Rat City Home Team season underway, rivalry heats up

From a 2014 bout
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Saturday, the four Rat City home teams competed for crucial wins as they inch closer to home team championships on April 25. Throttle Rockets (1-1) will take on Sockit Wenches (0-2), and Derby Liberation Front (2-0) will battle Grave Danger (1-1).

The home teams have a mix of new and familiar faces on their rosters this season, resulting in some of the closest battles in recent Rat City history. In Season 11 bout 1, Grave Danger narrowly beat Sockit Wenches 149-140 during the final jam. Derby Liberation Front (DLF) won Season 10 home team championships, but the team this year is almost completely made up of newly rostered Rat City skaters.

“As a relatively inexperienced team, we have been developing at an exponential rate. The team has become so cohesive and strong, and we approach this bout with confidence,” said Cassie Beck, AKA Raven Evergore of Derby Liberation Front. “We are prepared for Grave Danger's strong defense and their able jammers, and we cannot wait to apply all of our hard work to the challenge of playing such a strong team.”

The Throttle Rockets will welcome back Rattle Skate, who skated for the Rat City All-Stars travel team at the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) championships during Season 10. The Sockit Wenches have been training hard under the direction of LeBrawn Maimes and Sami Automatic, Rat City All-Stars respectively. Both the Throttle Rockets and Sockit Wenches are known for having agile jammers and strong blockers.

“The Throttle Rockets are coming in with a fire in our belly to keep a winning streak,” said Lenaya Kerlin, AKA Shock Therapy of the Throttle Rockets. “With our strong newcomers and seasoned veteran skaters, we will have to be on top of our games for Saturday's bout against the Wenches.”

Although tickets to the Feb. 21 bout sold out, fans still have a chance to purchase tickets to the March 7, March 28 and April 11 bouts at The Rat’s Nest for $20 through Brown Paper Tickets (BPT). Rat City has added additional seating to bouts at The Rat’s Nest to meet unprecedented demand, but Nest bouts are still expected to sell out. Fans may also purchase tickets for the Season 11 championship game at KeyArena for $17 via Ticket Master.

About Rat City Rollergirls

The Rat City Rollergirls (RCRG) is Seattle’s premiere all-female, flat-track roller derby league. RCRG is composed of about 80 active skaters and many more retired skaters who are still involved. The skaters are divided among four home teams, as well as the All Stars team and Rat Lab. It is Rat City’s mission to maintain a competitive athletic program, promote the sport of roller derby, provide quality sports entertainment for fans, and make a positive impact in the community.