Sizzling sticks, smoking shots make gym a hot spot
Indoor floor hockey program chases kids' winter woes away
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

Roosevelt

ROOSEVELT - The bitter cold has quieted borough streets but rest assured, neighborhood kids are still having a hootin' and hollerin' good time.

Roosevelt youths get a chance to let their pent-up energy loose every Tuesday night by running around the elementary school gym in game after game of indoor floor hockey.

Under the watchful eyes of coaches and Roosevelt residents Margaret Schlinski and Bruce Reimbold, about 25 kids get to go a little wild for a while in a place that is warm, safe and filled with free fun.

The indoor floor hockey program, sponsored by the Roosevelt Recreation Department, began in November for area students in grades one to eight and has continued to grow in popularity with local kids ever since.

Gus Vuollo, 13, describes hockey as "soccer with sticks" but a game that to him requires more concentration to play.

Logan Vest, 9, explains that the object of the game is to use the hockey stick to get the puck into the right goal. There are different positions that help a team accomplish that goal, she said, noting

SCOTT PILLING staff Adam Block, 9, of Roosevelt, takes advantage of a breakaway during indoor floor hockey in the Roosevelt Public School on Feb. 6.

that there are offense and defense positions including a goalie.

Justin Lenart, 14, said the game is competitive and at times can get physical. However, that doesn't keep kids like Gabrielle Block, 7, from coming back for more each week.

Gabrielle said sometimes it hurts when she gets hit in the shins with a puck but that the pain doesn't last long because "I'm a karate kid."

Cameron Grayson, 10, reassured, "It really doesn't hurt that much."

Like many of the other kids at play, Gabrielle said her favorite thing about hockey is "scoring the goals." She's scored five of them since she started playing the game about a month ago.

"When I get [the puck] in the goal," Logan said, "it's really exciting because there are usually so many kids out there doing it ... it takes a lot of concentration, and that's what I like."

SCOTT PILLING staff Cameron Grayson, 10, of Roosevelt, takes a penalty shot during indoor floor hockey, sponsored by the borough's Recreation Department, in the Roosevelt Public School on Feb. 6.

Logan added that she has been hooked on hockey since her friend, Bryden Carr, 9, invited her along for friends' night at the gym.

"I ended up signing up because I like it so much," Logan said.

When asked why she decided to play hockey, Bryden said, "I don't know. I'm bored because I have nothing to do at home."

When asked what she likes about the sport, she replied, "Nothing."

Upon hearing Bryden's remarks, Victoria Pizzarelli, 11, noted that a lot of the kids participate in the games because the rest of their friends in town do and they use the event to get together and socialize.

All a kid must do in order to join in the fun is "to be able to handle a puck and block it from other people," Victoria said.

Gus added that the games "get you out of the house and away from homework for a while."

He continued, "It's good to have exercise because some kids don't get enough exercise besides gym class."

Cameron added that the games are fun "because you get to run around."

Some of the more memorable moments the kids have had since the games started were "scoring a goal through Brandon's legs" and seeing a player "scrape someone's knee up against the brick wall," the kids said.

The coaches keep "eagle eyes" on the kids at all times - when they are both on and off the court - to make sure that no one gets hurt or in trouble.

Of her coaches, Gabrielle said they're great because Reimbold "can really play hockey" and Schlinski "plays games with us when we're not playing a hockey game," which "makes the night lots of fun." Schlinski said she likes to throw in a game of cards or dodgeball to keep the kids occupied.

Logan said Schlinski is great because she's always cheering all the kids on from the sidelines.

Of Reimbold, Logan said, "He taught me how to use a stick because I was using the wrong side at first."

Schlinski said she thinks it's great that the borough let her and Reimbold reinvigorate the floor hockey program because it was something she enjoyed with her own children, Ben and Tess, when they were little.

Schlinski said a lot of community programs are born when parents have bored kids on their hands.

"Either you have to find something to do or you make something up," she said.

Schlinski, a lifetime Roosevelt resident whose four children are now grown, said she decided to resurrect the hockey program because "it's such a big gym, and it would be a shame not to use it in the winter when you can't run around outside.

"It's a good place to keep busy," she added.

To register for the free indoor floor hockey program or for more information, call (609) 448-0539 or visit the Roosevelt Public School gymnasium on Tuesday nights between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

said she decided to resurrect the hockey program because "it's such a big gym, and it would be a shame not to use it in the winter when you can't run around outside.

"It's a good place to keep busy," she added.

To register for the free indoor floor hockey program or for more information, call (609) 448-0539 or visit the Roosevelt Public School gymnasium on Tuesday nights between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.