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About High School Roller Hockey 
Scholastic hockey is the future of our sport

As a youth sports advocate, I am a huge fan and supporter of scholastic sports and have developed something of a passion for high school roller hockey. This is due, in large part, to my son who has played scholastic hockey since middle school and now in his third year playing on the varsity team for his high school club team. Secondly was my appointment to the league's Board of Directors in his freshman season as the parent volunteer and representative for the high school club. What I soon discovered was just how much I would come to enjoy the sport from a whole new perspective.

Now I didn't grow up playing hockey. Heck, I never strapped on a set of skates until I turned 40 and playing so-called street hockey with my 4 year old and neighborhood kids in the cul-de-sac. Precious memories of a little orange rollerball, a plastic stick bearing the name of Wayne Gretzky, a tiny pair of micro-blades and the roars from children playing together. My son is now taller than me. He wants to drive a car as hard as a slap shot from the blue line. His skates now have four wheels and bearings so fast I get scared just thinking about it. He has a collection of jerseys from team-after-team, skates and hockey sticks; I've lost count of all those broken in games or practices but I know I have paid more than a few wages for other folks as a result. 

Today, my son also proudly, but unofficially represents his high school as a student athlete. He’s not alone; he shares this distinction with thousands of boys and girls who skate mostly for the pride and the camaraderie they share. They haven’t much for other reasons to come together as they’re not recognized by either their schools or school districts for their efforts and athletic accomplishments on the rink. But they’re athletes nonetheless in anybody’s view. This is a story echoed across California and the country. It has changed my perspective on the sport and motivates me to help these young athletes receive recognition and positive life lessons with the hope that they, too, will give back someday and help others.

Considered an alternative sport (and even classified as dangerous by some districts), high school roller hockey clubs are independently organized and typically self-funded, responsible for their respective costs of fees and gear and placing no financial burden or obligation to their respective school. Clubs are typically not officially associated with and often not recognized by their school and policies of schools and districts vary widely in the use of names and mascots, etc. Policies and procedures for club recognition and related concerns by schools also vary widely. A chief concern among most schools is for liability (or implied liability).

Changes come slow, but a growing list of schools and school districts are indeed beginning to give due recognition to their roller hockey hockey teams by rewarding them with P.E. credits, recognition with a Varsity letter, and more. In some cases, hockey clubs themselves pay for yearbook participation and awards and such. However, the majority of schools are still less than accommodating to non-mainstream sports and their student athlete participants.  In these cases, the clubs and parents give and do what they can in recognizing their athletes. 

Unlike Lacrosse, the most recent sport to gain state sanction in California by the CIF, roller hockey has been fighting an uphill battle for years. While it has gained sanction as a CIF sport in only the San Diego section and its Metropolitan Conference, the CIF soon thereafter instituted changes to its bylaws and rules concerning expanding the sport into other sections of the state. Nonetheless, high school clubs, teams and leagues continue to organize and grow and maintain some hope that their sport may someday afford them with the credentials and recognition in parallel to mainstream sports. But even if it doesn't, these athletes will continue to play in a sport they love.

These are among the many commonalities that high school (scholastic) roller hockey organizations face in terms of club recognition everywhere. 

That’s the fastest growing segment in roller hockey – the scholastic divisions. You create that interest at the school level, and everybody wants to wear their school colors.
AAU National Hockey Chair Keith Noll 


I am currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Interscholastic Hockey Federation (IHF) - California's largest high school roller hockey league with 29 high schools, 56 teams and over 600 student athletes enrolled in the 2007-08 season. It is a pleasure to work with a great group of dedicated volunteers in our organization and with like organizations across the country who are equally committed to providing a safe and structured environment for scholastic roller hockey competition. As caretakers of the sport, we also strive to work together in addressing questions such as: Where do kids go after high school?; What are we preparing them for?; and Where will the next generation come from? (the bottom-of-the-pyramid growth of our sport). 

I am also constantly striving to connect with likeminded persons and/or organizations whose objectives also include the promotion of Interscholastic Roller/Inline Hockey for the benefit of student athletes and the sport overall. I am always surprised by how much I don't know and glad to share what I do. If you would like to share your comments about the sport and rallying support for issues pertaining to recognition programs, club status, Varsity letters, obtaining state sanctions or more, just contact me at the address included below. 

In January, 2008, I was approved as an editor by the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) (link) for the category of high school roller hockey (Sports/ Hockey/ Roller_Hockey/ High_School).  If you have a web site for your high school roller hockey club or organization that you'd like to have included into this important directory project, please submit an overview and your web site URL to me by email: zipyaj@gmail.com

    
More Information About High School Roller Hockey on the Web...
For more information about Scholastic (high school, middle school and elementary) Leagues in your area, choose from one of the links below or contact your local roller hockey facility. If you are seeking to learn more about scholastic roller hockey at one of more than 200 colleges around the country, please visit the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) at http://www.ncrha.org.

Arizona
Arizona Inline Hockey Association (AIHA) www.aiha.info
PARHA High School League http://www.rollerplex.com/
Prescott Youth Hockey Association www.prescottyouthhockey.com
California
California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), San Diego Metropolitan Conference - see Rinks
Central Coast High School Hockey League (CCHSHL) http://www.centralcoastsportsarena.com/
Interscholastic Hockey Federation (IHF) www.ihf-hockey.org
San Diego Co. Roller Hockey Conference (SDCRHC) - see Rinks
Temecula Valley Inline Hockey Association (TVIHA)  www.temeculahockey.com
Colorado
Colorado High School Inline Hockey Association (CHSIHA) www.chsiha.org
Florida
Deltona Roller Hockey Club http://www.orgsites.com/fl/deltonahockey
Florida Inline Scholastic Hockey (FISH) http://www.pbskatezone.com/ 
Naples Roller Hockey League http://www.naplesrollerhockey.org/
Palm Beach Hockey Organization (PBHO) www.pbho.com
Georgia
Atlanta Area Roller Hockey Organization (AARHO) www.aarho.com/
Georgia High School Roller Hockey Association (GHRA)  www.ghrahockey.com/ 
Gwinnett Sports Center High School League  http://www.gscfun.com/
Peachtree City Hockey Association (PHA)  www.ptchockey.com
South Gwinnett Athletic Association (SGAA)  http://www.sgaasports.com/

McLean County Youth Hockey Assn (MCYHA) http://www.heartlandhockey.net/
Louisiana
Crescent City Hockey League http://www.cchl.org/
Michigan
Michigan High School Inline Hockey Association NA - see AAU Hockey
Michigan Roller Hockey Association http://www.mrha.info/
Missouri
Missouri High School Inline Hockey Association (MOIHA) http://www.moiha.org/
North Carolina
Carolina Scholastic Hockey League (CSHL) http://www.cshl.us/
Greensboro Indoor Roller Hockey (GIRH)  www.girh.com/GIRH
Sierra Inline Hockey League http://www.sierrainline.com/
Roller Hockey ABQ  http://www.rollerhockeyabq.com/
East Fishkill Roller Hockey League http://www.efrhl.com/
High School Roller Hockey League of Long Island (HSRHL) www.hsrhlofli.com/
Islandwide High School Roller Hockey http://www.ihsrh.com/
Mission Premier High School Roller Hockey League  www.premierhighschoolrollerhockeyleague.com/
Ohio
Ohio Interscholastic Roller Hockey League (OIHRL) http://www.oirhl.com/
Southwest Ohio School Inline Hockey Association http://soha-hockey.com/
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Inline Roller Hockey League (PIRHL) http://www.pirhl.net/
Texas
Houston High School Inline Hockey (HHSIL) http://hhsihockey.org/
Virginia
Alexandria Inline Hockey League (AIHL) www.mlrh.com
Ashburn Inline Hockey, Inc. (AIHI) www.ashburninlinehockey.com
Fauquier County Roller Hockey League www.fcrhl.com/ 
Potomac Inline Hockey League (PIHI) www.Potomachockey.com 
Virginia Scholastic Inline Hockey League (VSIHL) NA








page updated: 01-Feb-08


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