Canadian University inline

[CoachChrisG]

After years of trying I have finally been given the green light to build an inline hockey program at the University of Winnipeg. We have secured a home arena, (the only inline facility stateside with a wet bar and satelite tv,) and are having our first meeting after exams. We will begin workouts and practices at the end of the month and will be doing so all the way into the summer with games here and there.

The only problem is that from what I can see there are no other inline hockey teams at the college/university level in Canada. Does anyone know of any university teams in other regions of Canada that we may have missed? Any and all help would be appreciated!

C.G.

[rinkrat15]

Chris, call me sometime to help, Lived in Winnipeg for 12 years and have many contacts in Canada.

Mike

National Inline manager for Rink Rat wheels.

[bonesy21]

just out of curiosity, would it ever be possible to have this canadian team come to nationals in the NCRHA...i think that would be sweet to see...regaurdless if theyre in canada, england or where ever else it might be...what do you guys think about that?

bones

[CoachChrisG]

I was thinking about that during my final talks with the Student's Association, (we don't have club sports programs in my region so we get club teams created through the Student Union.) Our team is in it's first wave of recruiting and will begin practice in the new year. If I think we would be competitive at the D1 or D2 level I was thinking of writing the NCRHA about a bid in February.

I'd be interested in hearing what the NCRHA has to say on this matter because there is no Nationals up here but we would love to play against other university teams.

C.C.G.

[WCRHL]

One requirement of At-Large teams is that they play a minimum of 6 games against NCRHA member teams. I'm sure this would apply to a Canadian team as well. This is the route that Colorado State took to get to Nationals for the past 4 years.

Brennan Edwards
League Director
Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League

[CoachChrisG]

Well, Winnipeg is between a full day - 2 day's drive to the nearest region. Add this to the fact that we would have to play in 2 events to make up that many games. At least CSU was within a reasonable vacinity to another region and/or events. (Being close to Winternationals doesn't hurt either.)

What I am saying is unless a school is in Southern Ontario, (and the UofW is nowhere near Southern Ont.) it is unreasonable for a Canadian school to use the same criteria for an at-large bid. If the NCRHA is to allow schools from other countries into their NCT maybe there should be a different criteria for at-large bids.

NARCh allows teams to play in NARCh Finals and Winternationals without playing in a qualifier under the condition that they play in the hardest division available. (Usually Platinum level.) I'm not sure about TORHS' rules on at-large bids for their Nationals.

Just throwing up ideas because the players that have joined the team all voted to play in at least one if not a few major tournaments this Spring/Summer and the NCT could be a great experience for us.

C.C.G.

[umroller]

I don't think the NCRHA can loosen its rules for teams just because they are in Canada. I think the best solution is probably for Canadian teams to begin to form their own regional leagues and to eventually have those leagues join the NCRHA. To do so, you guys will have to work to get students at colleges and universities up there to start their own clubs. To form a region all you really needs is about five clubs within 4 hours of each other. The NCRHA would be happy to help with this in any way they can. The NCRHA will be announcing the appointment of its new development director within a week or so. He or she will be the person to contact when that happens. If you want more info in the meantime or have any questions please contact me at the email address below.

Ben Picker
NCRHA Director of Marketing
[email protected]

[CoachChrisG]

Ben,

Unlike in the US where there are literally thousands of universities there may be 25-30 in Canada. This is what is in our region and how far away the schools are:

University of Winnipeg
University of Manitoba
(Both in Winnipeg)
Brandon University (4 hours away from Winnipeg)
University of North Dakota (3 hours away from Winnipeg and 7 hours away from Brandon)
North Dakota State University (5-6 Hours away from Winnipeg and about 10 hours away from Brandon.)

This is the dillema we have. (Not quite the UK situation but close.) Now I don't believe for a second that this means we shouldn't even try. (Although I know of a number of schools that will try to say otherwise.) I have spoken to the only club sports department in the entire region at the UofM and they like the idea but they have nowhere to play.

Another problem is that even states like Minnesota and Nebraska don't have programs or facilities at all. (No neutral ground for another region to play us in a match game or something like that.)

In Canada there is no university/college roller hockey at all, (and no facilities outside of Alberta or Ontario so we all play on concrete.) That said, the program I am building is looking to change all of that. This is why we want to participate in the NCRHA NCT instead of let's say, NARCh. Playing in the NCT will give what we are doing a lot of exposure and hopefully it will help spawn programs in major regions like Quebec and Ontario. (Where all of the best facilities are.) This will help us create a true Canadian National Championship.

It has taken me over 3 years to get this far and actually put a team together at the UofW. (There is no club sports department and Wesmen Athletics only want a volleyball and basketball program.) However, the foundation is quickly coming into place and we very much want to prove we can compete. Hopefully if we can prove we can compete it will spawn more programs in this country.

C.C.G.

[MDE3]

Given the logistics, it would sound like a fair request to make some sort of situational exemption at least for the interim, in the interests of expanding the program to encourage Canadian University Roller Hockey to develop.....assuming that is a desireable thing for the NCRHA. Given the sparse population density in much of Western Canada, their situation in general is much more difficult and expensive when it comes to coordinating University athletics.

[umroller]

I certainly think it is a possibility for the 2005 National Championships but probaby not for this season.

Benjamin Picker
NCRHA Director of Marketing
[email protected]

[JMUDukes26]

Coach Chris,
I think you may be asking a bit much of the NCRHA here. I know first hand what many clubs do in order to compete in the NCRHA, and from what I am hearing, I know a dedicated club can overcome these obstacles in order to earn a bid. U-Maine travels 6-10 hours to each of their tournaments, usually through snow or other bad weather. VA Tech often drives 6-8 hours to events. The NCRHA only requires that you play 6 games. Thats 2 weekends. They want to be sure if they are going to give a bid, a team is going to accept it. If you can't make it happen for 2 weekends a year, how can they expect you to fly to Southern California for NCT VI?

It never hurts to ask, and I certainlyt can't speak for them, but I think you are asking for more than you realize. There are many schools with roller hockey teams in states that don't have NCRHA regions, who play in tournament series in lieu of playing NCRHA puck. In other cases, they suck it up, get an at-large bid, and help develop a region around them. The latter is the course of action I would urge you to persue.

Gary LaBelle
President
JMU Roller Hockey

[CoachChrisG]

6-8 hours isn't 2 full day's drive so you cannot compare that to our situation.

Getting to a single event is a lot different then taking 2 full weeks off of school for 2 events. (Plus 2 sets of hotel fees, gas, etc.) You ask how we expect to get to NCT6, well it is a lot easier then doing that. (If we actually want to play reasonably rested one event could take up to 8 days to get through both ways.) I think the NCRHA would be asking way too much for us to take more then 2 full weeks off of school to attempt this.

Six games is way too many for a team outside of the US to consider. If teams wished to come to Canada and play us in Manitoba for a weekend and we returned the favor that would be a lot more reasonable then that. The UofW doesn't want any students taking the amount of time needed to be a part of 2 road events away from classes. (Especially with the trimester system in place here exams are more frequent.)

That said, if we knew ahead of time we would be able to have an at-large bid I can guarantee we would be there. But losing 2 weeks or more just to get there is just too much to ask. (It isn't 2 weekends like I said before, it would be much longer then that just to get to these places.)

C.C.G.

[cakeuneke]

I don't want to speak on behalf of the entire NCRHA, but I think that this situation is like any other we encounter during the course of a year. If a team pops up in Minnesota or the Dakotas in the middle of a season, they either can try to make the tournament as an at-large or get organized for the season after, by playing some games and gaining some momentum. Even if a team pops up in Michigan half-way through the year, they would be VERY unlikely to get a bid to nationals without joining the MCRHL, which would take until the next season to accomplish. I think we're getting to a point of growth that once a season starts, it's already started and we know what teams we have. It's unfair for a team that has played all season to get knocked out of nationals by a team that started in January. We need stable, dedicated teams in the NCRHA, and that can't be proven in one semester.

Making a special exception for this season wouldn't make a ton of sense considering we wouldn't even make a regular exception for another team coming in mid-season. If however, a team wanted to become an at-large for next year, nobody would really stop them.

In short, it's going to be really tough to create an NCRHA member region or program in Canada where schools are so far away. It's going to take a lot of dedication and a lot of commitment, which usually means a lot of money too, maybe through sponsorships. What I would probably attempt to do is register next season as an at-large, and plan way ahead of time to attend two events by plane. Expensive? You betcha. You'd need a sponsor or two to help you make the trips. But I'd take the trips to major cities that the NCRHA plays in like Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, or other places I can't think of to make the flight cheaper.

Maybe something can be worked out next year as an exception, I'm not sure. Maybe we can have a tournament somewhere for some NCRHA teams to travel north, but to change the rules in midseason for a team to qualify for nationals doesn't seem fair.