State of the Sport

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

It's high time to talk about the state of the sport, where we are, and where we might be going.

Here are some questions to get the discussions flowing:

1. What is the biggest problem facing inline hockey at this moment?

2. What is the best thing that inline hockey has going for it?

3. Does inline hockey need a viable professional league, and if so, why?

4. Is it really important if our sport gets into the Olympics? Why? Why not?

5. Competition is said to be good for consumers, as they have more choices. Is that true for inline hockey as well? Or is the sport too fragmented already?

6. How can inline hockey regain the excitement and momentum it seemed to have a few years ago, when NARCh was competing with AIRHS, MLRH was trying to compete with RHI, and it seemed that the sky was the limit for our sport?

7. Is the women's game growing, or has the buzz worn off on that aspect of our sport too?

8. Are more young children getting into the sport, or are they finding alternatives to inline hockey, just as they found inline hockey as an alternative to traditional sports a few years ago?

9. Are inline hockey players' parents helping to grow our sport, or are they turning off their kids like Little League baseball parents have been known to do?

10. Mike Meyers of Austin Powers fame, and Luc Robitaille of the Detroit Red Wings used to play pickup inline hockey at the beach in Santa Monica. What interesting stories can you tell about pickup games in your town?

Thanks in advance for any and all responses this post receives.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[jahwarrior91]

1. I think our major problem are these leagues. I don't like the idea of ten different "major leagues", the only hope i can see for these leagues is if maybe they merged. No one is going to take us seriously until we have something to look up to, one unified body. Something like the RHI or NHL.

2. Right now the MLRH, the NARCh, and the CRHL seem to be headed in the direction the sport needs to be headed. But most of them still have glitches they need to work out.

3. Yes, what would ice be with out the NHL? It would be just like inline is now, just a bunch of "pro" teams playing in their own little area of the country. Everyone that plays ice gets up and says "I want to win the Stanley Cup." What do us inline players have to say?

4. I don't feel it is vitally important but it would give the sport more exposure to those that dont really know much about the sport. I really didn't know the sport was so organized until I did some searching and I've been playing for a few years. But damn it sure would be nice to lace up the skates and throw on a red, white, and blue jersey.

5. I think the competition part is a nice idea, but it is too fragmented. I think an RHI type league with teams in more areas, instead of different leagues in different areas would be better for competition.

6. How do we regain momentum? I think the "momentum" was really the sports growth spirt. Televising games sure would help, i.e. ESPN2, people are still talking about the PBH around here. Whether we can regain this momentum we will see, but it will take devoted people not ice hockey people that have nothing better to do.

7. I do feel they need recognition such as the women's leagues I've seen around,because I've seen girls that are more devoted to the game, than a lot of the guys i play with.

8. It's really hard to say. Where I'm at the only league in the area is 17 and under. Which really screws me over, cuz I'm 19 and all I can do is play drop-in one night a week, and hit the crappy tennis court as much as I can. When it doesn't rain.

9. From personal experience my parents used to drive me all over creation to play, and I still see parents taxiing kids around to play. But the parents arent going to take the kids if they aren't interested in playing.

later.

11. Richard Graham for President. Thanx man for all you've done for the sport this site is great!!! Thanx Again.

[columbus_RHstar]

1. The biggest problem facing inline hockey right now is getting exposure. PBH was great but it had too many gimmicks and was not exposing the real inline hockey. They had ramps behind nets played with a ball allowed checking. Three things what real inline does not have. They also wore different uniforms and alot of people now who are new to the sport (at least in my league) ask why we don't wear shinguards and shorts like them. Now I can see why they did that as it was on the beach in California where it gets pretty hot. There is another reason that PBH was not the inline hockey that most of us are used too.

2. The best thing that inline hockey has going for it now is the fact that there are many leagues out there. It shows that there are people willing to make a commitment. Now all we need is some one to step up or for these leagues to merge.

3. Inline hockey does need a viable pro league. Without it this sport will always be looked down on by some people. Without a viable pro league the players who are coming into inline hockey do not have anything to shoot for like ice players do with the NHL. How many times do you hear youth say "I wanna be in the NHL!!", How many times do you hear youth say "I wanna be in the PIHA or MLRH!!" There is no comparison. Giving these youths a league to shoot for ould help stimulate growth and development.

4.It is not as important to get into the olympics as it is to get a pro league. However getting into the olympics might help get exposure leading to a creation of a pro league but it is more important to get a pro league first.

5. Competition for the sport is bad in that sense. Do you see leagues competing with the NHL, NBA, or MLB? No you don't. That is one of the reason those leagues are so succesful. What this sport needs is a merger to happen to create a nation/continent wide league.

6. It can't. We had the opportunity and dropped the ball. There is a sliver of a chance for us by creating another RHI type league.

7. Personally, with no disrespect to the womens game, I don't think that the womens game should be put ahead of the mens. Looks at other succesful sports and they are just starting to get womens leagues. They have been succesful. If we want success shouldn't we follow a similar to path to that of theirs.

8. I think that children who have family members are the ones who are getting into the game the most. I think a pro league would help get more kids into the game.

9. Parents are definitley helping! I know my parents and friends and teammates parents drive them to games all around the country. I know from personal experience that my parents have driven me 10 hours for a 1 day tournament and 2 hours for practice, maybe I got lucky with good parents but it seems to me that alot of parents are like that and are dedicated. I know for example a friends parents is trying to singlehandidly get a high school inline league going.

10. Once we had a pickup game in an elementary school gym and had to buy a new floor since we teared up their old peice of sh*t floor. Also we have practiced in a school parking lot and I learned to shoot on my friends porch!!

Can't wait for more respones!
Thanks Richard Graham for all your hard work and effort.

[icehog]

I love roller hockey, and I run the Eastern Mass Roller Hockey League. But I'm going to be brutally honest with my answer.

Here in the northeast we have a handful of places to play roller hockey, but it's not huge like it was in 1995.

I think that's when the inline blade was relatively new, and people found they could skate like ice hockey outside on these blades nearly all year round, as long as the weather was good.

But after the initial hype, roller hockey seems to have found it's place as a recreational sport.

Again, I love roller hockey, but it seems that ice hockey is by far more popular in this neck of the woods.

As far as a pro league, that's a bad idea. Roller hockey is a horrible sport to watch. It's not as smooth and flashy as ice hockey. I was bummed to find out the RHI was not on ESPN 2 anymore. But at the same time, I was bored to tears watching those games.

Without a crowd to watch it and sponsors to endorse it, nothing will survive.

Now it's not all doom and gloom for roller hockey. There are some good things about playing on blades. It's by far much cheaper than playing ice hockey.
You can play with much less equipment. You don't need to wait for the zamboni to finish. And you can play outside at any tennis court or smooth surface as long as it is not raining.

That's my take. Roller Hockey is a terrific recreational sport and a great alternative to ice hockey. But I think that's as far it can realistically go.
I don't think any really talented hockey players, young or old, would ever choose to play roller over ice.
It's hard for anyone to make a career playing ice hockey. Next to impossible for roller hockey.

Dave

[calihockey]

1. this biggest problem for the sport is egos and greed. i am not knocking sponsorships (hyper is really good about making sure their teams are very respected as sportsmen as well as players), however there are guys who go out and jump from team to team just for the free gear. Egos sadly play a part in most sports, which isnt always negative, but anyone who has been around the sport for the long time has seen the negative impact of people with the sport who have large egos
2. What the sport has going for it is that the people as a whole who are a part of the sport are decent people. the guys at NARCh may not always seem to do the thing we want them to, but they are really neat people that i have had a lot of fun dealing with. Some of the coaches I have met during my years of roller hockey have impressive attitudes towards the sport and put a lot of their time into something that benefits others. Many people put in long hours to make things happen. Guys like Mr. Hearn have donated a lot and help our sport function. In general, we do have people who help govern our sport that do have us in mind at all times and that is really priceless
3. A Pro league is a must eventually. We need to put a product out that will help keep the attention of people already involved in the sport as well as spark new interested. It also gives younger kids something to strive for. Having goal, no matter how insignificant yours may seem to others, can have a profound impact. A true pro league would also help better fund our sport.
4. The Olympics is a big deal as well. Every athlete deserves a chance to represent their country (curling excluded haha). My 2nd Cousin was in the Olympic trails years back, though he did not make it, he said it was an experience he will never forget. The Olympics would also be another goal for our athletes to aim for.
5. Well i believe you can never have too many choices as long as you are getting a good product. it allows the whole idea of supply and demand to work to the consumer's advantage a bit. If Mission was the only company that made inline hockey pants and I was their CEO, you all would might need a personal loan to buy your pants haha!
6. Ok, lets get this straight, QUIT FIGHTING NARCh. They are not going anywhere. The Baldwins of roller hockey (j/k) are going to be here for a long time so work with them. I think if a pro league comes back that spans from coast to coast, it is a must that NARCh finals is considered. A NARCh finals break would be cool. If they went out of their way to do that for NARCh, I am sure NARCh would be more willing to be considerate of the league. The same goes for every other organization. The need to be "the governing body" is a joke. Come together and get things going. Quit with the Egos before you further damage a sport you guys already have!!!!
7. I have actually seen the women's game growing and its should. NARCh Womens hockey is sure not our version of the WNBA. They play hard and have some talent out there. They get down and dirty like the guys. I wouldn't play with those girls, they'd prolly hurt me. I do hope to see it grow even more. Some of the girls that play womens platinum could tear a part a lot of the guys that play. You also have womens players who go out and try to help amatuer programs out. Some of the Easton Girls have gone and helped run tournaments that were not womens tournaments but youth tournaments. I know some of the Lady Stars do as well. One of them is always coaching in house youth hockey. It is a good part of our sport to have.
8. Sadly, it seems to grow in some regions and not in others. This may have to do with the fact that we tend to place a big deal of our time in the elite players while the house league kids who play to play are kind of an afterthought.
9. This depends. We have some neat parents and we have some really morons that are horrible to their kids and cause damage to the sport. I am lucky to say that growing up, I have a amazingly supportive family. My mother always expected sportsmanship and showed it as well. I think the game should be left to the kids. Last I heard the Cubs didnt arrive to Tecco in their limos with their super model girlfriends, so its obviously not a business. It needs to be fun for the kids. Roller hockey as a way to make a living is very hard and doesnt happen to often, so dont make it a way of life.
10. well i havent played against celebs or anything but i do every once in a great while just go out and play parking lot hockey with some of the guys i grew up with. many just played for fun and never got into it they way i did, while some have, but it is always fun. its all about pride. It doesn't matter if you are sporting Tour, NEXED or Mission it is all about good times.

[flyersindc]

I'll go point by point, but first, my background: I'm 28 and grew up playing street hockey on a parking lot. We started on sneakers, worked up to quads, and I remember when the first guy showed up with roller blades. Man, did he think he was the s---. I didn't play organized hockey until the past three years, where I was introduced to MLRH. I thought this was the coolest thing in the world. So I haven't been exposed to organized roller hockey all my life. That being said:

1) I agree the biggest problem is egos, and has been for years. We've had the problem in MLRH, where some people think they can invent a better mousetrap, go off and realize it's not as easy as it looks. Thankfully, we've developed a good core and appear to be on the right track.

2) NARCh has done a wonderful job keeping the sport going following the fall of the RHI. These tournaments give youth players something more than a local rec league to get excited about. But they need something more to look forward to, and I think that's where MLRH comes in, which leads me to ...

3) Yes, a pro league is needed. These kids growing up in the sport need a next level to aspire to. MLRH isn't there yet, but we're trying and probably the closest thing to it right now. The problem is that tournament hockey is non-checking, and it's a completely different type of hockey from what we play in MLRH.

4) Olympic roller hockey would be awesome, but I think that only comes after a successful pro league has developed an interest in the sport on a wide scale. It's kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario. Olympics would draw attention to the sport, but we need the sport to draw attention to get into the Olympics.

5) Competition is fine - at a certain level. There should be only one recognized top level league. Look at Major League Baseball. One major league, but several minor leagues (international league, etc.).

6) I think if MLRH - or any other serious league - builds slowly, develops a fan base and doesn't try to make it a "get rich quick" scheme, the sport will continue to grow. We had some exciting hockey this season, and we just need to get the word out about our product.

7) I don't know as much about the women's game, but if women's pro basketball is only garnering a small amount of support, inline won't do nearly as well.

Bottom line: keep playing, support your local team, and be part of the solution!

Jim McNulty
Editor, Major League Roller Hockey Online



http://www.mlrh.com/images/MLRHlogo.gif

[rlrhky13]

Dave,
I can't agree with you more.. I think ONE of the issues here in the northeast is the fact that there is an ice rink within 10 miles of where you live no matter where you go. I live in southern New hampshire and we have approximately 12 rinks with the furthest being maybe 20 miles from my house and there is a plan to build a new rink in North Andover and Phillips has a 3rd going in within 5 years. There is only 1 place to play roller in New Hampshire now and with Dracut Indoor closing this winter the closest place for me besides the facility in New Hampshire is Acton Indoor in Mass.

I think the reality, in New England anyways, is ice time is to easy to get and there are far more ice players than roller players. I play both and have been fortunate to be able to make a living out of coaching/teaching ice and roller but I am an ice hockey player deep down and that will never change.

And finally, I give all the I don't know how to thank Richard G for this web page cause without it I don't think I could get all the roller information that I do..

[John_S_Osborne]

Here is my two cents regarding Rich's questions...

1.)

While competition amongst tournament series and organizing bodies has provided a varying level of play in a diverse set of regions, I believe that ultimately, convergence and agreement on an approach to building the game is necessary from several of the key organizations of roller hockey. With NARCh, USAHIL, USARS, (and I'll let you come up with the names of the countless other national organizations) all doing their own thing, in some respects, the sport is in harm's way in terms of the fracturing and divergence amongst the most basic things, including gameplay and rules.

2.)

By far, the best thing that roller hockey has in its benefit is that there are some very talented, vocal, and intelligent people involved in the sport. These people will eventually acknowledge that operating in isolation will only exploit the game, while working together will allow them greater power to effect change.

3.)

It is difficult to imagine a time where roller hockey will not be viewed as the bizarre cousin of ice hockey in the public eye. With that said, it is equally difficult to see a time where a nationally competitive professional roller hockey league will attract sponsorship, larger venues, and draw talent from minor ice hockey leagues (which was occuring during the RHI years).

In my opinion, I do not think it is absolutely necessary for roller hockey to have a successful professional league in the near future. Realistically, a league full of NARCh Pro caliber players nationwide is what would be sufficient, and I do not forsee that occuring.

But, the efforts of MLRH must be equally lauded and scrutinized. They have begun to build a semi-pro league at the regional level starting from the bottom-up by setting a solid foundation and thinking for the future. However, they have introduced uncertainty to the sport by the inclusion of unorthodox fighting and checking rules. While fans are attracted to the extra hitting and fisticuffs, players are asked to play on rinks which have not been designed to handle checking, and current inline-only youth players are not even being taught proper checking technique! How are these rules different from ramps? Both are not in the traditional lexicon of the sport.

4.)

I believe inclusion in the Olympic games should be a more important goal than a national professional league. As a standard playing format would be addressed for Olympic play, other organizations could adopt these standards and a single international ruleset for the game would emerge.

5.)

I think I have said in my answers above that I feel the sport is becoming too fragmented. In order for the sport to effectively grow, issues concerning the effects of its fragmentation need to be addressed.

6.)

I still believe that the excitement concerning the future of the sport exists now, despite the changing faces and organizations. The majority of my experience is involved in collegiate roller hockey, and I believe CRHL and its regions are steadily growing into a solid conjoined body. New colleges and universities continue to become involved in the sport while the established clubs are seeing increased interest and support from their schools.

Just this past week at Drexel University, the school almost doubled the funding of our roller hockey club from $7,900 in the 2001-2002 year to an astonishing $14,900 for the upcoming 2002-2003 year! Drexel has also provided an additional $4000 for the procurement of experienced coaches for our teams! What does this money mean? The ability to practice at better facilities, buy supplies like uniforms and pants, and support a larger club membership of over 60 players competing at various levels of intercollegiate and intermural play. Each and every year, we take another step to competing with the best teams in our region (and some years are better than others, if you're looking at our record this past season!).

As growth such as this occurs at more and more schools, youth players will increasingly begin to seek out college roller hockey as their next step after high school. Even if players attend schools without roller hockey programs, experienced leadership from the CRHL and its regions will assist them in starting a roller hockey organization at their school, and the sport will continue to grow!

So, what's not to be excited about now?

7.)

Honestly, I have little to no experience concerning the women's aspect of the game. I did see some very talented women playing at the NARCh Winternationals in January, and I can say that the women's game is just as interesting to watch as the men's. However, in my locale, I have not seen a women's only league nor have I seen any women playing in the men's leagues.

8.)

I continue to see more and more youth leagues popping up around the Philadelphia area as I referee and play at several places, so I think that kids are still interested in the game. I think we need to better address how to ensure these kids are getting a good introduction and education in the game by challenging coaches and referees to better themselves.

When I ref youth tournaments, I sometimes find myself put off by the attitudes of the players as they pout and question my calls, and it seems these attitudes are more prevalent as the skill level of the players increases. While referees need to be educated to make the proper calls and be in the right place at the right time, coaches need to reinforce basic sportsmanship and team play, and so should parents.

Just as an aside, if I was a coach and a player on my team tried to do something ridiculous (read: "the Michigan") during a game, I think I would have a hard time dealing with that player. While individual skill is important, this is a team sport, and in my opinion, I hate when I see stuff like that in the game.

9.)

Just like their children, a few bad parents in the bin seem to spoil the bunch sometimes. While I have seen some of the best parents helping to organize tournaments and give their kids a positive experience, you have others who are more concerned with the outcome of the games then the growth of their children.

Sometimes I think it would be better to play youth roller hockey games like youth chess tournaments are held (watch "Searching for Bobby Fisher", all the parents are kept outside during the tournaments)! But, I know that there are a large majority of parents out there who are applauding a good play from either team, and are only shouting encouraging remarks rather than cursing me, the official.

10.)

Well, out here at Drexel, we have a national guard armory on our campus. In the early days of our club, when we couldn't afford to practice anywhere better, we were given 3 hours of playing time a week on the Armory's drill floor. The floor there doubles as a parking lot for everything from the commander's vehicles to Humvees and crap.

The floor was partially divided by a large blue vinyl partition which could be dropped from the ceiling to give us something resembling boards on one side of the floor. The remaining playing surface was half chipped-up concrete and half a black rubber mat used to play basketball on. Try to do laps for practice when you can skate full speed while bouncing all over the place on the concrete, but then get on the rubber mat and feel like your skating through mud!

This is pretty funny... Because the floor was so slick, our players had trouble stopping. So, some players started the practice of jumping into the blue partition to stop, which would catch them and swing them back to a standing position. This went on for a while until one guy failed to realize that there was a Humvee parked on the other side of the blue vinyl, and took a flying leap right into the door of a Hummer! :) Fortunately, he escaped without any major injuries...


- john

[Rebecca]

heheheheee
n i c e Osborne!

Rebecca

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for those of you who have replied so far to this thread. I appreciate it.

Here's a Sports Illustrated writer's take on World Cup soccer that pertains in many interesting ways to inline hockey.

(I find it especially interesting that the writer calls soccer a "niche" sport. That's one of the most extreme examples of American chauvinsim I've ever heard. LOL. You don't have to like soccer to recognize that it's the most popular sport in the world.)

<A HREF="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/phil_taylor/news/2002/06/17/hot_button/" target="_new">http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/phil_taylor/news/2002/06/17/hot_button/</A>

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[columbus_RHstar]

Has this guy ever seen an inline hockey game? Didn't think so. If he did it might change his mind because inline hockey is far more exciting to watch and play than soccer! (and yes I have played soccer and I did get up at 2am to watch the USA beat Mexico)

[morrisville75]

I love soccer but i am not waking up at 2 AM to watch it
you people might really love
'

[columbus_RHstar]

actually I hate it. I only got up for the USA game.

[RichardGraham]

Hi Jahwarrior91,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate how much effort you put into it.

&gt;&gt;1. I think our major problem are these leagues. I don't like the idea of ten different "major leagues", the only hope i can see for these leagues is if maybe they merged. No one is going to take us seriously until we have something to look up to, one unified body. Something like the RHI or NHL.&lt;&lt;

I think you make a great point here, but it's sort of like expecting America's Democrats, Republicans, Reform Party and Greens to agree on what pizza to have for dinner. Democrats would go for thick crust with 16 toppings, Republicans for thin crust with no toppings (too expensive, and poor people should eat grits anyway), Reform for square pizza with Texas beef, and Greens for vegetarian that is delivered with no box (even if it comes from recycled trees).

&gt;&gt;2. Right now the MLRH, the NARCh, and the CRHL seem to be headed in the direction the sport needs to be headed. But most of them still have glitches they need to work out.&lt;&lt;

Sorta like humans, doncha think? :)

&gt;&gt;3. Yes, what would ice be with out the NHL? It would be just like inline is now, just a bunch of "pro" teams playing in their own little area of the country. Everyone that plays ice gets up and says "I want to win the Stanley Cup." What do us inline players have to say?&lt;&lt;

"I won the Over 40-with-one-kidney-and-graduated-from-college-without-hardly-studying-division-WORLD-championship"?

&gt;&gt;4. I don't feel it is vitally important but it would give the sport more exposure to those that dont really know much about the sport. I really didn't know the sport was so organized until I did some searching and I've been playing for a few years. But damn it sure would be nice to lace up the skates and throw on a red, white, and blue jersey.&lt;&lt;

I think the players who participated in World Championship inline hockey events would agree with you completely; it's a thrill that very few players ever get to experience.

&gt;&gt;5. I think the competition part is a nice idea, but it is too fragmented. I think an RHI type league with teams in more areas, instead of different leagues in different areas would be better for competition.&lt;&lt;

Maybe that's what will eventually happen with all the regional "pro" leagues that are starting to pop up. We can always hope.

&gt;&gt;6. How do we regain momentum? I think the "momentum" was really the sports growth spurt. Televising games sure would help, i.e. ESPN2, people are still talking about the PBH around here. Whether we can regain this momentum we will see, but it will take devoted people not ice hockey people that have nothing better to do.&lt;&lt;

There are a lot of devoted people in our sport, but they're often struggling against each other, instead of working together to move the sport forward, unfortunately.

&gt;&gt;7. I do feel they need recognition such as the women's leagues I've seen around, because I've seen girls that are more devoted to the game, than a lot of the guys i play with.&lt;&lt;

Definitely.

&gt;&gt;8. It's really hard to say. Where I'm at the only league in the area is 17 and under. Which really screws me over, cuz I'm 19 and all I can do is play drop-in one night a week, and hit the crappy tennis court as much as I can. When it doesn't rain.&lt;&lt;

We all pay different forms of dues. /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

&gt;&gt;9. From personal experience my parents used to drive me all over creation to play, and I still see parents taxiing kids around to play. But the parents aren't going to take the kids if they aren't interested in playing.&lt;&lt;

True. But it's a great sign for our sport that the kids ARE interested in playing.

&gt;&gt;10. Richard Graham for President. Thanx man for all you've done for the sport this site is great!!! Thanx Again.&lt;&lt;

Sorry, I can't be President. I was born in Canada and I'm over 35. Life is not fair. I'm trying to get over it. /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi, Columbus_RHstar,

Thanks for your response to my post.

&gt;&gt;1. The biggest problem facing inline hockey right now is getting exposure. PBH was great but it had too many gimmicks and was not exposing the real inline hockey. They had ramps behind nets played with a ball allowed checking. Three things what real inline does not have. They also wore different uniforms and alot of people now who are new to the sport (at least in my league) ask why we don't wear shinguards and shorts like them. Now I can see why they did that as it was on the beach in California where it gets pretty hot. There is another reason that PBH was not the inline hockey that most of us are used too.&lt;&lt;

I agree. I wasn't thrilled about the ramps or the ball or the requirement that players use one manufacturer's skate or another. That maybe great for certain manufacturers, but inline hockey players aren't stupid. Let the players choose their own equipment.

&gt;&gt;2. The best thing that inline hockey has going for it now is the fact that there are many leagues out there. It shows that there are people willing to make a commitment. Now all we need is some one to step up or for these leagues to merge.&lt;&lt;

Maybe we're too impatient. Time will tell.

&gt;&gt;3. Inline hockey does need a viable pro league. Without it this sport will always be looked down on by some people. Without a viable pro league the players who are coming into inline hockey do not have anything to shoot for like ice players do with the NHL. How many times do you hear youth say "I wanna be in the NHL!!", How many times do you hear youth say "I wanna be in the PIHA or MLRH!!" There is no comparison. Giving these youths a league to shoot for should help stimulate growth and development.&lt;&lt;

All I can say is that it was a heckuva lot of fun covering RHI and MLRH in the early years. I still have uncut card sets of the Anaheim Bullfrogs from the 1993 and 1994 seasons on my wall behind my laptop, and looking at them bring back a lot of great memories.

&gt;&gt;4.It is not as important to get into the olympics as it is to get a pro league. However getting into the olympics might help get exposure leading to a creation of a pro league but it is more important to get a pro league first.&lt;&lt;

I think that that Olympics will always have to come much later than a viable pro league and a sturdy worldwide infrastructure. The fact remains that the Olympics are trying to DECREASE the number of athletes and sports in the Games, rather that increase them. I think that our focus should be on getting our own house in order before worrying about the Olympics.

&gt;&gt;5. Competition for the sport is bad in that sense. Do you see leagues competing with the NHL, NBA, or MLB? No you don't. That is one of the reason those leagues are so succesful. What this sport needs is a merger to happen to create a nation/continent wide league.&lt;&lt;

Stranger things have happened. /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

&gt;&gt;6. It can't. We had the opportunity and dropped the ball. There is a sliver of a chance for us by creating another RHI type league.&lt;&lt;

Ah, never say never. Ask Sean Connery. /wtimages/icons/smile.gif

&gt;&gt;7. Personally, with no disrespect to the womens game, I don't think that the womens game should be put ahead of the mens. Looks at other succesful sports and they are just starting to get womens leagues. They have been succesful. If we want success shouldn't we follow a similar to path to that of theirs.&lt;&lt;

I think you make a good point. Stretching inline hockey too thin at this time doesn't make a whole lot of sense. However, if women continue to show as much passion for the game as they do now, and men continue to take it for granted, maybe we ought to rethink that.

&gt;&gt;8. I think that children who have family members are the ones who are getting into the game the most. I think a pro league would help get more kids into the game.&lt;&lt;

There are a lot of kids who play now who were drawn to the sport by Roller Hockey International. I don't think there's any doubt about that.

&gt;&gt;9. Parents are definitley helping! I know my parents and friends and teammates parents drive them to games all around the country. I know from personal experience that my parents have driven me 10 hours for a 1 day tournament and 2 hours for practice, maybe I got lucky with good parents but it seems to me that a lot of parents are like that and are dedicated. I know for example a friends parents is trying to singlehandidly get a high school inline league going.&lt;&lt;

Good. Sounds like the "Little League Parents" are in the minority.

&gt;&gt;10. Once we had a pickup game in an elementary school gym and had to buy a new floor since we tore up their old peice of sh*t floor. Also we have practiced in a school parking lot and I learned to shoot on my friends porch!!&lt;&lt;

What did you do to their porch? :)

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi Icehog,

Thanks for your post. I appreciate it.

&gt;&gt;I love roller hockey, and I run the Eastern Mass Roller Hockey League. But I'm going to be brutally honest with my answer. Here in the northeast we have a handful of places to play roller hockey, but it's not huge like it was in 1995. I think that's when the inline blade was relatively new, and people found they could skate like ice hockey outside on these blades nearly all year round, as long as the weather was good. But after the initial hype, roller hockey seems to have found it's place as a recreational sport.&lt;&lt;

Americans love anything "NEW," that's for certain. But when you consider where inline hockey was in 1989 (non-existent) to where it is today, I think it's much more than a recreational sport.

&gt;&gt;Again, I love roller hockey, but it seems that ice hockey is by far more popular in this neck of the woods.&lt;&lt;

Location, location, location. /wtimages/icons/cool.gif

&gt;&gt;As far as a pro league, that's a bad idea. Roller hockey is a horrible sport to watch. It's not as smooth and flashy as ice hockey. I was bummed to find out the RHI was not on ESPN 2 anymore. But at the same time, I was bored to tears watching those games.&lt;&lt;

I agree that RHI didn't translate to television very well. Watching it live, however, was often a blast. Some games I saw, particularly between the Los Angeles Blades and Anaheim Bullfrogs, and the finals between the Buffalo Stampede and Portland Rage, and San Jose Rhinos and Montreal Roadrunners, were among the most exciting sports events I've ever seen. Compared to this year's NBA and NHL Finals, I'd pick the RHI games, myself.

&gt;&gt;Without a crowd to watch it and sponsors to endorse it, nothing will survive.&lt;&lt;

True.

&gt;&gt;Now it's not all doom and gloom for roller hockey. There are some good things about playing on blades. It's by far much cheaper than playing ice hockey.
You can play with much less equipment. You don't need to wait for the zamboni to finish. And you can play outside at any tennis court or smooth surface as long as it is not raining.&lt;&lt;

Ditto.

&gt;&gt;That's my take. Roller Hockey is a terrific recreational sport and a great alternative to ice hockey. But I think that's as far it can realistically go.
I don't think any really talented hockey players, young or old, would ever choose to play roller over ice. It's hard for anyone to make a career playing ice hockey. Next to impossible for roller hockey.&lt;&lt;

Again, never say never :)

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi Calihockey,

Thanks for your post. I appreciate it.

&gt;&gt;1. this biggest problem for the sport is egos and greed. i am not knocking sponsorships (hyper is really good about making sure their teams are very respected as sportsmen as well as players), however there are guys who go out and jump from team to team just for the free gear. Egos sadly play a part in most sports, which isnt always negative, but anyone who has been around the sport for the long time has seen the negative impact of people with the sport who have large egos&lt;&lt;

I don't think that ego and greed are limited to players only... but I understand your point.

&gt;&gt;2. What the sport has going for it is that the people as a whole who are a part of the sport are decent people. the guys at NARCh may not always seem to do the thing we want them to, but they are really neat people that i have had a lot of fun dealing with. Some of the coaches I have met during my years of roller hockey have impressive attitudes towards the sport and put a lot of their time into something that benefits others. Many people put in long hours to make things happen. Guys like Mr. Hearn have donated a lot and help our sport function. In general, we do have people who help govern our sport that do have us in mind at all times and that is really priceless&lt;&lt;

If you take all the people involved in our sport as a whole, I'd say fewer than 10 percent were more interested in enriching themselves than furthering the sport. So, if we can support that 90 percent and avoid that 10 percent, we'll be in pretty good shape. LOL.

&gt;&gt;3. A Pro league is a must eventually. We need to put a product out that will help keep the attention of people already involved in the sport as well as spark new interested. It also gives younger kids something to strive for. Having goal, no matter how insignificant yours may seem to others, can have a profound impact. A true pro league would also help better fund our sport.&lt;&lt;

I think you're right.

&gt;&gt;4. The Olympics is a big deal as well. Every athlete deserves a chance to represent their country (curling excluded haha). My 2nd Cousin was in the Olympic trails years back, though he did not make it, he said it was an experience he will never forget. The Olympics would also be another goal for our athletes to aim for.&lt;&lt;

It certainly can't hurt :)

&gt;&gt;5. Well i believe you can never have too many choices as long as you are getting a good product. it allows the whole idea of supply and demand to work to the consumer's advantage a bit. If Mission was the only company that made inline hockey pants and I was their CEO, you all would might need a personal loan to buy your pants haha!&lt;&lt;

You wouldn't forget your friends, would you, Cali? :)

&gt;&gt;6. Ok, lets get this straight, QUIT FIGHTING NARCh. They are not going anywhere. The Baldwins of roller hockey (j/k) are going to be here for a long time so work with them. I think if a pro league comes back that spans from coast to coast, it is a must that NARCh finals is considered. A NARCh finals break would be cool. If they went out of their way to do that for NARCh, I am sure NARCh would be more willing to be considerate of the league. The same goes for every other organization. The need to be "the governing body" is a joke. Come together and get things going. Quit with the Egos before you further damage a sport you guys already have!!!!&lt;&lt;

I'm sure you'd get a lot of argument on that point, but I've known the NARCh folks for a long time, and though they sometimes get angry with me because I don't fawn over them, there's no doubt that they've powered the inline hockey wave in many, many ways. Lots of other organizations attempt to copy them, but bettering them will be a very tough task.

&gt;&gt;7. I have actually seen the women's game growing and its should. NARCh Womens hockey is sure not our version of the WNBA. They play hard and have some talent out there. They get down and dirty like the guys. I wouldn't play with those girls, they'd prolly hurt me. I do hope to see it grow even more. Some of the girls that play womens platinum could tear a part a lot of the guys that play. You also have womens players who go out and try to help amatuer programs out. Some of the Easton Girls have gone and helped run tournaments that were not womens tournaments but youth tournaments. I know some of the Lady Stars do as well. One of them is always coaching in house youth hockey. It is a good part of our sport to have.&lt;&lt;

And there will be a women's World Championship this year in Rochester, New York. The more opportunities there are for all players to excel, the better.

&gt;&gt;8. Sadly, it seems to grow in some regions and not in others. This may have to do with the fact that we tend to place a big deal of our time in the elite players while the house league kids who play to play are kind of an afterthought.&lt;&lt;

I think you're right. If all the attention is on the elite players, those who pay to play in house leagues will lose heart. It's the house-league players' support of inline hockey facilities who pay the way for many travel players, in a way.

&gt;&gt;9. This depends. We have some neat parents and we have some really morons that are horrible to their kids and cause damage to the sport. I am lucky to say that growing up, I have a amazingly supportive family. My mother always expected sportsmanship and showed it as well. I think the game should be left to the kids. Last I heard the Cubs didnt arrive to Tecco in their limos with their super model girlfriends, so its obviously not a business. It needs to be fun for the kids. Roller hockey as a way to make a living is very hard and doesnt happen to often, so dont make it a way of life.&lt;&lt;

Sound good to me, Cali.

&gt;&gt;10. well i havent played against celebs or anything but i do every once in a great while just go out and play parking lot hockey with some of the guys i grew up with. many just played for fun and never got into it they way i did, while some have, but it is always fun. its all about pride. It doesn't matter if you are sporting Tour, NEXED or Mission it is all about good times.&lt;&lt;

As my nephew likes to say, it's all good, Cali. Keep rolling. /wtimages/icons/laugh.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi Flyersindc,

First off, I want to say that because you're a goalie, I already have lots of issues with you... people like you have ruined MANY hockey games for me, and I just want to get that out of the way. /wtimages/icons/frown.gif

&gt;&gt;I'll go point by point, but first, my background: I'm 28 and grew up playing street hockey on a parking lot. We started on sneakers, worked up to quads, and I remember when the first guy showed up with roller blades. Man, did he think he was the s---. I didn't play organized hockey until the past three years, where I was introduced to MLRH. I thought this was the coolest thing in the world. So I haven't been exposed to organized roller hockey all my life. That being said:

1) I agree the biggest problem is egos, and has been for years. We've had the problem in MLRH, where some people think they can invent a better mousetrap, go off and realize it's not as easy as it looks. Thankfully, we've developed a good core and appear to be on the right track.&lt;&lt;

I played on sneakers as a kid, and I was a stud. Unfortunately, my skill level has shrunk every year since. Dang.

&gt;&gt;2) NARCh has done a wonderful job keeping the sport going following the fall of the RHI. These tournaments give youth players something more than a local rec league to get excited about. But they need something more to look forward to, and I think that's where MLRH comes in, which leads me to ...&lt;&lt;

USA Roller Sports and USA Hockey InLine have also had a lot to do with keeping the sport moving forward.

&gt;&gt;3) Yes, a pro league is needed. These kids growing up in the sport need a next level to aspire to. MLRH isn't there yet, but we're trying and probably the closest thing to it right now. The problem is that tournament hockey is non-checking, and it's a completely different type of hockey from what we play in MLRH.&lt;&lt;

You'll get a lot of argument about that from IHC readers... it's been a topic on the message boards many times.

&gt;&gt;4) Olympic roller hockey would be awesome, but I think that only comes after a successful pro league has developed an interest in the sport on a wide scale. It's kind of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario. Olympics would draw attention to the sport, but we need the sport to draw attention to get into the Olympics.&lt;&lt;

Makes sense to me.

&gt;&gt;5) Competition is fine - at a certain level. There should be only one recognized top level league. Look at Major League Baseball. One major league, but several minor leagues (international league, etc.). &lt;&lt;

Knowing the history of the NHL, it will probably be a long time before there's a recognized top-level league in inline hockey.

&gt;&gt;6) I think if MLRH - or any other serious league - builds slowly, develops a fan base and doesn't try to make it a "get rich quick" scheme, the sport will continue to grow. We had some exciting hockey this season, and we just need to get the word out about our product.&lt;&lt;

Good luck to you.

&gt;&gt;7) I don't know as much about the women's game, but if women's pro basketball is only garnering a small amount of support, inline won't do nearly as well.&lt;&lt;

They're already talking about striking for more money. How many inline hockey players have a minimum salary of $30k, I wonder?

&gt;&gt;Bottom line: keep playing, support your local team, and be part of the solution&lt;&lt;

Now, that sounds like something EVERYBODY can get behind, Jim /wtimages/icons/laugh.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi rlrhky13,

Thanks for your message. I appreciate it.

&gt;&gt;Dave,
I can't agree with you more.. I think ONE of the issues here in the northeast is the fact that there is an ice rink within 10 miles of where you live no matter where you go. I live in southern New hampshire and we have approximately 12 rinks with the furthest being maybe 20 miles from my house and there is a plan to build a new rink in North Andover and Phillips has a 3rd going in within 5 years. There is only 1 place to play roller in New Hampshire now and with Dracut Indoor closing this winter the closest place for me besides the facility in New Hampshire is Acton Indoor in Mass.&lt;&lt;

There's no doubt that location and personal history play a large part in how successful inline hockey will be in particular areas of the country. But who'd have ever thunk a team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, would have ever made it to the Stanley Cup Finals?!

&gt;&gt;I think the reality, in New England anyways, is ice time is to easy to get and there are far more ice players than roller players. I play both and have been fortunate to be able to make a living out of coaching/teaching ice and roller but I am an ice hockey player deep down and that will never change.&lt;&lt;

Access makes a lot of difference; there's no doubt about that.

&gt;&gt;And finally, I give all the I don't know how to thank Richard G for this web page cause without it I don't think I could get all the roller information that I do...&lt;&lt;

Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate them.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[RichardGraham]

Hi John,

Thanks for your reply.

&gt;&gt;Here is my two cents regarding Rich's questions...

1.)

While competition amongst tournament series and organizing bodies has provided a varying level of play in a diverse set of regions, I believe that ultimately, convergence and agreement on an approach to building the game is necessary from several of the key organizations of roller hockey. With NARCh, USAHIL, USARS, (and I'll let you come up with the names of the countless other national organizations) all doing their own thing, in some respects, the sport is in harm's way in terms of the fracturing and divergence amongst the most basic things, including gameplay and rules.&lt;&lt;

But are we just being impatient? I recently read about the Pan Am Games, and the delay between the original idea and putting it into play was something like 18 years, due to one world war or another.

&gt;&gt;2.)

By far, the best thing that roller hockey has in its benefit is that there are some very talented, vocal, and intelligent people involved in the sport. These people will eventually acknowledge that operating in isolation will only exploit the game, while working together will allow them greater power to effect change.&lt;&lt;

That sure would be great, John.

&gt;&gt;3.)

It is difficult to imagine a time where roller hockey will not be viewed as the bizarre cousin of ice hockey in the public eye. With that said, it is equally difficult to see a time where a nationally competitive professional roller hockey league will attract sponsorship, larger venues, and draw talent from minor ice hockey leagues (which was occuring during the RHI years).&lt;&lt;

If it happened once, it can happen again. Can't it?

&gt;&gt;In my opinion, I do not think it is absolutely necessary for roller hockey to have a successful professional league in the near future. Realistically, a league full of NARCh Pro caliber players nationwide is what would be sufficient, and I do not forsee that occuring.&lt;&lt;

What if NARCH worked with a governing body to build their pro division into a pro league?

&gt;&gt;But, the efforts of MLRH must be equally lauded and scrutinized. They have begun to build a semi-pro league at the regional level starting from the bottom-up by setting a solid foundation and thinking for the future. However, they have introduced uncertainty to the sport by the inclusion of unorthodox fighting and checking rules. While fans are attracted to the extra hitting and fisticuffs, players are asked to play on rinks which have not been designed to handle checking, and current inline-only youth players are not even being taught proper checking technique! How are these rules different from ramps? Both are not in the traditional lexicon of the sport.&lt;&lt;

One of the best things about MLRH, to my mind, is Bill Raue's dedication despite many setbacks. Whether he's successful in the long run or not, I think he deserves kudos for working so hard to fulfill his vision.

&gt;&gt;4.)

I believe inclusion in the Olympic games should be a more important goal than a national professional league. As a standard playing format would be addressed for Olympic play, other organizations could adopt these standards and a single international ruleset for the game would emerge.&lt;&lt;

Interesting. Just the opposite of what another reader said. It would be interesting to know how many sports made it into the Olympics without being a pro sport first. Synchronized swimming comes to mind... LOL.

&gt;&gt;5.)

I think I have said in my answers above that I feel the sport is becoming too fragmented. In order for the sport to effectively grow, issues concerning the effects of its fragmentation need to be addressed.&lt;&lt;

How?

&gt;&gt;6.)

I still believe that the excitement concerning the future of the sport exists now, despite the changing faces and organizations. The majority of my experience is involved in collegiate roller hockey, and I believe CRHL and its regions are steadily growing into a solid conjoined body. New colleges and universities continue to become involved in the sport while the established clubs are seeing increased interest and support from their schools.&lt;&lt;

I agree. Some of the greatest growth of inline hockey in the last few years has definitely been in the college realm, and that's due to the incredible efforts put in by so many college players and administrators... with next to no support from the industry as a whole.

&gt;&gt;Just this past week at Drexel University, the school almost doubled the funding of our roller hockey club from $7,900 in the 2001-2002 year to an astonishing $14,900 for the upcoming 2002-2003 year! Drexel has also provided an additional $4000 for the procurement of experienced coaches for our teams! What does this money mean? The ability to practice at better facilities, buy supplies like uniforms and pants, and support a larger club membership of over 60 players competing at various levels of intercollegiate and intermural play. Each and every year, we take another step to competing with the best teams in our region (and some years are better than others, if you're looking at our record this past season!).&lt;&lt;

Fantastic. Keep up the great work, Drexel!

&gt;&gt;As growth such as this occurs at more and more schools, youth players will increasingly begin to seek out college roller hockey as their next step after high school. Even if players attend schools without roller hockey programs, experienced leadership from the CRHL and its regions will assist them in starting a roller hockey organization at their school, and the sport will continue to grow!&lt;&lt;

Sounds great to me, John.

&gt;&gt;So, what's not to be excited about now?&lt;&lt;

/wtimages/icons/laugh.gif

&gt;&gt;7.)

Honestly, I have little to no experience concerning the women's aspect of the game. I did see some very talented women playing at the NARCh Winternationals in January, and I can say that the women's game is just as interesting to watch as the men's. However, in my locale, I have not seen a women's only league nor have I seen any women playing in the men's leagues.&lt;&lt;

Maybe that's why you're not dating much lately? /wtimages/icons/tongue.gif

&gt;&gt;8.)

I continue to see more and more youth leagues popping up around the Philadelphia area as I referee and play at several places, so I think that kids are still interested in the game. I think we need to better address how to ensure these kids are getting a good introduction and education in the game by challenging coaches and referees to better themselves. &lt;&lt;

Glad to hear it.

&gt;&gt;When I ref youth tournaments, I sometimes find myself put off by the attitudes of the players as they pout and question my calls, and it seems these attitudes are more prevalent as the skill level of the players increases. While referees need to be educated to make the proper calls and be in the right place at the right time, coaches need to reinforce basic sportsmanship and team play, and so should parents.&lt;&lt;

Sounds like something that consistent calls and support for the referees from above should help solve that problem. Easier said than done, though, right?

&gt;&gt;Just as an aside, if I was a coach and a player on my team tried to do something ridiculous (read: "the Michigan") during a game, I think I would have a hard time dealing with that player. While individual skill is important, this is a team sport, and in my opinion, I hate when I see stuff like that in the game.&lt;&lt;

Unless it's the game winner in the final game, right?

&gt;&gt;9.)

Just like their children, a few bad parents in the bin seem to spoil the bunch sometimes. While I have seen some of the best parents helping to organize tournaments and give their kids a positive experience, you have others who are more concerned with the outcome of the games then the growth of their children.&lt;&lt;

Sad but true.

&gt;&gt;Sometimes I think it would be better to play youth roller hockey games like youth chess tournaments are held (watch "Searching for Bobby Fisher", all the parents are kept outside during the tournaments)! But, I know that there are a large majority of parents out there who are applauding a good play from either team, and are only shouting encouraging remarks rather than cursing me, the official.&lt;&lt;

They could watch on video monitors outside the rink, I suppose. /wtimages/icons/laugh.gif

&gt;&gt;10.)

Well, out here at Drexel, we have a national guard armory on our campus. In the early days of our club, when we couldn't afford to practice anywhere better, we were given 3 hours of playing time a week on the Armory's drill floor. The floor there doubles as a parking lot for everything from the commander's vehicles to Humvees and crap.

The floor was partially divided by a large blue vinyl partition which could be dropped from the ceiling to give us something resembling boards on one side of the floor. The remaining playing surface was half chipped-up concrete and half a black rubber mat used to play basketball on. Try to do laps for practice when you can skate full speed while bouncing all over the place on the concrete, but then get on the rubber mat and feel like your skating through mud!

This is pretty funny... Because the floor was so slick, our players had trouble stopping. So, some players started the practice of jumping into the blue partition to stop, which would catch them and swing them back to a standing position. This went on for a while until one guy failed to realize that there was a Humvee parked on the other side of the blue vinyl, and took a flying leap right into the door of a Hummer! :) Fortunately, he escaped without any major injuries...&lt;&lt;

Great story! The Hummer Bummer! /wtimages/icons/laugh.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[KenFas]

First I would like to say that I am a Coach, player, and referee at many southeastern Inline hockey tournaments so I would like to point my perspective is torn between these three areas.

1.) The biggest problem is leadership between the current powers that be. USARS consistantly tells us they are the OFFICIAL GOVERNING BODY, yet they do absolutly nothing to grow our sport. There current presence in roller hockey is regional at best with pockets of teams playing in the northeast and midwest. There good ole boy political scheme only benifits those teams supporting them from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska. Our sport would be better off if they would hand over there governing body status to USA Inline if they want it. USA Inline offers a great organizational presense yet seems reluctant to charge our sport to the next level for some reason. If Inline was as important to them as Ice I believe this sport would move forward in a giant leap ( I hope you are listening or at least reading these posts) The tournament organization is strong with NARCH, TORHS, and Smaller tournament series such as ECHO, SixPack, Coastal cup gaining prominance in there regional areas. With our sport on the national level being prominantly tournament hockey it would behoove our game if these series grew and then gave back in organizing and asking more from our national governing bodies to lead us we could grow out of our fringe sport status. We need USARS to either work with USA INline, step up and be a true national governing body, or step back and just get out of the way, any choice would help. Without a real NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY inline hockey cannot reach all North America, and thats a shame because at the grass roots level roller hockey seems stronger than ever. There are probably more house and rec leagues now than ever before and many more rinks that are outfitted with true hockey facilities than just 5 years ago.A national governing body with its act together helps push the talented players and coaches to greater level of hockey that is sellable to the public.

2.)The best thing about roller hockey is in my humble opinion, is the speed and flow of the game. The inline game always looks great when played by skilld players. No dump and chase and pin point passing shows off the skill level of some very talented players in all age groups. Being involved in Ice and roller (and I love both equally, all hockey is good hockey)I am always amazed at some of the many great plays I see in the inline game. It is marketable and great to watch it is a shame more people dont get to see our game as many of us see it every weekend and each summer at the big events.

3.) A pro league would be great but it is not as important as many believe. We have a great pro game to aspire and dream of it is the NHL. Most inline heros are the same as our Ice bretheren. Our kids dream of being Forsberg, Pronger, Yserman, Hasek while playing the inline game. Not taking anything away from the CJ Yoders of the world they are great role models as well its just unproductive for our game to forget our Ice hockey roots. ALL HOCKEY IS GREAT HOCKEY. With that being said it would be good to get some TV with our greats playing the inline game. But that takes money and sponsorship. Are factory sponsors willing to shift funds to a televised event and national exposure and take money away from the grass roots teams playing the game at NARCH, TORHS, and other tournament teams? and would that better serve the sport? Team sponsorship only cost product in many cases, National exposure cost real dollars. And are fans ready to shellout money to buy tickets to watch? These are tough questions that none of us have the answers to. A good start I've said before would be to get NARCH NATIONAL FINALS on TV somehow. History has shown NARCH SHOWCASES our best players at every age level. Can a pro league provide better talent? Right now I don't believe so.

4.) The Olympics is our best dream and could become reality. It is the one showcase that could really jumpstart Inline hockey. And give our young talented players something to really aspire to. Provided the networks gave it the exposure during the games to help move our game forward. Again many sports at the Olympics get zero air time. Where would inline hockey rate in TV coverage with no mainstream stars to market on TV. Gymnastics gets ove 60% of the airtime now. Inline hockey unfortunatly would probably be regulated to taped highlights on late night wrap up shows. I do however pray Inline Hockey gets its chance on the world stage.

5.)Competition on the tournament series level is good to a point but we are awfully fragmented now. Most tournament directors will tell you its hard to fill regional events now with all the choices. However the creme does rise to the top. We have seen amazing growth of ECHO in the southeast with some very good teams playing in this series. Every team is not a NARCH Platinum team so Series like ECHO or regional series in your area are important for all the teams one notch below the platinum level of NARCH. Less is probably better than too many choices of a low quality product but when it comes to tournaments we are consumers and we can make the sport grow by only supporting the tournament series' out there that make our game grow. In other words we have a say as coaches, players, and fans by spending our money with the tournaments that help our game.

6.) Inline hockey is exciting and can see another boom if we keep playing. Its very simple we need growth at the grass roots level. We need to grow players and coaches that love inline hockey. It not a NARCH question or TORHS question its a community question. We need to sell hockey 24/7. We need help from all involved, The big tournaments, USA Inline/USA hockey, FIRS/USARS, the NHL and all involved. If we run out of players and coaches we die. Our grass roots appear to be dwindling yet we have more leagues and facilities, getting momentum back is the question and we need the answers.

7.)I wish the womens game would boom again. Women and hockey is sellable to new sponsors and could only help. Look at the exposure during the Olympics for team USA. Again it goes back to selling grass roots programs so more young girls start playing hockey instead of softball, and Basketball. Unfortunatly I've yet to see a womens division in a tournament in the southeast in sometime. Other areas of the country maybe doing better but Nationallly I see the growth in decline and that is sad. If the womens game could grow it would make the sport grow faster.

8.)Kids today are playing more sports than ever. Thats good and bad, They are playing Inline hockey in house leagues yet they are playing Baseball, Basketball, football at the next level because it is more accessable. Not to sound like a broken record but thats where we need strong leadership and salemanship from a strong governing body we are lacking. Grass roots programs grow the sport, Travel level is where we move to when we develop out talent. Sometimes it seems leadership is thinking backwards catering to the elite and not selling the grass roots programs they should be.

9.)As a ref and coach I am frustrated by the totally lack of discipline many teams show at many tournaments. Language and actions are embarrassing our game each and every weekend. PArents blame officials for letting games get out of control when coaches do nothing to discipline there kids. Parents and coaches of some teams are an embarassment to any sport. Although they are the minority it growing worse. I recently officiated Sunshine state games in Lake Worth and some parents from the home rinks team were a blackeye to otherwise a great tournament. I witnessed one mother with a 6 and 8 year old at her side use the MF word directed at an official 17 times. How are kids going to learn right and wrong. Hockey is a ego driven physical sport and with out discipline from caoaches and parents nothing good can happen. Todays kids are brought up in a politically correct society and discipline in all of our young athletes has eroded. Young athlets dont know how to pay the price to be successful in the game and losers seem to have to find an excuse and too many times its the ref and thats a joke. Win gracefully, lose with dignity and have class shouldnt be that tough. Parents and athletes alike need to accept resonsability for there actions and grow up. Again I may sound harsh because most are great but our bad is real bad. I officiated a game where my partner and I may have missed a goal, The cardinal sin of officiating. It was a tough call but when we called the captain over and explained our position he said no problem we'll get 2 more and win lets just drop the puck and play. That is leadership and should be the norm not the exception. I hope all parents see that a 12 year old kid had more character than many parents at that same event.

10.) I dont have any great stories to tell or I might but they would take too long to write but I will close by saying, Hockey is the greatest game ever to play and watch and be apart of and the Inline game I love as much as the Ice game. We all need to support this game and step up and help it grow. I hope this games becomes the grandest of all and many young kids get the chance to challenge ones heart and determination between the boards. It is by far the greatest team sport of all I hope you love it as much as I do.

Ken Fasnacht
Coach 93 Octane Jax Florida

[RichardGraham]

Hi Ken,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I do appreciate it.

&gt;&gt;1.) The biggest problem is leadership between the current powers that be. USARS consistantly tells us they are the OFFICIAL GOVERNING BODY, yet they do absolutly nothing to grow our sport. There current presence in roller hockey is regional at best with pockets of teams playing in the northeast and midwest. There good ole boy political scheme only benifits those teams supporting them from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska. Our sport would be better off if they would hand over there governing body status to USA Inline if they want it. USA Inline offers a great organizational presense yet seems reluctant to charge our sport to the next level for some reason. If Inline was as important to them as Ice I believe this sport would move forward in a giant leap ( I hope you are listening or at least reading these posts) The tournament organization is strong with NARCH, TORHS, and Smaller tournament series such as ECHO, SixPack, Coastal cup gaining prominance in there regional areas. With our sport on the national level being prominantly tournament hockey it would behoove our game if these series grew and then gave back in organizing and asking more from our national governing bodies to lead us we could grow out of our fringe sport status. We need USARS to either work with USA INline, step up and be a true national governing body, or step back and just get out of the way, any choice would help. Without a real NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY inline hockey cannot reach all North America, and thats a shame because at the grass roots level roller hockey seems stronger than ever. There are probably more house and rec leagues now than ever before and many more rinks that are outfitted with true hockey facilities than just 5 years ago.A national governing body with its act together helps push the talented players and coaches to greater level of hockey that is sellable to the public.&lt;&lt;

It would be interesting to know, from a USARS and/or USAHIL perspective, which of the tournament series you mentioned give back to the grassroots of the sport the most, if at all. Some don't affiliate with either organization.

&gt;&gt;2.) The best thing about roller hockey is in my humble opinion is the speed and flow of the game. The inline game always looks great when played by skilld players. No dump and chase and pin point passing shows off the skill level of some very talented players in all age groups. Being involved in Ice and roller (and I love both equally, all hockey is good hockey)I am always amazed at some of the many great plays I see in the inline game. It is marketable and great to watch it is a shame more people dont get to see our game as many of us see it every weekend and each summer at the big events.&lt;&lt;

I agree with you that skillful inline hockey can be exciting to watch. There are times when I watch pickup hockey at the beach in Santa Monica played by guys like Chris Nelson, Stephan Desjardins and Eric Rice, all of whom played in RHI, and it blows the mind. Then there's travel tournament hockey in which players can stop on a dime, look left and pass right, right on the tape of the stick of their teammate, who does a spin-o-rama past one defender, dekes out another till he falls on his butt, then goes top shelf on the stunned goaltender. Roller Hockey International had games that were as exciting as any ice hockey games I've ever seen; partly because there was less clutching and grabbing due to the four-on-four play.

&gt;&gt;3.) A pro league would be great but it is not as important as many believe. We have a great pro game to aspire and dream of it is the NHL. Most inline heros are the same as our Ice bretheren. Our kids dream of being Forsberg, Pronger, Yserman, Hasek while playing the inline game. Not taking anything away from the CJ Yoders of the world they are great role models as well its just unproductive for our game to forget our Ice hockey roots. ALL HOCKEY IS GREAT HOCKEY. With that being said it would be good to get some TV with our greats playing the inline game. But that takes money and sponsorship. Are factory sponsors willing to shift funds to a televised event and national exposure and take money away from the grass roots teams playing the game at NARCH, TORHS, and other tournament teams? and would that better serve the sport? Team sponsorship only cost product in many cases, National exposure cost real dollars. And are fans ready to shellout money to buy tickets to watch? These are tough questions that none of us have the answers to. A good start I've said before would be to get NARCH NATIONAL FINALS on TV somehow. History has shown NARCH SHOWCASES our best players at every age level. Can a pro league provide better talent? Right now I don't believe so.&lt;&lt;

I do think we get way ahead of ourselves when we worry about television when it seems like the base of the pyramid is ignored in favor of the elite players in amateur tournaments. More on this later on IHC...

&gt;&gt;4.) The Olympics is our best dream and could become reality. It is the one showcase that could really jumpstart Inline hockey. And give our young talented players something to really aspire to. Provided the networks gave it the exposure during the games to help move our game forward. Again many sports at the Olympics get zero air time. Where would inline hockey rate in TV coverage with no mainstream stars to market on TV. Gymnastics gets ove 60% of the airtime now. Inline hockey unfortunatly would probably be regulated to taped highlights on late night wrap up shows. I do however pray Inline Hockey gets its chance on the world stage.&lt;&lt;

Part of the problem with the Olympics is that the IOC is eliminating sports, especially team sports, because it feels there are too many athletes now. However, I think that many more people would watch a great game of inline hockey than synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics, if given the chance.

&gt;&gt;5.) Competition on the tournament series level is good to a point but we are awfully fragmented now. Most tournament directors will tell you its hard to fill regional events now with all the choices. However the creme does rise to the top. We have seen amazing growth of ECHO in the southeast with some very good teams playing in this series. Every team is not a NARCH Platinum team so Series like ECHO or regional series in your area are important for all the teams one notch below the platinum level of NARCH. Less is probably better than too many choices of a low quality product but when it comes to tournaments we are consumers and we can make the sport grow by only supporting the tournament series' out there that make our game grow. In other words we have a say as coaches, players, and fans by spending our money with the tournaments that help our game.&lt;&lt;

Fragmented is probably the best word to describe inline hockey right now. I don't see the IOC showing ANY interest in our sport until that changes.

&gt;&gt;6.) Inline hockey is exciting and can see another boom if we keep playing. Its very simple we need growth at the grass roots level. We need to grow players and coaches that love inline hockey. It not a NARCH question or TORHS question its a community question. We need to sell hockey 24/7. We need help from all involved, The big tournaments, USA Inline/USA hockey, FIRS/USARS, the NHL and all involved. If we run out of players and coaches we die. Our grass roots appear to be dwindling yet we have more leagues and facilities, getting momentum back is the question and we need the answers.&lt;&lt;

It has taken me a long time to come around to that way of thinking, or at least to recognize those feelings inside myself. I've always enjoyed watching the very best players do their thing, but without the indirect subsidization by grassroots players in house leagues, those players wouldn't get their free equipment and shots at glory on the international stage.

&gt;&gt;7.) I wish the womens game would boom again. Women and hockey is sellable to new sponsors and could only help. Look at the exposure during the Olympics for team USA. Again it goes back to selling grass roots programs so more young girls start playing hockey instead of softball, and Basketball. Unfortunatly I've yet to see a womens division in a tournament in the southeast in sometime. Other areas of the country maybe doing better but Nationallly I see the growth in decline and that is sad. If the womens game could grow it would make the sport grow faster.&lt;&lt;

I'll have some news on the women's world championships on IHC soon. They're taking place this summer in Rochester, New York, along with several other USARS-sponsored events.

&gt;&gt;8.) Kids today are playing more sports than ever. Thats good and bad, They are playing Inline hockey in house leagues yet they are playing Baseball, Basketball, football at the next level because it is more accessable. Not to sound like a broken record but thats where we need strong leadership and salemanship from a strong governing body we are lacking. Grass roots programs grow the sport, Travel level is where we move to when we develop out talent. Sometimes it seems leadership is thinking backwards catering to the elite and not selling the grass roots programs they should be.&lt;&lt;

Agreed.

&gt;&gt;9.) As a ref and coach I am frustrated by the totally lack of discipline many teams show at many tournaments. Language and actions are embarrassing our game each and every weekend. PArents blame officials for letting games get out of control when coaches do nothing to discipline there kids. Parents and coaches of some teams are an embarassment to any sport. Although they are the minority it growing worse. I recently officiated Sunshine state games in Lake Worth and some parents from the home rinks team were a blackeye to otherwise a great tournament. I witnessed one mother with a 6 and 8 year old at her side use the MF word directed at an official 17 times. How are kids going to learn right and wrong. Hockey is a ego driven physical sport and with out discipline from caoaches and parents nothing good can happen. Todays kids are brought up in a politically correct society and discipline in all of our young athletes has eroded. Young athlets dont know how to pay the price to be successful in the game and losers seem to have to find an excuse and too many times its the ref and thats a joke. Win gracefully, lose with dignity and have class shouldnt be that tough. Parents and athletes alike need to accept resonsability for there actions and grow up. Again I may sound harsh because most are great but our bad is real bad. I officiated a game where my partner and I may have missed a goal, The cardinal sin of officiating. It was a tough call but when we called the captain over and explained our position he said no problem we'll get 2 more and win lets just drop the puck and play. That is leadership and should be the norm not the exception. I hope all parents see that a 12 year old kid had more character than many parents at that same event.&lt;&lt;

I've seen this too, and it is distressing. I think it's a problem in society in general, and I'm as guilty as the next guy when it comes to my behavior in traffic! I guess the solution will only come when we can all take responsibility for our own actions, despite what the guy in the next car, or other uniform, is doing.

&gt;&gt;10.) I dont have any great stories to tell or I might but they would take too long to write but I will close by saying, Hockey is the greatest game ever to play and watch and be apart of and the Inline game I love as much as the Ice game. We all need to support this game and step up and help it grow. I hope this games becomes the grandest of all and many young kids get the chance to challenge ones heart and determination between the boards. It is by far the greatest team sport of all I hope you love it as much as I do.

Ken Fasnacht
Coach 93 Octane Jax Florida&lt;&lt;

Hockey is the greatest game ever...

Not a bad way to sum up, Ken! :)

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Hit_U_Hard]

Thats alot of questions to answer in one post