If you have ever been on a long road trip with a stranger you know that it can be quite the adventure.  This past weekend the Soul City Sirens traveled over the river and through the woods to Knoxville, TN to play in their fifth bout of the season. The weekend was packed with hard-hitting derby action; a giant Rubik’s Cube and the weirdest dog show ever.

Packed into vans and SUVs, the team took off Friday night and Saturday morning on the 5-hour drive over the Smokey Mountains into enemy territory. This was the farthest the Sirens have played and for some, the longest amount of time they have spent with one another out side of derby.

“It was good to stay with a big group of derby girls/boys because it helped with bonding outside of the usual derby duties…It is helpful to learn more about each other because it will help us play better on the floor as a team. Thus, we need to have more parties and more road trips together.” Says Martha Skewer who just returned from being injured for 3 months.

The team assembled on Saturday afternoon under the Sun Sphere at the sight of the 1982 World’s Fair and the 2009 dog groomer’s championships to prepare for the battle ahead. They played in the first bout of a double header and they came out swinging. The surface was polished concrete mopped with sugar water, just sticky enough to keep the skaters from sliding into the crowd.  The Sirens came out dominant of the collage of Knoxville players that included a mix of A team and B team skaters as well as some borrowed skaters from surrounding teams. The Sirens went 13 minutes before they allowed a single point. But the Knoxville Brawlers rallied and capitalized on some Sirens penalties and inconsistent pack speeds and by the end of the first half, were within 4 points of the lead.

The Sirens once again came out of the half time with a fire in their eyes. Despite getting some avoidable penalties, the Sirens defense did an excellent job of holding off the hard-hitting Brawlers.

“The bout was a whirlwind of recycling, good defense on Knoxville’s part and some pretty good hitting even though a couple of those girls were hard to take down,” said rookie Jammer Elle e Deville, “in the end, an excellent display of team work and point scoring.”

The bout literally came down to the last 2 jams which may have been the best ever for the Sirens. In the final minutes Jammer Fuka Saru who had been in penalty trouble most of the bout, was flawless in her defensive jamming, preventing her opponent from scoring while staying out of the penalty box.

The final jam was on the shoulders of Smackiavelli, in for the Sirens to hold off Knoxville for the final minute. The suspense was building but was quickly cut short as a Brawler penalty would end their hopes of making a come back and the Sirens (now 3-2) won with a score of 115-99.

After the bout the victors sat trackside and watched Goblin and the Knoxville All-stars work over Switchblade Siouxie and the Sake Tuyas of Atlanta while enjoying a nice cold after bout beverage.  A well-deserved finish to a well played game.

"Knoxville's team, the Hard Knox, really live up to their name."
-Madame Splatem

A first person DVD of the bout is in the works and could be available in a few weeks.

On May 31st the Sirens host the Palmetto State Roller Girls of Myrtle Beach at home.

Go to www.soulcitysirens.com for more info.