NROC Rankings
The leaders of the pro divisions of the National Roller Cup

Miller, Rice Lead After Badger Games

By Planet Staff

Adam Miller and Debbie Rice moved into first place in the National Roller Cup with strong performances in last week's American Family Insurance-Badger Games Inline Marathon in Wisconsin.

Miller, 26, of Independence, MO, finished second at Badger to push his point total to 127. That put him three points ahead of his Simmons Racing teammate Rob Bell and seven points in front of all-around world champion Joey Mantia.

Before Badger, Mantia was leading NROC with 120 points, but he passed on the event to skate in the Engadin World Inline Cup in Switzerland, in which he finished 13th.

Miller has been a consistent performer for Simmons. Though winless, he finished third in the Texas Road Rash and fifth in the San Francisco Inline Marathon.

Women's Open

The women's division was transformed by Debbie Rice's decision to join it after her commanding victory at the Badger Games.

Rice, 40, of Denham Springs, LA, finished the marathon five minutes ahead of than the next woman and only three minutes behind the overall winner (Rob Bell).

Rice (Bont North America) has won both of the races she entered this year.

Her move into the open division dropped Rebecca George into second place. George, 25, of Baxter, MN, sat out the Badger marathon after straining a muscle a day earlier in the Big Granite marathon.

Master Women

Adams Inline's Kara Peterson moved into a tie for first place in the masters division (35 and above) with her second place finish at Badger.

Peterson, 38, of St. Paul, had started the season in the open division but moved to the masters after Badger. She plans to skate in the masters division at the St. Paul and Duluth marathons.

Her first place finish in the veterans division gave her 60 more points for a total of 120. That put her in a tie with Luigino's Peggy Girgenti, 43, of Anaheim Hills, CA.

Peterson and Girgenti have each won the masters division in two races, but so far have not raced head to head.

Master Men

Team Simmons' Alex Fedak, 43, Oklahoma City, remained in first place in the masters division, but Luigino's Norm Kirby narrowed his lead.

Fedak finished fifth in the masters division at Badger while Kirby took second place bechind Simmons' Ryan Chrisler, who was first.

Fedak now has 155 points; Kirby, 145.

Just behind Kirby is Simmons' Richard Cassube with 140 points.

Veteran Men

Adam Inline's David Swan continued to build his lead in the veterans division (45 and above). The 48-year-old from Minneapolis finished seventh in the division at Badger to add 27 points to his total.

He now has 167 points and leads the division by 47.

But he may find it difficult to hold onto the lead during the second half of the season. He has racked up points by skating consistently in each of the four NROC events.

But skaters only earn points in their top five races. So other skaters may catch him as he hits his cap.

Team Safe's Dennis Humphrey remained in second place in the division with 120 points, despite only racing two events so far this season.

Bont's Randy Plett moved into third place by winning the division at Badger.

Veteran Women

Carol Hochstein remained in first place in the pro veteran's standings but not by a comfortable margin.

Hochstein, 50, of St. Petersburg, finished sixth in the division at Badger to claim another 30 points. That brought her total to 125.

But moving up the rankings was Team Rainbo's Margo Carvell, who finished first among the veteran women at Badger to collect 60 points and build her total to 110.

The NROC Pro Points System

The NROC Prime Performance System