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| The Panthers Roller Hockey Team |
Did you know that there is an indoor inline roller hockey club in the Waterside area, based at Applemore Recreation Centre?
The Panthers presently play in colts (under 15), junior (under 18) and senior (over 18) leagues, all affiliated to the British Roller Hockey Association (BRHA), the regional parent body.
There is also a cubs team (9-13 year olds). Apart from the seniors, all the teams are made up of both girls and boys.
The club was formed in 1984. They were the second team in the area to start playing inline roller hockey. The first were the Falcons from Ferndown, Dorset. The original intention was to provide a sport for older ice hockey players who could no longer get a game in the ice hockey leagues!
The Panthers have always been based at Applemore, aside from a short spell when they relocated to Ringwood. Applemore had installed a new rubber floor in the main hall, which was great for football and other sports, but no good at all for roller hockey.
There were so many injuries because the floor would not let the players slide, so many ankles and knees were damaged, the floor had to be changed back. Panthers then returned and have been there ever since.
On a National level, the BRHA will eventually link into the British Roller Sports Federation (BRSF), but the sport is very fragmented in the UK, and the regional associations tend to self-govern.
There has been plenty of talk of introducing exhibition games at the Olympics, but this has proved difficult as there is more than one governing body, and they can’t reach consensus over the rules!
However, there is an Inline World Championships, organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation, the world’s governing body for ice hockey. The inline Championships have taken place annually since 1996, and this year are being hosted in Bratislava, Slovakia in June.
Featuring sixteen international teams from all over the world split into an Elite Division and Division One, Great Britain are the reigning champions in Division One, and are hopeful for promotion to the Elite Division. Sweden are the reigning World Champions.
Panthers has been run by Paul and Carol Mence since its formative years, and without their dedication, commitment and and sheer hard work behind the scenes, it would not continue. Paul even used to play a bit himself! Paul’s son, David, coaches all the teams below the seniors.
The Junior, Colts and Cubs are made up from young people all over the Waterside, including Totton, Marchwood, Hythe and Holbury.
However, there is a constant need for new players, girls and boys, of all ages and ability, and Panthers would really like to encourage anyone who is interested to come along to see them on any Saturday afternoons (3pm) at Applemore.
The team survives with the help of volunteer staff and is funded purely from player contributions, and fund raising events.
The best players from teams in the region are selected by the BRHA to play for the All Stars. In the Colts age group, Panthers currently have Dean Frederix (age 14) from Totton and Alex Doyle (age 15) from Marchwood playing for the All Stars Team.
This team has played games across the UK. This summer, Alex and Dean will be going on tour with the All Stars to play in Italy.
Alex and Dean have each been playing inline hockey for the Panthers for four years. They’re a great example, and provide great encouragement to the younger players.
In the Juniors, Ashley Carroll has represented the All Stars team in recent years, and David Mence, the coach, was a senior All Star a few years ago. They have also played around the UK, and in Europre, including France and Germany.
If you would like any more information about Panthers Roller Hockey Club, please visit www.panthersrollerhockey.co.uk, call Paul Mence on 02380 860030, or simply come along to Applemore on a Saturday afternoon at 3.00pm.
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