Bout day 1 recap.
On Saturday 30th March we played Gent. We were really looking forward to meeting this team on the track, not only because we’d seen them cause a few upsets at track queens but also because of the theme they’d used - kitties vs tigers!
The day started with a late team breakfast at the hotel. We’re pretty much all breakfast enthusiasts in the Brawlers (food in general, really) then we headed over to the Sckrpnch skate shop owned by Gent’s Miss Miyagi. Kid Block indulged in some new wheels and a few more Brawlers got the Pivotstar Francey Pants Capris. With a couple of hours left to go until we had to leave for the venue, we all headed back to the hotel to rest before the game.
We arrived at the venue a few hours early so we could try out the floor, get used to the environment and generally feel a bit more prepared for the game. The venue was amazing and Gent were really welcoming, some girls were wearing tiger things and there were lots of tiger decorations to compliment the theme of the day. The snacks and drinks they provided were really appreciated (sports drinks, water, fruit, sweets and waffles!) They played Tiger Feet and Eye of the Tiger during warm ups too, which was great. We all really liked the floor and after some team talks we were ready to face the mighty Go Go Gent.
The first ten minutes Gent really had control of the game, getting lead jammer most of the time and capitalising on our penalties they were over 40 points ahead of us when we decided to call a time out. A few people have asked what magical words were said during that minute but the truth is captains Kid Block and Lola Coaster, along with our bench staff, really have a great way of getting us back in to our own head space. We went back out there and played the way we’d trained and by half time we had a 60 point lead. We continued our run during the second half, having to keep adapting our strategy to the changes Gent were making but managing to keep on top despite how tough they were as opponents. We finished the game with a win 333 - 119, enough to push us up to number 2 in the rankings.
Almost immediately we had to board the bus to take us back to the hotel (driver rules) so we could eat, hydrate and rest ready for Sunday’s game against One Love. Unfortunately that meant most of us couldn’t make it to the after party but Soph and Ava were there to represent Tiger Bay, Brawler style. I’m sure they’ll have some stories to share on here.
It was such a great day, challenging opponents, great team work and lots of fun. I can’t wait to meet Gent on the track again, hopefully at 2013: a skate odyssey
Billie x
