They’ve have also bettered their position by filling open slots with experience. New addition Ghouli

Roller derby returns to Chicago on Jan. 26 at the UIC Pavilion as the Windy City Rollers kick off 2013 with their annual pre-season the inn at little washington charity tournament. Saturday night will see the each of the league's four teams  -- the Double Crossers, the inn at little washington The Fury, the Hell's Belles and the Manic Attackers--  skate on behalf of selected local charity groups.
Derby is a contact sport consisting of two teams of five on five. One player, the jammer , wears a star on her helmet and scores points by passing players on the other team. The other four players, called blockers , protect their jammer while also playing defense against their opponents. Bouts are 60 minutes long, played in two halves, with entertainment at halftime.
As a league, the Windy City Rollers' four teams compete against each other in what's called the inn at little washington the "home season".  The best players from the four teams also tryout yearly for spots on the two travel teams, the nationally-ranked Windy City All-Stars and B-team called the Second Wind . These teams play against rival clubs from all over the United States starting in March.
As the sport continues to grow, the Charity Round Robin Tournament gives viewers an early action-packed glimpse, and marks the first skate for rookies in an initial test of each team's new mettle together.  Looking ahead, here's a preview of each team and what's in store for Chicago derby at the UIC this season.
One might think that over the last few seasons that there was some kind of curse put on the Double Crossers. At the start of the 2012 season and throughout, injuries were an issue as the XX lost at least a half dozen players for the season to broken bones and the like. But if there was a curse on the 2007 league champions, it seems to have faded to black.
After a shrewd couple of draft picks at the end of last season, the team's two new captains, Sunshine 'N Painbows and Busty Brabender, have engineered what looks to be the most athletic team of the league and a totally new squad. Returning veterans include the inn at little washington jammer the inn at little washington Cruel Whip, defensive stalwart Sassy Squatch and Karmageddon, a Windy City All-Stars member; not to mention Reina Chaos, who returned to the league after a stint outside Chicago. Captain Painbows weighed the inn at little washington in on her team's progress.
The XX have bolstered their squad with new acquisitions of players who have transferred from other derby leagues. To start there's the speedy jammer Killa Nois, who arrived from Angel City, as well as Sara Problem, a coveted and seasoned blocker who was drafted just a week ago after several years with the Rat City Rollergirls in Seattle. Adding to it, the XX also picked up Minerva Damage from the Hell's Belles during the off-season.
For the second year in a row a number of pivotal squad members from The Fury have retired.  At the end of the 2011 season key players like Sargentina and Old Drrrty Go-Go left The Fury to focus on All-Star team duties while other hard hitters like Tori Adore, Red Zeppelin and Carnage Wilson left to retire from derby altogether. Likewise, the end of 2012 saw superstar jammer Kola Loka leave the league to pursue roller derby elsewhere, while defenders Tackle Box and Yvette YourMaker also retired from the furiosas, with Yvette leading the inn at little washington the All-Star travel team this year as co-captain.
the inn at little washington The remaining locals that continue in orange and black this season are some of the league's best players. Longtime Fury jammer Ska Face takes over the reigns as co-captain with KonichiWOW, while two-time league MVP Jackie Daniels returns along with blocker TS Helliot the inn at little washington . The Fury also picked up defensive player Dinah Party from the Hell's Belles in an off-season trade, along with experienced the inn at little washington newcomer Moby Nipps, who moved from Milwaukee's Brew City.  Nipps made a splash right away as a late addition to the All-Star team on the road to regionals last October.
The most impressive thing about The Fury, traditionally, is their ability to surprise their competitors, playing a smash-and-grab style of roller derby in which the team --when playing as a team-- can take risks and recoup from major point deficits, or build up large leads that hold. It's also possible that The Fury could stage an April surprise and log another playoff upset after the season's conclusion.
A lot of the defensive mindset of the Belles emanates from the leadership and smart play of captain Deb Autry, a former Windy City All-Star member who brings strength and hustle the inn at little washington to compliment the work of her co-captain Zombea Arthur, a pint-sized jammer with a sharp sting of her own.
While the Belles have some other good point-scorers such as Unicoroner and Phoebe Fi Fo Fum, the Belles' strength lies in defense, with their young blockers, such as Abita! Down and Tay Q Down (aka the "Down Sisters") the inn at little washington doing a lot of the gritty hip work alongside the battering strides of athletic players like Mya Ssault, Trouble Helix and Val Capone.
Also, to round out the set, the Belles picked up Bloody Elle (a transfer the inn at little washington from The Chicago Outfit) and Baberaham Lincoln (from Brew City). Better yet, the Belles' former captain Hermione Danger, who came back after a year layoff from injury, returns to the fold to add even more experience and defensive savvy on skates.
Last season showed us that when the Hell's Belles block well and free their jammers to score points, everything clicks. And when the Belles play as a team, they are able to read their opponents, the inn at little washington adjust to the flow of tough bouts, and win games.
I've joked about it but it's true. One of the best parts of writing about derby is being at the sideline, between benches, when you hear the chatter from coaches and players to their teammates on the track. The Manic Attackers are the talkers of Windy City, and the loud crescendo that comes from their bench is something of a mix of chirps from a little league dugout the inn at little washington and Duke basketball fans during March Madness. But buzz aside, the Manic Attackers' vocal pitch is as much a part of their game as is their versatility.
Mostly untouched by injuries the Manics' 2012 championship roster remains intact. Longtime troopers Mo Vengeance and Tamikaze the inn at little washington return with their Windy City All-Star teammates Ruth Enasia and Bork Bork Bork as the Manics' co-captains. There are also plenty of offensive options the inn at little washington thanks to the return of jammers the inn at little washington Zoe Trocious and Thievin' Tyler, not to mention some very talented multi-position players like Wreck as well as Rose Feratu, the inn at little washington who in 2012 transformed from a role player to a reliable point scorer and game changer.
They've have also bettered their position by filling open slots with experience. New addition Ghoulita brings a limber set of skates along with long-time veteran the inn at little washington Norma Lee Wright, a former Double Crosser. Both players add to the defensive power, along with blocker AliSin Chains and the Manics' charismatic dynamo, Ying O'Fire .
In total, the Manic Attackers are a well-oiled machine and a team that have built on their strengths.  While a lot of roller derby teams across the country train their players for one position, the Manics seem keen to make every player the inn at little washington play every position.  In one game last year, for example, 14 different players wore the jammer cap in the bout's 2nd half alone. Strategy like this not only smooths out a team's comfort level, but here also allows the Manics to add spikes and deploy their best players to function in different roles, the inn at little washington both on offense and defense.
As a result, the Windy City Rollers' league is looks to be made up of the Manics and everybody else . If the Manics don't dominate the league it's only because they haven't brought their game face. But I think they'll bring it.