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News & Views...  About High School Roller Hockey
playing with classmates for the school colors and mascot is an important part of the roller hockey experience growing up.
by Jay Piz


High School Roller Hockey Needs Your Help! 
A call to action to support a high school roller hockey program for four high school clubs that began in 1998 goes out to the hockey community across the country... forum posts, a flurry of emails and a national petition leads up to face-off with the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD). The support from the hockey community, ice and roller, amateur and pro alike, was simply amazing and effective!


Dear Friends and Hockey Fans;
(09-Mar-2009) One of our League's valued group of high school clubs, the Saddleback League consisting of El Toro, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills high schools, has had their program put onto the economic chopping block by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD). The economy takes yet another bite from our very soul, but not without a fight!

The supporters of this league have petitioned the School Board to save the student benefits including PE credit, Varsity letter and others while they are proposing to convert this public school funded program to a private, self-funded program - a win-win for everyone!

I have just read and signed their online petition: "SAVE SVUSD ROLLER HOCKEY PROGRAM 2009-2010" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at: www.PetitionOnline.com/SVUSDRH/

The supporters will make their first showing with the SVUSD School Board tomorrow evening. Any support you might show in signing their petition and/or commenting is appreciated. After all, this is the true spirit of Hockey Helping Hockey. One Community United!

And if you are in the IHF High School Roller Hockey League, semifinal games have been scheduled around the teams from this league to accommodate their presence for this important meeting. If you'd like, throw on your jersey and meet with them tomorrow night in the back parking lot of Mission Viejo High School at 5:45 for a rally before going into the meeting. [location: 25025 Chrisanta Dr., Mission Viejo, CA 92691].

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.

And to all of our IHF alumni in the college ranks around the US, and high school hockey supporters everywhere, thanks in advance for your support!


Almost immediately, supportive comments and petition signers from across the country began. 

" The Anaheim Ducks would like to be supportive so feel free to use my name and the team name."
~ Michael Schulman, CEO, Anaheim Ducks

"I have signed the petition. Let's all stand behind this and prevent our sport from going backwards. There has been a lot of work to build this league and we must do our part in an effort to keep it standing." 
~ Mario Sousa, Owner/Head Coach, Northern California Mustangs (AIHL)


On March 10th, hundreds of Saddleback roller hockey supporters made their presence known at a meeting with the SVUSD School Board.


Saddleback hockey players take it to the street.     Spearhead Sharon Duffner and Eddie Limbaga.       Jay Piz addresses the SVUSD School Board.


Dear Readers, Friends and Supporters,
(19-Mar-2009) Thank you each and all again for your support. I learned earlier today, and received confirmation moments ago, that our Save The Hockey Program has indeed met its goal and the High School Roller Hockey Program will continue for the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. 

While threatened with termination under fierce pressure in this state's budget cuts, this program was salvaged through the commitment of parents to self-fund the league fees and associated costs reflecting an immediate savings to the district of nearly $14,000. The student athletes in the district's roller hockey program will maintain their benefits including PE Credit, Club status, Transportation and Varsity Letter program and their program will continue! The resulting savings will also help contribute to keeping one more district employee from losing their job.

Letters from middle school parents and from the four allied High Schools are now beginning to arrive celebrating their victory and giving thanks to all those who helped support the future of this important program. I am personally heartfelt over this and only regret that I can't share more with the many IHC readers who helped these kids. 

When I go back to the rink tonight for our League's championship games, I will give pause to remember each smiling face on every player and remind myself just why we do what we do.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who assisted with this game-winning goal! Please never hesitate to ask if we can ever return the favor. 


The content above was first published in the Inline Hockey forum of www.InlineHockeyCentral.com  Read the complete thread at:  High School Roller Hockey Needs Your Help






About Jay Piz. 
A veteran marketing professional, writer, and youth sports advocate, Jay Piz is passionate about scholastic roller hockey. An emeritus member of the IHF Board of Directors as of March 2011, Piz served as board president of the Interscholastic Hockey Federation (IHF) in Southern California from 2008-'11 and began his volunteer service on the IHF Board in 2005 representing Irvine's Northwood Timberwolves High School Roller Hockey Club. Piz also served as Co-Chair with the AAU's National Scholastic Hockey Committee and as an Event Co-Chair for the Give Blood Play Hockey Inline Hockey Charity Tournament (GBPH) since its inception in 2007. Piz began his  involvement with youth roller hockey in 1995.



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