Rollin’ Along : Sports: The enthusiasm for roller hockey is picking up speed as the street game gets organized in Ventura County.

The fast and furious game of roller hockey has graduated from its street roots into a fledgling organized sport that has captured the attention of hockey enthusiasts throughout Ventura County.

“It was strap-on roller skates, broom sticks and tennis balls when I played it as a kid,” said James York, 32, of Newbury Park. “Now, you got high-tech skates, hockey sticks and plastic pucks.”

On any given afternoon at school playgrounds, the action is quick, York said. The smaller dimensions and makeshift conditions of the “rink” (usually a converted basketball court) challenge the players to stay on their feet. A collision here could send a player crashing into a chain-link fence or skidding across the asphalt.

“It’s wild,” said 15-year-old Steven Gilliard, who sat on the sidelines one Saturday afternoon nursing a bruised ankle. “You get hurt sometimes, but never real bad.”

Most of the rules of ice hockey apply to roller hockey, except the puck is made out of hard plastic instead of rubber and is about half the weight. Players long ago shed the traditional roller skates for in-line skates, which have a single row of wheels.

Only six players from each team, including the goalie, are allowed on the playing surface at any time. The players are not allowed to advance the puck in their hands, but because it is so bouncy, they often block the ball with their gloved palms. Goalies wear a baseball glove on their non-stick hand to catch or block the puck.

“Roller hockey is really cranking,” said Walter Collins, who owns a sport shop in Thousand Oaks. “The kids are into it and so are their parents.”

Collins said the sport grew so fast during the last two years that he was constantly fielding requests from customers for information on roller hockey leagues. To his surprise, Collins found none, so he started his own--the Tri-Valley Hockey League, which draws players from the San Fernando and Conejo valleys and other parts of Ventura County.

“I started the league two years ago with about 50 kids; now there’s more than 400,” said Collins, who coaches the league’s team for 10- to 12-year-olds. Collins said 8- to 9-year-olds can play in that division and there are also teams for 13- to 15-year-olds. He said that about 30 girls play in the youth league, mixed in with the boys. The adult league, for players over 18, has about 100 participants, he said.

While the sport’s popularity has grown, so has the tension between players and local residents and businesses.

“First it was skateboarders, now it’s roller skaters,” said Newbury Park store owner Samuel Hebert, who regularly ousts young hockey players from the parking lot behind his business.

“I don’t have anything against the kids,” Hebert said. “I’m just worried about one of them breaking their neck on my property. It’s an insurance thing.”

Hockey player Chris De Luca, 23, said Collins’ league has become a refuge for players who are constantly being evicted from parking lots and school grounds throughout the county.

“There are so many people doing it now that they’re playing anywhere they can, and that’s creating problems,” De Luca said. “They needed a permanent place to play without being bothered.”

The league’s games are being played at Agoura High School’s outdoor basketball courts and at an indoor roller rink in Port Hueneme, but the league has grown so large that those sites are becoming inadequate, said Collins, who has been talking with Conejo Recreation and Park District officials about establishing a more permanent facility for the sport.

Thomas Sorensen, the district’s administrator for parks and planning, sympathized with Collins’ problem.

“The sport is definitely outgrowing the facilities they already have,” he said. “I can see their need for a more permanent, appropriately designed place to play.”

Sorensen said the district will consider the possibility of establishing such a facility after reviewing Collins’ proposal, which is scheduled to be heard by the board before the end of April.

Roller hockey has become a big hit, especially among parents, said Collins, because it’s safer than ice hockey. “It’s a healthy team sport, and there’s no checking or rough stuff like in ice hockey,” he said.

Initially, helmets and kneepads were the only pieces of equipment required by the league, he said, but now players must also wear leather gloves, elbow pads, a cup and full face protection.

The sport is also less expensive than ice hockey, he said. “It’s about half as expensive and people can play it anywhere, not just on ice,” he said, referring to the fact that it can be played on almost any hard surface.

A complete hockey outfit, including quality skates, runs about $400, he said. His youth league costs each player about $80 a year. In the adult league, players pay about $5 a game. Collins has taken out an insurance policy against injuries in the youth league, but not for the adult league, where the participants “play at their own risk,” he said.

Judging by the size of last weekend’s crowd, roller hockey has found a following. Nearly 80 people lined the court at Agoura High, many setting up folding chairs in the adjacent courts or standing on top of nearby walls to catch the action.

“This is great entertainment,” said Thousand Oaks resident James Barlow, 34. “I come over here almost every weekend and watch them play. You can’t find another sport with so much action.”

After losing a game by one point, 14-year-old goalie Mark Newman skated off the rink sweating, but smiling. “You can’t beat this,” he said. “I’ve tried surfing, skateboarding and other stuff, but this is the best.”

As for the future of roller hockey, Collins predicts the establishment of large indoor roller hockey arenas. He also hopes that some day the individual leagues will adhere to a uniform set of rules and regulations.

“It’s definitely going to be around for awhile,” he said. “It’s a sport for all ages and abilities.”