The Mighty Ducklings : Fun Is the Goal of Youngest Players in Roller Hockey League

The Mighty Mites occupy hockey’s kindergarten.

For the 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds playing in the Mighty Mites Division of the Studio City Roller Hockey League, it’s more important to be able to stand up on skates than to know what the score is.

“The Mighty Mites are just plain cute and they’re really fun to watch,” said Jason Shepherd, league commissioner. “Most of them have skated before, but for some of them it’s their first time playing.

“They’re just little kids enjoying themselves so they’re kind of clueless. Half the time they don’t even know what the score is even when it’s right in front of them.”

So maybe competition isn’t the driving force behind members of the league’s youngest division. Shepherd seems to think it’s the chance for the children to make new friends while learning how to play a sport that initially attracts them to the league, which is part of the city of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.

“It also keeps them off the streets and out of trouble,” he added.

The 40 or so children who make up the Mighty Mites Division, which started three years ago and has more than doubled in size since last season, began the current season by being assigned to one of four teams: the River Rats, the Bull Frogs, the Blades or the Barracudas.

It costs $75 to join and the kids have to supply their own gear, with the exception of the goalie equipment, which is provided.

Once the assignments are made, the teams and their volunteer coaches typically meet twice a week at the Studio City Recreation Center at Studio City Park to practice. They compete every Thursday during the season, which begins in September and runs through mid-December.

While the kids don’t appear to have bitten by a competitive bug, some parents have.

“I think the parents get into it more than the kids, cheering-wise,” Shepherd said. “But it’s great because they’re really supportive of the league.”