California Mayhem takes Junior Roller Derby National Championship
Published in the September 17-30, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Photo by Amy Aochi
From left to right, Grace Aochi (G-Force), Jessie Daley (Kangaroothless), Coach Misty Greer (Pia Mess) and Amber Aochi (Count Smackula) pose with the scoreboard displaying the score of the team’s championship victory last month.
Three Morgan Hill girls have a “what I did over the summer” story to tell their classmates like no other.
Thrown together with girls from throughout California, Amber Aochi (Count Smackula), Grace Aochi (G-Force) and Jessie Daley (Kangaroothless), returned last month from a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida where their team California Mayhem took home the Division II Junior Roller Derby National Championship as part of “JuniorCon,” an annual Junior Roller Derby Convention that brings together athletes across the nation to attend training workshops and compete in a national tournament.
“We thought we were going to get crushed,” said 17-year-old Amber Aochi, the eldest of the trio and a Live Oak High School senior.
Most of the girls thought the same thing, they said.
The group all met for the first time when they got to Florida and were playing teams that had practiced and played together for months or even years. They had a two-hour practice before the first bout and had little hope for a successful run at the title.
“Given they never practiced together, they did so well,” said Lynnie Daley, Jessie’s mother.
Roller derby is played by two teams that both field five members, simultaneously skating counterclockwise on a circuit track. Each team designates a scoring player (the “jammer”), the other four members are “blockers.” One blocker can be designated as a “pivot” — a blocker allowed to become a jammer in the course of play. Each team’s blockers use body contact, change positions and other tactics to assist its jammer to score while hindering the opposing team’s jammer.
Upon arrival in Daytona Beach, the girls began training and attending coaching workshops. Despite working through just one practice together, California Mayhem won by a wide margin.
“After that we felt more confident,” Jessie Daley said.
In addition to California Mayhem, teams were from Texas, Tennessee, New York, Washington, Indiana and Florida. A computer program at the tournament predicted outcomes of each of the bouts, and in the second match it had California Mayhem losing by more than 100 points. But they went on to beat the team from Fort Wayne, Indiana by seven points.
They went on to win their next three bouts, advancing to the finals.
The girls said they weren’t nervous and looked forward to the chance.
“Oh, my gosh, we have a chance to win a national championship,” Amber Aochi said of the opportunity. She said when she returned to school, she had a great story to tell about her summer vacation.
“I didn’t think it was real,” said Grace Aochi. “But I really thought we had a chance.”
After qualifying for the finals, “half of me thought we could win, the other half thought we were done,” Jessie Daley said. After she returned home with her medal, she thought about wearing it to bed, “but I didn’t,” she said with a huge smile. “We represented our state though.”
The three girls play for the Silicon Valley Roller Girls junior team and practice every Sunday. They said the California Mayhem team will stay together and compete in other tournaments.
“The experience has given them new skills, new friends and wonderful memories,” Lynnie Daley said. “This unique and fun sport continues to challenge and inspire them.”
