Stellar Reviews Drive Performance Rivals and Friends on the Same Track
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www .T he Island RepoRTeR .com apRIl 2018 Volume 15 n umbeR 4 Rivals and Friends on the Rick’s Reef Same Track Stellar By Betsy Judge Reviews Drive They skate hard, hit Ice Box is a cos - hard and fall hard, and if metologist and pre - Performance you think the full contact school teacher from sport of roller derby is a Clearwater. She saw a By TIR Staff relic, think again. bout promoted on Not only is roller Facebook. It was on Five star reviews is what motivates Tyler Hipsley derby alive and well in St. St. Patrick’s Day in and the staff at Rick’s Reef in St. Pete Beach, Pete; but because doing it 2016. “And I joined “Where old world Florida meets new world taste!” on a flat track is too tame two days later,” says “I push my staff, and I make sure they are given for the members of the the former street a little incentive to give perfect service, I make sure Deadly Rival Roller rollerblader. my kitchen staff is giving 100 percent and food Derby Team, they do it Susie Perez from comes out perfect every time,” says Tyler, the gen - on the only banked track St. Pete is a pharmacy eral manager. in Florida and one of A Jammer (red helmet) races around the track to score tech by day, a reli - only ten in the U.S. after making it through the opposing team’s blockers. gious educator on Jammers wear a “panty” with a star over their helmets With team names like designating them as the teams’ scoring player. Sundays, a student Princess Slaya, Suzie B. working on her RN Catastrophe, Ice Box and Murder Ride, the women and in her spare time who play at the Slayground in St. Pete, have extreme - she is Suzie B. Catastrophe. She says her best friend ly varied backgrounds. sent her “Whip It,” the 2009 movie about roller Loren Yancey is the director of operations for derby, and she was hooked. Tampa Bay Food Trucks. The Treasure Island resi - “I started in Tampa with a flat track team 10 years dent was a semi-professional dancer in New York ago then I moved to Deadly Rival when it was still a before moving here. flat track team.” “I started researching them a year before I start - The banked track is courtesy of what she calls ed,” says Slaya, their designated PR person. She was the “wizardry of Murder,” Tricia Carney-Wells aka worried about injuries, “but I missed being part of a Murder Ride and owner of the league. “She worked team; I missed the camaraderie.” hard to find the banked track for us.” Murder pur - A little over a year ago, she participated in one of chased it from Reno Nevada and paid to have it their monthly recruitment nights where potential moved. Today they call it the BLT, the biggest little players use loaner gear to see if the sport is for them. track that came from the biggest little city in the world. She liked it, took the name Princess Slaya and Despite her name, Murder Ride has a contagious became fresh meat–a rookie. giggle. She started on a flat track about 13 years ago It took her about six weeks to get through fresh in Tampa. When it became too difficult to make Photos like this from Rick’s Reef’s Facebook page meat training and into advanced fresh meat, another practices there, the litigation paralegal from St. Pete captures the fun atmosphere at the local eatery. six months to get to the league, and another few started Deadly Rival here. It seems to be working. While there are some months before she was ready to bout–play a game. DERBY continued on page 8 critical reviews particularly when they first took over in 2016, as of press time they were rated 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor, 4 stars on Yelp and 4.6 stars on Facebook. PHOTO And he engages with reviewers. “I always I try to respond, as best as I can, to every comment, OF THE whether it’s positive or negative.” MONTH Why Rick’s Reef? “For something different; we Photograph by: Peter Clark, Tierra Verde, FL wanted something more local … more laid-back, more casual,” he responds. “Eye on the prize!” Magnificent osprey taken while kayaking the “FRESH FOOD NOT FAST FOOD” jumps Northern Shell Key Preserve area. off a sign on the wall. “Everything is made fresh here–we don’t have microwaves; we don't have heat lamps,” he says. What he does promise is “phenomenal burgers,” “fish tacos which are amaz - ing” and “great lobster mac & cheese.” They have redecorated, upgraded some recipes and added other menu items for more variety. “We get a lot of great feedback.” Getting locals in initially was a challenge and they are often surprised by the food. “One guy told me, ‘I lived here 10 years and walked by every day. I thought it was a bar and never realizer they had food.’ We have breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Tyler says, “and they are amazed at our breakfast.” That menu includes 11 types of “Eggs Ben- Addiction” and 8 different omelettes. On the week - ends patrons may wash it down with endless Participants are allowed to submit one photo per month by the 10th of the month mimosas or Sangria, or something from the Bloody for the next contest. Submit to: info@ theislandreporter.com RICK’S continued on page 5 2 - The Island Reporter - April 2018 Each Office Independently Owned and Operated S h o p The Treasures o f Treasure Island April 2018 - The Island Reporter - 3 Beverage Beat A Rosé by Any Other Name… By Ellen L. Capitosti As we gently slip-slide our way toward the heat - spend in contact with the wine. The longer the sparkling and Champagne. The sparkling variety wave we lovingly refer to as “summer,” let us not maceration, the darker the wine. This time in the is paired similarly to other sparklings and allow these delicate spring days to pass by without tannins also allows the rosé to take on the more Champagnes. The weightier vintage rosé partaking of the beautifully hued levels of dryness distinctively tannic characteristics found in red Champagne is even able to hold its own when and styles that make up rosé wine. wines made from that type of grape. For example, paired with grilled or roasted game birds. Rosé is the French word for pink; however, if a rosé made from the grape of the Malbec, will not Two lovely rosés to try are the King Estate’s the wine hails from Portugal or Spain, it is called only be a darker color, but a little spicy, as well. Acrobat Rosé 2014 and Hacienda de Arinzano rosado. If it began life in Italy, it is known as Rosé also lends itself well to pairing with Rosé 2014. The Acrobat Rosé 2014 has supple rosato. All the same word in any language which lighter, springtime fare because it can range from fruit flavors at the entrance, fresh acid which sum up the beautiful springtime essence that is fruity and floral when made in Provence or from brings out the citrus, and spice and floral notes are rosé wine. a pinot, to semi sweet when made from vin gris or carried throughout. The Hacienda de Arinzano The color, although basically pink, can range garnacha rosado, to dry from cabernet franc or 2014 is made from the tempranillo grape and its from a pale straw pink, to true pink, to a more Loire rosé. When pairing a dry rosé with food, most notable characteristics are velvety and har - orangey-pink. This is due to the types of grapes think of foods that pair well with crisp dry white monious, refined, elegant, and expressive. from which the rosé is derived. Since grapes with wines such as grilled fish, shellfish, and light pas - So, don’t be afraid of a pink wine and let that red skin have a white flesh, it is the process of tas or goat cheese. A fruity rosé is not above a deter you from adding it to your springtime buf - allowing the lightly crushed grapes to macerate in good old-fashioned barbecue and pairs well with fet. There is a rosé out there for every palate! their skins which produces the color. The color is other spicy foods, even curry. Ellen Capitosti is the owner of Tostis Spirits & also dependent on the amount of time the skins Rosé is not only available as a still wine, but Fine Wines. EExxppeerriieennccee tthhee BBuussiinneesssseess ooff TTiieerrrraa VVeerrddee CAC1818357 4 - The Island Reporter - April 2018 From the Publisher By Betsy Judge With this issue of The Island Reporter we are for the space. We pride ourselves on our stories and expanding our distribution area to reach east of have avoided sponsored content; but it makes mar - I-275 adjacent to the Skyway Marina District includ - keting sense and it will always be identified as such. Publisher Betsy Judge ing portions of Lakewood Estates and Pinellas I really enjoyed talking to the ladies of Deadly Graphic Design Lorrie Bellinger Point. This will include about 3,000 residences and Rival. I didn’t know roller derby still existed until I businesses that many of our southeastern advertis - saw it promoted at The Wheelhouse restaurant. Regular Contributors ers have expressed an interest in reaching for quite I was amazed at the diverse backgrounds of the • Ellen Capitosti, beverage beat some time.