Roller Hockey

After every Roller Hockey International game, hundreds of kids are allowed to lug hockey sticks, roller pucks and caps into the locker room in search of their favorite players' autographs. No one can say RHI, Ltd., doesn't know its fan base. Those little-known signatures may not be worth a lot at a sports memorabilia show, but they mean something to the youngsters who seek them. And their value is even more apparent to RHI, which stages its third annual all-star game at the Pond at 7 tonight.

Tim Harris once played goalie for the Los Angeles Lazers, an indoor soccer team owned by Jerry Buss. Harris, now an executive with the Lakers, said that as he looks back it was obvious what Buss was doing. "He was setting up these labs for his kids to learn," Harris said. "That's how Jeanie learned and that's how I learned. Jeanie and I chuckle at it now. It wasn't that long ago we were sitting in roller hockey league meetings and now we're sitting in NBA league meetings. " Buss earned his fame and accolades by owning the Lakers and Kings.

The Los Angeles Blades defeated the VooDoo, 7-4, at Vancouver.

While I was driving recently through my newly adopted Mar Vista neighborhood, another recent arrival caught my eye and refused to let go. The sight was so unexpected that I had to pull over and check it out more closely. The newcomer looked out of place resting on what used to be softball diamond No. 2 at Mar Vista Recreation Center. I knew the field that once stood there. It was where, years before, the team I played for clinched a championship trophy in a weekend warrior league.

A roller hockey program for local children, including a competitive league, received the go-ahead from the City Council on Tuesday. The proposal to add the relatively new sport to the city's athletic programs came after council members suggested that the city find more activities for 9- to 14-year-olds.

Tim Harris once played goalie for the Los Angeles Lazers, an indoor soccer team owned by Jerry Buss. Harris, now an executive with the Lakers, said that as he looks back it was obvious what Buss was doing. "He was setting up these labs for his kids to learn," Harris said. "That's how Jeanie learned and that's how I learned. Jeanie and I chuckle at it now. It wasn't that long ago we were sitting in roller hockey league meetings and now we're sitting in NBA league meetings. " Buss earned his fame and accolades by owning the Lakers and Kings.

The Los Angeles Blades professional roller hockey team will teach a two-hour clinic Jan. 20 at Moorpark's Arroyo Vista Recreation Center. Starting at 10 a.m., the clinic will cover basic skills, like puck handling and passing, as well as team strategies. Participants must bring their own equipment, including in-line skates and protective gear. Roller hockey players age 7 and older are invited, however registration will be limited to 25. Registration costs $20 and must be completed by Jan. 13.

Tennis courts at Marco F. Forster Middle School may be turned into roller hockey courts under a proposal being considered tonight by the City Council. The proposal comes in response to growing demand for roller hockey courts in the city, recreation officials said. More than 200 children participate in the city's roller hockey program at the Camino Capistrano roller hockey court. Because the court site is limited, the program has no room to expand, said Al King, community services director.

Orange County roller-hockey players deserve our support. It is time that we get the kids off the streets and onto their own roller-hockey facilities. These kids should not have to go around place to place looking to have a fun game of roller hockey. "The police come out and tell us to leave, the principals come out and tell us to leave," says Brian Fletcher, 17, who plays for a junior team. Mission Viejo roller-hockey coach Mike Dashefsky says, "It's not like baseball, where the poor kid in right field plays two innings and might see a fly ball occasionally.

Two brothers who started a roller hockey program in Calabasas plan to bring the sport to Moorpark. Walter and Ned Collins, who head the nonprofit Tri-Valley Roller Hockey League, received permission from the City Council on Wednesday to use a concrete area at Arroyo Vista Community Park for a hockey program. "What makes it attractive to us is we can get a quality program without having to spend additional city dollars," said Mary Lindley, the city's director of community service.

Debate is stirring on cul-de-sacs, at the beach and at horse shows. In 2002, a reluctant Southern Section has said it will review sports it might add to its 22-sport lineup, but no matter the outcome, it will be controversial. On one side is the section's new commissioner, Jim Staunton, who in recent interviews was skeptical about taking on new sports. "Adding another sport just crowds an already crowded field," he said.

Debate is stirring on cul-de-sacs, at the beach and at horse shows. In 2002, a reluctant Southern Section has said it will review sports it might add to its 22-sport lineup, but no matter the outcome, it will be controversial. On one side is the section's new commissioner, Jim Staunton, who in recent interviews has drawn a line in the sand. "Adding another sport just crowds an already crowded field," he said.

The San Diego section of the CIF recently approved roller hockey as a sport. What new sports should Southern Section consider adding? TRAVIS PENDLETON Esperanza, Track and Field "I definitely think roller hockey should by added. I have a friend, Brandon Carl, who plays and his team basically represents our school. I also think the hammer and javelin events should be added to track.

The Orange Unified School District Board of Trustees will consider establishing roller hockey as an interscholastic sport in January. Trustee Robert Viviano requested the board consider the official establishment of roller hockey after receiving a number of requests from constituents. Currently, informal hockey clubs operate at Villa Park and Canyon high schools.

The Camarillo Parks and Recreation Department wants to let a private developer construct a roller hockey complex in the open grass area next to Las Colinas Elementary School. I went to Carpinteria, where the same developer has already built a rink. This is not just a small piece of concrete, as some people say. It is a sports complex complete with walls, high fences, bleachers and permanent portable toilets. Carpinteria placed it in a commercial area, next to the Santa Barbara County sheriff's substation beside Highway 101. The nearest homes sit across the freeway.

With the clock winding down and his team trailing by a goal, roller hockey player Shawn Favilla took the puck from behind his own net, determined to make something happen. Eluding two defensemen, he took a slap shot that careened off the goalie's pads and trickled into the net. Score! Pumping his fist in the air, he exchanged high-fives with exultant teammates. "I love playing this game," said Favilla, a 28-year-old Garden Grove resident with a shaved head, goatee and bulky 6-foot-1 frame.

Heather Cowie lives to play hockey. Whether in ice skates, in-line skates or cleats, if there's a game to be found, she'll find it. The starting center midfielder for Huntington Beach High's field hockey team, Cowie, a 16-year-old senior, has hockey in her blood. Her father, Brian, is from Winnipeg, Canada, and played semipro ice hockey. An only child, she became the recipient of his knowledge and love for the game. "I guess I'm the boy he didn't have," Cowie said, laughing.

After an emotionless summer season of Roller Hockey International play in which checking was often an afterthought, the Bullfrogs tried to establish a physical presence in a hurry Sunday night. And while few players wanted to talk about it, the Bullfrogs' 8-6 loss to the St. Louis Vipers in the league championship game at the Arrowhead Pond was a result of a brutal start that backfired, costing Anaheim a third consecutive in-line title in front of an announced crowd of 6,143.