Spirit of 2013 - Queens Beats the Bronx, Stays Unbeaten

By Thomas Gerbasi

If one word can describe the home season of the Gotham Girls Roller Derby League over the past several years, it’s “parity.” Among Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, that the old sports cliché “on any given night” rings true.

But at John Jay College in Manhattan on May 6, the Queens of Pain were doing their best to shatter that notion of parity and “any given night” as they scored a 232-108 victory over the Bronx Gridlock that moved them to 2-0 in 2017 and one step closer to August’s championship game.

PHOTO MANISH GOSALIA

In the process, their 124-point margin of victory was the first three-figure spread in the league since Queens defeated Manhattan 262-171 in June 2013. That year was also the last time Queens hoisted the Golden Skate championship trophy, and they’re clearly aiming for that coveted trinket once more this year, if the win over the Bronx was any indication.

Trading points back and forth in the early going, Queens took an early lead, but the Bronx was staying within striking range. In the 16th jam, however, the Gridlock’s Kate Sera Sera was hit with a Gross Misconduct penalty and ejected from the bout for colliding with a referee.

At the moment of the ejection, Queens led 81-46, but by halftime, that lead ballooned to 126-60.

PHOTO MANISH GOSALIA

With one of their top scorers out of the game, Bronx’ Big Banger and Legs // Cite did their best to keep the points coming for the cabbies. But with veterans Suzy Hotrod and ShortStop stepping on the gas on the jammer line for Queens as their defense clamped down, it became a hill too high to climb for the Gridlock, who dropped to 0-2 on the season.

PHOTO MANISH GOSALIA

QUEENS vs. BRONX STATS

                          1         2        F

Queens   126   106 232                                          

Bronx     60       48 108

Queens MVP – Suzy Hotrod

Bronx MVP – Lucky Scars

Leading Queens Scorers

ShortStop 79 points (15 jams)

Suzy Hotrod 72 points (13 jams)

Beauty Andie Beast 61 points (11 jams)

Leading Queens Blockers

Livvie Smalls 22 jams (+67)

Puss ‘n Glutes 21 jams (+32)

Chopstick Murphy 18 jams (+86)

Leading Bronx Scorers

Big Banger 49 points (14 jams)

Kate Sera Sera 29 points (7 jams)

Legs // Cite 20 points (17 jams)

Leading Bronx Blockers

Cherry Napalm 24 jams (-55)

Rude McSlamahan 22 jams (-100)

Fast and Luce 21 jams (-44)

Queens Penalties

Minutes in Box: 24 Jammer Box Trips: 4

Bronx Penalties

Minutes in Box: 37 Jammer Box Trips: 8

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