MEDIA RELEASE

Paradise Roller Girls’ All-star team the Honey Badgers took third place in the June 28-29 Battle of the Islands derby tournament in Maui after defeating the Garden Isle Renegade Rollerz 172-112.

“That game went really well,” Honey Badger Mealoha ‘Tsunamea’ Kraus said. “We were able to keep our heads level, work together, and execute some really good strategy.”

First round elimination rules prevented the Honey Badgers from going to the finals after losing to Maui in the first bout of the tournament.

The Honey Badgers dominated the first three quarters of that bout, but a series of penalties gave Maui the opportunity to come back and hang on for the win.

Kraus said the “power plays in favor of Maui is what did us in there.”

A power play happens when one or more players on the same team are sent to the penalty bench for fouls, giving the other team’s jammers more room to score points.

Honey Badger Rebecca ‘Reba SmackNflyher’ Hilbert said there wasn’t any one play in the tournament that stuck out above the others.

“So much happened I would not know where to begin,” she said. “To suggest that any one play be mentioned over all the others is impossible. The winning spirit of the PRG Team that went to Maui is what impressed me the most.”

Kraus said the biggest difference from the way the Honey Badgers played in this tournament compared to last year’s experience at Battle of the Islands on Oahu.

“Now, we have a lot more strategy and work more cohesively as a team,” she said. “Playing our neighbor island leagues is a crucial way for us to continue to learn, no matter what the outcome.”

The Honey Badgers’ play Pacific Roller Derby’s Hulagans in their next regular season bout Aug. 24 at Hilo Civic Afook Chinnen Auditorium.

Paradise Roller Girls is a women’s flat-track roller derby league located on the Big Island of Hawaii. PRG’s mission is to promote a healthy, athletic lifestyle in their community through the alternative sport of roller derby.

— Find out more:
www.ParadiseRollerGirls.com