Midwest Brewhaha rolls into Franklin Saturday

Brewcity Bruiser fans experiencing roller derby withdrawal after May 8’s thrilling home season finale can rejoice, as they’re about get a heavy derby overdose. 20 teams from the WFTDA North Central Region and beyond descend on the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in Franklin this Saturday for the Midwest Brewhaha, a chance to see how well our own BCB All-Stars match up against other derby all-stars from around the country.

The action starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and goes non-stop until the end of the headlining bout at 7 p.m. each night. That’s a lot of bruises, whips and collisions! Two tracks will be set up to accommodate overlapping bouts during a weekend of rip-roarin’ WFTDA-sanctioned action. The bouts featuring WFTDA member leagues count toward national rankings and everything!

But hey, maybe you’re a local derby fan who’s only familiar with our four home leagues; maybe you only come out to derby to see your friends play, etc. C’mon, admit it—you’re curious to see how your derby girl pals measure up nationally, aren’t you? Of course you are. But it’s true—many

Photo by Bruce Berna.

Milwaukee derby fans will be coming into Brewhaha weekend not knowing much about the other leagues. Good thing you’ve got ThirdCoast Digest to help you out, eh? While you peruse the weekend schedule, keep an eye out for these notable matchups:

Saturday

11 a.m.: Tampa Tantrums vs. Arch Rival Roller Girls All-Stars

Saturday morning affords Milwaukee its first glance at roller derby from beyond the Midwest, including this contest pitting the Tampa Bay Derby Darlins’ all-star Team (ranked 7th in the South Central region) against a frequent opponent of our BCB All-Stars, the North Central Region’s 8th-ranked Arch Rival from St. Louis.

1 p.m.: Grand Raggidy Roller Girls All-Stars vs. Hammer City Eh! Team

Hammer City of Hamilton, Ontario began WFTDA sanctioned play in December and recently entered the North Central rankings at 17. They’ll take on Grand Rapids’ 9th-ranked Grand Raggidy All-Stars as they try to show the Midwest that international derby has arrived and can hold its own with the States!

Photo by Bruce Berna.

4 p.m.: Sioux Falls Doll Starz vs. Fox Cityz Foxz

Milwaukee finally gets its first peek at our WFTDA apprentice league neighbors to the north, Appleton/Oshkosh’s Fox Cityz Foxz. The Foxz recently completed their third home season and are sending their travel team, the Scream Puffz (featuring several members of the league champion Paper Dolls),to Milwaukee to gain valuable interleague experience.

This bout is certain to excite many of the BCB skaters and refs who occasionally made the trip up to the Fox Valley to lend a hand in the league’s early days. (The play-by-play from Foxz announcer and former Boris the Sprinkler vocalist Rev. Norb is certain to entertain as well!)

5 p.m.: Brewcity Battlestars vs. COMO All Stars

The BCB B-Team, the Battlestars, last played in a nasty 153-65 defeat in Madison last month at the hands of a Mad Rollin’ Dolls home team, the Unholy Rollers. We’ll see if they can rebound during their first action of the weekend in this bout against the COMO All-Stars out of Columbia, MO.

7 p.m.: Brewcity All-Stars v Burning River All-Stars

The first day of the Brewhaha is headlined by our very own 5th-ranked North Central Brewcity All-Stars, as they take on Cleveland’s 10th-ranked Burning River All-Stars. Here’s where you can find local favorites like High D Voltage and Rejected Seoul as they take on a feisty Cleveland team looking to shoot up the rankings.

2 p.m.: Jet City Bombers v Sioux Falls Doll Starz

Everett, WA’s Jet City Bombers recently debuted in the WFTDA West Regional rankings at number 12. Here’s another chance to catch some roller derby from across the continent as they look to boost their ranking against the North Central’s 15th-ranked Sioux Falls. (Note: No word on whether or not Jet City makes liberal use of the song “Jet City Woman” by Queensryche, or whether or not they’re completely sick of that joke.)

5 p.m.: Windy City All Stars v Dairyland Dolls

Two of the top three teams in the North Central region and perennial powerhouses, the all-star teams of Chicago’s Windy City Rollers and Madison’s Mad Rollin’ Dolls will collide in a vicious 1 vs. 3 matchup. This bout could have a major impact on the North Central rankings. Both leagues have home bouts on Saturday (including the Dolls’ home season championship), so we’ll see if either team has a home-bout hangover heading into this one (chances are the answer to that will be “hell no”). This is a CAN’T MISS bout!

7 p.m.: Brewcity All-Stars v Tampa Tantrums

The BCB All-Stars will headline both nights as they take on the Tantrums. Will the Bruisers be able to sweep the weekend, or will the away teams come in and sweep a pair of victories from our girls? Head down to Franklin and see for yourself! The action starts Saturday morning, bright and early at 10 AM!

Can’t be there all weekend? Fear not—the Bruisers have set up a payment scale that will allow you to attend as much of the Brewhaha as you want! Tickets are $40 for a weekend pass, $25 for a day pass and $15 for a one-day headliner pass (good only for bouts after 6 p.m.).

And the entire weekend will be broadcast on the internet by the Derby News Network! Don’t let Milwaukee look like derby Siberia—head down to the Milwaukee County Sports Complex and help Milwaukee roller derby represent!