FIRS 2007 Inline Hockey World Championships

[WelshTimeKeeper]

Colleagues

Federation International de Roller Sports

2007 Roller Inline Hockey World Championship 2007- Bilbao, Spain

Game results, including game analysis sheets are being published at:
http://www.rollersports.org/rollersports.asp?load=833033971A004&TYPE=INLINEHOCKEY

There are a number of photographs to be viewed at:
http://www.rollersports.org/gallery.asp?path=inlinehockey

It may also be worth making the occasional visit to the Roller Sprts TV website (link below) where the FIRS have in recent weeks been publishing videos of recent World Championships (Artistic Skating, Rink Hockey & Speed Skating)
http://www3.rollersports.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=4&Itemid=10

Regards
John.
West Wales, UK

[WelshTimeKeeper]

Federation International de Roller Sports

2007 Roller Inline Hockey World Championship 2007- Bilbao, Spain

Colleagues

The Reporting of Games from Bilbao seems to be falling behind, here follow the results at the close of play Friday night:
The following results lifted from "British Inline Puck Hockey Association" website. www.BIPHA.co.uk

Quarter-Finals (Thursday 05/07)

Spain 1, France 3
USA 5, Canada 8
Czech Rep. 16, Korea 2
Switzerland 7, Italy 6

Semi-Finals (Friday 06/07)

France 4, Switzerland 6
Canada 6, Czech Rep. 7

Finals (Saturday 07/07)

3rd / 4th ~ France 2, Canada 3
1st / 2nd ~ Switzerland 2, Czech Rep. 5

Game results, including game analysis sheets are being published at:
http://www.rollersports.org/rollersports.asp?load=833033971A004&TYPE=INLINEHOCKEY

There are a number of photographs to be viewed at:
http://www.rollersports.org/gallery....h=inlinehockey

It may also be worth making the occasional visit to the Roller Sprts TV website (link below) where the FIRS have in recent weeks been publishing videos of recent World Championships (Artistic Skating, Rink Hockey & Speed Skating)
http://www3.rollersports.tv/index.ph...= 4&Itemid=10

Regards
John.
West Wales, UK

[WelshTimeKeeper]

Federation International de Roller Sports

2007 Roller Inline Hockey World Championship 2007- Bilbao, Spain


Gold Czech Republic
Silver Switzerland
Bronze Canada
4th France
5th USA
6th Italy
7th Spain
8th Korea
9th Great Britain
10th Germany
11th Mexico
12th Japan
13th Belgium
14th Columbia
15th Chinese Taipei

Game sheets are available from:
http://www.rollersports.org/rollersports.asp?load=833033971A004&TYPE=INLINEHOCKEY

John
West Wales, UK.

[MBurke]

Ugh behind France?

With these results and those of IIHF, anyone take this as pretty much the ultimate sign that it's time for a more organized system of development for international competition? This is almost three years running that we've been beaten on a consistent basis.

[ACCCT2]

Well, as I mentioned earlier on another thread -- TAKE BACK the game from the danderous national and international control of the NGB's, as they don't give a hoot and certainly not any financial support in actually developing the game or even whether their respective national teams win or not -- they're ONLY there to collect whatever sponsorship money's available...HEY, I actually got through that with NO "quotes"...!!!

[blocparty]

actually the FIRS mens and jr world teams have pretty much won every year for the past 6 yrs while the womans team has traded almost every year with canada for the gold

[RichardGraham]

Hey John,

Thanks for helping keep IHC's readers up to date. I appreciate it.

Do you think ACCCT2 is correct, or is the rest of the world simply catching up with the U.S. and Canada?

[WelshTimeKeeper]

Ugh behind France?

This is almost three years running that we've been beaten on a consistent basis.
Mike I'm not sure where you have obtained your statistics, but the records I have access to indicate:

The FIRS Roller Inline Hockey World Championships commenced in 1995.

The USA placement for all thirteen years has been:

1995 1st, 1996 1st, 1997 1st, 1998 1st, 1999 2nd,
2000 1st, 2001 1st, 2002 2nd, 2003 1st, 2004 1st,
2005 1st, 2006 1st, 2007 5th

1st place 10/13 2nd place 2/13 unplaced 1/13

For a full record, please connect to: http://www.bipha.co.uk/sWorld_Champ_Results_Men.html

John,
South West Wales, UK

[ACCCT2]

I think that clearly the rest of the world is indeed "catching up with the US and Canada", but "BEST-on-BEST" -- properly developed, financed and marketed -- the US and Canada should still be able to beat anyone else's "BEST". Keep in mind here, the Canadians took over a clearly weaker team -- mostly because there was no reason or incentive apparently good enough for their "BEST" players to pay for the trip. Canada was actually 0-2 at one point in the tournament, and they just barely beat France (FRANCE...!?!) 3-2 to score, WOW, Bronze.

The rest of the world "catching up" is a GOOD thing for the game and actually some of the best tournaments are outside of the confines of North America. But in order for the game to take its rightful "Olympic" (read: sponsorship/ad-money) place within the consciousness of of key sports media decision makers, the present status quo won't get it there.

A couple of interesting points (read: researchable facts) -- did you know that the IIHF only got into the inline game on a push from USA Hockey (USAH) once they determined that their then-present sway with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Olympic Committe (IOC) might be enough for them to overcome the IOC NGB sanction that was already legally entrusted as the NGB sport-domain of FIRS and "carpet-bag" the sport's international control and "stewardship" (read: sponsor/ad-money potential).

It should be noted that this USAH/IIHF this effort was mainly because they saw the inexplicable pass that FIRS took on the 1992-post-Barcelona Games (where roller hockey was a highly attended and successful "demonstration sport") of an offer by the IOC to include it in the next Olympic Games.

FIRS' passing on such a prime Olympic Games opportunity and ultimate objective for the sport was based upon their also wanting and conditionally insisting that other more traditional FIRS "quad" disciplines (like "speed", "artistic" and "pairs") be included in any IOC offer. Clearly, FIRS' traditional focus on their long-standing "quad" disciplines wouldn't allow them to see the potetial of what they then rather contemptuously considered a passing fad and they weren't going to let roller hockey -- 'inline' roller hockey of all things -- be the FIRST FIRS "discipline" or "sport" to make into the Games, hence the incredibly and inexplicably idiotic "missed opportunity" that this sport has been trying to make come around again ever since. And EVER since, we've been stuck with the "idiots" vs the "carpet-baggers" who are ONLY interested in the sponsor/ad/media and membership money that surrounds the Games and game.

I think it's time for the actual grass-roots players, coaches, clubs and organizations to THROW-OFF the self-imposed restraints of their USAH/IIHF-Inline or USARS/FIRS "carpet-baagers" and "idiots" and set their own local, national and international course and standard though and over the game's future and potential.