Local roller girls debut at inaugural Bout in the Butte

16 oz. PBRs, an airbrushed van, women, hitting and more

Score? What score? Who cares what the final score of the Gunnison Valley Roller Girls (GVRG) first bout was? Fact of the matter is, flat track roller derby may have found a home right here in the Gunnison Valley.
It’s taken three years but given the turnout, the pomp, the circumstance, the excitement, the passion, and yes the confusion experienced Saturday evening, June 7 at Big Mine Ice Arena, there’s a home for roller derby right here.
And while the thought of roller derby may conjure seedy images, the sport is anything but seedy, though the vibe approaching Big Mine Ice Arena did have a somewhat small town Mexican rodeo feel to it. About the only thing missing was the churros.
The sport is for real and has everything any local sports fan could want; speed, hitting, fitness, women, scoring and…beer. And not just any beer but 16 oz. PBRs, because 12 oz. isn’t enough for flat track roller derby.
At any rate, the GVRG hosted the 10th Mountain Roller Dolls Saturday and it was a sight to be seen. Fans packed the arena with plenty of opportunity to squeeze in trackside to get up close and personal with the women who were rolling.
To further demonstrate the magnitude of the inaugural bout, professional photographer Nathan Bilow, a man who has traveled the world over to shoot sporting events such as the Olympic Games and World Cup Alpine ski racing, was there shooting the inaugural Bout in the Butte.
The 10th Mountain Dolls have been rolling for three years with several bouts under their belts, and it showed Saturday night. They were more organized, more experienced and, simply, more bigger.
Before I go any farther, anyone happen to notice the van that the bout officials Dick Derby, Refe Loco, Dark Horse and Moonshine Her rolled up in? Teardrop windows, tinted glass and, on the side, a magnificent airbrush painting of a scantily clad woman riding a polar bear and brandishing a huge sword.
Following a stirring rendition of the national anthem by GVRG athletes Lacey “Space Cadeath” Levin and Bonnie Jeanne “Emerald Kitty” Gollhofer, the bout was on and the GVRG opened somewhat tentatively. Perhaps nerves played a role, perhaps it was the size of the 10th Mountain Dolls—no matter what the cause it took until some shifty footwork by Sioux “Siouxnami Threat” Emery to wake the crowd and the girls up.
With the 10th Mountain Dolls blockers entrenched and closing off all gaps through, Siouxnami danced her way around on the outside to take the lead jammer spot and score some much needed points for the hometown team.
GVRG captain Renee “Crash Nasty” Newton provided the next set of fireworks for the crowd with a big hit to send a 10th Mountain Doll to the deck.
But 10th Mountain wasn’t there to help, they were there to hurt, and they put the hurt on the Gunnison Valley Roller Girls, rattling off numerous high-scoring power jams.
10th Mountain scored enough points during the first half alone to roll the scoreboard once—there isn’t enough room on the hockey scoreboard to put up triple digits—but the GVRG refused to succumb to the overpowering 10th Mountain.
September “Ran Sack” Sack got the crowd to its feet as she flew around the track as the lead jammer to “rack” up additional GVRG points. 10th Mountain responded with a power jam but when Space Cadeath found a seam through the pack, GVRG rallied for another surge of points.
As the first half continued, GVRG gained additional continuity with a more organized blocking system and Ran Sack and Cara “Hot Dog #1-2 Punch” Radca finished the half with two more stints as lead jammers to close the first half strong.
“The first half was a little intimidating for a lot of our girls,” says Crash. “Kind of deer in the headlights.”
GVRG opened the second half with a 17-10 rally paced by better blocking and lead jams from Space Cadeath and Betty “Betty D’Brawl” Philbin. Midway through the second half Crash Nasty dropped a 10th Mountain Roller Doll with another huge hit to send Hot Dog #1-2 Punch free on a lead jam and the crowd was back into the bout.
“During halftime we were able to chill out and talk about strategy and what we needed to do,” says Crash. “We came out in the second half. I think we grew up a lot and came together as a team.”
“It’s all about being aware and that’s the hardest part,” adds Jen “Juanita Beatcha” Nolan.
At that point, the 10th Mountain Roller Dolls had seen enough and proceeded to lay one final smack down on GVRG, holding them scoreless for nine minutes straight while rolling the scoreboard over one more time.
Hot Dog #1-2 Punch and the GVRG had the final say though, closing the bout with a power jam to give the fans one last reason to holler and send everyone to Kochevar’s for the post-bout party, where, despite the beating and beat down handed to each other, everyone was friends.
While it was a blowout, 267-86 to be exact, Crash believes it was a tremendous learning experience and a good steppingstone for the team.
“That 10th Mountain team was amazing to play and gave us a lot of great feedback,” says Crash. “My girls never gave up, even though we knew there was no chance to win. They kept going out and pushing themselves. Everyone was just happy to be playing roller derby and that’s huge. We’re super lucky to have the community involved, supporting us and making it happen.”
GVRG will continue workouts through June, adding a night per week of practice as they prepare for their first bout on the road in Albuquerque on July 12. They will host their next home bout in Gunnison on August 16 and have two more bouts scheduled for the Gunnison Valley in September before returning to the road in October.
“Obviously we have a lot to work on,” says Crash. “We now have a better idea of where we’re at and where we need to go. We have a strong team with a lot of serious potential.”