Provided photo.

One might assume that it takes a certain type of person to put one’s body on the line. That the fearlessness of say a skateboarder, who will willingly hit the deck dozens of times in their quest to land a trick, is innate. But for people such as Hannah McManus—better known by her alter ego Intoxic Kate #008—laying it all out on the line is just part of who she is.

“I’m someone that firmly believes every adult needs a recreational sport in their life to create that balance that counters everything else they have going on,” says McManus, vice president of the Bradentucky Bombers, the only skater-owned roller derby league in Sarasota and Bradenton. “Why not put on goofy wheelie shoes and hit your friends?”

For McManus, who joined the organization in 2017, roller derby is about a lot more than just putting on skates and slamming into the opposition—although in a full-contact sport such as flat track roller derby, there is plenty of slamming. It’s about finding a sense of belonging, a community of like minded individuals who lift each other up on and off the court.

“I don’t think that I realized it until I reached that stage in my life, but it’s hard to make friends as an adult. You leave college where you’re surrounded by this very walkable community with people your own age and suddenly you’re thrust into the real world where you don’t know anybody,” says McManus. “Here I get to interact with a group of really wonderful people that I wouldn’t necessarily encounter in my everyday life and build these friendships and come together to work towards this wacky, common goal.”

For the Bradentucky Bombers, which have three teams, the Bomb Squad which competes nationally in the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association, the Nuclear Bombshells, which competes recreationally and the Fusion Bombs, an open-gender team, the goal is not only to win, but to build the inclusive community of roller derby. While the sport is full-contact—two opposing teams occupy the track at the same time, with the goal of forcing their way past the other skaters—all shapes and sizes of skaters are not only welcome, they’re necessary. “Every body is a roller derby body,” says McManus. “We have the big, buff tough folks, but we also have the smaller, zippy guys too and they’re equally as necessary on the track.”

The Bradentucky Bombers vs the Tampa Death Rollers, May 31, 5-7pm, Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex, 5309 29 St East, Ellenton, 34222

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