About once a month, wrestling fans Ken and Betty Thoms leave their Lake Panasoffkee home and head south.
The retirees never miss Florida Championship Wrestling's regular matches in Plant City. They're in their 60s, but they share the same zest for the sport as the younger fans - and they don't mind the drive from Sumter County.
"I holler the most. We're hooked," Betty Thoms said.
Florida Championship Wrestling operates a school in Tampa, where grapplers of both genders hone their abilities in hopes of making it big.
At least once a week, they put their skills to the test in front of a paying audience. The matches are staged at armories and auditoriums from Punta Gorda to Brooksville and beyond.
Betty Thoms said she enjoys that the wrestlers mingle with the fans.
"We know almost all of them personally. They're just a good bunch of guys. They're so polite," she said.
The Thomses credit the owners, former pro wrestler Steve Keirn and his wife, Terri, with cultivating a fan-friendly environment.
"Steve and Terri are wonderful. We have a great rapport with them," she said.
The next matches in Plant City will be held at 8 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Florida National Guard Armory, 4004 Airport Road. General admission tickets are $12 for children, $15 for adults. Ringside costs $25. Gold Circle ticket holders are admitted at 6:30 p.m.; general admission fans enter at 7 p.m.
For information, go to www.fcwwrestling.info.
Emilie Plants
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