This weekend, the Windy City Rollers host their second WCR All-Star bout of the season, as our team plays Baltimore's Charm City All-Stars. The two teams met in the quarterfinals of last year's Eastern Regional tournament, and WCR bounced Charm from a spot at the WFTDA Championships with a 137-76 win. With WFTDA's growth and "redistricting" in 2009, the two leagues are no longer regional rivals, but it's quite possible that the teams could meet again in tournament play in November if both advance to this year's WFTDA Championships in Philly.

The ladies from Baltimore have been some of the busiest skaters this year- Saturday's bout in Chicago will be their 15th All-Star game in since February. During the course of this year, Charm's booked a 12-2 record-- with their only losses to Gotham and Texas. Most recently (as in, last weekend), Charm scored a dominant 149-74 upset over regional rival Philly's Liberty Belles, though wags will note that 6 of the skaters rostered against WCR's bout with the Belles, including Player of the Game Teflon Donna and her fellow Captain Violet Temper sat that one out. (Of course, a team's a team-- and Charm 100% earned that victory-- don't think anyone over here is making excuses...)

Something that's been incredibly notable about Charm has been the visible deepening of their bench throughout this season. Rookie All-Star jammers Just Carol and Bambi's Revenge have become important parts of their offensive arsenal, which has effectively freed up some of their vet jammers (like Joy Collision, Flo Shizzle, and Pistol Whip) to play in the pack. Add one-woman wall-in-the-front Dolly Rocket to the mix, and-- well, you've got yourself a dangerous team.

Obviously, though, you can't ignore the huge shadow that WCR All-Stars cast. Whenever one starts considering the fearsome superstars on our team, by the time you're finished naming names, you've basically listed the whole team. What to expect from WCR? Super speedy jammers that can break the sound-barrier (or make Scorey Feldman lose his shirt) and machine-like packwork. The names to watch? All 14 listed below.

Captains: Malice with Chains & Varla Vendetta
Athena DeCrime/ Beth Amphetamine/ Blossom Bruiso/ GoGo Hatchet/ Hoosier Mama/ Megan Formor/ Nina Millimeter/ Ruth Enasia/ Shocka Conduit/ Wreck N Shrew/ Ying O'Fire/ Yvette Yourmaker

Also on tap for Saturday night is the Chicago debut of the league's newest team, The Second Wind, who'll be playing Cleveland's Burning River All-Stars. As a testament to the depth of the Windy City Rollers as a league, this is one of the first times a tournament level team has taken a bout against another league's secondary team.

Captains: Norma Lee Wright & Red Zeppelin
Ada Hatelace/ Amy Nonamey/ Deb Autry/ Dee Monica/ Di Richmond/ Eva Dead/ Ivy Sedation/ Karmageddon/ Loco Chanel/ Mo Vengeance/ Sargentina/ Sassy Squash

Get your tickets online so you don't have to wait at the door. Doors are at 5:30. Whistle for the early-bird bout is at 5:35, and whistle for the headliner bout is at 7! See you there!

(If you can't make it to Chicago to see the action LIVE, check out the live video and text boutcast on http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com)

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