580 battle hard, fall in last home bout

The 580 RollerGirls gave as good as they got but it just wasn’t enough Saturday night as they fell to 1-1 for the season in the last home bout for 2023.

Trailing 54 to 109 at the half-time, a strong second-half surge wasn’t enough as 580 fell to the Alamo City Rollergirls, 172-120 on the concrete flat track at the Great Plains Coliseum. With 10 skaters compared to Alamo City’s 17 on the roster, it was a tough go, according to Marie Pihulic, a.k.a. Molly Meet Your Maker.

“Since 580 was skating short, the blockers essentially played every other jam, or stayed out for multiple jams,” she said. “The 580 jammers also pulled double duty by blocking.”

Pihulic said the visiting team relayed they were impressed by the Lawton squad’s endurance and ability to reform walls to block jammers from passing. She offered praise for a first-time skater. Samantha Thompson, a.k.a. Blazin’ Asian, made a big impression.

“She is an Air Force spouse and roller derby transplant bringing with her years of track experience,” she said.

Thompson said the bout was a long wait but a great experience in getting back to the track.

“I’ve waited two years to finally play with my team at home and it was amazing,” she said. “I was really nervous at first but once that whistle blew, we knew exactly what we needed to do.”

Another skater, Kaitlynn Whitson, a.k.a. Smack Dahlia, made some big hits and was often found hunting down the jammer, Pihulic said.

For Devon Wigle, a.k.a., Running Scarred, it was a night of showing her stuff one last time. An Army spouse, she and her family will be leaving Fort Sill soon. Pihulic said her 46 points were a mark of her endurance as she served as jammer for the last four rounds of action.

Wigle called her last game a “bittersweet moment.”

“Sweet to work hard and play hard, and sad to know it is the last for now,” she said. “It is not the end of derby for me, though, as I am planning to play with the Kansas City Roller Warriors.”

Pihulic also scored 46 points with the star on her helmet. She said it was a pretty clean game with heavy hits doled out on both sides. She earned MVP jammer honors and Brandi Smith, a.k.a. Half-Pint earned top blocker status.