Roller Derby Championship tonight at fair

Tampa, Florida - Today is the last day of the Florida State Fair. Tonight it's Sunshine Skate 2008 The Florida State Roller Derby Championship.Admission to this all-female bout is already included with the purchase of a gate ticket. All 16 roller derby leagues in Florida were invited. Six will compete for the title of Florida Roller Derby Champions. The matches will take place in the Sweetbay Entertainment Hall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place teams in the amounts of $1,500, $1,000, and $500.

The teams competing are the Tampa Tantrums (Tampa Bay), Capital Punishment (Tallahassee), Molly Rogers Rollergirls (Melbourne), New Jax City Rollers (Jacksonville), Bradentuckey Bombers (Bradenton), and Palm City Punishers (Ft. Myers).

The first round will have three 20 minute matches "round-robin" style with:

• Tampa Tantrums vs. Molly Rogers Rollergirls
• Bradentucky Bombers vs. Molly Rogers Rollergirls
• Tampa Tantrums vs. Bradentucky Bombers
• Capital Punishment vs. New Jax City Rollers
• Capital Punishment vs. Palm City Punishers
• New Jax City Rollers vs. Palm City Punishers

The winners of the round robin are determined by points and the four teams that have the best scores go on to the second round. The second round will have two 15-minute rounds with the last and final two teams advancing to the third round. This last and final third round of the day will be a full, hour-long match split into two 30-minute battles. The winners of the third round get to call themselves "Florida State Roller Derby Champions" and will receive not only first-place prize monies, but also bragging rights.

The roller derby teams will also have information booths with team merchandise for sale set up in the Sweetbay Entertainment Hall. Visitors can get an autograph by a few of the derby girls at their autograph table! "The Tampa Bay Derby Darlins are excited to work in conjunction with the State Fair to host the State Derby Championship! Roller derby is the fastest growing women’s sport in the country right now and Florida is leading the way with 16 leagues!

Fair gate admission is $10 for ages 12 and older, $5 for children ages six to 11; and free for kids five and younger. NO RE-ENTRY is permitted without an admission ticket. Gates open daily at 9 a.m. and parking is free during the 12 days of the Fair.

The Florida State Fairgrounds is located just seven miles east of downtown Tampa, with easy access via I-75, I-4, U.S. Highway 301, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and Orient Road. For more information about the 2008 Florida State Fair, call toll-free (800) 345-FAIR or (813) 621-7821, visit http://www.floridastatefair.com/ or http://myspace.com/floridastatefair.

The 104th annual Florida State Fair will take place on February 7-18, 2008. The Florida State Fair – always in Tampa and always in February – is organized by the Florida State Fair Authority under the leadership of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson leads the Fair Authority, which oversees the Florida State Fairgrounds and the annual Florida State Fair.