2012 MRDA Championships Preview: #4 Magic City Misfits
The #4 Magic City Misfits are one of the most exciting teams to watch in all of roller derby. The team from Jacksonville, Florida paved the way to their second-straight MRDA Championships appearance by putting up some staggering offensive numbers. The Misfits, MRDA’s only undefeated team this season at 4-0, set an MRDA record for most points scored in a bout (617) and beat each of their opponents by at least 160 points. Yet, despite these impressive numbers, the Magic City Misfits remain a bit of a question mark. They are the only team to qualify for the 2012 Championships that has not played any of the other qualifying teams this year.
Since joining MRDA in September of 2010, the Misfits have lost one game: an eight-point loss to the eventual-champion New York Shock Exchange in the semi-finals of the 2011 MRDA Championships. The Misfits proceeded to beat the St. Louis GateKeepers in the third-place game. Since then, the Misfits posted three big victories at Spring Roll against the Rock City Riot, Connecticut Death Quads, and Sioux City Korn Stalkers. Their fourth win of the 2012 season was their closest: a 267-107 home victory against the Race City Rebels.
“My favorite part of the 2012 season was our first home game in the three years that we have been a team,” Magic City Misfit TJ “Just the Tip” Brinkley said. “A big thanks goes to the Race City Rebels for being the first team to travel to Florida to play us.”
Magic City is well aware they are going to face some stiff competition at Champs and are preparing accordingly. “The entire team has been training on and off skates: hitting the gym, lifting weights, and working on cardio,” Brinkley explained. “Everyone gives 150% all year. I’m 200% certain we will be prepared once we step on that track.”
Magic City will need to be prepared when they take on #5 Puget Sound in the first round’s most anticipated match-up. “I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that we are stoked about playing Puget Sound,” Brinkley affirmed. “They have some awesome skaters, and I think it will be a true derby game. Hopefully, we will have a fast-paced game with a lot of skating and little-to-no slow derby. Both teams match up pretty well. Both teams have awesome skaters. This will be the game to watch on Saturday.”
Puget Sound and Magic City play each other for the first time at Championships. They were scheduled to face off in July at RollerCon, but a last-minute snafu put an end to those plans. Fans can expect to see some of men’s roller derby’s most talented skaters playing old-fashioned, smash-mouth derby. Magic City will showcase their trademark backwards blocking, while Puget Sound will demonstrate what happens when a hard-hitting team has a large target zone to work with.
“The fans can expect awesome individual and TEAM skating. The Misfits will be a well-oiled machine: level-headed and balls-to-the-wall,” Brinkley added. “We have tunnel vision, and we’re not going to be knocked off track. Expect the unexpected.”
Tickets are still available for the MRDA Championships “Gateway to the Best,” taking place October 20-21 in St. Louis, Missouri. Visit Brown Paper Tickets for more information. And, keep your browser refreshed at MRDA for more team profiles and interviews.