Sunday, Sept. 25 marked the end of an era for the Hollywood Scarlets at the WFTDA West Region Playoffs in Portland, Ore. The team made an incredibly strong showing at the tournament, coming in at a respectable 10th place and making an impressive showing against fifth-ranked Bay Area Derby Girls (70-229) and seventh-ranked Sacred City Derby Girls (111-136). On Sunday, the ladies in red and gold upset the ninth-seed from Tucson Roller Derby (212-139), an impressive feat against the talented team from Arizona.
The win on Sunday was bittersweet though, as the girls convened to give hugs and high-fives on an incredibly successful season, co-captain GoGo Gidget and pivot Ms. D’Fiant officially announced their retirement from roller derby. Both women made incredible contributions to the league and to their team, and teammates are devastated to see them go, but they had long and fruitful derby careers.
GoGo previously skated with No Coast Derby Girls in Lincoln, Neb. and founded the Omaha Rollergirls in Nebraska in 2005 before coming out west to join Angel City in Los Angeles in 2007. She has been skating for more than six years. She is a talented aspiring filmmaker and plans to use her new-found free time to focus on her career and her art. She has stated that after the end of this season she’ll still be involved with Angel City and provide bench coaching help as needed.
Ms. D’Fiant has been skating for six years and founded the Savannah Derby Devils in 2005 before moving to Los Angeles in 2006 with her husband, Ben, taking only part of a season off when pregnant with her son, Tucker. Ms. D’Fiant plans to grow her family and continue to stay involved with the management of Angel City and give pivoting advice as needed, as well as continue to hold her position as games officer with the WFTDA.
