The table had been set for the best roller derby bout of the year last weekend with the 2008 reigning champions the Oakland Outlaws set to skate against the 2007 champs the Richmond Wrecking Belles.
Both teams came to Fort Mason Saturday night with one win in their pocket this year against the struggling San Francisco ShEvil Dead.
There was one male skater in attendance Saturday night, but he skates on ice and has an Olympic Gold Medal as well as a South Park song named after him.
Yep, SF’s own Brian Boitano was in attendance rooting on the Oakland Outlaws for an episode of his upcoming reality television show for the Food Network.
During half time, after SFC Double Dutch, the house DJ played "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" and unfortunately, it was horribly timed because Boitano had just run past me on his way to the bathroom so he missed the whole thing.
Everyone was looking around for him to see his reaction but he didn't make it out until just after the song ended. For the record: the song lasts less than two minutes and those restroom lines are much longer. He had a big smile on his face and a bummed looked knowing he'd just missed his song. Maybe next time.
The teams looked different from last year, with Oakland’s top jammer Kitt Turbo on the sidelines as a retiree rooting for the Outlaws, and Richmond’s Racey Lane no longer lacing up as Richmond’s top jammer.
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Richmond took the lead early and kept it for the entire first half.
However, it wasn’t like the first two blowouts of the season, but it may have looked that way if it wasn’t for a referee time-out with 12 seconds left in the first half after the Belles’ jammer got called for a penalty and Oakland’s Jane Hammer had a full jam to herself, scoring a bunch of points to bring the Outlaws within 3 at the half: Richmond 51, Oakland 48.
There were a number of questionable calls and point scoring that at times had the audience booing at the referees in disgust.
The half-time show was an awesome double-dutch jump rope team of three lovely ladies in cool 1920’s era flapper outfits with dancing frill as they jumped, rolled, and flipped over and around their ropes. They are called, "SFC Double Dutch" - check out their video!
Then they invited up audience members to have a jump-off, and the random group of participators looked like they were having a great time.
Oakland came back at the beginning of the second half to take the lead, but then quickly gave it up after a huge jam by Richmond, which gave them a 12-point lead.
At 73-61 Richmond never looked back.
The bout was close with Oakland coming within six points towards the end, but the last jam went Richmond’s way and the final score was Richmond Wrecking Belles 120 and the Oakland Outlaws 106.
The best skaters of the three teams in the Bay Area Derby Girls league make up their All-Star team, which will host its first ever home bout in San Francisco on Saturday, May 9, 2009 against the Rat City Roller Girls of Seattle, who are currently rated #1 in the Western region of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.
Josh Keppel has been a roller derby fan ever since seeing Kitt Turbo tear it up in Oakland three years ago. His wife is Deadly Nightshade, a starting line blocker for the Oakland Outlaws.
