Roller hockey league makes return to Dixon

Fred Bantrup is 53 years old. Sean Knapp is 32, and his son Steven is 13. Three generations, but they’re all cohorts in the new Dixon roller hockey league.

“We’ve got players ranging in age from 13 to 53,” said Sean Knapp of Sterling. “It’s a good thing. We’ve got fathers and sons playing together.”

Knapp took it upon himself to resurrect the sport of roller hockey in the Sauk Valley.

“Dixon roller hockey has not had a season for the last few years,” he said. “This year, the new Dixon roller hockey board members have taken over and made an effort to get roller hockey back into Dixon.”

Through many phone calls and a lot of word of mouth, Knapp has put together a four-team, 32-player league that is in the midst of a nine-week season with playoffs. Games take place Monday nights at the roller hockey rink at The Meadows.

Knapp hopes to have leagues for younger players in the near future.

Bantrup, who is from Dixon, hesitated before deciding to lace up the skates again.

“I’m doing it because it’s a great workout,” he said. “It’s awesome cardio and good competition, and I think it’s good for the community. It keeps you young.”

Fifty-two-year-old Mike MacNamara of Grand Detour is glad to see roller hockey making a comeback.

“I’m happy to see it still going, and that I’m still playing,” he said. “It’s more family oriented than it used to be: more family, less goon. I raised three kids through hockey. They’re older now, but they continue to play hockey. It’s a sport you can carry on. That’s what I like about it.”

Another local roller hockey veteran, Bill Brooks, 48, of Dixon has a passion for the sport.

“I love it,” he said. “I’ve been out of it for awhile, but it’s nice to start back at it again. I grew up skating on the ice rink next to Memorial Pool. For me, it’s about getting exercise and having fun.”

Mike Lally of Dixon, one of the original Dixon roller hockey founders in the mid-1980s, is not involved in the resurrection movement and does not play anymore, though he’d like to.

“Seeing the guys play makes me want to be out there bad,” Lally said. “But, my body can’t take that. I can’t do it anymore.”

Lally reflected on the history of roller hockey in Dixon.

“We started out with ball hockey at Jefferson School, playing in our tennis shoes,” he said. “Then, we went to roller blades. Word of mouth got going, and the next thing you know, we had a full load of people up there.

“Then, we played in front of the tennis courts at Dixon High School before moving to where the Festival of Gardens sits now at the old tennis and basketball courts. We had close to 300 kids and adults. We did fundraisers to purchase boards and a scoreboard and moved up here [The Meadows rink], and we’ve had this rink for about 14 years.”

Knapp has high hopes for the future of roller hockey in the Sauk Valley.

“If there’s enough interest, and I think there is, we’ll shoot for three seasons – spring, summer and fall,” he said.