Inline Hockey Article (by MDE3)

[Shorthanded67 0]

This was a topic started over at an inline hockey-related messageboard by our own MDE3. I hope he doesn't mind that I'm posting this here for discussion. However, as a passionate roller hockey player for the past decade, this was one of the most thought-provoking statements I've ever read. I do realize that we don't have as many inline hockey diehards on MSH as there are at the other MB, but hopefully it can generate some great discussion as it did over there. Let's just not allow it to turn into an "ice VS inline" thread because several points in this can be applied to ice hockey as well.

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Where have all the players gone?

Hockey..not just inline hockey is at a hiatus right now. The NHL in crisis at the top of the game, is showing the symptoms of a malaise far greater than a simple dispute over salaries....

The sport of hockey, with it's roots as a sport of the poor, something that cost almost nothing to play, available to all as a great form of aerobic recreation, has become a sport of the elite in a matter of 10 years. Once played in the streets and unused parking lots, tennis courts, or in more northern climes on open ponds and lakes for a few months of the year, whether as as ball hockey, or ice hockey, the sport of hockey was there for anyone who could afford a $10.00 stick and a $75.00 set of skates and pads from Wal-Mart. Kids could go out on their local streets and have some fun without Mom and Dad carefully watching if the coach was teaching their kid the right stuff or giving them enough rink time, on a surface that costs $200 - $400.00/hour to play on.

During the growth years of inline down here in the US, starting in the early 90's, the sport was being played everywhere as pick up recreation on any available surface...Coincidentally during those same years USA hockey saw growth points of 25 - 30% in their ice hockey memberships. Then as the sport went more and more elite...fewer and fewer kids were taking to the streets, or the local disco rinks to play some pick up ball hockey. Anyone who did this was soon disdained by those who played "the real version" of the sport..with the $300.00+ skates, another $300.00 worth of expensive protective and cosmetic accessories plus a stick which cost at least $100.00 The sport dried up in the disco rinks, in the streets and tennis courts and parking lots. These players are the base of all hockey fans and that base is dieing...the players and the families of those players are the ones who buy the jerseys and watch the game on television...the fans of the sport come only from those who played or whose kids have played or play. Since street hockey and it's brothers and sisters has all but disappeared, replaced by dedicated facilities which only a few can enjoy(afford)..the growth of USA Hockey memberships(ice) has fallen to less than 1%...Just coincidence?

Here in the USA the warmer climates do not have "pond hockey" but for them "street hockey" was the equivalent...the intro level to the sport. Without the sport making a dedicated effort to get these grass roots growing once more....the numbers of players in the sport..in any version... will continue to erode, and the current malaise to spread.

[Shorthanded67 0]

So many great points here, I'm not sure where to begin.

As many know I live in St. Louis, a hotbed of roller hockey. We've enjoyed several quality facilities over the years, two of the best college programs in Lindenwood University and St. Charles Community College, a highly talented high school legaue (MOIHA), and a few competitive travel teams for the youngsters (Tour Blast, MSH Cobras).

Lately I've also noticed a drop in the interest of the sport. At one time during 1999, we had about 8 quality facilities in a 50-60 mile radius. Now we're down to about 3, with one being the main focus. One rink (All-American Sports Mall) which hosted most of the elite tournaments in their dual-rink facility has turned one rink into ice and has rumored to turn the other rink into ice as well. Other rinks have just shut down operations all together. Now the rink which has remained the "main" rink to play at (MSG TriPlex) is a top notch facility but as in business, competition is good. They charge $950 a team to play a 10-game season plus playoffs. Personally I don't mind paying it (comes out to about $119 per player) since I still enjoy the sport and it's my primary means of socialization. I'm also 27, unmarried, and have no children (that I know of.... :P ) which allows me to have a bit more cash to put into my extracurricular activites.

There's tons of guys out there my age who really can't afford to play anymore. They were diehards a while back, but several things have made them quit. Of course the obvious is that many have started families and are putting their children before themselves in getting them a good education and involved in the sport as well. Others just quit playing because most of the "elite" players took over the house leagues giving the recreational guys no will to play the game since they would just "get mercied" anyway. Not to mention, many of the "elite" players are allowed to play for free anyway. I will say that back when I considered myself one of this "elite group", I still insisted on forking out the cash like anyone else. One legendary rink is in great financial jeopardy and is in danger of closing since it has allowed too many players (mostly LU players) to play without paying and basically "run the place". I'll go to my Wednesday night house league there, and we'll be lucky if teams have 4 skaters and a goalie to play. Tons of players just don't care anymore. 5 years ago, nobody skipped games.

As MDE3 observed, the grass-roots version of the sport is all but gone. I started out playing on asphalt, tennis courts, etc... But after the sport experienced it's boom years ago, many parks put up outdoor "rinks" to play on at no cost. I drive past some and have never seen more than maybe one guy skating around on it. That's where it all begins. When my teams bull$hit in the lockerrooms about the "old days", we all got our start either outdoors or at the local roller rink with a wooden floor. Now kids are gettting to start out at the quality facilities which is great but it's costing your arm and your leg. These elite programs start at age 4. Soon, the better players are weeded out amongst the not-so-great players and these kids just become disheartened and eventually quit playing. It happens at all ages.

What's the solution?..... Nothing comes easy but hopefully the sport can come back to those who want to see it succeed and can.

Again, great discussion starter, MDE3.

[MDE3 0]

Geez....a guy cannot get away with anything here......

My concern in writing that was not just for inline hockey, but hockey in general. For years, whether it was ever realized or not, inline hockey was a feeder sport for ice hockey at the grass root levels.....by focussing on it's more elite forms hockey has left these grass roots to die.

There is a guy in El Paso, who posts on IHC all the time under the handle of "Danny G" who is the recreational hockey director for the city, and runs what appears to be an incredibly successfull inline program that is still enjoying steady growth.

The facility costs are born by the public sector. He has actually published a document on how to get this done. But getting publicly funded facilities is only the first step. His information also gives excellent directions on how to operate the facility(create balanced programs) once it is born. Without both of these elements in place, the effort will be wasted.

I think as a group whose interests are in growing the sport itself, not vested in supporting any specific private ventures, we need to promote this type of program, in order to get the sport back to the levels of accessibility needed. At the same time the need to create a unilateral tier system which recognises the importance of having competiton regulated, could not be greater...due to the points Shorthanded has observed. Players at all levels need to enjoy the thrill of close competition and the natural comeraderie which this elicits.

The inline tournament "system", a "for profit" phenomenon, has unfortunately fostered a "win at all costs" mentality. More than ever this needs to be surpassed by a formal and national structure which addresses the fulfillment needed by it's players at ALL levels. Even though these tournaments have multiple skill levels, even the lowest are still too strong for many house teams to consider playing in using only home grown talent.

Tiered local leagues need to be created so that "intra" as well as interfacility rivalries become a satisfying venue for the recreational player. This has got to become a crusade not just for inline hockey, but for all hockey. Inline, being in many cases closer to the ground in the pyramid of hockey growth, has seen this crisis first. But the creeping truth is also impacting ice hockey. In order to get costs in line, these primary facilities need to be supported by the public sector, and run so that participants can both get enjoyment on any level, as well as have the opportunity to advance.

Boards like this can help build the future of the sport, if we really begin to do some work...(look how fast the "Knock out the Lockout" initiative spread from this board). We have more resources than we know.

[Jim A 4]

I know I'm one of the few who have this viewpoint, but I dont' the game of inline hockey is really in that much jeopardy..since i just rolled out of bed..I'll offer up some bullet points..

-yes there was unprecedented growth of the sport in the mid-90's. and it moved us from the roller disco rinks into our own facilities to play in..

- 1993-96 for inline hockey was the equivalent of the 80's for the sport..glamour, growth, greed...yes greed.how many companies started because they saw a way to make a quick buck?? Think of how many roller hockey companies were out there that just made pants....pants....

-those kids in the parking lots, tennis courts, outdoor rinks are still there..we are the ones who have moved indoors..where i'm from in NY all of the rinks that were built in the area in '95-97 are coated asphalt outdoor rinks...and we play nearly year round..i've had playoff games in near single digit temps...its not fun..but its hockey...then when done we head over to the pond...if i go there on this fri afternoon..the rink will be packed with kids playing some pickup...day after christmas..fuhgeddaboudit..

-The most fun place you'll ever play roller hockey is the Santa Monica Pier on a Sat an Sun AM...parking lot B I think...

-I don't think the "Win at all costs" mentality is that prevalent anymore at the highest level..one only has to look at the upcoming NARCh Winternationals where Gold will have 20 teams in some divisions...4 years ago ..12 of those 20 teams would have been begging to play platinum..but better to finish 6th in Gold...than to go home 18th in Platinum?? so i guess the win at all costs often works out to "go to the division or event you have the best chance to win"...know what?? it backfires all the time..

-Obviously, I work for one of the "for profit" people mentioned..but my take on it is I'd rather play in something that has a finish than just some local rink tournaments..talking about groups such as NARCh..you're talking about the top of the pyramid...

-speaking of rinks, as Shorthanded mentioned...they are run woefully inadequately..many of the people running them...have no idea what it takes..and even fewer people put in the leg work to grow the sport..the most frustrating 3 months of my adult life were spent trying to be a GM in a rink down here in TX where the owner's goal was to be able to work 20hrs a week and make 40k..15 months after I left, I finally saw 2 of my ideas on my first proposal introduced..it's not that hard to run a successful rink..this place wa bad at collecting dues from people ..so i had a team fee...so much up front, balance by the 3rd game, or you forfeit and can't play until its paid..want to see how fast wallets and credit cards get pulled out on game 3??also when rinks are charging me $15 a game to play inline and I can play ice for $18 a game..its no contest for my wallet..

-I often use skateboarding as an analgous sport...it was huge in the 70's...seemed to die in the early 80's and 90 to most of us..but there still tons of kids skateboarding..just not the ones you see in the neighborhood or care to acknowledge...then when it spiked again over the past 8 years..all the mainstream kids went out and bought Birdhouse, Brooklyn etc..and the sport is again in the spotlight..as long as the core people stay involved in the sport..it will survive for all of us..

-the players will come back, they want to be the Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Hensick/Tanguay's...and all the euro moves they pull out and you see on SportsCenter...can be found here in the US on the blue tile..

-Does the sport need work? sure, always..the economy hasn't helped that much the past couple years..(lots of layoffs in the DFW area)..but it will still be here...as long as the right people stay involved.

[Vishi05 0]

I think it's interesting that $950 per team is expensive. Over here in Southern California it's 1350-1400 for a roller team for a 10 game season.

[Shorthanded67 0]

MDE3: I've been reading IHC for a very long time and I only wish there was someone like DannyG running a rink around here. I don't know him "personally" but you can just tell his great passion for the game by reading his typed words.

While our local rinks have what they consider "multi-tier" levels of play, it's just not that cut and dry. Basically there's 3 different divisions but you ALWAYS get a dominating team and a chronic cellar-dweller team. I could probably take the 35-40 teams that play in 3 mens (18-and-over) divisions on Sundays and split them into 5 divisions.

Case in point of the possible success by creating a league with an even playing field..... I just started playing in a 28-and-over league (yeah I'm only 27...shhhhh). When this league first started, there was about 8 teams and one team just smoked everyone for 3 seasons straight. And you had about 3 teams that were lucky to have the puck in their possession for for than 60 seconds a game. They created 3 seperate divisions for this league and all of a sudden there's about 30 teams playing. And while you do have the "upper" teams in the standings, nobody is undefeated and most games are very close. All I have to do is go to Pointstreak.com and view the "Goals For" and "Goals Against" statistics and they aren't too lopsided.

The league is a lot of fun and you get a helluva lot more motivated to play when you realize that there's a chance to win every game. Trust me, I've been on some great teams that go 10-0 over a season and mercy every team and have been on some poor teams that go 0-10 for the season. Neither is very fulfilling. Of course winning is great but I personally don't feel a sense of accomplishment after destroying a team. I'd feel better if I pulled a "reverse-toe drag-spinnorama-somersault" on someone my own skill level than some poor schlub who is just starting the game and can barely stand up. All that does is discourage people from playing the sport. And there needs to be a division where that poor schlub can play and have fun doing it.

And I totally agree about tournaments. I did NARCh, TORHS, AIRHS (back in the day), etc....and was great fun while it lasted. I'll still attempt to get teams together for these tournaments but instead of gathering 8 other elite players, I'll play with a house team...and succeed in getting smoked. I know tons of "average" players who've heard all the past stories and would love to travel out of town for the occasional weekend tourney if they knew they had a fighting chance.

Yeah I don't think roller hockey will be going away any time soon, but it just needs to be fun for everyone. Isn't that the point in playing?

[MDE3 0]

While I do not deny that some regions have an active outdoor street hockey venue still, the regions I know and work with are all singing the same tune at those levels...low interest. It is not "unilateral" but wide spread enough to sit up and take notice.

Let me get something straight first. I am not against profit..it is something every business needs to survive and to grow with, or at least most(maybe not Ricky Williams)...but there has to be an independant "NOT FOR PROFIT" governing body, so the decisions for the long term future of the sport, are not in the hands of those whose immediate self interests must by definition take precedence. No matter how altruistic you may like to see yourself as a business, the fact remains, without self interest you will die.

There must be an incentive to play the sport for the enjoyment of the game, not just to get a team together to go annihilate the guys who mercied you at age 10, five years ago at Narch or Torhs, or USAHIL, or USARS/AAU.... There has to be enjoyable competition legislated, at the house levels as well as beyond there. Human nature will not always seek to play fair if we leave it to it's own devices. Having a national formal unilateral program is a step, and having all the tournament groups work together, another step. I could see each group being given a geographical region to administer from the "grass" up....so that they not only administer regional competitions for their own series, but all levels from house hockey and above....possibly even more profitable....

[Shorthanded67 0]

I think it's interesting that $950 per team is expensive. Over here in Southern California it's 1350-1400 for a roller team for a 10 game season.

I figured that there were some fees around the U.S. that would put our $950 to shame. When I started playing 10 years ago, I think it was about $700 for a 10-game season. Again I don't mind the fees (well until I think about 7 leagues a season at $119 a pop, with 4 seasons a year...ugh my tummy hurts.. )

Our method here is that a team fee is $950. You have to put a $200 non-refundable deposit down to hold your spot a few weeks before the season starts. The balance has to be paid in full before you take the rink for your first game. If not, you're still allowed to play that first game but you get hit with a $50 late fee and must forfeit games after that until the balance is paid.

I don't have a problem with this method....but some players just bitch and moan every season. Kind of interesting that playing in an 18-and-over league, we get non-paying players all the time and then we get hit with the late fees. In the 28-and-over league, every team is paid in full first week.

[mik3 1]

One problem we have a lot in jersey is tournament teams joining house leagues. Although I've been involved in some leagues where we'd have 5-6 tournament teams, that still means you'd play 3-4 teams of much lower skill than you, and like has previously been said that really doesn't make a kid want to come out the next season.

Like right now I'm in a league which was supposed to have a little higher level than it ended up, so I'm on a team with all guys who have played PIHA/MLRH/and platinum tournament teams, it's just no fun. The most fun we had was when they more or less added a ringer team to give us a run.

Anyone that tells you competition isn't fun, isn't good for the sport. That's why it's good even nationals have numerous levels now, so kids playing NARCH silver can have just as much fun and competition as kids playing platinum. If a team pays tons of money to go out to somewhere like Wisconsin, and gets lit up, they're not going to want to do that again the next year.

But, on the same note, you can't have competition if you don't have actual numbers playing.

Like has been said previously, the sport isn't going anywhere, sure rinks have shut down, but the ones that are still open just need to put in that extra 10% and we'd all be set for years to come.

[mik3 1]

There's one outdoor league I know of near me in New Jersey (Monmouth County) that has pretty good numbers. It's the first inline league I ever played in about 10 years ago and it's still going strong. They run on a lot of volunteers, I myself and probably even going to help coach next season. But leagues like that are a rarity around here.

[KC8NIY 0]

Not much time to reply at the moment, but I would have to say the piece is right on point. Maybe it's just me not frequenting the areas where pickup was played as much, but I just don't see it happening anymore. I can't remember the last time I saw a game of street hockey being played.

A major downfall that I see: Manufacturers are out to make a buck, obviously. They wouldn't be in business if they weren't. However, technology within equipment seems to have increased production costs dramatically in the past 15 years. An unfortunate side effect is that it prices alot of people out of the sport.

I am 13 years removed from ice hockey. Due to rising costs within our league, my parents were not able to sign me up for my 2nd year of Bantams. Discouraged, I never came back to it until very recently. What I found coming back is that I'm not familiar with ANY of the equipment or technology anymore. I spent $600 for skates, stick, gloves, helmet; just to go skate around at sticks & puck sessions. I'll spend roughly the same amount to buy everything else I need to join a league soon.

Average people have just been priced out of the organized sport.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Roller hockey is getting pretty big in canada now. Not street wise- but in leagues. It started off about 8 years ago(maybe more) and it's still growing. It started off very small, just a house league that played out of one rink. Now they offer AA and AAA programs at all ages. They have about 5 - 7 tourney every year and provincials too, where over 30 teams would show up. Street wise is a different story, I used to play out side with my friends all the time because of expensive wheels. We dont like to change from indoor to outdoor wheels every time we have a pickup game. You can call us lazy, but when theres some times 3 practises a week, it gets annoying.

[MDE3 0]

One of the things that has happened in the sport, is that there are almost no distinct "heroes" for the kids to chase in their dreams of grandeur...even in the NHL.

Inline, without a true pro league, has no TV coverage and so there are none there either, except to the dedicated few who know "whose who" to some degree. The days when all the young players knew who Tony Szabo was, and Jerry St. Cyr, maybe Jay Mazer too.....have dissapeared.

As I grew up in Canada, every kid would fight to the death to "be" a Richard, a Howe, a Hull, a Sawchuk, a Mahovolich, a Geoffreon, a Beliveau etc, etc. before the pick up game started. Having the jersey gave you first dibs. We all knew who our heroes were. Through the eighties and into the early nineties every kid was a Gretztky, a Jagr or a Lemieux, knew their moves, their stats, tucked their jersey in on one side only.... Today.....??????

The sport needs it's heroes, and I think the game (NHL) knows this too. The fact that the players have become so much larger and stronger has also pushed the kids of average size away from the game to some degree....bleeding away those dreams of glory. The fact that goonery sees as much air time as glorious skills, takes another bite out of the fantasy. The fact that money is publicly so much a part of the game, not so much character and beauty, has driven the nails in even further.

Where will the next heroes come from???? It will come from the underdogs where speed and skill and courage defeats the goliaths of cheap shots and interference. We need nobility back in the game, we need character to admire as much as skill. Let the playing fields become even again.

[Stampede 0]

Exactly the same situation here in the UK.

What was one of (if not the) fastest growing sport appears to have declined.

When we played in sportshalls with wooden floors their were far more teams around. In our town we had about 10, which is now about 5.

We train twice a week, once in a hall for £32 and once at the local rink for £60, for the time time period.

Out of the guys I first started playing with and have played with on several teams over the years, there are only 3 or 4 of those fellas left. The rest seem to play until they are 18-20 and then disappear. As your costs of living increase i.e. move out of home and discover beer, the disposable income for hockey seems to go. I know several guys who have quit cos their gear was so shagged but they couldn't afford some new stuff.

It only seems the mega serious guys stay involved in the game, who go that extra mile to make sure they have got the cash for hockey and make training week in week out that are commited enough.

However, I firmly believe the sport needs the "once a month warriors" who enjoy a pick up game and enable the sports authorities to generate revenue to support the sport. In the UK you seem the same faces playing for different teams in different leagues, which takes floor time off the less serious players ... they just then think, "if I'm sat on the bench then I'm not gonna bother any more....meet you at the bar".

Back to the sports halls and Cooper Street shooter sticks to get the kids involved at a low cost. 10 year old kids with OPS cracks me up. Can't even flex them, how on earth is that gonna benefit a kids game? Need the heaviest piece of lumber they can find to build up strength and technique, that if they wreck by playing hard or out on the road they can afford a new one. Where I live you could walk down most streets at night and see a few games of pick up games. Haven't seen one for years now........ No such thing as a Cooper Street Shooter, would be made of Kevlar and weigh half an ounce!

Think it was the boom of the roller blade what drove a lot of the initial street hockey excitement, so maybe need some thing new to get the kids back out on the streets.

[koivulchuk 1]

And there needs to be a division where that poor schlub can play and have fun doing it.

why must you speak of me like this? i try my best!!! :P

[Cunndies 0]

Good post Stampete - totally right about how it is in the UK.

We don't have many proper rinks over here (seriously, you could probably count them on one hand) so my team, being in Scotland, a good 5 hours drive from the nearest one, hardly ever play there. We get down for Uni Nationals every year, but that's about it.

To be fair though, up in Scotland, there's a lot of good work being done towards the sport as a whole. There's a thriving junior league in Fife. I played in it since I was a kid, and since I left, it's got a lot more "organised". They've affiliated to the the Scottish "division" of GB Inline, and have got kids playing for Scottish national teams, British national teams etc...

They still play out of sports halls, and there's quite a bit of talent in the league. A few kids I played against a few years ago are getting ice-time with the local pro Ice team (the Flyers) these days. That league (the British National League - pro/semi-pro) is probably a bit below ECHL standards, but it's good to watch, and a bit scary that kids I played against are playing in it! :lol:

As for senior stuff up here, there's a few leagues, the biggest probably being BIPHA Scotland, which my Uni team plays in. They're affiliated to the rest of the BIPHA outfit, complete with regional teams, national teams etc...we've got a few guys playing pro Ice playing in it too.

I'd say that the sport's profile around Scotland, particularly Fife (it's where I come from, so I have more experience of it) has risen in the last while, particularly in the case of my old club - who have tons of new members, right down to 5 and 6 year olds.

Oh, and MDE3 - I know who Tony Szabo is!! :lol: He played for the Flyers a little bit back in the day. Left under a bit of a cloud, and ended up back in America! :D

[Jim A 4]

MDE- I know you're not against for profit structure and that you want a not for profit type as an NGB..sorry if it seemed otherwise..

shorthanded and others..re:Regional play...yes its nice to play and not get smoked at regionals..but the whole point of a regional is to figure out where to place a team at Finals..places in STL are among the few that actually have tiered mens divisions at a regional...

i see it far too often..team doesn't play in a regional..say TX because Team X will smoke everyone...so they play another regional and go to that finals..because at least they won't get spanked by Team X at the regional, and they aren't playing the other event...they will play teams of their caliber, that is shortsightedness on my part..but i'm biased..i do think that NARCh is a great show..and if you haven't been to a Finals the past 2-3 years and go elsewhere you're missing out....but unless you are goin to have 6-8 detroit style qualifiers, which can't really happen...you have to suck it up sometimes at a regional in order to play in the right division at Finals..

[Shorthanded67 0]

And there needs to be a division where that poor schlub can play and have fun doing it.

why must you speak of me like this? i try my best!!! :P

I tried not to name names on a public messageboard.....

[MDE3 0]

Good post Stampete - totally right about how it is in the UK.

We don't have many proper rinks over here (seriously, you could probably count them on one hand) so my team, being in Scotland, a good 5 hours drive from the nearest one, hardly ever play there. We get down for Uni Nationals every year, but that's about it.

To be fair though, up in Scotland, there's a lot of good work being done towards the sport as a whole. There's a thriving junior league in Fife. I played in it since I was a kid, and since I left, it's got a lot more "organised". They've affiliated to the the Scottish "division" of GB Inline, and have got kids playing for Scottish national teams, British national teams etc...

They still play out of sports halls, and there's quite a bit of talent in the league. A few kids I played against a few years ago are getting ice-time with the local pro Ice team (the Flyers) these days. That league (the British National League - pro/semi-pro) is probably a bit below ECHL standards, but it's good to watch, and a bit scary that kids I played against are playing in it! :lol:

As for senior stuff up here, there's a few leagues, the biggest probably being BIPHA Scotland, which my Uni team plays in. They're affiliated to the rest of the BIPHA outfit, complete with regional teams, national teams etc...we've got a few guys playing pro Ice playing in it too.

I'd say that the sport's profile around Scotland, particularly Fife (it's where I come from, so I have more experience of it) has risen in the last while, particularly in the case of my old club - who have tons of new members, right down to 5 and 6 year olds.

Oh, and MDE3 - I know who Tony Szabo is!! :lol: He played for the Flyers a little bit back in the day. Left under a bit of a cloud, and ended up back in America! :D

I know the sport seems to be on a growth cycle in Europe and the UK. They have been fielding great teams at the international level for a while now, in spite of not having the benefit of our dedicated facilities over here....

Tony..well, nuff said...My bridge partner online..curls out of the ice arena where the Flyers play.

[fatwabbit 93]

Singapore, a bustling city in South East Asia......

We used to have a lot of teams here in Singapore when inline skating took off in 95-96. Every street corner had kids playing the game. I've played in tournaments since that time (when i was about 20yrs old), sometimes against kids who were about half my age, but fast and skillful as hell. The sport had a lot of publicity then, with the organised tournys being MC-ed by some of the bigger Singaporean celebrities.... the hockey market was monopolised by a few guys, selling wood sticks at about USD$30 a piece. Internet shopping was non-existent, and most of the equipment was bought with 'an arm and a leg'. Some of my hockey buddies worked for these guys, and in return for their service, they would get to buy the equipment at a cheaper rate... We even had a sports authority store here selling nothing else but hockey equipment. Hockey was played every where, from basketball courts to carparks

A couple of years after that, most of the kids i knew who had splurged their hard saved money on hockey stuff just dropped the sport, mainly due to the cost of buying stuff every few months. We had hard tarmac/asphalt courts, the main one was at the People's Association (dominated by one team - Nirvana... who were the team to beat).. it was a good ground to play at, lotsa teams, lotsa chicks ......

Someone finally convinced the grassroots leaders to build an outdoor court here in 2000, and the court had many facelifts (notably 3 which took about 3-4 months each) just to make the court more regulation sized. We now had a 'proper' place to play, and didnt have to fight and argue with the soccer/football guys over who got to use the court. Except that, we have been told to get off the court by other groups who had 'booked' the court.. they were using it for other purposes than hockey (some stupid outdoor display of martial arts for some president of dunno-what-organisation).

Some of the things i really detest about how the hockey scene is run here are:

1) marked up prices of equipment - can you see yourself buying equipment that cost SGD$600 when you can buy it off the internet stores at half the price (shipping included)

2) the sport isnt really 'pushed' by the grassroots or by the sports council... i doubt if it is recognised by our sports council. Guys who represent Singapore to play are the guys who can afford to take the time out of work/school, have their own equipment, and can pay for the travelling expenses to play in other countries like hongkong... its not so much about the skills you have, as long as you have the $, you can play for the National Team.

3) the hockey court seems to be renovated every year, sometimes for a period of 3-4 months... that means we gotta find alternative places to play... back to the basketball courts :(

I have nothing against the sport of hockey... i love the game, and everyting it stands for. I have made great friends thru hockey... i have been there to visit my team mates kids when they were born, we have our gatherings every few months. I really enjoy playing the sport... but it pains me to see that the sport is driven to non-existence because they is no support for it, and because of some retailers here who just want to make a fast buck...

[MDE3 0]

Roller hockey is getting pretty big in canada now. Not street wise- but in leagues. It started off about 8 years ago(maybe more) and it's still growing. It started off very small, just a house league that played out of one rink. Now they offer AA and AAA programs at all ages. They have about 5 - 7 tourney every year and provincials too, where over 30 teams would show up. Street wise is a different story, I used to play out side with my friends all the time because of expensive wheels. We dont like to change from indoor to outdoor wheels every time we have a pickup game. You can call us lazy, but when theres some times 3 practises a week, it gets annoying.

Great to hear...of course a lot of your rinks are actually subsidized ice facilities as I recall. My elder son lives in Montreal, and I can remember him paying between $70.00 and $110.00 Cndn / hr. for ice time maybe 6 years ago....I do not know what they charge for inline in these rinks in the summers. That was the equivalent of about $50.00 - $80.00 US at the time. Here, ice time was $200.00 - $220.00/hr.

I only mention it because there is a distinct lack of publicly owned facilities here, so private enterpise needs to pay the bill. It's getting to where any of these rinks in major metro areas needs to charge at least $150.00 USD/hr. and maybe as high as $300.00/hr. in some regions, just to survive.

Of course once you get to play in these better facilities you rarely want to go back to playing on a "lesser" surface. Once you have used the great new grippy wheels, skated on the latest technology with the lightest boots, etc. etc....it's tough to go back to where the sport started. Unfortunately a family of four with a middle income, realizes very rapidly that whether they select ice hockey or inline now, they better be prepared to dig deep into the pockets to keep their kids in the sport.

The young adults struggling with their first apartment hit the reality wall pretty quickly when mom and dad are no longer their "sposnsors".

I think that to keep the sport going, their needs to be a return to some pubicly sponsored sports facilities again, and equipment exchange programs like we had as kids so many moons ago.....if the equipment will just last more than one season..... <_< I also think that those who have had the privlege of playing at the higher levels must look within and see where they can contribute..where they can help teach and put something back into the sport.

[roadrunner 12]

I've played in the GTI(Greater Toronto Inline) for 4 summers. The leauge is well run. Everything is good except the cost has shot up to

$2873.00cad for a team or 286.00 single for a 14 game season. I wont be going back this summer and its safe to say alot of my former teammates wont be either.

Instead I will play only organized ball hockey which is $2200.00 for a team or about $180.00 a player including gate fees for a 14game season. This has also gone up gradually in the past 5 years and one more increase I think I will drop that as well. The league itself looks to be well off, but the way they treat their customers(players) is shabby. There is a $3.00 spectator fee where my girlfriend doesnt even want to come anymore cause the view is ridiculous. If any one plays ball hockey at Rinx you know what I'm talking about. And just like Shorthanded67 the Elite ball hockey players that play on Team Canada, guys in Nationals or Tier 1 and Masters have taken over Tier 3 and 4. There are hundreds of teams in Tier 3 and 4 which, just like my friends and I, which joined just to have fun like we used to on the streets or school parking lots. I've spoken to alot of players from other teams and all are fed up with it. These tier1 guys come in they don't pay gate fees cause the conviener thinks their Gods cause they're former OHL players and always finish the season with outstanding payments. I know this for a fact cause I played with some of them in Tier 2. Teams are sick of getting blown out 9-1 by teams that have coaches with plays and nearly their whole team is on the scoring leaders board. It really kicks the motivation out of the rec players. This is a great topic and something needs to be done.