Things just didn't go as planned Saturday night at the roller derby bout. It all started early when the PA system failed during the singing of the national anthem. Although being resilient Madisonians, the packed crowd at Fast Forward immediately and spontaneously busted into an impromptu sing along to help the non-mic'd vocalist get through our nation's anthem. The last time I felt that unifyingly patriotic was when I got Obamafied two weeks earlier at The Kohl Center.

The first bout started with The Vaudeville Vixens (fresh off their surprise win over The Reservoir Dolls) facing up against The Unholy Rollers (a team that has not won a single game since season 2). On our Dane101 podcast last week, we jokingly discussed sponsoring The Unholy Rollers since we all have friends on the team. Jason Dean went as far as to predict a win this weekend. Well, Jason must have known something I didn't because The Rollers finally won a game. The beautiful thing was that they didn't win it by their opponent playing poorly or by random luck, but instead, by playing the game with the energy of a Mountain Dew commercial and simply skating like champs. This was a well oiled, well coached team that showed up that night and even though the score was close at times, it was never that close. Final Score: Unholy Rollers, 86; Vaudeville Vixens, 77

With The Reservoir Dolls losing the season opener, many thought (me included) they would be mercilessly ready to skate out and pound the crap out of some super hero ass. But with a night like Saturday night, I should have known that the roller derby Gods in the sky already threw predictability out the window. The Quad Squad core pack performed with tactical precision and with the type of defense that Fritz Shurmur would have been proud to watch, even if he might not have understood what he was watching. It was an extremely close, back and forth game with jammers on both sides playing well and fighting for points as if they were super delegates. Although, subsequently, it was Thunder Kitten's rally near the end of the game that put The Squad over the top. Final Score: Quad Squad 80; Reservoir Dolls, 77

Photos from the bout are available here.

At the after party, I had a few things I wanted to accomplish:

1. Hang out with friends....Check
2. Drink Korbel………….Check
3. Listen to some live music….Check
4. Meet Mouse…………...Check
5. Congratulate as many Unholy Rollers that I could recognize on a great game…Check.
6. Catch up with my friend Sour Kraut…..Check
7. Say a friendly "Hi" to Predator…Check
8. Get a free shot from Cathy Detmers, owner of The High Noon…Check (I got a Jagerbomb)
9. Avoid Snack…….Check
10. Not get too drunk……

A Side Note I Was Asked to Bring Up

For those who do not want to drive through the snow or try to find parking or simply just want to get snockered at the bout, the league offers you The MRD Party Bus!!! Here are the details:

Where: Between the High Noon Saloon and Fast Forward

When: Bus departs at 5:30pm and 6pm before the bout; two return trips dictated by the endtime of the bout.

A $2 suggested donation for each trip is encouraged.

Related Local Coverage
Mad Rollin Dolls Blog: Unholy Rollers and Quad Squad Roll to Victory

All previous Dane101 coverage of the Mad Rollin Dolls can be found here.