A True National Championship [Archive]

RedWingsRule

02-17-2003, 11:40 AM

I have heard from around the world of college roller hockey that there is not going to be a true national champion this year. I guess the tournament we are having up here in Detroit is not a reflection of all the top teams in college hockey. And the tournament in Feasterville, PA does not have the "premier" teams at their tournament. Well I propose this question to all teams interested, What if we could get a tournament put together that would invite the top two or three teams from each region, including D-3 schools and we would have a true national championship? This invitational tournament would truly decide who the best team in the country is. I would love to hear your guys opinion on if we could make this happen.

DannyG

02-17-2003, 01:04 PM

This is really a knee-jerk, emotional reaction, but, here are my ground rules:
I am not trying to be negative here.
I am not involved in college roller hockey (yet).
I have no proprietary interest in this.

Rather than each independent school of thought go off whenever they don't feel every program is good enough, how about we all task ourself with getting behind USA Hockey Inline, and support an organized Collegiate national championship.

Rather than bolt because of initial dissatisfaction, stay "within the system," and work to make it work...IF EVERYBODY WOULD GET ON THE SAME PAGE, rather than continuously create new pages all the time, the realization of a true national championship can become a reality...

I really believe this...WHAT ISN'T WORKING, is this repeated everybody taking the easy road, and making up some new competition, simply because they are not willing to work hard to develop the pretty good programs already out there for all concerned.

Apologies for any offense, but I (obviously, eh?) feel very strong about this...

Rebecca

02-17-2003, 01:43 PM

Can you (the original poster) please tell me what you feel a true 'College National Champion' is? You put DIII and Premier in the same thread so my assumption is that you feel a DIII team who wins a "national event" can be coined the "national champion" when there are specific reasons under CRHL while these teams are determined to be DIII teams.

The reasoning why teams are in DI, DII or DIII has nothing to do with talant, but rather resources and elegibility reasons. The reasoning why teams are in Premier or aren't is an entire subject in itself (can of worms).

The reason why teams are in the "Premier" League is also not becasue of talant, but rather resources and commitment.

To add to it, teams in CRHL change every season, or even every sememster as do their school policies on support and club administrations.

So please tell me how you would define a true college national champ so that we have more info on how we could build such a thing.

CRHL currently has 4 national titles:
Premier Champions
DI Champs
DII Champs
DIII Champs

Can it be any other way with merit to the requirement and eligibility rules that dictate what division a team is eligible to play in?

Very simple in the mind of a player,
not at all in the mind of administration

Rebecca

CoachChrisG

02-18-2003, 02:51 AM

Personally I think the Premier champions should have to play with the rest of the D1 teams in a playoff to determine who the real champion is. There should also be a true national playoffs if there isn't one already similar to the one in the NCAA basketball tournaments. (Both men's and women's.) If inline hockey is going to have a shot at NCAA status they should package their championships in a way that looks good to the NCAA. (Many times with the NCAA it's style as much as substance.)

C.C.

bonesy21

02-18-2003, 05:23 AM

chris,

just as you stated about the NCAA basketball ground rules where only one NCAA champion is crowned, you just contradicted yourself. In the NCAA, there are two national champions and two separate divions. there is the march madness final four tournament and there is also the NIT. There are never teams competeting in both, nor should there. its a way of allowing as many teams to get experience playing at a national level, but in their respectful divisions. you couldnt put a 4-21 team in the March Madness event against like the best team in the country, theyd get killed, but if the best team in the country lost all their players, then the following year, they might be in the NIT playing against that 4-21 team. Basically, some teams are by far much better than other teams, and what fun is it to beat teams 25-2? The premier division is a great idea, and i think the games are that much more competetive. would i like to see every team at one national? honestly yes, but sometimes advancements like the NIT/NCAA Final Four have to get started somewhere, and it just so happens that this is the year that the premier NCT is taking place.

DannyG

02-18-2003, 07:37 AM

There are also totally open, literally all-comers competitions, such as the F.A. Cup for soccer in England, for example...literally anybody can enter. You can get up a team at your local bar and enter. The competition is held over a months-long period of time. Over 100 teams enter each year. Of course, the bar teams are killed off very early, but every so often, a division 3, or even division 4 team makes it to the final 16 or 8. The press and the fans go nuts when this happens.

Hey, how would you like to take your college drinking buds, and enter the American Inline Cup tourney. In your opening round, you draw (the brackets are set by a luck-of-the-draw lottery, names out of the hat, big national ceremony) the Major Inline Hockey League, L.A. Lazers. You play in the Staples Center, in front of 534 fans. (okay, later on, three months later, the Lazers play the N.Y. Skyscrapers in front of 18,000 in the Cup semis, but hey, this game is you guys) You get creamed 34-2, but the story of the game, and those 2 (!) goals is told for decades to your grandkids...

Get the idea? there is something to be said for an open, all-comers, ala "Hoosiers" type tournament format. College Hockey could also adopt such a type of event.

Might be fun.

missionhockey21

02-18-2003, 07:41 AM

It sounds like it would be a fun event, I could also see many college kids entering an event like that.

Benny_Gulakiw

02-18-2003, 09:19 AM

They have the same thing here in the US. I think it's called the President's Cup or Champion's Cup, but basically it's all the US soccer teams, I believe limited to MLS and A-League teams, that play in a tournament. I remember this because the Rochester Rhinos in Rochester, NY, an A-League team, actually won this tournament once beating several MLS teams along the way.

Benny Gulakiw
President
Inline Hockey America

goalie32

02-18-2003, 12:17 PM

The NIT is set up specifically for teams that don't make the NCAA playoffs. And no one is deluded enough to think that winning the NIT makes you national champs ("We're #66!"). The difference in basketball is that if a team is in the NIT, its because they didn't play well enough during the season to merit an NCAA Championship bid, not because it was preordained by money, location, and past perfomance before the season ever started. No one is going to convince me that the champion of the Premier division (or the Midwestern Elite division) is the national champion. MU, OSU, EMU have combined to go 10-36-1 and they get championship bids, but RIT (the 2001 NCT champs) doesn't.

So what you're left with is a D1 national "champion" that never has to even play the two best teams, and a Premier "national" champion consisting of 6 teams from 4 states. Speaking as a player, both "champions" will be left with the empty feeling that they won without actually having to prove it to the entire country.

I know the reasoning, and Premier makes a good divsion. Give them all berths to the NCT then, and make them prove it. Maybe you'll get another 10 blowouts, but at a national scale, the possibility exists for one tremendous upset. MSU had won every game it played for nearly two years, then we upset them at the 2001 NCT. Now Lindenwood is the team to beat. Last year's NCT was great and Lindenwood was spectacular, but teams outside the Premier league can beat Lindenwood. Maybe it won't be easy or happen at all, but we can't at least try? Isn't that why we play the games? To at least test ourselves against the best the nation has to offer?

Alas, no. Teams that get blown out will never learn from their shortcomings, will not improve this season, or next (maybe in two years or more). The teams that won last year cannot be beaten, so let's not even give others a chance to play them. The sports axiom of "On any given day..." doesn't apply to college roller hockey.

Ya know, we didn't have to go through all this. Anyone who is anyone knows that Lindenwood and MSU are the nation's #1 and #2 respectively. We could have just given them a 7-game series and had every other team in the nation take the year off. Couldn't we have all saved money and time by having no other college hockey games this year...since no one has ever beaten, can ever beat, or will ever beat those team?

I'm sorry if this is too long, sarcastic, or offensive, but I'm already offended. The entire concept of the Premier national championships is a direct insult to me and my team, and every other team in leagues all over the country, and every player who has ever put on a uniform. I bust my butt in the gym 3-4 times a week to improve my strength so that I can beat the best, and then there is a league that tells me I am not allowed to play the best, no matter how good I am or become, and all in the name of "promoting" the sport. No matter how hard my team works or what we do, it's almost pointless cause we'll never get a chance to be the best. I get enough of that in my classes, and we'll get more than our share of that in our future careers and marriages; we don't need it now in roller hockey.

MDE3

02-18-2003, 01:23 PM

Along the lines of the subsequent posts - could a national "open" tournament format not work? Using regional eliminations like the other non collegiate groups do, a series of regional qualifiers would reduce the final # of teams who would meet in a final "National" tournament. Any collegiate team within CRHL or it's affiliates, would be eligible to play. Obviously with the total number of possible teams an organizational framework is needed. But is that not already in place? Certain fairly broad minimum standards of player and school eligibility would be required pertaining to player class hours attended per semester and degree capability of the school. Obviously there would be some serious pouting going on if a major school program was defeated by a community college stacked with two hour a month ringers - slipped into the mix for purposes of winning the tournament. But I think a broad enough brush could be used to encompass the great majority of teams playing and restrict abuses.

This would then provide a "put up or shut up" venue for all concerned and let the devil take the hindmost.

This could be done as simply a USA Inline National Collegiate Tournament, which would result in an ultimate winner. If teams or colleges choose not to participate for whatever reason - they forego the bragging rights.

Sounds to simple to be true lol - maybe just an illustration to how far removed I am from collegiate roller hockey or any other collegiate sports. Maybe just bring enlightened ignorance to bear?

RedWingsRule

02-18-2003, 06:09 PM

I think it could happen. The only question would be where are we going to have such an event? I would love to just see an invitational tournament that would bring all the best teams from around the country and at the end see who the best team is. We could see if O.C.C. can beat Lindenwood or other intriquing matchups. I think that this tournament could only help the CRHL. It would put a positive spin on an issue that has caused some uproar in college roller hockey.

WCRHL

02-18-2003, 07:37 PM

Goalie32, but isn't your season worth anything? As a past player in the WCRHL, I enjoyed and worked my butt off at each tournament, regionally and nationally. College Roller Hockey is much more than the National Championships, it is playing an entire year for your school, for yourself, against enemies/friends.

But see you can "play the best" as you say. If you want to play Lindenwood and MSU, get your team into the Premier league. Or transfer to one of the Premier schools. Or are you just dissatisfied with your Regional League?

The point is, the Premier Division was voted upon and passed, that is why it is being played right now. I believe that CRHL will evaluate it's worth after this season. I also believe that CRHL values the program, and believes others will join. Like Rebecca's post above, CRHL has had Divisions since the beginning, for obvious reasons. Premier, simply, is just another Division.

If my team (if I still played) won the Competitive DI Nationals, I would be ecstatic. I would not think to myself "Damn, this means nothing. I'm now only half the champion as I could've been."

Brennan Edwards
League Director
Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League

goalie32

02-19-2003, 12:25 AM

I didn't mean to say I wouldn't be happy winning competitve D1. I'm happy to win every game we play. I'm happy to win every game I play in rec leagues over the summer. I'm happy just playing inline hockey. I said what I did because I believe the end result is contradictory to having a national championship. I know the CRHL voted on this division, but I am voicing my disagreement with their decision and reasoning behind it, and hope they will change it back next year. I have previously e-mailed my concerns to Andrew MacMillan, and now with the NCT coming up I am restating them as I see firsthand what is happening.

If getting into the Premier league was as easy as saying my team wants to be in it, I wouldn't be sitting here now writing this. As for the regional league, I am quite happy with ECRHA. Not that I've been a part of the other leagues, but I think it's a great league run very well by dedicated people who have worked their tails off for us. I have a great amount of respect for everything the people involved in this league have done.

I was very happy with the way the NCT's had been run in previous years but the change in this year's NCT bothers me for the reasons I addressed. My team enjoyed coming into the NCT because it was our one chance each year to play LU and MSU and others. We couldn't afford Las Vegas Winternationals. Most of our funds go to getting us to the NCT after working hard to earn the bid. We look forward to it each season, and took pride in playing them. We have been summarily robbed of that chance this year. I get the impression there are many other players on teams out there who feel this way too, who barely have funds to practice during the second semester, let alone fly everyone to Vegas.

It's great that CRHL is taking steps to promote roller hockey. But in the process they have eliminated some of the things that made this league so good and viable. You say Premier will expand next year and the year after. Great, I say what about the seniors and juniors who are in the league now. Do we just sacrifice them to "build for the future"? I have one year left after this. Rather than wait 3-4 years that I don't have to see if this was the best course of action, it's easier to request that the administration that represents me review or fix a perceived problem that seemingly so many people on this board and off it (aside from league administrators, of course) have had problems with--including some posts from members of Premier.

I won't address all the issues I have with Premier and the Premier NCT in this post, but I'll conclude by quoting your solution to my wanting to play the best teams: "transfer to one of the Premier schools." Are you joking? Believe it or not, I go to college for an education. Mr. Edwards, do you honestly think this a viable solution to my problem? Roller hockey is great, but colleges offer these wonderful things now...they're called degrees. I'm working hard to get two of them. I'm not transferring anywhere or staying for a master's without a darn good reason; roller hockey doesn't even crack the top 5. If this is the kind of solution to a problem that the CRHL board members come up with, I fear college roller hockey has a lot more to worry about.

CoachChrisG

02-19-2003, 02:23 AM

The question now is who wants NCAA certification and who doesn't? Take one look at the programs that are pretty much ready to go with that and which ones the NCAA would and woudn't take and it would be a good time to ask each one what they want.

For example I just can't see Michigan and MSU wanting anything but NCAA in 1-3 years. They have the resources and the groundwork ready. I was able to spend some time with Towson's program and dispite not having a full time coach or manager that is a non player they have a model program. Many of the SoCal programs I understand are also top notch on and off the floor and are ready for the NCAA.

Then you have the reigning powerhouse Lindenwood. They have everything MSU has and more. From what I understand they are more of a community college or a tech school then a university and would be very hard pressed to get NCAA status as a result. Will they be prepared to lose the prestige they currently have for the betterment of the sport?

This is something the CRHL must also think about. Can the CRHL exist if and when NCAA certification comes? I think it can but only on par with the ACHA of college ice hockey. The possibility of the true national champion coming from an NCAA roller hockey tournament is more real with every passing month and that would put the Premier league out to pasture very quickly and the question is weather or not the big 4 or 5 want to part with this. Having said this there are very good people in the regions like in the ECRHA who have built their regions into well run leagues that I know want NCAA status. I can't see the NCAA not wanting them in on this once NCAA status happens.

Once NCAA status comes many of the bigger schools will be putting a lot more money into their inline programs and all the sudden the rest of the country will be able to catch up to MSU and Lindenwood, (who may not qualify for NCAA reconition anyway,) and do they want this to happen? For they sake of the sport they should want this because if a national championship is you beating teams with no resources, coaches or anything else like a lot of teams are stuck with because of lack of school funding then their championship means considerably less then other sports. (Like in the 1920's when Canada was winning ice hockey gold medals at will because they were beating countries who could only send the only people in their countrie's that knew how to skate. Not much competition.)

I hope the big programs in the CRHL understand this and are as willing to have a true national championship and truely want NCAA status because the 2 go hand in hand.

C.C.

DannyG

02-19-2003, 02:48 AM

Coach Chris presents a picture very much closer to the show than I can,

-but-

I have a hard time believing that the NCAA is ready to grant varsity/scholarship status to any new men's sports (unless there is an immediate duality of development with the sport simultaneously on the women's side of the house).

The two major universities around here: UTEP and NMSU, both have cut men's sports (RATHER than put more resources to expand the women's sports programs) as their response to being forced to finally begin to comply with Title IX requirements.

In general, we see the most universities have so failed in Tile IX compliance, that it will be years before the addition of new men's sports will occur...

If I lived in Vegas, I'd bet that women's roller hockey would precede men's by three years at least when it comes to varsity status...

Obviously, Coach Chris is aware of some set of factors that makes my fears in this area non-relevant...

RichardGraham

02-19-2003, 03:16 AM

Hi Goalie,

I think you posted a well-crafted and considerate reply, and though I don't know which way I lean on the subject matter, I'm very impressed with your reasoning. I am convinced you'll be successful in life because you know how to express yourself and you know what is important to you. Best of luck in the future.

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

RichardGraham

02-19-2003, 03:20 AM

Hi Chris,

Thank you for your calm and measured reply to this topic. It's the kind of post that I think would help in the MLRH Message Board as well. Keep it up /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

goalie32

02-19-2003, 08:45 AM

good point Danny, our school doesn't even have football or baseball at the NCAA level. I sincerely doubt they'd fund a roller hockey team in the near future.

Lindenwoodhockey

02-19-2003, 12:16 PM

Coach Chris

Lindenwood University is a private school in St. Charles, Mo. which is a suburb of St. Louis. The sport of roller hockey at our university is treated like a varsity sport, unlike the other teams in the CRHL. Our other sports teams ie. Mens and Womens Basketball, Football, Baseball, and Golf in the NAIA. We are far from a community college or tech school, and I resent the fact that there are so many people who don't do their homework before they run their mouths on the message board. It boggles my mind the thought of talking about NCAA affiliation when we struggle with organization and competition on the club level. We have made some positive steps in the CRHL, but there is a lot more work that needs to be done.

Rebecca

02-19-2003, 12:44 PM

First, thanks to those who continue to compliment and recognize the efforts of the ECRHA. I regard the last few posts as very appropriate and well stated. I also commend the person who said he had contacted Andy directly.

I spend much of my time and efforts building up the ECRHA for numerous reasons. My main reason is not to 'roll over' the CRHL but rather to strengthen them in all their missions, which theoretically should be the same of all the Member Organizations (formerly called 'Regions') that sit below them.

I do not feel the CRHL Admin can be anything without these MO's and their strengths in individualism and unity with the rest. These MO's and those who administer them must be solidly grounded BEFORE the CRHL can be unified, and must work WITH CRHL to do so. However, this process has not been easy for the past 5 years.

Not to air CRHL laundry, (just the obvious here) but there have been issues between regions and issues amongst the CRHL Admin that have only recently been laid on the table. This comes with the territory of running a national program. Everyone has different needs and a different vision. It is not unique to CRHL. It's the nature of business and emotions. What is unique to us is that we aren't going to put the cart before the horse. CRHL realized this this past year and let up on restrictions of the regions. While some viewed this as CRHL not working for national unity the opposite may really be true: this could be the key to national unity - thus why I continue to insist that Regions, such as the ECRHA, MUST be solidly grounded with consistent policies that are able to adapt to the needs of their participants.

Now, don't get me wrong. While each MO (Region) works alone, we also work in unifying certain issues. There really should only be small differences, but the reality is there are many differences. For example, one Region has 10 DI teams and 2 DII teams, while another has 6 and 6, and another has 16 and 22. Every area may need to function a bit differently to cater to the needs of their teams.

Anyhow, I am going on a tangent. My basic point is that the Regions must have excellent leadership and committed participants who first support their region. Many turn to the CRHL for answers but CRHL can't solve many of them until they solve them within their own region and get on board and suport CRHL not fight against it. I am a prime example. There are countless times I wanted to launch the CRHL to the moon as well as some of the suggestions and program, but its superficial in a sense. In the end, I will always suport the genuine efforts of CRHL and continue to contribute all I can to make CRHL a true stand out leader with a viable and valuable program. How many others can say that though? How many others are willing to continue to try and try and try again till they get it right, before they quit? And some have. Not I nor ECRHA will quit trying, and hopefully not any other one of the Regions, even if their leaders change or get burnt out.

But yes, I know and sadly there are seniors who will graduate never feeling fulfilled in the CRHL. My answer is no condolence. You are pioneers in a sport still very very young. You have to help it grow feathers before it can fly. When it does though, you should be fulfilled in knowing you were a part of it, or even knowing that your children WILL have a future in it.

*breathe

Rebecca

Rebecca

02-19-2003, 01:05 PM

ever just re-read your posts and wonder what your point actually was?

*skakes head

Rebecca

MBurke

02-19-2003, 01:19 PM

All the time...

Mike Burke
Commissioner
Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association
http://www.ecrha.net

Rebecca

02-19-2003, 01:24 PM

ya, but I have 2 really cute sisters (and a roommate)

Rebecca

DannyG

02-19-2003, 02:23 PM

There's an offer no one should skake their head at...

{no back editing, now...}

CoachChrisG

02-19-2003, 03:48 PM

Most schools won't give club teams the time of day which is why they struggle. NCAA status is the key to better funding and athletic allumni support. The question is do you support NCAA status? The sport has a much better chance of having more then 2 or 3 programs in the nation run like a varsity program with NCAA status. It breeds better and healthier competition and will go a long way towards legitimising the sport nationally.

C.C.

Lindenwoodhockey

02-19-2003, 11:24 PM

My question to you is how can you think about NCAA status when you can't put a competitive product in front of them. It is my opinion that the product of the CRHL is far less superior than the talent you see at Narch Division One or the Pro Division. If we had more teams that could compete on that level then I would be more supportive of the idea of getting NCAA affiliation. The NCAA does not just hand out bids to start up new sports at the drop of the hat, the process is very difficult and we are nowhere close to taking that step.

CoachChrisG

02-19-2003, 11:45 PM

You never answered the question:

Do you support NCAA certification or not? I know it would take the competitive edge you have over other schools away but could you at least be up front on weather or not you want it to happen or not?

C.C.

P.S. Towson, Penn State, P.S. Altoona, MSU, Cal Poly, RIT and Michigan are more then competitive.

CoachChrisG

02-19-2003, 11:48 PM

If MLRH had any vision or was as organized as ECRHA I would but alas they aren't.

L8
C.C.

Lindenwoodhockey

02-19-2003, 11:50 PM

I would love for that to happen. I don't know how many games you have seen this year but if you did, was the product you saw worthy of having the NCAA stamp of approval. To be honest I have only seen one maybe two teams that could say they have a team that could compete at the highest level of college kids(in or out of school, ie. CRHL or Narch).

CoachChrisG

02-19-2003, 11:54 PM

If other teams had your funding and scholarship programs I'm sure you wouldn't be so high and mighty. All 4 Towson games I witnessed behind the bench were better then anything I have seen in the NCAA this season. (Even a weaker team like Virginia Tech worked hard and played well.) Weather or not roller hockey teams can beat the best NCAA ice hockey teams is irrelevant as you are talking about 2 different sports. Should the NCAA Division 1 rugby Champions have to beat Ohio State's football team in order to maintain their status?

C.C.

Lindenwoodhockey

02-20-2003, 12:05 AM

You are mixing up my argument. I guess I am looking at the situation from the NCAA's point of view or the schools point of view. If I was the NCAA and saw the games you saw and then I went and watched D-1 at Narch. I would ask myself why was the competition at Narch so much better than the college game I saw. Unfortunately the NCAA and a Universities athletic departments are run like businesses. The players at Narch or kids playing for the junior national team are much better than the kids that are playing college roller hockey.

paddymac

02-20-2003, 01:35 AM

Lets not compare apples to oranges though. Sure D-1 and Juniors at NARCh may be more exciting and competitive, but lets look at who's playing. In D-1 you have a bunch of guys who have great talent, but how old are they, did they have the opportunity of being offered an education to play hockey, and is there a legitimate pro league that they could play in? At the junior level are the players even old enough to go to college? Maybe that's where college players should be coming from.

On the Title IX note. I know here at Michigan we have not been dropping men's sports we have been making more women's club sports into varsity sports. I agree with everyone that we should be making college roller hockey more marketable.

bonesy21

02-20-2003, 03:15 PM

CC,

i have been reading your posts, and im not too clear on anything youve said? Lindenwood is definitely a competetive team? but so is my school in michigan state. everyone im sure would love to see NCAA status amongst all the teams nation wide, but its soo hard to even try to make the NCAA even consider making Roller hockey an NCAA varsity sport. there are things that are still being worked out in the crhl that prevent that from happening. im just remotely curious to your thinking behind some of the information you have given.

bones

CoachChrisG

02-20-2003, 07:10 PM

Are you trying to tell me that CRHL is trying to prevent NCAA status? Ego over the betterment of the sport is going to be the death of it.

If the premier league teams don't want NCAA status because it will level the playing field on them then they are hurting the sport and their championships don't matter. (This is because beating underfunded teams with no hope of getting the best high school players because they can't offer scholarships is winning by a different set of rules and your titles should have an asterisk on them as a result.) The playing field has to be level and NCAA status is the ticket to that.

Again, is MSU and CRHL against NCAA status and are they fighting it at the present time? This is a big question that needs to be addressed. If you support it then why would you complain about trying to get it as soon as possible?

C.C.

bonesy21

02-21-2003, 12:16 AM

chris,

first of all, were not trying to reject NCAA status what so ever. we would all love (premier teams) and even the majority of the all competetive teams if not all of them would love to see roller hockey as an NCAA sport. believe me, we tried getting it a NCAA sport a few years back, and we are currently doing so at the moment, but what weve been told a thousand times is that it is truly not big enough yet. I mean if you can somehow work miracles or something or can click your heals together and get it done, i would be first in line to shake your hand. i would be ecstatic, and please do not get me wrong. MSU and the other premier teams are not trying to screw anyone over. it was something that all the teams voted in as a step in a direction that they thought would bolster the crhl program nation wide.in addition, i do not understand what makes you think that we are in our league of our own and that we do not want to play any other competetive teams, but i personally would have loved to be at the crhl nationals, as i was in fact one of the individuals last year wearing a togo showing support for teams that i didnt even play for? i didnt even play last year and im not taking anyones side. but honestly, we have to be realistic here. we can strive for something that is the best which would be in fact getting NCAA Status as you call it, and i am all for it, but it wont happen in the near future. there are tooo many reasons why it wont happen and not enough for it. thats my two cents, and more than anyone would i love to see rollerhockey across the country get the exposure like NCAA ice hockey, but it wont anytime in the near future; however, i will still do what little power i have to try and make it happen but in the meantime, just sit and think about it for a minute, and understand what the positives and negatives are. thanks for the time and your involvement with the sport, but take it easy, everyone on this message board understands where im coming from, plus, i dont wanna see you blowing out a blood vessel.....

dc