The crunch of tattooed bodies smashing off one another like nerve-free bumper cars, the whir of skates sailing across a freshly waxed floor. These were the sensations that accompanied Portland’s latest sports conquest.

That's right: Stumptown’s all-star women’s Rose City Rollers team, the Wheels of Justice, took home the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association championship on November 8 in Minnesota.

The hard-hitting, heart-breaking ladies in purple dethroned New York’s four-time consecutive reigning champs the Gotham Girls Roller Derby All-Stars during the weekend-long tournament. The final scoreboard read 206-195, closing out the nail biter of a game. Rose City’s own Scald Eagle was named MVP of the tournament scoring an impressive 133 points during the defining game.

Despite the team’s victory they remained modest. Team captain Shaina Serelson told ESPN, "I think being an athlete also means not getting caught up in the past, or regrets over winning and losing… Heartbreak is part of it too, but so is the joy of getting to play the game again and again." 

Three weeks prior to the feat, the Rose City Roller’s longtime coach Robin “Rob Lobster” Ludwig passed away to brain cancer. The team rallied together in support of one another and dedicated their win to Lobster.

The Rose City Rollers' next bout is Dec 4. Stay up to date on Rose City’s schedule here rosecityrollers.com.