It was hot and humid and rainy and TTC wasn’t cooperating and the madness of a busy Downsview Park should have kept everyone away from the bout on Saturday night. But this is the Chicks and Gores, the only teams to have ever held The Boot high, and no amount of obstacles were going to keep the crowd away from this one.

So it was a a full but sweaty Hangar that took in another fantastic bout in this, ToRD’s fantastic WFTDA apprentice season. The Gores and Chicks shook things up, playing against type. It was a strategic Chicks’ pack that was shaking off massive hits from the Gores’ blockers all night.

In the end the difference may have come down to jammer match ups, and once the Rev got things right, the Gores started to roll. Despite the potential for chaos, the volunteers and players made the bout a huge success.

Final Score: Gores 124 vs. Chicks 80.

What was extraordinary to see was how evident the evolution of the sport was on this night. Both teams employed great pack strategies and jammer defenses. As ToRD progresses through its apprenticeship and gets exposed to more and more roller derby these kinds of advances will become more prevalent. The sport is becoming more refined, the strategies more complicated.

Exciting days indeed.

Keep your eye on ToRD.TV for boutcasts from layer9 and player interviews.

My full bout recap will be up shortly.

tord, Gore-Gore Rollergirls, Chicks Ahoy