Inline Hockey: Roll-On Surface?
- Thread starter ginblossoms
- Start date
OpenIceHit42
Registered User
Played on it briefly here at a rink in St.Louis before it closed up. I hated it, puck did not slide as well and bounced like no tomorrow. Not to mention it tore the heck out of the wheels. I prefer the sport court by a landslide over roll on.
Not a fan of the "roll-on"...when I started playing I was on an outdoor rink. It chews through EVERYTHING. Here's what I did to try and counteract it:
1) STICKS: Buy cheap blades/sticks if possible. Also, put 2-3 layers of tape on the bottom (Use one or two long strips along the entire bottom your blade before you tape up. It will buy you a few extra games...
2) WHEELS: I bought much harder wheels. I normally use 74A or 76A; outdoors is suited to 80A or harder. The roll-on stuff chews through soft wheels.
3) PANTS: If you know someone who can sew, this is pretty essential, because the knees of your pants will get holed up pretty quickly. I had my folks put on extra patches on the knees (this was when I was 11 or 12).
If you can, stick with sportcourt...IMO, of course
1) STICKS: Buy cheap blades/sticks if possible. Also, put 2-3 layers of tape on the bottom (Use one or two long strips along the entire bottom your blade before you tape up. It will buy you a few extra games...
2) WHEELS: I bought much harder wheels. I normally use 74A or 76A; outdoors is suited to 80A or harder. The roll-on stuff chews through soft wheels.
3) PANTS: If you know someone who can sew, this is pretty essential, because the knees of your pants will get holed up pretty quickly. I had my folks put on extra patches on the knees (this was when I was 11 or 12).
If you can, stick with sportcourt...IMO, of course
Lemme guess. You're going from the Toyota Center to Rec Park, right?
I actually skated at Rec Park today. That place is a joke. It's small, the boards are dead, chain link fence instead of glass, and the surface is kinda like sandpaper. Right now the surface is really grippy and if you try to stop, you might just roll an ankle. It's a good place for a pick up when no one is trying too hard, but I wouldn't want to play a competitive game there.
The puck actually moved ok out there today though. Didn't ride up on edge too much and it felt like it was about as fast as the old sportcourt at Toyota.
As for goalies, I really couldn't tell you. One guy I talked too had a game out there the previous night and said he had a goal scored on him because of a bad bounce off the chain link. Went right to an opponent's stick in the slot. He also said he couldn't slide on the surface, but I've yet to meet a goalie that can on any inline surface.
What I would suggest is that you go to Wilson Park in Torrance and check out their surface. It's also Roll On, but it's much smoother. The puck bounces a lot less out there, even less than at Toyota. Though, it can get on edge sometimes. I never had an issue stopping or turning there. Just as good as the Sportcourt, in my opinion. Also, its almost as big as an ice rink. Just as wide and 15 feet shorter, from what I hear. Another thing I like about the rink is that the management is pretty good. They actually check and monitor the leagues so you don't have sandbaggers playing in divisions too low for them and people can't sneak ringers onto their team at playoff time. I know some of the referees work at both rinks, so you might be able to ask them about their experiences skating at both places.
As for wear and tear...Well, nothing is going to be as nice on your equipment as Sportcourt. No getting around that. But I put a fresh layer of tape around my stick just before playing at Rec Park. It lasted all of 15 minutes before the bottom edge was all worn away. At Wilson Park my tape will last about 3 or 4 games. Not exceptional, but better to buy new tape than new sticks. Well, cheaper anyway.
And uh, I guess if you're not going from Toyota to Rec Park, I guess the thing you should take away from this post is that not all Roll On surfaces are equal. Some are better than others.
I actually skated at Rec Park today. That place is a joke. It's small, the boards are dead, chain link fence instead of glass, and the surface is kinda like sandpaper. Right now the surface is really grippy and if you try to stop, you might just roll an ankle. It's a good place for a pick up when no one is trying too hard, but I wouldn't want to play a competitive game there.
The puck actually moved ok out there today though. Didn't ride up on edge too much and it felt like it was about as fast as the old sportcourt at Toyota.
As for goalies, I really couldn't tell you. One guy I talked too had a game out there the previous night and said he had a goal scored on him because of a bad bounce off the chain link. Went right to an opponent's stick in the slot. He also said he couldn't slide on the surface, but I've yet to meet a goalie that can on any inline surface.
What I would suggest is that you go to Wilson Park in Torrance and check out their surface. It's also Roll On, but it's much smoother. The puck bounces a lot less out there, even less than at Toyota. Though, it can get on edge sometimes. I never had an issue stopping or turning there. Just as good as the Sportcourt, in my opinion. Also, its almost as big as an ice rink. Just as wide and 15 feet shorter, from what I hear. Another thing I like about the rink is that the management is pretty good. They actually check and monitor the leagues so you don't have sandbaggers playing in divisions too low for them and people can't sneak ringers onto their team at playoff time. I know some of the referees work at both rinks, so you might be able to ask them about their experiences skating at both places.
As for wear and tear...Well, nothing is going to be as nice on your equipment as Sportcourt. No getting around that. But I put a fresh layer of tape around my stick just before playing at Rec Park. It lasted all of 15 minutes before the bottom edge was all worn away. At Wilson Park my tape will last about 3 or 4 games. Not exceptional, but better to buy new tape than new sticks. Well, cheaper anyway.
And uh, I guess if you're not going from Toyota to Rec Park, I guess the thing you should take away from this post is that not all Roll On surfaces are equal. Some are better than others.
Gooseamania
Registered User
i run an outdoor inline hockey league, we have a regulation size ACTUAL hockey rink outdoors and the surface is asphalt with a special roll-on paint used to smooth the surface. wheels and sticks hold up great on our surface, the paint used isnt anything special, just a nice smoothing paint. i use 84A lebeda outdoor wheels, some of the guys in the league use harder wheels but i find the 84's easier to turn-stop with. as for blades, i LOVE the koho crossover ABS blade. this blade is virtually indestructible and depending on the type of shots you take and how much you play, will easily get you through a season or more. we have pickup twice a week and 10-game seasons + playoffs, i take a decent amount of slapshots and the crossover lasts me over a season. the easton synergy ABS blade is a popular one in our league as well. i'm pretty sure the surface we play on is similar to the one your describing, hope this info helps.
Gentle Ben Ken0bi
Registered User
- Sep 8, 2005
- 439
- 0
I have played on two different types, the first was at an indoor rink in West Hills CA. The paint was kind of glossy and as far as I remember it was fine, but after some use the paint would wear off and end up in the bearings/axle of our skates so I had to clean/rotate my wheels more often.
The other was in Laguna Hills with chain link fence for glass. The surface is concrete and the paint is the same as they use on tennis courts. It chews through your wheels ans stick like there is now tomorrow. Use an ABS blade and hard wheels. i also learned to clean my wheels with acetone to keep them as clean as possible. I purchased new pants and there were holes after a few games and I eventually cut the legs off and converted them to shorts. My shinguards are fine even with no protection over them.
I hated playing on the surface in Laguna Hills, but the options on where to play are very limited for me and I did not want to drive a long distance to play hockey.
Sport court is by far the superior surface, but they never got around to putting up a roof. I guess the UV would ruin an unprotected sport court.
The other was in Laguna Hills with chain link fence for glass. The surface is concrete and the paint is the same as they use on tennis courts. It chews through your wheels ans stick like there is now tomorrow. Use an ABS blade and hard wheels. i also learned to clean my wheels with acetone to keep them as clean as possible. I purchased new pants and there were holes after a few games and I eventually cut the legs off and converted them to shorts. My shinguards are fine even with no protection over them.
I hated playing on the surface in Laguna Hills, but the options on where to play are very limited for me and I did not want to drive a long distance to play hockey.
Sport court is by far the superior surface, but they never got around to putting up a roof. I guess the UV would ruin an unprotected sport court.
ginblossoms, what part of LA are you in? I'm more Inland Empire area (I live in Upland, just outside of LA County) and I drive out to West Covina for the CSHA - it's the closest league to me. If you hate the roll-on and you're East of LA, it might be beneficial...a few of the guys on our team come from North Hollywood and the drive is only about 40 minutes...
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