Team Excalibur is ready for an exciting new season of Travel Roller Hockey. Every year Team Excalibur breaks new ground for the sport of roller hockey in Arizona.

Last season started with The Castle Sports Club taking a record 12 teams to Winternationals and ended with their Atom and Women's teams each winning the

Another way Excalibur continues to bring the sport to a new level is by how many girls they have competing. From Alex in her first season, to Megan, Krystalin, and Tay in their second, all the way to the “veterans” Jordan and Allie in their third season, the Girls of Excalibur are having a great time competing right alongside the boys.

When asked, all the girls say they have no problem being out there with mostly boys. Most of the parents aren’t too concerned either. Sometimes the hardest part of watching their daughters play is listening to the comments from other parents. The negative comments can be hard to take - “Nice check, but that was the wrong girl”, but the positive responses - “Look, it’s the chick line!” - are great. Great for the players, great for the parents, and most importantly, great for the sport.

Megan, at age 8, is the youngest of Team Excalibur’s girls. She is playing in her 2nd season on the Atom team. She was part of last year’s Tour Pacific Cup Championship team and loves being able to play offensive and defense. She is Co-Capitan of her team this year and wishes they were playing in Winternationals. In fact, her main reason for trying out for Team Excalibur last year was so she could play hockey in Las Vegas.

Jordan, age 9, is in her third season with Team Excalibur. Because she is still age eligible she is playing on the Atom team as well as the Mite Silver team. Jordan has become known as an outstanding defensive player and now gets to show her skills as an offensive player on her Mite team. As Co-Capitan of the Atom team she enjoys working with her teammates. The most exciting part of being on Excalibur? “Winning alot of games”.

Tay, age 10 is part of the Mite Black team. This is her second season with Team Excalibur and she comes from a “hockey family”. Her mother and older brother are both part of Team Excalibur, on the Women’s and Squirt teams respectively. Her father plays hockey and even her little brother and sister play. Having fun and winning are her favorite things about playing hockey and she is well acquainted with the winning part. She was part of last years TPC Championship team and her Mite team is off to a great start this year.

Allie, age 10, is also in her 3rd season. She started skating when she was six years old and now plays both roller and ice hockey. Both of her parents also play hockey and her dad has coached her for several years. Her best experience with Team Excalibur so far was when she scored her first goal. Her worst was falling down on a one on one and letting the other team score. She is looking forward to winning first place at Winternationals.

Alex, age 11, is in her first season with Team Excalibur. She is also a member of the Mite Black team, playing both offense and defense. When asked if she minds playing against mostly boys, she just smiles and says “Not at all.” She doesn’t mind the hard work involved with playing hockey and is looking forward to playing against the OC Blades at Winternationals.

Krystalin, at age 12, is the oldest of the Team Excalibur Girls. She is a defensive player for the Squirt 91’s. It doesn’t bother her that she is the only girl on the team, in fact, she loves the competitiveness. Her favorite thing about playing for Excalibur was winning the state championship with her Mite team last year. Her worst was injuring her ankle last week during a tournament. What was thought to be a broken ankle turned out to be only a bad sprain. Her biggest concern about getting hurt? She was afraid she wouldn’t get to play in Winternationals.

So look out Vegas - The Girls are back in town! And remember, when they are out on that rink, they are not “Daddy’s Little Girl”. They are not “Grandma’s Princess”. They are not “girls” at all. They are hockey players for Team Excalibur. And that’s the way it should be.