{"id":1171,"date":"2026-07-03T15:45:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euroderbynews.com\/?p=1171"},"modified":"2026-07-03T15:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:42:23","slug":"inside-the-champions-mindset-winning-the-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euroderbynews.com\/fr\/inside-the-champions-mindset-winning-the-crown\/","title":{"rendered":"INSIDE THE CHAMPIONS’ MINDSET: WINNING THE CROWN"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the drama of the WFTDA European Regional Championships <\/strong>in Namur wasn’t enough to satisfy your derby cravings, the end-of-season ranking updates certainly will. Nothing Toulouse<\/strong> has officially claimed the European gold medal, but in a classic demonstration of WFTDA mathematics, the final algorithm did not reward them with the #1 ranking spot.<\/p>\n

It takes more than just slick footwork to hoist the European crown; it takes an impenetrable, unified mindset and a willingness to play a highly calculated tactical game. We sat down with the team to dissect the collective force behind our new European champions and dived deep into the official WFTDA tournament statsbooks to track exactly how they conquered the bracket, even if the algorithm refused to yield.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Floyd King Derby Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maths, Medals, and Motivation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every great story has a journey at its heart, and to understand Toulouse\u2019s success, we need to look back at how they got to gold. At the 2024 Regional Championships<\/strong>, Toulouse entered the bracket as the #4 seed and skated their hearts out to claim a 2nd place silver medal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Upgrading that silver to gold became the underlying mission, but 2026 <\/strong>brought its own adversity. In a tight and intense matchup earlier this year, Paris Roller Derby<\/strong> were crowned French Champions, ending Toulouse’s decade-long hold on the national title.<\/p>\n

That loss only added fuel to the fire. Heading into the crucial April seedings cutoff, Toulouse made a fascinating tactical decision: they played zero sanctioned games during the 2026 regular season. By staying unsanctioned, they essentially took out an insurance policy to protect their massive Game Point Average (GPA) from taking an algorithmic hit ahead of the postseason.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake, just because the algorithm was turned off didn’t mean they were taking it easy. At West Track Story 11<\/strong><\/em>, they delivered a devastating, full-intensity unsanctioned sweep of London and Nantes before pushing Rainy City to the absolute brink in a 157-142 <\/strong>heavyweight thriller. While playing unsanctioned technically cost them the bracket’s #1 seed on paper, it ensured Toulouse would arrive in Belgium battle-tested and locked into the #2 seed with everything to prove.<\/p>\n

When the dust settled in Namur, Toulouse had executed a magnificent 149-119<\/strong> victory over Rainy City in the final to take the gold. However, the official end-of-season WFTDA Rankings confirm a standard algorithmic regional reality: Toulouse <\/strong>remains at #2 <\/strong>in Europe with a 555.38 GPA<\/strong>, right behind Rainy City’s <\/strong>587.33<\/strong>. One game is rarely enough to change an overall regional ranking, no matter how fantastic and exciting a win it is!<\/p>\n

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Because the WFTDA algorithm<\/a> averages a team’s total game points over a rolling 2-year cycle (minus off-season), Rainy City’s high volume of sanctioned games earlier in the cycle, combined with their sanctioned regular-season blowout point boosts, kept their GPA high.<\/p>\n

Toulouse’s regular-season “zero-sanctioned” policy perfectly preserved their high GPA, but it meant they had fewer total sanctioned scores in their denominator to mathematically leapfrog Rainy City with a single win. Toulouse won the physical battle and proved who was best on the track in Namur, even if there\u2019s still ground to make up in GPA.<\/p>\n

Speaking with the Champions: An Exclusive Q&A<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We were incredibly lucky to catch up with the newly crowned champions shortly after the tournament. Despite the post-Champs exhaustion, Nothing Toulouse took the time to speak directly with us about what this victory means and the engine behind their success.<\/p>\n

EDN:<\/strong> When looking at this monumental European Championship victory, how do you even begin to identify the standout players or the single key to your success?<\/p>\n

Nothing Toulouse:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This is a difficult question, because this title is truly the result of collective work. Every person in the group contributed something essential to achieve this outcome.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

EDN:<\/strong> It really seemed like there was an unbreakable structure behind the scenes that kept the on-track execution so flawless.<\/p>\n

Nothing Toulouse:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Of course, there are the players on the track, who delivered an outstanding sporting performance this weekend. But there are also everyone around them: those who train every week and who supported, analysed, took statistics, shared information, and took part in the life of the collective throughout the weekend.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

EDN:<\/strong> The composure of the team during those high-stakes moments in the final was incredible to watch. How did you maintain that focus?<\/p>\n

Nothing Toulouse:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The staff also played a major role, by maintaining a clear direction, bringing calm in key moments, and helping us stay focused on our game plan. In the end, everyone contributed to winning this gold medal, whether in the spotlight or behind the scenes. It was a great collective effort.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo Credit: Floyd King Derby Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EDN:<\/strong> Who else from the Toulouse community deserves their flowers for getting the team ready to take on Europe in Namur?<\/p>\n

Nothing Toulouse:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We would like to thank the Open team\u00a0Les Quad Guards <\/strong><\/em>for taking part in our training sessions, helping us put our skills into practice and challenging us. And also all the members of Roller Derby Toulouse<\/strong><\/em>, who support us and who have contributed, in one way or another, to preparing us to experience this moment. Voil\u00e0!<\/strong>“<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Game-by-Game Masterclass (VTAR)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That great collective effort paid off beautifully on the track. Because VTAR<\/strong> (Versus Team Average Rating) measures a skater’s efficiency against their own team\u2019s average within a specific game, isolating the official WFTDA tournament positional data match-by-match shows the strategic decisions of their bench.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the physical environment of the Centre Namurois des Sports required immense athletic adjustment. Skating on Tabora\u2019s notoriously soft, sticky linoleum floor meant managing heavy leg fatigue and choosing highly specific wheel configurations between 84A and 95A. Toulouse didn’t rely on a single, static lineup to win the weekend; they shifted their efficiency across the roster to perfectly counter whoever was standing across the track.<\/p>\n

Game 1 vs. Antwerp – Opening Statement<\/strong><\/p>\n

In their opening matchup, Toulouse needed to shake off the competitive nerves to establish a dominant tournament pace, and they delivered.<\/p>\n

Sham’Pain\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>broke the game open with a blistering 3.04 <\/strong>Jammer VTAR<\/strong>, scoring at an elite efficiency, while Mac <\/strong><\/em>served as an incredible secondary weapon with a 1.51 <\/strong>Jammer VTAR<\/strong>. Whenever the pack got chaotic, Nin\u00e0 Backdraft <\/strong><\/em>controlled the release valve flawlessly, logging a 1.04 <\/strong>Pivot VTAR <\/strong>when holding the stripe. Down in the pack, the defensive foundation was laid by La Chute <\/strong><\/em>(1.59 Blocker VTAR) and Climax <\/strong><\/em>(1.29 Blocker VTAR), who consistently choked out Antwerp’s scoring runs.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Floyd King Derby Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Game 2 vs. Paris – Semifinal Slugfest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Against a highly physical Paris squad, the heavy-hitters emerged to anchor the rotation.<\/p>\n

Hap\u00e9 <\/strong><\/em>was the mathematical MVP of this semifinal, slicing through the Paris walls to record an astonishing 2.39 <\/strong>Jammer VTAR<\/strong>, heavily supported by Trash Panda<\/strong><\/em>, who logged a solid 1.89 <\/strong>Jammer VTAR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This game also saw the most spectacular pivot work of the entire weekend.\u00a0Cata\u00b4<\/strong><\/em> achieved a massive 2.94<\/strong> Pivot VTAR<\/strong>, with Nin\u00e0 Backdraft <\/strong><\/em>right behind them at 2.14 <\/strong>Pivot VTAR<\/strong>, restoring order instantly whenever the game threatened to boil over. Defensively, Sweenie <\/strong><\/em>put on an absolute clinic, generating a staggering 4.12 <\/strong>Blocker VTAR <\/strong>when positioned purely as a blocker, while Climax<\/strong><\/em> once again anchored the tripods with a 1.82 <\/strong>Blocker VTAR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Floyd King Derby Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Game 3 vs. Rainy City – Championship Final\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the gold medal was on the line against the top seed, Toulouse’s top skaters went into overdrive to dismantle Rainy City’s systems. Trash Panda <\/strong><\/em>hit their absolute peak when the pressure was highest, generating a 2.25 <\/strong>Jammer VTAR<\/strong> and systematically breaking through Rainy City’s tripods jam after jam.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Sara Marsden Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chlo\u00e9 David<\/strong><\/em> stepped into the chaos of the final and delivered a massively composed 1.53 Pivot VTAR <\/strong>over 17 jams, anchoring the pack with a sustained <\/strong>+1.59 overall VTAR <\/strong>across 18 total appearances, second only to Trash Panda <\/strong><\/em>in game-wide efficiency.<\/p>\n

That relentless consistency set the stage for an ultimate statistical anomaly when Chlo\u00e9 David <\/strong><\/em>stepped into the line for a single, crucial defensive rotation as a blocker. On that solo tracking run against Rainy City’s top-tier offense, Chlo\u00e9 David <\/strong><\/em>logged a mind-boggling <\/strong>4.89 Blocker VTAR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Sara Marsden Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next Stop: Malm\u00f6<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With the European gold secured and their 2024 silver officially upgraded, Nothing Toulouse <\/strong>now turns their unwavering focus toward the WFTDA Championships <\/strong>in Malm\u00f6 this October<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If their performance in Belgium and their unbreakable, adaptive team mindset is any indication, the rest of the world is going to have their hands full. In the words of the champions themselves: \u201cVoil\u00e0!\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Subscribe to the email newsletter (free!) at euroderbynews.com<\/strong><\/a> to get postseason breakdowns, data deep-dives, and upcoming Champs news delivered directly to your inbox!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the drama of the WFTDA European Regional Championships in Namur wasn’t enough to satisfy your derby cravings, the end-of-season ranking updates certainly will. Nothing Toulouse has officially claimed the European gold medal, but in a classic demonstration of WFTDA mathematics, the final algorithm did not reward them with the #1 ranking spot. It takes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight-series","category-tournament-reports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t