Here in Florida, hockey hits the pavement
Andrew Pantazi
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Sports
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Skate Station, located in Mandarin, hosts the Jax Roller Hockey League, a recreational roller hockey league, each week on Mondays and Tuesdays. The league, which has around half a dozen FCCJ students, is becoming a hotspot for anyone who wants to spend a night keeping their mind off school or work.
Florida is not known for housing the best hockey teams or rinks. However, that matters very little to a recreational roller hockey league located in Mandarin. Filled with a variety of people, from players in their first season to players who have traveled across America in competitions, all that matters to these players is that they are given a chance to play the game that they love each week.
Ian Harrell, a business management major at South Campus, said that he plays roller hockey each week for the exercise and the ability to release tension, anger, and pent-up frustration.
Many players like Harrell come to the Jax Roller Hockey League, which plays on Monday and Tuesday nights, after a long day at school or work so that they can forget about life's struggles and worries.
Although the league does not allow physical contact and rarely any serious penalties called, most players will admit that a little bit of pushing and shoving is just a fact of life in hockey. The majority of the players feel that, pushing and shoving, as long as it is within reason, is a great way to harness any irritations and to make the game even more fun.
Each night sees sparks fly and emotions run loose. However, for the most part all of the players have a blast, whether they win or lose. A common factor with these players is a sense of camaraderie with each team and in a general sense as a league. Harrell came to FCCJ with his teammate Travis Thorton, a South Campus nursing major, from the hockey-ridden city of West Palm Beach.
For the time being, roller hockey is merely a recreational activity but for some players, they choose to continue playing at a highly competitive level for their colleges. The UF Gators, FSU Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, UCF Knights, USF Bulls, University of Tampa Spartans, and Broward Community College Seahawks all participate in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA).
When asked whether they would be interested in playing college hockey, both Thorton and Harrell exclaimed "Oh yeah!"