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Roller Derby Series: Bradentucky Bombers LbNA #41514 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Porcupine Power
Plant date:Jul 6, 2008
Location:
City:Bradenton
County:Manatee
State:Florida
Boxes:1
Found by: irishmohawk
Last found:Apr 19, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFr
Last edited:Jul 6, 2008
While Bradenton is known for its manatee, who knew that an exciting revival from the past was quickly becoming one of Bradenton's hidden gems? We sure didn't know until late November when we were informed that roller derby was making a comeback and that Bradenton had its own roller derby league. We decided to check it out, and it quickly became an obsession for us. Thus, we are dedicating a letterbox to it...and probably several others too (or at least we have 2 planned at the moment).

Before you begin your search, here's a little background information that will help you on your hunt.

The Bradentucky Bombers is an all-female, full-contact (yes, that means hitting), flat-track roller derby league that was the Las Vegas lovechild of founder Gigi RaMoan. Conceived in the bathroom of the Double Down Saloon as Gigi admired "Sin-City Rollers" graffiti on the wall, the league was rightfully named "Bradentucky Bombers" by her hubby Doug not minutes after conception.

Gigi acquired a pair of 1960's black artistic skates from her friend city councilman Pat Roff's deceased father. In this Cinderella-like story the skates fit Gigi perfectly. She immediately painted flames on them and hit the pavement with flyers in hand, scouting around town for more interested skaters.

Two seasons later the Bradentucky Bombers are 30+ skaters strong, consisting of two teams: The Garterbelt Gangsters and The Jawbreakers. The two teams often play each other in front of crowds of 300-500+ people in interleague competition and the league's travel team (made up of the best skaters) travels across the state to compete against Florida's other growing roller derby leagues. They even competed at the Florida State Championships this year at the Florida State Fair. You just have to see these girls skate to believe it! It's mesmerizing! And we have been told that unlike the derby of past, this is 100% real. That means it's not fixed and when these girls hit each other it is not staged. Some of their bruises are quite impressive!

To find the box, you're going to have to do just a little sleuthing. We'd suggest that you go to the Bradentucky Bombers website which is a little outdated but informative just the same. It may take a little time, but you'll need to find out where The Bradentucky Bombers hold their practices and games. You might want to read some of the other fascinating stuff on the site. Once you find the location, it should be easy from there. Just go to that place. Be careful – there are lots of muggles there from various nearby establishments. You'll have to be stealthy.

At the location, you will see several trees. Depending on what time you are there many cars may be parked next to the trees. One particular pine tree struck us. It is very tall and has another tree (possibly a strangler fig) wrapped around it. There are also amazing vines crawling up the tree. This is kind of like how roller derby crept into our life. Once we found out about it...it just consumed us. But back to the clue: Find that tree and look at the base among the roots. Underneath some yard debris you will find a large pill container. It's a child-safe cap, just to warn you. Bring your own ink and pen. Happy hunting and drop us a finders note after your visit!

Good luck!