First state prep roller hockey tourney this weekend

Tim Graham

Wednesday, May 14, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Even though the season is not yet complete, Nevada's newest high school sport already is on a roll.

While those involved aren't quite ready to hit cruise control, they are willing to claim roller hockey has made its place on the local prep sports scene.

According to several surveys, roller hockey is the fastest-growing participation sport in the country. The game -- hockey played on an all-purpose surface with in-line skates -- has taken hold in Nevada, as evidenced by the creation of the first state high-school tournament, which takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Las Vegas Hockey Center, 3896 Swenson St.

"It's growing so fast I can't keep up with it," said Jim Maxey, director of the Northern Nevada-based Sierra Nevada High School Hockey Association. "In-line hockey is not one of those fad things. It's not dying; it's growing."

The success of Maxey's 11-school program, in its second year, helped the Las Vegas Hockey Center managers in their decision to start a similar program in Southern Nevada.

The concept was a quick success as nine Clark County schools fielded varsity teams comprised of boys and girls. Seven schools also fielded junior varsity squads, including two for Durango, which had 56 players try out.

"A lot of them are experienced ice hockey and roller hockey players," said Nick Nardone, the state tournament director and head coach of Horizon High's team. "There's some very good talent in this town, some very good hockey players."

The local schedule consisted of eight games over three weeks, leading to a Southern Zone tournament of sorts with the top six teams competing for four state tourney spots.

Durango, Silverado, Cimarron and Southern champ Horizon will face Carson, Douglas, McQueen and Reno this weekend, starting Saturday at 9 a.m. The championship is Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

"It's nothing official, but we need to start this way and show the schools it can be done," Nardone said. "Unfortunately, most schools are deleting sports as opposed to adding them."

Roller hockey proponents hope the sport's popularity helps it overcome the many hurdles it may encounter as it attempts to gain acceptance by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, the governing body of the state's prep sports.

"California is real close to making it a (California Interscholastic Federation) sport," Nardone said. "They're maybe a year away from getting sanctioned."

One problem is the money needed to play the sport -- skates, helmets, pads, sticks, pucks -- would make the teams expensive to field. Rink fees at the Las Vegas Hockey Center are $50 an hour for members, $75 for nonmembers.

"It's as expensive if not more expensive than football," Nardone admitted, claiming a full set of equipment costs between $250-750, "depending on what type stuff you want to buy. For goalies you can double that."

The sport is so popular, however, the players find a way to suit up, procuring sponsorships from parents and local businesses.

"Every single kid came up with the money on their own to play this year," Nardone said.