When naming sports associated with the Cayman Islands, hockey might not be first on the list. It might not even have made the list had it not been for the Ray Singh at Kings Sport Centre.

Hockey, eh?
With a shortage of ice, but quite a couple of Canadians, Ray saw an opportunity to bring roller hockey to the indoor arena at Kings. However, the sport has quickly spread to include a large number of nationalities, many with no ice hockey links. It also brings skating out of uncontrolled areas like parking lots and into a much safer, car and obstacle free, environment. Of course, being closely related to ice hockey, a sport with a rather violent reputation, roller hockey had some perceptions to clear up initially. However, the sport is proving popular with young players, including quite a number of girls.

Learn to skate
The programme has a strong focus on youth development, with a learn-to-skate component setting the ball rolling for young skaters. This programme is one of the biggest feeders the youth roller hockey league.

Participants can bring their own skates for a reduced entry fee, or rent skates for the duration of the course, with the option to buy those skates at a reduced rate at the end of the programme.

The next learn to skate programme is set to start in January, with five lessons over four weeks. There are two groups, one for skaters from four to seven years old and another for skaters eight to 13. With no more than 30 skaters per group, the skaters are certain to get all the attention they need.

Play it safe
Safety is always a top priority, so skaters are not allowed on the rink without helmets, either bike or skate helmets. It is also recommended that young skaters wear knee, elbow and wrist guards to provide even more protection in the event of a mishap.

Moving up
After building their skating skills, players progress through the different phases of the programme, from Mite (6 and younger) through Novice (8 and younger) to Atom (10 and younger) and Pee Wee (13 and younger). The league boasts 16 corporate team sponsors, with WestTel sponsoring the league itself.

Growing the programme
The youth programme has shown very strong growth over the last couple of years. Since its inception in 2006, with four teams and 52 players, the programme has grown to 16 teams and 160 players.

“The growth has been phenomenal and it’s still growing,” says Ray.

“When WestTel came along as a sponsor it allowed us to do some really creative things.”

These innovations included live streaming of the youth finals, allowing family and friends overseas to watch the players competing.

Not just for kids
The roller hockey programme also has a senior league, with four teams currently competing. New players are always welcome as the league attempts to expand to include more players and teams. “I would love to see the adult league grow,” says Ray.

One of the future aims of the programme is to start a recreational league for adult players, drawing on those parents who come out to support their children but do not want to take part in a competitive league.

Filling the gaps
Another aim is to get more teenagers playing, which would fill the gap that currently exists between the Pee Wee league and the adult league. This would cater for 14 to 17 year olds and aims to draw in the high schools. With the popularity of the youth league, it seems only a matter of time before the sport expands to include this age group as players graduate from the Pee Wee league.

A taste of the action
The youth league finals will take place on 5 December and is set to be streamed live again, bringing the sport to a much wider audience. The next league will get rolling in February, with a team put together through a draft, which ensures a more fair distribution of skills through the various teams.   WH

For more information on the programme, visit caymanactive.com/csahockey.