Earlier in the week I posted a caption contest honoring the kick-off of the 2009 WFTDA Roller Derby season. And the winner is…

““Player #15 performs a reverse cup-check”

Your winner and the recipient of this impressive cache of No Fear memora...errr, things – you know him, you love him – Isaac, maker and creator of the blog The World of Isaac.

In lieu of a victory speech, he submits this video…

Class. I can’t wait to ship this guy a case of something called Bloodshot Energy Drink.

Sometime between now and the next five years, Roller Derby is going to make its big splash on the sports landscape. It may be short lived ( remember Major League Roller Hockey? ) it may be sustained (see: the goddam X-Games, which refuse to relent). It also may happen sooner rather than later. Defending National Women’s Flat Track Derby Champs Gotham Girls Roller Derby kicked off their 2009 campaign with a throttling, a throuncing, a veritable beating down of the Boston Massacre All-Stars on Saturday, with a 188-44 victory in front of sizable crowd at LIU Brooklyn campus on Saturday (check out the full house here).

This is only the latest instance in the interest in Hell on Wheels heating up. ESPN aired a feature last year on the Roller Derby revival, and many media outlets have followed suit (Check out Metromix’s feature on the Gotham Girls). Not to mention, the movie that Drew Barrymore and Juno are making ( Whip It! set for release sometime in 2009).

In honor of Roller Derby’s return for what might be the sport’s break-out year, let’s do a comment contest…

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Last week’s contest poll for The Best Name in Roller Derby attracted voting like I’ve never seen on Steady Burn before, with over 800 votes being cast over the weekend!

It was Shenita Stretcher of the Philly Roller Girls emerging to earn the honor, garnering 25% of the vote (219) and just narrowly edging Gotham City’s Beyonslay (203 votes). The Carolina Roller Girls’ Trudy Struction took third.

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Shared with everyone earlier in the week that The Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association National Championships are happening this weekend in Portland. (Also known as the Northwest Knockdown!)

If you are at all intrigued, I suggest you log-on to Derby News Network, who will be streaming live tournament action. The bouts kick-off tomorrow, at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Now, here’s a photo preview of what to look out for during Hell on Wheels culminating event of the year….

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