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Story by Sheri Zampelli
The LA Derby Dolls 2008 Championships were like an emotional replay of last week's presidential election. The Tough Cookies, who have never won a championship, faced off against the 2007 champion Sirens. "Cookie's in '08" election-style posters have been plastered around the Doll Factory for nearly a year, and as attendees filed into the building for Saturday night's bout they received "I voted Cookies '08" lapel stickers.
The Tough Cookies skated out in their all new, patriotic, red-white-and-blue uniforms with American flags in hand. Their team chant was, "Yes We Can!, Yes We Can!, Yes We Can!". Despite their enthusiasm, it was the final jam of the contest that decided who would reign victorious. One thing was clear, the Sirens weren't going to give up their championship status without a fight. Sirens came out strong and maintained a lead most of the game.
In the words of Tough Cookies jammer/blocker Krissy Krash, "This game was literally a race against the clock. We were back and forth all night. Whichever team was ahead when the time ran out was going to win."
Game announcer Evil E., who has been with the Derby Dolls since their inception said, "It was definitely the most exciting L.A. Derby Dolls bout I have ever seen. The teams were well matched and did an incredible job, both offensively and defensively".
Krissy Krash, the first Tough Cookie jammer to put her team in the lead, said, "I knew I was tight on time and I gave those last few seconds everything I had. When I made it through the last two Sirens and heard the whistle blow and realized I had pulled us into the lead. That was one of the greatest moments in my skating career".
Any Tough Cookies lead during the game was short-lived. The defense on both teams was ruthless. In fact, throughout the night, jammers on both teams spent as much time falling and trying to get up as they did skating and striving for points. There were plenty of penalites as well, with ramming and elbows being the most common. Ultimately, three Dolls (Kelly Kaboom, PITA and Krissy Krash) were ejected from the game for excessive penalties.
It was literally in the last jam of the season when Gori Spelling scored the five defining points, that the 2008 Derby Dolls Championship was finally decided. "Cookies in '08" was more than a cute slogan or a well-executed marketing campaign, it was reality.
Even so, the end of the bout was dramatic and perplexing. Fans waited patiently as LADD enforcers tallied up the penalties and made their final conclusions. Once the winner was proclaimed, the crowd went wild and Tough Cookies captian Iron Maiven grabbed the championship trophy and skated a victory lap with pride and jubilation.
Tough Cookies team manager, Razorslut, summed it up. "I had no doubt in my mind that the Cookies would win, they wanted it so bad."
