Tournament Preview: Spotlight on the Sunshine State
Posted by Hambone on 14th February 2008
Outside its own borders, not too much might be known about the state of derby in the State of Florida — most of its leagues don’t do a lot of interstate bouting. A significant opportunity to see how Florida derby is evolving takes place on Presidents’ Day, Monday February 18th, though, when Tampa hosts the “Sunshine Skate 2008,” also billed as the “Florida State Championship,” at the Sweetbay Entertainment Hall as part of the Florida State Fair.
Florida has been a hotbed of derby development for a couple of years, and this tournament gives Floridians a chance to showcase their talents and celebrate their hard work. As a welcome and unusual tournament feature, there will be cash prizes of $1500 for first place, $1000 for second and $500 for third. WFTDA bouting rules will govern the action.
The host Tampa Bay Derby Darlins (and their travel team, the “Tampa Tantrums,” competing in the “Oranges” pool) are probably the most experienced of the competing teams, having completed two full seasons of bouting and achieving Florida’s first WFTDA membership in August 2007.
Additional challenging leagues include:
- Molly Roger Rollergirls of Brevard County (Rockledge) (”Oranges” pool)
- Bradentucky Bombers of Bradenton (inaugural season ended July 2007) (”Oranges” pool)
- Tallahassee Rollergirls (first bout: September 2006. Travel team: “Capital Punishment”) (”Grapefruit” pool)
- Jacksonville Rollergirls (aka the “First Coast Fatales”) (”Grapefruit” pool)
- Ft. Myers Derby Girls (aka the “Palm City Punishers”. First bout: October 2007) (”Grapefruit” pool)
Posted in Bout previews, Bradentucky Bombers, Ft. Myers Derby Girls, Greater Jacksonville Roller Derby, Indian River Derby Girls, Jacksonville Rollergirls, Molly Roger Rollergirls, Sintral Florida Derby Demons, Tallahasee Rollergirls, Tampa Bay Derby Darlins, Tournaments, Treasure Coast Rollergirls | 3 Comments »