Here in Florida, hockey hits the pavement

"He shoots! He scores!"
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!"
With over 200 teams and 2500 players nationwide, the NCRHA is attracting many college students to this rapidly growing club sport. Some who are interested in playing for their college are starting to teach themselves how to play hockey by playing for leagues like Jax Roller Hockey League just so they can play for their home school.
"Our league has got a good potential for growth," Dennis Wainright, Skate Station's director of maintenance management, said. "If we can get the word out somehow, then participation will greatly increase."
Whether you have grown up around skates and a stick or you have never even seen a hockey game, Wainright says that the Jax Roller Hockey League will work for you.
"First-time players adapt pretty quickly. They get a lot of help from experienced guys who will teach them how to play, how to practice at home with a golf ball, and a number of other things. The experienced players want the new guys to get better and come back to the league so that we can grow," said Wainright.
Anyone interested in joining the Jax Roller Hockey League, should contact Ron Angerer at rpa23@hotmail.com. The leagues cost $90 per season. Each season is around twelve games plus playoffs.