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The Tough Cookies' Venus d'Maulr / All photos by Kelly C. Gallamore for LAist
While much of LA stayed home watching movies Saturday night, the real action was in Historic Filipinotown, where a sold out crowd of 2,000+ ventured out into a meteorological maelstrom to watch the L.A. Derby Dolls season-opening bout.
The Tough Cookies dominated each quarter to knock off the Fight Crew 35-28 in the new Doll Factory, a converted 30,000 sq. ft. former ice cream cone factory, which is far more spacious and comfortable than the former Doll House in Little Tokyo.
Banked track roller derby is fast and recklessly exciting, with each jam lasting only 60 seconds. Both sides dealt some heavy blows resulting in minor injuries but The Tough Cookies held on despite the ejection of speedy jammer Gori Spelling in the 4th quarter.
There are more local Derby Dolls events to come this Spring season, the next on Feb. 16. More info at the Derby Dolls' website.
Five players from each team enter the track line up for a 60-second jam -- four blockers and one jammer. The whistle blows and the group of blockers start skating. The jammers begin after a second whistle. To score, a jammer must skate through the group of blockers, go all the way around the track and catch up to the group again. For every opposing blocker they pass after that, an additional point is gained.
VIDEO:
Watch one of the more physical jams of the night with one
serious
hit near the end
(l): Lucy Ballbreaker's got a fan club. (r:)Tough Cookies' Titty Titty Bang Bang and Sniperella lock up.
Crystal Deth and Fight Crew never relented but Kelly Kaboom and the Tough Cookies skated away to victory.
Kelly Kaboom celebrates the Tough Cookies decisive victory.
Gori Spelling takes a breather between jams.
Apocalyptica goes down hard.
There is a chiropractor and an EMT on hand at each event and a team of enforcers who threaten to punch each other in the face when not calling out penalties.
Enforcers Cagey Bea and Hannah Grenade face off.
The victorious Tough Cookies.
All photos by Kelly C. Gallamore for LAist