Advice on finding a team.

[monicle]

Im fairly new to roller hockey and goalie. Ive been skating for about 4 months and playing goalie for about 3. I take it very seriously and play with the best players I can find so that I will get batter faster. I prefer immersion into a skill level rather than the build up method and have already been told by other goalies and players that Im leaning very quickly. I play dropin twice a week with 16 and over players and about 75 percent of the players are varsity highschool teams and other fairly skilled players. Most of the beginners stick to the other rink.

Anyways, Im wanting to get into a beginner leage but Im wondering how some of you guys made your first team? Would it be best for me to just ask a team if they need a backup or something to get some time in or what? Ive thought about trying to get some of my friends together and starting a team but the ammount of flakers is really starting to put the fire out of that idea. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Bren]

Although this was ice for me-just the same.

My local rink has a website,with a BB on it. I posted that I was looking for a team, and was willing to do fill-ins. I got a call for a fill-in,and the scorekeeper just happen to have a team and need a goalie.

See if your rink/league has a list for goalies that teams can call. I've noticed that if your any good, teams come looking for you.

[monicle]

Ill have to check that out. Ive asked around to some of the people at the dropin nights and noone seems to have any helpful info heh. Ill have to see if they have something like that.

[buffay34]

Just ask at the office of the arena about adult leagues.... but most of the time in adult leageus, its "enter your own team" format, but just put your name into the office and see if anyone needs a fill-in..then work your way up....

[rhanz]

I started on a company team (that I helped form). I started skating, and then they needed a goalie, so I was the only one dumb enough to actually get in the way of the puck.

Apart from that, I've found that to get on a team, it boils down to one of a few things.

1) Call the league and see if anyone needs a goalie on any night. If they do, they'll be happy to hear from you.

2) Go to pickup/skills class/whatever is avaialble to get to know folks. Of course, not all guys in leagues play pickup.

3) Make sure that if there's a goalie list, you're on it.

[SSG33]

When I firts started i just played house league 13u, after awhile i started getting better and had a team ask me to play for them in a tournament, but I didnt know it was a 16u team until we played our first game, we lost all our games but since i was only 13 playing for a 16u team and still did fairly well, I started to get more coaches attention, first, a 2-time national championship team asked me to play with them, the Laffeyette e-puck team, and the 2002 12-u national champs, the Shreveport Storm, who im playing for now. After playing a few tourneys this year, ive gone back to playing house league since the Storm kinda broke up,and playing adult pickup twice a week, now I've had an ice team ask me to play for them too. So basically just do what everyone else says.

[ch1co]

I made up business cards. Easier than hunting for a pen and paper when someone asks for your contact info. I also proactively hand them out every chance I get, and they seem to help people remember me. I've gotten more calls, both to fill in and to join teams, since I started handing out the cards.