Hockey

Youth Inline Hockey

The WISC Youth League has a purely recreational format. There are no try-outs and this is a teaching program. Our program is heavily laced with lessons on teamwork and sportsmanship, as well as self-esteem building. We try very hard to evenly distribute the talent on each team, in an effort to eliminate “stacked teams” and allow every team to experience wins and loses. Inline hockey is a fantastic cardio work-out and great cross-training for other sports.

Approximately 11 years ago, a group of parents, who were looking for a hockey program for their kids, but found ice hockey to be too far away and too expensive, got together and formed the Colonial Inline Hockey Association. They began a recreational league that used the tennis courts at James Blair Middle School as their hockey rink. As community interest in the hockey league soared, CILHA also launched a travel team named the Williamsburg Flames. The conditions at James Blair were not ideal, to say the least. The young players and their parents had to deal not only with heat, cold, wind, rain, rocks, sticks and leaves on the court, but also a rough skating surface. When WISC opened in the summer of 2000, the Colonial Inline Hockey Association got together with WISC management and decided to move their entire program to WISC's state of the art sport court inline hockey rink and continue to offer the Williamsburg area an inexpensive alternative to ice hockey. The Williamsburg Flames changed their name to the Williamsburg Warriors in 2000 and the recreational league changed it's name, first to the Flames League and then eventually to the WISC Youth Inline Hockey League.

All of our youth hockey programs are run on Thursday nights with Sunday afternoon or evening practices for all programs except the Learn to Play. Players in all of our youth programs are also invited to attend WISC Friday Night Open Skates for free. We encourage them to come out every Friday, wearing their hockey jerseys with pride, while they increase their skating speed and agility.

We offer 4 levels of youth hockey, beginning with our Learn to Play Hockey Program, where girls and boys, as young as age 5, can begin their hockey experience. They will have loads of fun, learning the basics of the game of hockey. Our classes are taught by experienced hockey players. The only equipment required for this program is skates (inline or quads) and a stick. Bike helmets and pads are optional.

Once they are comfortable with the game and have developed some skating and puck handling skills, kids can move up to our 8 and Under Youth Division. In this division, we continue to offer instruction in skating skills as well as hockey skills, but we also add actual games to the mix. The other two divisions are the 12 and Under and the 17 and Under. As the kids move up through the age divisions, they are taught more challenging skills and begin learning the strategy aspects of the game, as well. All teams have a limit of 8 skaters and a goalie and we strive to give all players receive equal playing time. Skates, sticks, hockey helmets with full face masks, mouthguards, hockey gloves, hockey knee/shin pads and hockey elbow pads are all required equipment for 8U and up.

We hope that you will give the sport of hockey a try, but a word of warning, hockey is addictive! If you would like more information, please email the league director, Michelle Stachowiak at cilhaflames@yahoo.com or leave a message for Michelle at WISC at 253-1947.

The required equipment for hockey is:

1. hockey helmet with full face mask
2. hockey elbow pads
3. hockey knee/shinpads
4. hockey gloves
5. mouthguard
6. stick
7. skates
8. cup for boys.

Adult Inline Hockey

WISC Adult Inline Hockey is the most fun you can have on 8 wheels! Our Sport-Court is a fast, smooth surface that lets the skaters and puck glide the way inline hockey was meant to be played. Players come from VA Beach and Richmond to play with us because of the facility, the camaraderie, the competition, and the chance to get their name engraved for all to see on the “Colonial Cup”. It doesn't matter if you're a first-timer or an ex-pro, you'll fit in just fine!

League Play:

We have 4 seasons throughout the year, varying from 8-12 games including playoff rounds. Over the Christmas and New Year's break, we'll hold a 3 week Iron Man tourney with a slightly different format. Games are 3x 14 minute periods. All games are on Tuesday nights. Start times vary with the number of teams entered each season, but the earliest start time is 7:00pm.

Players can come in with a full roster or sign up as individuals. The Commissioners may move players at the beginning of the season to balance the teams to keep parity in the league. Some allowances are made for carpooling players. Depending on turn-out, rosters are anywhere from 6-9 players plus a goalie.

Our Head Referee is a USA Hockey Certified Referee and keeps things under control. We follow USA Hockey Inline rules except we play it off the netting and use the center redline for offsides.

Everyone must have a WISC membership to play. League fees vary with the length of the season. 1-year hockey memberships are available that save you a bit of money vs. paying season-to-season, and you get pick-up for free. If you're a goalie, your WISC membership gives you the benefit of league play for free too!

Pick-Up:

We also have pick-up hockey on Thursday nights. If you want to dust off your skates and get some of the rust out of your game but can't commit to every Tues night, this could be the ticket for you. It's a low key affair and a good chance to practice a few moves, play with the guys you usually play against, or just get some fun exercise.

Equipment:

To play in the league or just pick-up, you must wear a helmet, mouth guard, gloves, elbow pads, cup, shin guards, and skates. If you're under 18, you must also wear a full face shield/cage. Most guys wear full gear except shoulder pads. Regular ice hockey sticks are used. Indoor wheels are highly recommended. Outdoor wheels are simply too hard to offer enough grip on our floor for the serious player.

Contacts:

If you have questions about our Adult Inline Hockey Leagues or Pick-Up, please contact either Jason Keown at 757-258-8721 (jkeown@cox.net) or Todd Answine at 757-566-4526 (jakesrents@msn.com). Come join the best Adult Inline Hockey program around!

Adult Hockey Schedule & Results

Rates:

*Full Year Membership: Includes a Full year of League play (Spring, Fall, and 2 Summer Leagues) and free pick up games every Thursday