WHATSOC? Roller Hockey!

After their last-gasp heroics to draw the scores at Varsity, The Tab thought you’d like to know a little bit more about the sports club that (sort of) saved our […]


After their last-gasp heroics to draw the scores at Varsity, The Tab thought you’d like to know a little bit more about the sports club that (sort of) saved our bacon on that fateful Sunday. Therefore, we subjected Roller Hockey aficionado Bradley Wallis to the famous WHATSOC interrogation!

Roller hockey, is it just like normal hockey except with roller skates?

Roller hockey is very different to regular field hockey, it is much faster, more intense and considerably more exciting. It is a lot like ice hockey and for that reason the university club runs both ice and roller training sessions and many of the players play in both. Roller hockey uses the exact same kit/protection as ice but is played on roller skates in either a custom-built roller rink or, for training, as in our case, it can be played in a sports hall.

What’s your role in it all then?

I am the roller hockey coach and I play in both the roller and ice hockey A teams.

O.K., so what do you think sets roller hockey apart from other sports?

I think hockey is the best sport there is, it’s the fastest team sport in the world and the team spirit is very strong within our club. It can also be contact, which adds an extra dimension to the game and really ups the intensity. There is also the option for non-contact leagues, which is how we usually train and is more suitable for beginners.

Can anyone join in the fun?

We accept male and female players and we have plenty of women on our team, which may surprise some as ice hockey is probably seen to be a very male dominated sport. We work hard to make sure there are competitive matches and tournaments for all abilities should you want to compete.

I heard on the grapevine that you’re national champions, is this true?

Our ice hockey A team won the division 1 (the highest division) national championships the year-before-last making them the best uni team in the country, winning by a massive 11-1 in the final. Last year the A team were unlucky not to make the final, but this year we have a strong chance of regaining the title.

Our B team won the division 3 national championships last year very convincingly. The B team didn’t concede a single goal in the tournament and we look set to defend our title next month coming out of the league season as winners of the division.

Our roller hockey A team is also a very competitive team, there hasn’t been a university league in order for us to rank ourselves this year, however there should be one set up for next season. With all our A team roller hockey players having played at the top level in the sport, I have no doubt we would have a very strong chance of being the best and I look forward to proving it when the league is re-established this year.

WOW! So where can I see the team play?

We play roller hockey on Saturdays from 1400-1700 and Wednesday 2100-2200. We have in the past played in the old sports hall on campus, however as it has been out of action for the past year we train at Tauntons college at the moment which is a 10 minute drive from campus. We also have two ice hockey sessions a week, Wednesday 1430-1600 at Basingstoke ice rink and 2100-2300 at Gosport ice rink. We meet in the SUSU building and then provide transport to and from Tauntons and the rinks for training sessions. If you would like to watch us play it’s best to email one of the committee (I’ll attach my email at the bottom) in advance or perhaps speak to a player should you happen to know one in order to arrange you transport.

What’s the best social the team has been on?

A few years ago our social sec, the proud owner of a lovely ‘fro, had organized a social and to try and make up for a spell of bad social turnouts he took drastic action. He made it known that if more than 15 people attended the social he would shave all his hair off – he had lots of hair. It worked. He stayed true to his word and they shaved him in the street!

Any interesting stories/facts you have to share about the team?

Every year at the end of the league season each division has a national tournament. For the tournament we all travel up to Sheffield to take part in the weekend long event. It is a long held tradition that all the male players grow beards in the month leading up to the tournament, and by some members in particular, this is taken very seriously indeed.

Soton Tab or Wessex Scene?

For me it’s got to be Soton Tab.

For more information on how to get involved with Roller Hockey, get in touch with coach Bradley Wallis by email or facebook