Just a few quick bits of advice to those young players who are looking to play roller hockey in college:

#1) There are no scholarships for roller hockey right now. There will not be any coming from the colleges and universities anytime soon since it is a "club" sport and not a Varsity NCAA sport and will not be for years. The only place scholarships may come from in the near future are from private donations and organizations and from the industry. But as far as I know there are none right now.

#2) In relation to this, do not plan on getting a roller hockey scholarship. Also, Do not pick a college simply because you want to play roller hockey there. You most likely will not turn playing roller hockey into a successful career anytime soon. Make sure you go to a college on its scholastic merits and if the school happens to have a roller hockey team, all the better for you. Factor it into your decision when choosing between two similar schools that you like, but don't take it beyond that. Even if the school of your choice doesn't have a team, take the initiative and start one up there!!! It takes a lot of time and hard work but it can be very rewarding and fun.

#3) Finally, practice hard and make yourself known. Attend tournaments, get your name out to fellow players; especially in your area, team leaders, industry leaders and reps, tournament directors, the media (post on IHC!) etc. This is called networking and it doesn't only work in the business world. It can be helpful personally as well. The better known you are, the better chance that you will grow a reputation (hopefully a positive one!). The better known you are the the better your reputation is, the more you can do for the sport of roller hockey.

Good luck.

Ben Picker
University of Maryland Roller Hockey Assistant Coach
University of Maryland Roller Hockey Co-Founder