Written by John Mark Adkison
The roller hockey league is gearing up for another season this semester, breaking out the skates and the hockey sticks, ready to rip it up on the rink and put the thrill in “Thrills on Wheels” for another season. There is only one problem: They need players. “Usually we have anywhere from four to six teams, each consisting of at least five players,” said junior Andrew Fulks, who has been involved in the league since his freshman year. “But as of right now we only have about two teams.”The roller hockey league is not affiliated with Harding, but it is composed of Harding students who create teams and play each other at Thrills on Wheels skating rink in Searcy. According to Fulks, each team usually consists of at least five players, with offense players, defense players and a goalie. The rules of the game are similar to those of ice hockey, but the game typically uses a rubber ball instead of a puck.”I believe hockey is the most underrated sport today,” said senior Sean Simons, who started playing roller hockey at the age of four and is active in the league. “Sports like hockey, soccer and lacrosse require you to be in extremely good shape as well as proficient at such skills like controlling a ball with your feet, cradling a ball with a lacrosse stick, or, in this case, maintain control of a puck or ball with a stick that’s almost 6 feet away from your body. Not to mention that hockey is faster paced than football, baseball or basketball. When you combine all of those elements, you get a pretty exciting sport.”Roller hockey, just like street or ice hockey, is fast-paced and in constant motion. Players chase a ball or puck across the rink with wheels and little padding. While it is intense, the sport is usually no rougher than any other sport.”We usually enforce the no-check rule,” said junior Robert Dennis, who plays goalie for his team. “It is usually no more rough than flag football.”The team includes players with different skill levels, ranging from players such as Simons, who began playing roller hockey at age four, to Dennis, who said he played street hockey in high school, to Fulks, who said he started when he noticed a flier advertising the league on a wall at Harding and thought it would be fun to play. “Since we lost a lot of graduates, there are going to be a lot of new players,” Fulks said. “So this season will be different from last in that the teams will be very diverse.”The players said that prior skill is not required to play; one needs only a desire to play hard.”I would say to anyone that is remotely interested to at least come check it out,” said senior Ethan Lilly, a member of the league. “There are some guys that are really good but at the same time there are plenty more who only started playing when they came to Harding. Anyone could pick it up if they wanted to, and once they do, it usually ends up being one of their favorite sports to play. Also, this is the best place to start because the price is very cheap compared to what you would normally pay for a league.”If you are interested in learning more about the roller hockey league, contact Sean Simons atssimons@harding.edu.
