With the Bonita Vista High co-ed roller hockey team beginning their 2022 winter season, the players are eager to practice in order to continue their two year undefeated streak. Despite some challenges over rink availability and new team captains, the team is optimistic that they can work around it. 

“We want to make it back to the playoffs, that’s the number one goal. We feel that we have a good chance this year, I like how our team is shaping up,” roller hockey head coach Keith Quigley said. 

Most schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) have roller hockey teams. Having practice space and getting consistent practice time is a challenge for many of the schools, not just for Bonita Vista High (BVH).

“We may not be able to practice as much but we make it work. It is what it is. Not just Bonita, Mar Vista, Sweetwater, San Ysidro, Otay, Eastlake. We all share the rink and we just make it work,” Quigley said. 

Additionally, the recent shift BVH made to block schedule and SUHSD pushing the school start time back to 8:30 takes away potential practice time for the team after school. Not to mention, BVH has to practice at a hockey rink near Castle Park High (CPH), which is a far distance from their own campus. 

“A negative is trying to get to the rink right after school ends. School ends at 3:40 and practice starts at 4:30 so we try to get out here to skate as much as we can,” roller hockey captain and junior Andrew Madrigal said.

The roller hockey team needs a specialized rink to use for their specific needs but SUHSD only has one rink available. The problem is getting consistent playing time for everyone involved.  Regardless of the size of the rink, with one rink someone is going to be unfortunately left behind compared to other teams. 

“In an ideal world, there would be a couple more hockey rinks, I just know that’s not gonna happen, it’s not really feasible. It’s a lot of money, I’ve been coaching here for 25 years. Hockey is a little different from football, baseball, volleyball, and soccer [because] you need an actual hockey rink so we just make it work,” Quigley said.

There are some benefits to all schools playing on the same rink as the same rink used for official games. Having familiarity with a rink is helpful as everyone becomes comfortable playing on that rink.  

“I don’t really see it as a big challenge, it’s just an even playing field. I think everyone getting the same amount of practice time is difficult but other than that it’s pretty good sharing a field,” roller hockey team captain and senior Noah Burke said.

Last year, practice time and rink availability wasn’t as much of an issue as there was another rink BVH could use for practice. This year it is being used for an indoor soccer league therefore the only rink available for practice is the one at CPH. 

“We practice on the rink that we play on so we’re used to it, but there are some other rinks in the area like the one at sunset view park by Eastlake high school,” Madrigal said. “We used to practice there last year but we had a hard time getting it this year and [CPH] is our only rink now.” 

Madrigal is glad and enthusiastic to be captain as he learned alot from the previous captains. He now hopes to impart his wisdom on some of the new players. He intends to step into the role that last year’s captains filled.

“As a first year captain, I was excited to be captain, but I also took a lot from our previous captains like Diego and Keala Nunes. They were here my freshman and sophomore year,” Madrigal said. “It’s some big shoes to fill and live up to. I have to do what’s best for the team and to the best of my ability.” 

As the roller hockey team acquires new team members, there are many challenges they need to adjust to, while getting back into the swing of things. With 10 returners and five new players on the team, Burke and Madrigal are teaching the new players the ropes to help them get comfortable with the sport. 

“I feel like last year, our practices were mostly returners with our team so everyone knew the drills and it felt more fluid. This year we’re still looking good, [but] we’re still getting the hang of things with two new captains,” Burke said. 

As a captain, Madrigal hopes to be able to help advance the skills of the new players and spark growth within them. He wants them to become the best roller hockey players they can be. 

“My goal is to get all the new players to the next level. I want to get the new players used to the game, get the new players playing in the games, and I want to surprise them with how well they’ve kinda progressed in their skating and their stickhandling,” Madrigal said.

The team is excited about the possibility of continuing their regular season win streak and potentially making the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs again. The team shares that they have a nice mix of returners and new talent to carry this team to another successful season.

“[I’m] excited about this season, we made the playoffs last year and did pretty well. We’ve won 24 regular season games in a row, [though] we did lose in the playoffs,” Quigley said. “We have a good core of returning players and a few new faces that are really going to help the team out.”