Photo by BadJon

The biggest day in South Carolina derby took Charleston by storm as the Columbia Quad Squad, Greenville Derby Dames, Palmetto State Roller Girls, Richland County Regulators, and Sumter Fly Girls rolled into the Lowcountry Highrollers’ home turf for the State Championships!

The tournament was organized similar to the World Cup, with two pools of three teams playing against each other to make it to the finals.

The first bout featured the reigning champions, the Columbia Quad Squad defeating  Myrtle Beach’s Palmetto State Roller Girls, 88-19.

Next up were the Highrollers facing off against the Greenville Derby Dames. The Highrollers struck first with Green-Eyed Sniper putting points on the board, and the Highrollers continued the momentum by following up with a big power jam by Lex McCusker. The Dames rallied back when jammer Lorena Block-It racked up a huge 30-point power jam, but the Highrollers skated to the win, 127-55.

The third bout featured PSRG against the Richland County Regulators, with PSRG picking up the win 96-59.

Up next was the debut bout for the Sumter Fly Girls. This team, featuring several ladies from GDD, CQS, and the URGE and coached by RCR’s Dell, rose to the challenge of a tournament-level bout and took on GDD. It was a trial by fire, and GDD took the win 173-22.

The fifth bout of the day featured a capitol city showdown with CQS taking on their crosstown rivals, RCR. The Regulators started strong with big hits and strong walls, but CQS outlasted the assault and skated away with the win, 132-31.

The Highrollers hit the track again, this time facing off against the SFG. Right from the first whistle, LCHR made a strong showing, with Major Threat, Ringo Starrdust, and Molly Mauls-A-Lot grabbing lead jammer statuses and picking up points. SFG’s BeatHer Pan flexed her jammer skills by picking up points,and the Fly Girls kept up the fight till the very last whistle, showing the crowd that South Carolina has another strong derby squad on the rise. Final score was LCHR 102, SFG 22.

Game seven was the battle for third place in the state, which featured the two second place teams from each pool, PSRG and GDD. These two mean green teams fought hard and fought long in a heated derby battle, but when the dust settled, GDD had earned the title of 3rd in state with a score of 83-20.

The final and highly-anticipated championship bout featured the undefeated Columbia Quad Squad against the hometown Lowcountry Highrollers. The ladies in pink struck first, with Tropikally Punch grabbing the first lead jammer status, followed by Green-Eyed Sniper’s lead jammer status in the second jam. Never ones to trail behind, CQS’ jammers Crystal Cutt and Grafik answered back, keeping the score close. After a few lead changes, LCHR began to pull away and increased their lead by 10 points. It became a battle of blockers, with CQS’s Truckstop, Chucktown Bruiser, and Holly Hunter keeping Kally and Sniper in their sights, and LCHR’s Lex McCusker, Detroit Funk, and Sexual Chocolate working over the CQS jammers. CQS brought the score back up, and derby fans rose to their feet and crowded the caution tape line as the final minutes ticked away. It was a exciting fight to the finish, but as the final whistle blew, CQS took the win and remained the South Carolina state championships with a score of 71-64.

This tournament was the final 2011 bout for the Highrollers, who finished 9-1 in the regular season and second place in the state tournament. We want to give lots of DERBY LOVE to all our wonderful fans who cheered us on throughout the season, our sponsors who supported us in our league efforts, our referees who give countless (and often thankless!) hours to keep the sport safe, fair and fun, our NSOs who help keep our bouts running smoothly, and our volunteers who really pulled out all the stops to help us make this tournament possible.

We would also like to thank each and every skater who attended the tournament for being such a great competitor, contributor to the success of the tournament, and a proud representative for her league and the sport.  South Carolina has some serious derby talent, and we wish all the best to every league in their upcoming 2012 season!

The Highrollers are now in their off-season, but you can still catch your favorite derby girls around town! We’ll be skating in the City of Charleston Christmas parade on December 4, as well as in the Folly Beach Christmas parade on December 10. For all the latest on your Highrollers, become our fan on Facebook and check back right here at lowcountryhighrollers.com.

Your final scores:

Game 1: CQS 88  PSRG 19
Game 2: LCHR 127  GDD 55
Game 3: PSRG 96  RCR 59
Game 4: GDD 173  SFG 22
Game 5: CQS 132  RCR 31
Game 6: LCHR 102  SFG 22
Game 7 (Runner-Up Bout): GDD 83  PSRG  20
Game 8 (Championship Bout): CQS 71  LCHR 64