Since its advent, the Rollerblade has redefined the sport of skating. Now, it is expanding the sport of hockey.

Unknown to many, roller hockey has been part of SIUC since the spring of 1992, and is growing more and more in popularity.

SIUC Roller Hockey Club vice president Jim Amsler said the club is not part of Intramural-Recreational Sports, but is an active and continually growing club on campus.

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Amsler, who has been involved in the club since its inception, said the sport continues to grow each semester.

The Roller Hockey Club is a regular University club, Amsler said. Each semester, more and more students are getting involved with it.

Last year we had about 135 people in the club. This year the number of members is close to 150. All the players love it because it is an aggressive sport. It is very competitive and is a highly skilled game.

SIUC Roller Hockey Club president Cliff Jones said the popularity of the sport has made it the fastest growing sports club at SIUC.

This is the biggest growing sport in the country, Jones said. We are the biggest sports club on campus.

Jones said costs for joining the club and participating on a team is $15 per semester. The money goes toward goalie equipment and repair costs to the court. All player’s, except for the goalie, must provide their own equipment.

Amsler said the club is divided into an A-team, for advanced players, and a B-team for those who are just beginning to play the sport. The club has a total of 17 teams this semester.

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Amsler said there are eight players on a team and five on the court at a time. A team consists of a goalie, a left and right wing and a left and right defenseman. He said roller hockey is similar to ice hockey except for the fact that it’s a non-contact sport.

Amsler said the club has three games per night, across from the Quad Apartments, starting at 5 p.m.. The final game of the evening starts at approximately 8 p.m..

Amsler said teams compete the entire semester then begin a fresh season in the spring.

Jones said the SIUC club sent one A-Team to Indianapolis, Ind. last weekend to compete in a tournament against teams from colleges throughout the Midwest. The tournament was designed as an effort to formally establish the Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League (MCRHL). The teams visit was funded solely by the players that participated.

Competing in the tournament were teams from Purdue University, the University of Illinois, Ball State University and Michigan State University.

SIUC beat Ball State 4-3 and Illinois 9-5 before suffering an 8-5 loss to Purdue. SIUC has faced Purdue in past tournaments with similar results.

I think this was our best tournament ever, Jones said. Everyone played well and the players just cannot get enough of it.

Jones said the MCRHL requires all teams to participate in at least two tournaments per year in order to stay active in the league.

Although the exact location has not been found as of yet, SIUC will host a tournament next semester.

Jones said league rules state that teams are required to use a puck in tournament play. Currently, the SIUC team is forced to use a ball on their court because pucks do not work well on the court’s surface.

Aaron Haschel, the coordinator for the MCRHL in Indianapolis, said the sport of roller hockey will no doubt continue to evolve into a popular sporting activity.

Roller hockey is catching on all over the place and is going to continue to grow. It will continue to get organized and its talent level will increase as well, he said.

Haschel, who took up the sport as a student at Ball State, said roller hockey offers an alternative to ice hockey, which is one reason behind its popularity.

Roller hockey will never replace ice hockey, he said. It does offer an alternative to it because it is fast paced and everyone can play it.

A person can play it for less costs than other sports. It’s fairly cheap because all you need is a pair of skates and a stick.