A long-forgotten sport is on the brink of making a return to the Caroline Bay skating rink.
Rink hockey or roller hockey used to be New Zealand’s second-most popular sport back in the 1980s and Motueka man Jake Hess is looking to bring it back to Timaru.
There are five active clubs competing in New Zealand and the game is on the verge of making the Olympics due to its popularity in Europe and South America.
Hess said the most similar comparison to the sport was ice hockey.
‘‘It’s mostly similar; instead of a puck we use a grass hockey ball.’’
The net size and sticks are very similar, although the sticks are unique to rink hockey, but the biggest similarity of course is the skating aspect.
It was the speed and intensity that got him into the sport, Hess said.
‘‘I started playing five years ago in Motueka. I went down to the rec centre and saw how cool the sport looked.
‘‘There is very little stoppage, it’s just go and go and go — there is no mucking around and the skills can be insane.
‘‘You’d think just using your hand and a stick there’s not much you can do, but it’s so quick.’’
So far, there had been a good amount of interest in setting up a sixth New Zealand club in Timaru, Hess said.
‘‘A few people have committed to giving it a go. I’ve talked to Rink Hockey New Zealand and they are sending down a bunch of sticks for free. ‘‘To start off, we are just going to try get people down to the rink and just give it a try one night.’’ The plan would eventually be to get a Timaru team together to compete nationally, Hess said.
‘‘There is a lot of opportunity out there in this sport, there is definitely the chance to even play internationally.
‘‘It’s such a small sport in New Zealand currently and the player pool isn’t huge, so if you get pretty good there is plenty of opportunity to go overseas.’’
The main reason people were not taking up the game was potentially the pace it was played at, he said.
‘‘They see that speed and intensity and are maybe a bit turned off, but it can be played slowly and is suited for all ages.
‘‘Having a good skating background is key initially but you just have to pick up a stick and start with the basics, build up that confidence, because there really isn’t much more to it.’’
So far a lot of the uptake was from the ex roller derby women in Timaru because of their league slowing, he said.
The gear he is waiting for is set to arrive in about a month’s time and he is hoping to hit the ground running as soon as that arrives.
Anyone interested in the sport can get in touch with him on Facebook or pop down to rink once it is all up and running.
