Dane101 - Mad Rollin Dolls

Dairyland Dolls hit the road for a hot summer of wheeled hellion action

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:30:18 +0200

The senior season for the Mad Rollin Dolls is behind us with the Quad Squad notching a second championship on their raggedy garter belts. Now the top players from our four league teams will pivot toward a summer of ferocious battles as they jam and slam their way up from 17th rank overall in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. The Dolls rank 10th in the Eastern region. From October 10 to 12 the Dolls will be hosting the 2008 WFTDA Eastern Regionals at the Alliant Energy Center. Below is the summer schedule for Mad Rollin' Dolls travel team, the Dairyland Dolls, with ranks and links of the teams they will be facing.

A big night of hits ends the Mad Rollin Dolls senior season

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:00:23 +0200

It was a night of big hits, as the Mad Rollin’ Dolls took the floor for the final bout of the season.

The first match featured the Vaudeville Vixens against the Unholy Rollers in the Grudge Match. Both teams progressed significantly this season, but found themselves on the undercard again.

Image from Chris Norris, see more here.

The match started slow, as bodies covered the floor repeatedly in the first half. Scoring was minimal early as the teams found their groove. As the half ended, the Vixens lead 40-35.

2008 Derby Finals Photos: Quad Squad Victorious

Sun, 11 May 2008 07:42:10 +0200

The Quad Squad emerged victorious after a vicious bout, besting their longtime rivals the Reservoir Dolls. A more in-depth writeup of the bout should follow soon. Scores at the Mad Rollin' Dolls blog.

DaneCast: Dane101 talks roller derby with Mad Rollin Doll announcers Bob Noxious and Baam Baam

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:49:10 +0200

In this special edition of the Dane101 semi-weekly podcast we sit down with Mad Rollin Dolls announcers Bob Noxious and Baam Baam. Baam and Bob have been with the league since the inception so they have had a front row seat to the Dolls through all of their growing pains. In this 15 minute segment we discuss the change in derby capacity, Wisconsin as a derby state, stand out skaters of the year, and what it means to be a male announcer in a female derby world. Listen through the Odeo player below or by clicking here.

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Mad Rollin Dolls 2008 Semi-Finals Photos

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:18:32 +0200

Photos by Chris Norris. More details at the Mad Rollin Dolls Blog. Click images for larger versions.

Mad Rollin Dolls: Fire Marshall Reduces Fast Forward Capacity from 1000 to 600

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:56:28 +0200

Just in time for tonight's Mad Rollin' Dolls Semi-Finals the Fire Marshall has reduced the capacity at Fast Forward, the Dolls' skate rink, from 1000 to 600. This new capacity includes skaters, volunteers, Fast Forward staff, and audience. It also means they ~~won't be selling tickets at the door~~ (UPDATE: after calculating the tickets pulled from outlets early yesterday there will be some tickets available at the door, so get there early. Also, tickets will be on the shuttle bus leaving from the High Noon to go to the bout at 5:30 p.m.) and they may not be able to let in press (don't worry, Dane101 will still be covering the bout)! Zoinks! Damn you Smoky the Bear and your...safety. From the Dolls:

Quote:

Mad Rollin' Dolls fans have been packin' the rink this season, and we love them for it. In fact, we're so popular we finally got noticed by the authorities. The Fire Marshall says we can only let 600 people in at Fast Forward. That's 600 people total including fans, skaters, and staff.

Mad Rollin' Dolls Profiles: Quad Squad Captain Joan of Anarchy

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:00:29 +0200

When writing about the season opener for Mad Rollin Dolls a few months back, I mentioned this:

The Quad Squad isn't flashy, but they know how to set up blocks and how to read each other well, so what they lack in finesse, they make up with in pure strength and timing.

It was meant as a compliment (and not a backhanded one either), and in the back of my mind, I always kind of wished I would have written a bit differently as I didn't want the team to take it the wrong way. Luckily, when contacting Joan of Anarchy about this interview, she mentioned this to me:

I thought you might like to know that Quad Squad really enjoyed your description of our team in the Jan bout article. Thanks to you, we've gained a new slogan for season 4: "we may not be flashy, but we get the job done."

Awesome. I'm glad I could help.

Mad Rollin Doll Championship Brackets are Set

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:51:29 +0100

The Mad Rollin Dolls have released the brackets for the April 12 semi-final bouts. Quad Squad landed a number one seed followed by the Vaudeville Vixens (2), Reservoir Dolls (3), and Unholy Rollers (4). So the match-ups will be:

Vaudeville Vixens vs. Reservoir Dolls
Quad Squad vs. Unholy Rollers

Team logo montage borrowed from the Mad Rollin Dolls website. Three years of Mad Rollin Dolls coverage can be found right here on Dane101.com.

Mad Rollin' Dolls: "Life is hard, but Roller Derby is harder."

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:13:18 +0100

No one is willing to play nice this season and lucky for us that means damn fine skating and strategy that I can only appreciate and never fully understand. We enter Saturdays bout with last years champs the Reservoir Dolls yet to pull off a win. The Res Dolls are 0-2, Vixens 1-0, Unholies 1-0 and the Quad Squad undefeated. This bout puts the Quad Squad against the Vixens and the Res Dolls face off against the Unholy Rollers. Tonights final scores dictate the rankings for April 12 semi-finals.

The first half of the Quad Squad vs Vaudeville Vixens Darling Nicki pulls off 10 points for the Vixens in jam 2, Stitch hits the crowd hard-- announcer Val Capone mics "Life is hard. Roller derby is harder." Harlot penalties out in jam 5 allowing Lil Miss jam control for the Quad Squad and 5 points evening out the score-- which stays close all half closing at QS:39, VV:43.

Mad Rollin' Dolls: Mouse joins the 500 Club

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:28:45 +0100

Last night the Reservoir Dolls' co-captain Mouse became only the second Mad Rollin Doll jammer in the history of the Madison roller derby league to break the 500 point mark. She went into Saturday's bout against the Unholy Rollers with 475 points and ended the evening with 513. Mouse joins the Quad Squad's Jenny Knoxville as the only two Mad Rollin' Dolls to break the 500 point threshold and are only two of a small few in all of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association who have made the landmark. You can read a previous interview dane101 conducted with Mouse and tune in tomorrow for Sarah's full write-up of the dramatic Saturday night bout. Photo courtesy of Neil Stechschulte.

Upset season continues for Mad Rollin Dolls as the Unhollies top the Vixens; Quads zap the Res Dolls

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:00:05 +0100

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.

Mad Rollin Dolls Bout Pictures: Season Four, Bout Two

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:46:31 +0100

The Mad Rollin' Dolls season is underway and this second bout brought in another sell-out crowd. This month's bouts were the Reservoir Dolls vs the Quad Squad and the Unholy Rollers vs the Vaudeville Vixens. Dane101 photographer Chris Norris (that's me) was there. I believe a full writeup will be coming soon.

Bella Donna (42) pulls forward jammer Thunder Kitten (11)

Mad Rollin Dolls Profiles: Reservoir Dolls Captain Mouse

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:30:38 +0100

I know I have talked endlessly about my first roller derby experience with the Mad Rollin Dolls a few years back, but like a middle aged man that can't stop reliving his glory days as high-school quarterback in "the big game", I can't stop reliving that fateful night that I got roped into the world of roller derby.

The first time I ever saw a bout, two players immediately stood out for me: Mouse and Crackerjack. Not only were they on the same team and knew how to fire up the crowd, they also played the same position as jammers and both had this undeniable flare and grace about them while gliding around all the other players. It was one of the reasons I came back to see another bout and one of the reasons I still do. Hell, as a sports fan, they're just fun to watch.

Mad Rollin' Dolls kick off season four with a major upset

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:08:11 +0100

Images by The Chris Project. Click to view larger.

Knowing the roller derby bouts usually start later than planned, I arrived around 7:15 p.m. bypassing the line that was still growing outside. I immediately saw a few friends and played catch up with them before the beginning of the bout, which finally started at 7:35 p.m. And man, did it start with a bang.

The first game was The Vaudeville Vixens vs. The Reservoir Dolls. Now, anyone that has attended a few bouts knows that The Reservoir Dolls is the team to beat. They have the flashy star players like Mouse and Crackerjack. They win all the time. They showboat. They expect glory. The Dolls are kind of like the Dallas Cowboys in the 90's or the New York Yankees anytime in their existence, and that is why I must always root against them. In fact, if this bout was covered by ESPN, sports analysts would insipidly describe this match-up as a showdown between "David and Goliath" or "Walmart and the local mom and pop store" or "Knight Rider and Herbie" or "insert big mean thing vs small innocent thing here".

Mad Rollin Dolls Profiles: Unholy Rollers Captain Wildberry Punch

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:30:04 +0100

I was with Wild Berry Punch the first time she saw a roller derby bout. It was a few years back and her future husband, who is a good friend of mine, could not attend, so we went without him. Her immediate, excited, childlike reaction was contagious and I remember trying to vicariously relive my first derby doll experience through her. On the way home after the bout, she stated that when she moved back to Madison from New York City, she was going to try out for the Mad Rollin Dolls.

Now, a few years later, Wild Berry Punch is a heavy hitter (in more ways than one) within the league. She is heading up committees, making important decisions, while at the same time performing the tasks of being a team captain for The Unholy Rollers. I recently sat down with Wild Berry Punch, via email, and asked her a few questions.