Once mighty club up and running again in Kāpiti

Michael and Chris Sands with their new team shirts.

After a six year absence the Kāpiti Rangers Inline Hockey Club is starting up again.

Once a powerhouse in inline hockey, the Rangers were one of Kāpiti's finest sporting teams back in the late 1990s when it was an emerging sport in New Zealand.

Now with around 15 to 20 clubs affiliated to Inline Hockey New Zealand, the sport has grown but the Rangers slowly dissolved after the closure of Kāpiti Skate 'N' Blade left them with no rink to train on.

"Kāpiti was always quite a contender at the nationals and had some of the best players in New Zealand who played for the New Zealand Inline Hockey team, and some who played for the New Zealand men's ice hockey team," said Chris Sands who together with his brother Michael Sands is trying to reignite the club and bring it back to its former glory.

"The sport is barely heard of in Kāpiti now.

"Having no home rink to train on, the club dwindled down to nothing until it was cancelled in 2012, and everything Kāpiti had built for hockey was lost.

"My brother and I played for the Rangers in our early years. This is where we learned to play hockey."

Remembering how much fun they had, and how the sport was so popular, the brothers now have their own children and would love for them to experience it.

So last year they decided to reinstate the Kāpiti Rangers and went on the hunt for some of its old players.

"We found 15 players, a mix of men and women who had missed the sport just as much as we did and were keen to get on board.

"Without a rink, or a home, we went to the Levin Inline Hockey club which took us under their wing, and gave us a home to compete from."

The team car-pools up to Levin once a week and has trained in El Rancho's hall a few times but is on the look-out for a more suitable option somewhere in Kāpiti where they have the freedom to whack the puck around.

"Initially we have only created a Senior B Team as its been so long since we have all played.

"As a new team last year we struggled to get our legs at the beginning but throughout the year we managed to find our feet.

"By the close of the season we came out as the top team of the B league with some of our players achieving top goal scoring, points and goaltending for the league.

"We are building a foundation and looking to the future, bringing in youth teams and getting back the sport that was once so prominent in Kāpiti.

"We are back and trying to spread awareness of the sport."

Re-establishment of the club has been made possible by support from the Levin Inline Hockey club and sponsors Stones Electrical Kapiti, Pro Plumbing and Gas and Rail Clothing company.

The brothers have loved the sport since they were young, loving the fast pace and entertaining nature of the characters that play the sport, wanting to share that with others.

"It's the culture that we love.

"If you look at the Levin club it's very family orientated and well organised, everyone chips in and helps.

"We want to build the same thing in Kāpiti — the same way we used to have it."

For more information or to contact the club email kapitirangershockey@gmail.com