Early in the evening of Sunday, March 10, Tampa Roller Derby wrapped up our 11th Franky Panky! Our tournament started under a different name, Sunshine Skate, but after we found our fabulous mascot, Frank the Flamingo, we did a pink, feathery rebrand to… FRANKY PANKY!
Last year we hosted our first tournament since 2020, dubbing 2023’s Franky Panky the “Return of the Frank”, but we were delighted to make 2024 Frank’s return to the Florida State Fairgrounds. The expo hall had plentiful room for fans, (including couches that were toted in for the VIP section!) vendors, concessions, and skaters. All while being in air conditioning, which is very welcomed in Florida. Leagues from four different states and two other cities in state traveled in, with A and B level WFTDA (Women’s Flat Track Derby Association) games being played, as well as JRDA (Junior Roller Derby Association) games.
The tournament lasted for three full days of back to back bouts, which was kept running like clockwork thanks to the work of Blaque Jac, our tournament oversight. Peeka, the tournament head referee, Millikin Cookies, the tournament head referee assistant, and Aggie Battery, the tournament head non-skating official, led a 42 person strong team of skating and non-skating officials. The time and effort volunteered by all of these individuals made for a fantastic Franky Panky, and we are incredibly grateful for every single one.
Attendees were able to enter raffle prize drawings that included skates, skate accessories, and a basket of booze valued at more than $300. Congrats to our winners!
Our team was also able to livestream the whole tournament! Being able to stream enabled us to share the action with people who weren’t able to watch in-person. Reading this now and wish that you got to catch the stream? Don’t worry! The videos are now archived on our YouTube channel. Look out for some of the real nailbiters.
