Bradentucky Bombers launch August recruitment drive for skaters and volunteers

Bradentucky Bombers Roller Derby is using its August 2026 recruitment listing to pull in skaters, referees, non-skating officials and volunteers at Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex in Ellenton. The league’s site places the drive at 5309 29th Street East, a concrete sign that the next wave of Bombers members is being asked to step into the same local sports setting where the team has built its identity.

The message is broader than a skater tryout. On its contact page, the Bombers say, “We are always looking for new skaters, referees, non-skating officials, and volunteers,” and invite people to fill out the form to join. That range matters in roller derby, where the whistle, penalty box, score table, bout production and track crew all have to work together for a game to happen at all. The Bombers are not just seeking athletes; they are filling the support structure that keeps the league on skates.

That approach fits the way the Bradenton-area league has operated for years. Founded in 2006 by Gigi RaMoan, the Bombers describe themselves as the only skater-operated roller derby league in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, with members coming from Fort Myers and surrounding areas. A February 2026 informational meeting in Parrish, where official Em McManus, known as “Empartial,” told WWSB the sport is “like a fast puzzle,” showed the league has already been working to bring new people in before they ever hit the track.

Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex is also a familiar competitive home. The Bombers have used the venue for bouts against Fort Myers Roller Derby, Swan City Roller Derby, Sugar Sands Roller Derby and Nashville Roller Derby, and an Orlando Roller Derby event page listed Invadentucky there on April 20, 2024, the Bombers’ first WFTDA sanctioned tournament. That history gives the August recruitment push real weight: every new referee, volunteer or skater helps protect a league that runs on far more than its roster.

For fans and families, the recruitment drive points to a simple truth about derby in Bradenton and Sarasota. The Bombers’ future depends on people willing to learn the rules, work the tables, track the penalties and keep the benches moving as much as it depends on new blockers and jammers. A broad intake now strengthens the league’s next bouts, its next tournament push and its standing as a skater-run fixture in the region.