MOSES LAKE - After 10 months of preparation, the women who formed the Columbia Basin Roller Derby team got what they came for - victory. In their very first bout.

More than 700 roller derby fans watched the team that represents a good chunk of central Washington battle to a 169-128 triumph against the Wine Country Crushers in Yakima on Sunday.

"This victory was hard won and, man, does it feel great to win," said Kathleen "Mean Kitty" Holden, a jammer who skated so hard that one of her trucks-the steel plates on the bottom of the skates-broke. In borrowed too-small skates, she racked up 20 points in a power jam to finish the bout.

At just 10 months old, CBRD celebrates its first win before most new teams would have begun competing. New teams usually average a year or so of practice before they start to compete, according to captain Vernica "VernDetta" Mount.

Thirteen of the team's 22 skaters, plus a visiting skater from the Atomic City Rollergirls, competed for CBRD on Sunday. Jammer Valerie "Ninja Ginja" Michelbook, a mother of three from Moses Lake, earned the team's vote for most valuable player.

"It's amazing to be bringing home our first win," Michelbook said. "We train incredibly hard and work so well together. It's inspiring to call these women my teammates and such an honor to be chosen MVP."

Full-contact flat track roller derby is enjoying a surge in popularity in the Columbia Basin, and the team has a rapidly growing, dedicated fan base in the region.

CBRD holds practices at the Lakeview Roller Skate Center in Soap Lake. Practices are open to the public, and the team regularly hosts opportunities for prospective skaters to learn about becoming involved, said league president Benita "Diabla Café Dolce" Matheson said.

More information and the season schedule can be found at www.columbiabasinrollerderby.com.