Plans for ice hockey score with FRHSD
Parents will begin raising funds for teams at 5 schools
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer
Ice hockey looks like a "go" in the Freehold Regional High School District. After lobbying district administrators for several years, a group of parents and players have gotten the go-ahead to begin raising money to fund the sport beginning in the 2008-09 school year.

If their fundraising efforts prove successful, teams from the FRHSD would join other squads from around the Shore Conference and the state on the ice this winter.

An independent ice hockey team made up of players from around the FRHSD has been competing as a club for several years. The new teams would permit student-athletes to represent their high school, which is the outcome that parents and ice hockey players have been seeking for years.

OnMay 19, FRHSD Superintendent of Schools James Wasser presented the Board of Education with a proposal prepared by the Regional Ice Hockey Association (RIHA), which is a nonprofit fundraising group comprised of parents from throughout the district. The proposal discussed the short- and long-term impacts of an ice hockey program to the district.

Board members reacted favorably to the presentation and gave verbal approval to the RIHA to generate funds to begin and sustain five ice hockey teams in the district. The teams would be from Freehold, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro high schools.

Organizers have said that interest in a team was not forthcoming at Colts Neck High School.

A formal resolution to sanction ice hockey in the FRHSD is expected to be voted on by the board on June 16.

Administrators explained that there is no appropriation in the district's budget for ice hockey and reminded the parents that the existence of ice hockey is contingent upon the RIHA's capability to generate revenue.

Information presented at the meeting indicated that the RIHA must raise about $200,000 to fund teams in Howell, Manalapan, Marlboro, Freehold Borough and Freehold Township high schools. The money will be used to provide ice time, coaches salaries, bus transportation and referee fees, according to information provided by the RIHA.

Once the funds are acquired by the RIHA, the organization will hand over jurisdiction of the ice hockey program to the school district.

The program is scheduled to begin Nov. 15.

According to Ricky Hodes, the RIHA secretary and Howell representative, "Although the board has approved us to play ice hockey, our job is not yet done. Our next mission is to ensure that the board's concerns stay in control."

Some of those concerns included crowd supervision at games, insurance liability, medical clearance, equipment and uniforms.

In regard to insurance, Business Administrator Sean Boyce said the ice hockey teams would be under the same coverage as other district sanctioned sports.

"There would be no additional incremental cost. It would be the price per student and total enrollment," Boyce said.

If everything goes according to plan, all of the ice hockey student-athletes will practice and play games at the Wall Sports Arena in Wall Township.

According to board President Patricia Horvath, interest in ice hockey by the district's constituents dates back to about 2002.

Wasser reiterated that district administrators have never been against ice hockey and said the current approval of the parents' plan to support the sport is evidence of the district's willingness to give ice hockey a chance.

"We would like to give ice hockey a shot and move forward," the superintendent said.