Charlotte Defeats Columbia 126 to 100

The Charlotte Speed Demons sought redemption for their opening game loss to the Columbia Miss B-havers on Saturday night and received it with a 126-100 victory over the team from South Carolina. The game was easily the most action packed and intense of the season with both teams putting forth herculean efforts. It was evident to the full house of rabid roller derby fans that both teams brought their A game.



Columbia jumped out to the early lead after briefly shutting down the hometown team’s jammers. Charlotte’s Brandi Efird, jamming for her first time in the game, scored nine points in the 10th jam and brought her team back in contention. Two jams later, her momentum was carried on by Leslie Jenkins who scored four points, enough for Charlotte to take over the top spot.



It was at this point that something seemed to click with the Charlotte squad. Jammer Pam Yavorka scored 14 points in the next jam and strong performances by Amber Fillhart and Carrie Hanson allowed the Speed Demons to head to the locker room at the half with a 56-48 lead.



After the break, both teams came out swinging. Each scored a few points here and there but neither were able to get an edge. Midway through the second half, Columbia briefly pulled ahead but it was short lived. Jenkins and Hanson responded with 15 and 13 point jam point jams respectively allowing Charlotte to take over the lead. They held strong and in the end took their second win in two games. With the victory, Charlotte extended their record to 3-3.



The next game for Charlotte is at home on July 14 when they face the Rogue Rollergirls of Fayetteville. All Speed Demons home games are held at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo located at 7100 Statesville Rd. Game time is 7:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 6:30.



Tickets are $10 in advance and on sale now at www.CharlotteSpeedDemons.com. They can also be purchased at Inner Peaks Climbing Center (9535 Monroe Rd.), The Last Word (230 East WT Harris Blvd.) and all 9Round Charlotte locations (16721 Orchard Stone Run and 1412 East Blvd.). Tickets are available on game day for $14.



Established in 2010, the Speed Demons are part of the movement to develop roller derby into a professional level sport with an eye on inclusion in the Olympic Games. While all other teams in the region incorporate some level of showmanship such as stage names, stage makeup or nontraditional sports attire, the Speed Demons have chosen a different direction. To promote the athleticism of the sport and create a family‑friendly environment, its athletes compete using their legal names and wear traditional sports uniforms.