RENO - Roller Kingdom echoed with the sounds of whirling action Saturday evening as the Reno Roller Girls staged their first bout of the season. When the final whistle blew and the wheels stopped rolling, the Mafia Mollies bested the rival Deck Em Dolls.

"It was awesome and so much fun for the first bout of the year," said Bella Bedlam, the Mollies captain. "And I'm thrilled with how it turned out."

Before any bout begins, the skaters have a demonstration jam to show new fans just how Roller Derby works.

On the first whistle the pack, one pivot and two blockers, takes off followed, after a second whistle by the two jammers. The goal is for teams to not only block the other team's jammer but to help their jammer through the pack.

After that the chase is on as the jammer streaks around the track and catches the pack. Then for every opposing team members a jammer passes they score one point and if they can lap the other team's jammer it's worth two points.

After going through the pack for their second time, the lead jammer can end the jam by putting her hands on her hips.

Each bout has four quarters with a halftime break that involves the fans. And the teams rotate skaters into the jamming and pivot positions for every jam.

The Mollies scored first and when the second jam ended, Mz. Vindictive had her team up 5-0.

Finally, the Dolls started getting their jammers into scoring position and closed within four points of the Mollies when the first quarter ended. Early in the second quarter, Dolls jammer Crazy J. Danger scored enough points to make it a 12 all tie.

In this sport each skater, and even the referees, chose a "Derby name." It's a tradition in the sport as no player can have the same name as another even if that other skater lives in another state.

Early in the second quarter the Mollies made a run and scored several unanswered points.

After scoring 33 points the Mollies seemed to have a comfortable lead until the Dolls finally got some momentum and made a late run at the points leaders. When the buzzer ended, the first half the score was 33 to 32 in favor of the Mollies.

When a skater commits a major penalty, they get sent to the penalty box, in this case a seat that looks like an electric chair. During the minute they're out of the game, their team is one skater short and it offers the other team something like a power play in hockey.

Entertainment is the name of the game here and during the bout there were several "brawls" between both teams. These usually ended, much to the delight of the crowd, when the referees were able to drag skaters off the pile.

However, when a jam is going on it's all business as the contact is real. During the bout more than a few skaters were either blocked off the track or knocked off their skates.

Most only suffered bruises but Dolls captain Bella Bedlam was sidelined by a possible muscle pull by one knee.

Halftime is when the Reno Roller Girls get the fans involved. This time there were a series of questions used to determine which fan would get a prize.

After that raffle award winners were announced as more gifts were handed out.

The Mollies began the second half well and led by a 38 to 32 score when the first jam ended. Later Dolls jammer D Rail Her scored enough points to tie the game at 40.

One Mollies skater that not only scored many points but also earned her share of major penalty time was Mz. Vindictive. If she wasn't jamming it seemed she was sitting in the penalty box, or seat in this case.

Asked if she knew how many penalty minutes she earned, Vindictive said, "I don't even know but it seemed almost the whole game. When I put my skates on, I'm a totally different person."

Later in the third quarter, Mollies skater Ann Archy extended her teams lead to 57-49 putting the Dolls in a big hole for points.

With less than a minute left in the bout, there was another minor penalty. After the penalty wheel was spun it would be a tug-of-war between the teams.

Unlike the other times this penalty was called for, this time the fans were invited to join in. In the end the Mollies won, which cost the losing Dolls a point.

With the score 74-62 the final jam began but this time all the skaters from both teams that could, joined the action on the track. It was a wild scene of blocking and jamming as the seconds counted down.

After much pushing, shoving and some fast skating, the final whistle blew. While the Mollies won, it was very close.

Nursing a sore knee the Dolls captain, Vanastee said, "We kicked some butt and we'll get 'em next time."

Commenting on the close score Mollies captain Bella Bedlam said, "It's always that close as we have some phenomenal skaters on both teams."

After cleaning up the rink the skaters, referees and their fans headed for a post bout party at Knuckleheads. Sunday is for taking care of sore muscles.

Both teams are always recruiting new skaters and adventurous women that might like to try Roller Derby are invited to the open practice Wednesday evenings at Roller Kingdom from 9 to 11 p.m. Women must be at least 18 years old and they have extra equipment for newcomers.

The next bout called "4 Leaf Clobber" will be held at Roller Kingdom on Saturday, March 14. Doors open at 6:30 and the bout begins at 7:30 p.m.

OTHER RACING NEWS

•Area racing kicks off this coming weekend with two very different motorcycle events.

The desert racers in the MRANN series start their year at the 11th annual George Walker 100 Hare and Hound race. The pits are located north of the Nightingale exit east of Fernley and pink ribbons will mark the way to the pits.

Saturday's action features the Pee Wees, starting at 9 a.m. and ends with the Women's race beginning at 1 p.m. The big bikes are featured Sunday with their race beginning at 10 a.m.

Closer to home Sierra Motocross Racing Association begins its spring series at the Fernley Motocross track, located just west of the Veteran's Cemetery. After morning practice the first motos begin around 10 a.m. on Sunday.

•Sparks native T.J. Bell begins his NASCAR season Friday in the Camping World Truck Series at the Daytona International Speedway. The race starts at 5 p.m. and is broadcast on the Speed Network.