My grandpa has been saying for the last ten years that he will one day decide he’s ready to die, and at that moment, he will pack his hobo bindle and start walking to Wyoming. I can’t think of a worse hell. Personally, I believe Wyoming is the worst state in the Union (Sorry, Arizona). So, when I learned that the drive from Fort Collins, Colorado, to the Davis County Conference Center takes several hours of travel through Wyoming, I felt a twinge in my heart of respect for the Choice City Rebels. Derby makes people do crazy, horrible things.

I knew relatively little about Choice City before heading north to watch them take on the Junction City Trainwrecks. Still a somewhat small league, they travel with two-thirds of their skaters. Knowing this now, I can see why Choice City runs such tight strategies. When it comes to travel teams, just having the time to practice with each other can make or break a winning streak.

Choice wasted no time in seizing the lead jammer position, taking control of the first two jams. Junction stayed on their tail, however, ensuring Choice City only managed to score a lead in the single digits. Soon, Junction’s darling jammer Pickle leapt on a chance to score an incredible 29 points while the penalty box filled up with Choice City’s players, jammer included. It wouldn’t be the last time Choice saw skaters heading out, with a number of loose falls turning into low blocks and major track cuts. However, Junction was not immune either. Three jams in a row were lost to their jammers making it through the pack first, but committing a minor penalty in doing so, therefore not gaining lead.

After a 19-point power jam by Wreck N’ Glamour, the second half started with Choice City gaining more comfort on Junction’s smooth track. JCRD’s blockers tried to land some big hits, but bounced off of the likes of Choice City’s solid skaters. Meanwhile, Jersey Justice scored a 25-point power jam with Junction’s jammer in the box. But the deal had already been sealed, and Junction won the game with a score of 135-99.

After an hour and a half of intense derby, the Junction girls took the track again to finish the season-long rivalry between home teams. It came down to the Hilltop Aces against the Railway Banditas. Even though several of the Aces were fresh off the bout against Choice City, they still pushed through to hold onto their championship title for the second year in a row.

The Junction City Roller Dolls play again in a few months for a Halloween Expo, facing off against Fort Collins’ other derby league, the FOCO Girls Gone Derby. Scheduled for Oct. 17 at the Davis Conference Center, more information on tickets and the league can be found at http://jcrdolls.com/. For anyone traveling beyond the hell-flats of Wyoming, be sure to check out the derby girls of Fort Collins at http://choicecityrebels.com/, or check out Choice City’s Facebook to find out more.

Check out more photos of the bout by Chris Bojonower here.