The Tampa Bay Bruise Crew comes into Bamboozles on a two-bout winning streak, having defeated the Molly Roger Rollergirls 217-to-102 back on April 6th, and then annihilating Tallahassee’s Jailbreak Betties by a score of 260-to-80 on June 1st.  The two-bout winning streak comes on the toestops of a close loss to Gainesville’s Swamp City Sirens on February 23rd, and a crushing loss of over 300 points to Gold Coast’s all-star team on March 30th.  Indeed, it was the Bruise Crew at the Wounded Warrior Project in Arcadia that gave last year’s Misdemeanors one of their two closest bouts, leading them at halftime before the Misdemeanors finally won by about 15 points.  I am hard-pressed to remember any team that’s come into Bamboozles having won their last two bouts by a combined total of 295 points.

In the meantime, the Misdemeanors remain on an unbelievable eleven-bout winning streak.  Last month saw the Misdemeanors come back from being down 67 points during the first half to score Fort Myers’s first-ever win over the Molly Roger Rollergirls.  While coaches Mike Dixon and Jack Scratch Fever seem content to run the youngsters Peaches ‘n’ Carnage and Phelony Phatbottom to their hearts’ content, we still can’t forget about the veteran Klymaxx.  Also, last year’s team captain Deathrae had a crucial turn with the star late in the second half to help put the bout away.  Did anyone foresee Misdemeanors co-captain Motley Bruze having the season-making career she has before this year?  Because I certainly didn’t, and it’s a credit to Motley that she’s playing at the level she is after hitting age 40.  Blocker Hot Reillz seems to be putting it all together as she enters her third season skating for Fort Myers, while rookie Bionica DeMise played her best bout so far against the Molly Rogers last month.  Keep an eye on veterans Lil Debbie Smackcakes, Handi J, and captain Ana Fire to contribute by clearing lanes for their jammers, and blocking and slowing down the jammers for the Bruise Crew.  Perhaps even more impressive than the names on the 12-skater roster is the list of teams defeated by the Misdemeanors during their current streak: South Florida Roller Girls All-Stars (4 times), Bradentucky Bombers (twice – all-star team defeated once), Lakeland Derby Dames’ Rockabilly Rebels All-Stars (twice), Tri-County Rolling Militia, Molly Roger Roller Girls All-Stars… and the Tampa Bay Bruise Crew on September 8, 2012.

When doors open at 5:45 p.m. (earlier for pre-sale ticket holders) on the 23rd, our fans will walk into what is sure to be a classic.  The Bruise Crew and the Misdemeanors are two of the best “B” teams from two WFTDA member leagues in Florida, capable of defeating other leagues’ all-star teams.  Not counting the June 15th bout with the Palm City Punishers at the Tampa Tantrums, Tampa currently leads the all-time series between these two leagues, 5 wins to 4.  Can the Bruise Crew’s momentum finally stop the Misdemeanors’ unprecedented winning streak?  Or will “The Little Team That Could” further build their legendary reputation with their twelvth consecutive win, and their second straight win over the Bruise Crew?  Come to Bamboozles on June 23rd and watch these two teams skate it out, and see why, sometimes, “B” stands for “Best.”

By: Vince Hannity

The Fort Myers Derby Girls are now recruiting for their 2013 season and beyond! We’re looking for potential team members, refs, non skating officials, and volunteers. Don’t know how to skate? We’ll teach you!

Find out how you can become involved with one of the fastest growing sports in the world by coming to one of our open recruitment sessions every Saturday morning in June or email us at join@fortmyersderbygirls.com.

The Fort Myers Derby Girls host their 4th home bout of the 2013 season on Sunday, June 23rd at Bamboozles Skating Center, 2095 Andrea Lane in Fort Myers. The Fort Myers Derby Girls will battle against skaters from Tampa Roller Derby, from Tampa, Florida. The bout is promised to be full of surprises. Jammers will use their speed and fancy footwork to maneuver their way through the pack while trying to avoid hard hits from powerful blockers. This is guaranteed to be the best Sunday night out for all ages and is family friendly. Doors open at 5:45, the bout starts at 6:30pm. The team will be collecting donations for the Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida. The Ronald McDondald House is in need of: paper towels, cleaning supplies, and packaged food. For a full list of non-perishables and family needs, visit http://www.rmhcswfl.org under the Wish List tab.

Location: Bamboozles Skating & Events Center (formerly Generations Skating Center. Bamboozles is located at 2095 Andrea Lane in Fort Myers.

Doors open at 5:45p.m.
Game Begins at 6:30p.m.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Note: Seating is limited, so we encourage you to bring a foldable chair in case all seating is taken. Join us for the after party at Cadillac Jacks where you can meet and party with your favorite derby girls!

By Vince Hannity

For the first time in years, the Fort Myers Derby Girl’s Misdemeanors will be taking on the Molly Roger Rollergirls from Brevard County, Fl. Having not faced each other for so long, the bout is promised to be full of surprises, hard hits and fancy footwork. This is guaranteed to be the best Sunday night out for all ages and is family friendly. The game will be at Bamboozles Skating & Event Center located at 2095 Andrea Lane in Fort Myers. Doors open at 5:45. Bout starts at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/381206 or $12 at the door.

Following the bout, meet the skaters at Cadillac Jacks (16440 S Tamiami Trail, Fort Myers) for great food and a meet-and-mingle with the teams.

The Fort Myers Derby Girls will be collecting donations for the Gulf Coast Humane Society. The Humane Society is in need of: wet dog and cat food, cleaning supplies, and dog and cat toys. For a full list of animal and shelter needs, visit gulfcoasthumanesociety.org under the donations tab. For every item donated you’ll receive 1 raffle ticket to be entered in a drawing to win an FMDG swag pack that includes exclusive FMDG Merch and tickets to the next home FMDG bout on June 23rd when the Punisher’s take on the Pensacola Roller Girls.

The Fort Myers Derby Girls are proud to work with the Gulf Coast Humane Society. GCHS is a no-kill shelter and does not euthanize any animal for lack of space or length of time they are in care. GCHS is a private not-for-profit animal welfare organization that relies solely on donations and fundraising events to further its mission of caring for the unwanted, neglected and abandoned animals of Southwest Florida.

The respective questions are: “How long has it been since the Palm City Punishers last skated a bout in Bamboozles?”, “How long has it been since the Misdemeanors last skated a bout in Bamboozles?”, and “How long has it been since the Fort Myers Derby Girls skated on Saturday night at Bamboozles?”

All the waiting finally ends this Saturday, April 20^th.  Come back to Bamboozles at 2095 Andrea Lane in Fort Myers to see the best that the Fort Myers Derby Girls have to offer in our first-ever double-header at Bamboozles in our history!  FMDG will put its fourteen-bout home winning streak, built up over two years, on the line.  In exchange, they’ll have a chance to make history on Saturday night, as it could be the first time that both the Misdemeanors and the Palm City Punishers win on the same night.

The Misdemeanors come home to Bamboozles with one win in 2013 already under their belts.  On March 24^th, the Misdemeanors traveled to Fort Pierce to defeat the South Florida Roller Girls by a score of 218-to-178.  While this makes the third consecutive win in the series between these two teams, fans from last year will remember that South Florida came to Bamboozles last August with a roster of only nine skaters, and only lost by three points.  An influx of new skaters to SFRG promises to make this one a competitive bout. The Misdemeanors are not without new faces and promising veterans, however.  Rookie Bionica DeMise will make her interleague debut, and look for the Chaos Cousins of Maully Mustang and potential triple-threat Phelony Phatbottom to have an impact on the bout.  Keep an eye on rookie Rogue Rage, one of the graduates of Tampa Roller Derby’s juniors program, and expect her to figure heavily in the jammer rotation.  Speaking of transfers from Tampa, Klymaxx will don an FMDG jersey in interleague competition for the first time in over two years since her two year stint with Tampa Roller Derby.  Veterans Serenity Storm, Peaches n Carnage, Hot Reillz, and Handi J will pull double duty, skating with both the Misdemeanors and the Punishers.

In addition to The Streak being defended, two other interesting streaks will be on the line during the Misdemeanors’ bout.  First, rookies Diana Hitcha and Rogue Rage, in a combined eight bouts in their adult careers, have never lost.  Even more impressive is the eight-bout winning streak for the Misdemeanors, dating back to sometime around November 13, 2011.  This Saturday, our first bout will determine if the Misdemeanors can make it nine in a row, with a chance for a perfect ten against the Molly Roger Roller Girls in May.

Your Saturday Night’s Main Event features the Palm City Punishers taking on the all-stars of the last league to win in Bamboozles, the Gold Coast Derby Grrls.  Despite a down season in 2012, Gold Coast remains the only team from Florida to make it to WFTDA South Central Regional Playoffs and to end the tournament with a higher ranking than Tampa Roller Derby, long held as the elite league in the Florida Roller Derby scene.  Just three weeks ago, Gold Coast defeated Tampa’s B-Team, the Bruise Crew, by nearly 300 points.

The Punishers return to Bamboozles having narrowly lost to Atlanta’s Rumble Bs in February, but with a force to be reckoned with in their blocking ranks.  For those who must decide between getting hit by a runaway semi-truck or blockers like Anya Dixon, Bellicose Blondie, Jack Scratch Fever, Hot Reillz, Krystal Deth, and the rest, I recommend looking into that first, less-painful option.  But this writer can’t help but wonder about potential question marks at the Punishers’ jammer rotation.  Veterans Serenity Storm and Britzkrieg are givens to don the star, but rumors abound of an injury to Punishers MVP Yo Slammity Sam.  Will this injury keep her out of Saturday night’s bout?  And if so, who will take her place?  Does the star go to second-season sensation Peaches ‘n’ Carnage, who will have had quite a few turns with the star with the Misdemeanors that night?  Does it go to Pookie Bear, who seems to have fallen in love all over again with blocking?  Does it go to the 2010 League MVP, Te Kill Ya Sunshine,  rumored to be in her final season skating with FMDG?  Or will another rise to take her place for Saturday night?

Tickets are still on sale from your favorite derby girl and at all the usual locations.  You can also buy them on our website at http://www.fortmyersderbygirls.com !  Regardless of the outcome, history will be made on Saturday night, April 20^th, as either The Streak will finally come to an end after two years, or The Streak will extend to sixteen wins, and it will be the first time ever that both the Misdemeanors and the Palm City Punishers will win on the same night.  BE THERE!!!

The Fort Myers Derby Girls will kick off their 2013 competitive season by hosting their first-ever double-header bout on their home rink on April 20th. The FMDG Misdemeanors will be facing the South Florida Roller Girls from Fort Pierce, and the FMDG Punishers will be taking on the Gold Coast Derby Girls from Ft. Lauderdale. The bout will be history in the making with double the action, and double the fight, as Fort Myers fights to protect their fourteen home-game winning streak; carrying back to their 2011 season. FMDG will be collecting donations for the Brotherhood Ride, such as: water, sunscreen, and many food items, which can be found at www.brotherhoodride.com, under the donations tab. This is guaranteed to be the best Saturday night out for all ages and is family friendly.

Doors open to general public at 6p.m.
Bout 1 Misdemeanors vs. South FL at 6:30p.m.
Bout 2 Punishers vs. Gold Coast at 8:10
**please note start times are estimates and some delay may be possible**
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Get tickets from your favorite Derby Girl, Bamboozles, or click here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/361277