to the WFTDA Championships in November along with Gotham Girls Roller Derby, Philly Roller Girls, and Charm City Roller Girls in the East; Oly Rollers, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, and Rose City Rollers in the West; Texas Rollergirls, Kansas City Roller Warriors, and Nashville Roller Girls from the South Centrals; and Minnesota RollerGirls and Naptown Roller Girls from the North Centrals.

The Naptown Roller Girls grabbed an early lead right from the start and staked their claim for most of the night. With the lead exchanging back and forth, and the half seeing Windy City down, the tension peaked as the teams left the track. Holding Windy City back was their mounting penalties and their repeated trips to the box. Windy City needed to come back and play a clean game to get back on track and reclaim the lead.

The second half proved similar to the first, as each team struggled to gain points and stay clear of penalties. The jams were short as jammers were calling of the jam after one pass, attempting to keep the other team from gaining any ground. With a little more than 5 minutes left in the bout the Windy City Rollers reclaimed the lead 120-117. Naptown kept the heat on Windy City's back through the end, but a power jam at the last left Jackie Daniels in full control of the game as she rode the seconds down, landing Windy City a victory at 128-117 at the last whistle blast.

The Windy City Rollers advance to Sunday night's final bout against the Minnesota RollerGirlsat 6:20pm central time.

Watch it live with the Windy City Rollers on Sunday, October 9^th at our viewing party at Fiesta Cantina in Wrigleyville, located at 3407 N. Clark Street, Chicago, starting at 3:20pm. If you can't make our viewing party, you can watch it live on wftda.com!

The Windy City Rollers took on the Arch Rival Roller Girls yesterday in Indianapolis, coming out victorious with a score of  200-82.With Windy City bringing a solid blocking defense, anchored by Jackie Daniels and crew, the Arch Rivals attempted to keep the heat on with some agile jamming throughout the bout. But a spirited Arch Rival squad was no match against the speed and strength of the top seeded Windy City Rollers. With the solid win, Windy City advances to Saturday night's marquee semifinal bout.

The last bout of the Friday night had Indianapolis's own home team the Naptown Roller Girls, ranked #4 in the north central region, up against the visiting  Cincinnati Rollergirls, ranked at #5.  While Cincinnati put on a charge early in the second half, they could not overcome an almost 50 point deficit at the start of the second period, and the penalty-filled game went the home team’s way, 166-113.

With last night's win, Naptown advances to the semifinal playoffs tonight to face the Windy City Rollers at 6:30pm central time. You can watch the action live at wftda.com!

Beth Amphetamine, Varla Vendetta and the rest of the Windy City Rollers rolled over the winners of bout one, the Arch Rival Roller Girls, in a fast paced and hard hitting display of derby prowess.  With a big lead at the end of the first half (111-18), the Windy City Rollers did not let up the intensity even as Arch Rival jammers, Downtown Dallis and Mighty Mighty Boston, made some headway to close the points gap as the second half played on.

Ultimately, Windy City reigned victorious, ending the bout with a score of 200-82. Windy City goes on to play the winner of Bout 3, happening tonight at 6:30pm central between the Naptown Roller Girls and the Cincinnati Roller girls, Saturday night at 6:30pm central time.

You can watch the Windy City Rollers continue the mayhem tomorrow night at 6:30pm central time on www.wftda.com!

Read a recap of the bout vs. Charm City.

...check out a discussion with Varla Vendetta on the Derby Deeds podcast.

...and check out these photos from the bouts (WCR AS are wearing black in Charm City bout and white in Montreal bout)!  Stay tuned for results from the All-Stars bout in Boston this weekend.

Read the Derby News Network recap of the All-Stars bout here.

Check out these photos from the Second Wind bout:

And some from the All-Stars bout:

Stay tuned for recaps and photos from our home bout on May 21st!

Stay tuned for the recaps from last night's home bout coming soon!