BACKGROUND OF TRUMAN ROLLER HOCKEY
General Background of Organization
For almost 10 years now Truman State has been competitive member in collegiate roller hockey. The organization has helped build a positive reputation for itself as well as the school. We are one of the only members of the GPCIHL that does not have a coach. It is strictly run by the players. Team captains are chosen by the players, and we go from there. The leadership gained at Truman is evident in are abilities to run our team in such a manner and be successful at it.
The organization does have tryouts in order to make the teams. Both teams encourage all who want to play hockey to come out and try-out regardless of gender or experience (or lack there of). If one does not make either team, it is encouraged for them to come out and practice with us outside of our specified team practice times. The organization is working harder than ever to promote the club around campus and has made great strides in doing so in the last year alone.
As a club the Roller Hockey teams are active in putting Truman State University on the map. They talk to prospective students in hopes that they attend the University, recruiting you could say. They attempt to persuade them to come to the school and play hockey for club, while getting a good, solid education. Since the games are not played here in Kirksville, the teams are bringing the Truman State name and reputation to the people. Many kids who have not heard of Truman State come to watch other teams play then see the Truman hockey teams play, and then they may consider Truman, after hearing about it.
Up until 2003 the was able to receive funding for both teams separately since they played in different leagues, and in essence were two separate clubs. But last year they were classified as one club, regardless of number of teams and competition levels, etc. As a result the funding was cut in half and had to find additional funding elsewhere in order to cover the difference for league fees.
General Background of the league set-up
Truman State Roller Hockey is a club made up of students from Truman State University. The club is aimed at giving the school’s student body the opportunity to play competitive hockey on a collegiate level. As a whole the organization is comprised of two teams: A team and B team.
Both of these teams currently compete in the Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League (GPCHIL), which is a member of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA). Within the GPCIHL there are four divisions: Division I, Division II, Division III, and the B Division. The A-team competes in Division II which is comprised of nine schools, while the B-team competes in the B Division. The B Division is comprised of schools in Division I, II, and III that are able to field multiple teams. In essence the B Division could be looked at as a minor league system or a JV team.
The way the League is structured the A team will play roughly 18 games overall, excluding invitational tournaments. The 18 games are played over 6 weekends, averaging out to three games per weekend (3 weekends during the Fall semester, 3 in the Spring). This season both teams will play 12 regular season games in addition to 6 exhibition games (excluding invitationals).
After the regular season is completed the GPCIHL hosts a regional tournament. The top 8 teams in each conference go on to compete in the tournament. After the Conference tournament is the NCRHA National Championship. In Division II automatic bids are awarded to regular season champions of the respected leagues. Then a handful of teams are invited to go to the tournament as at-large bids selected by a committee based on regular season performance, regional tournament performance, overall record, power index, strength of schedule and final ranking. 16 teams make the National Championship Tournament out of roughly 60 teams. In the B Division only 8 teams are invited to the National Championship, and that is strictly determined by the committee. In the regional tournaments and national tournaments you will only play teams with in your divisions (in our case DII or B).
Historical Success
Truman State was one of the original Roller Hockey Clubs in the country. . In 1995 the College Roller Hockey League (CRHL) was formed, with Truman being a founding member. Since then the League has expanded and taken many forms. Within the 9 years the organization has existed they have made a positive reputation for itself. The Bulldogs have had some great success at the National level. In 1995/96 the Bulldogs placed __ at Nationals. In 1999 the Bulldogs placed 5th at Nationals. In 2001 the Bulldogs reached the Final Four, and finished 3rd in the National Tournament. After 2001 the Bulldogs had a few years of rebuilding. In 2002 the team made it to Nationals, but this was due to their success the previous year.In 2002 the league was restructured and became part of the NCRHA, and would take on the name GPCIHL. After the 2002-2003 season the team moved to Division II. In its first year at the D II level and with a limited number of players, the A-team was able to reach a National Ranking as high as 14th and finished the season 24th in the country, before falling out of the top 25 after Regionals.