Port T’Orchard, a group of women ages 15 to 49 who love the sport of flat track roller derby, was established about a year ago.
But within six months, the team of women and young girls came together and finished second at the USA Roller Sports Roller Derby national championship in late October in Tulsa, Okla.
They lost to the two-time national champions, Oly Roller, from Olympia.
Port T’Orchard reached nationals after a third-place finish at a regional qualifiers tournament in Seattle. They faced skaters came from Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. The top three teams advanced to nation-
als. The teams had two
months to practice and pre- pare for the best teams in the nation. They faced Port City of California — ranked No. 1 in their regional — in their first bout and pulled out a 75-70 win.
Next on the schedule was the No. 1 team in Tulsa, the Tulsa Derby League. Port T’Orchard won easily, 101-26, and advanced to the winner’s bracket against the Oly Rollers.
The team, which was started by seasoned skater Amy Durgan (Brawlyana), is coached by Dylan Wickerslam. Durgan has skated with the Slaughter County Roller Vixens (Bremerton), Port Scandalous (Port Angeles) and the Northwest Derby Company (Port Orchard),
before she organized the Port T’Orchard group. Wickerslam skates on two men’s team in Seattle and Olympia.
Last summer, the team held tryouts for junior-aged females and three girls were selected.
The team includes two sets of sisters — Ruby (Red Rager) and Lily Smith(Little Mean Sunshine) and Brycer (Blonde ’N Bitchin) and Devon Tamaccio (D Bomb), a mother and daughter — Jennifer (Evil Jenevil) and Talli Moretty (Talli Whackher), and the coach’s mother, Holly Botts (Wicked Slam).
Other members are Alison Rolly (Zonan the Barbarian), Jessica Dickerson (Jessica), Deva Samuels (Deva Skater Her), Ashley Bastian (Bashley Blaze), Crissi Williams (Scuttlebutt Jibber Jabber), Molly Crabtree (Stone Cold Stunner) and Emily Stonecipher (Octopus Prime).
The Smith sisters and Talli Moretty are the junior members of the team.
