Roller hockey, often called the sport of the future, is still in its infancy. Although it is being played at the college level at more than 300 colleges and universities, it is not yet an inter-collegiate sport and the individual colleges don't finance them. Those involved with the sport are hoping for more exposure and hoping that roller hockey will be a sport in the 2008 Olympics.

Jonathan Mosenson, who started his junior year at Syosset High School earlier this month, has been called one of the best roller hockey players in the country. The problem is the lack of knowledge and interest in this up and coming sport. Without exposure, there are no scholarships, not many leagues and a lack of competition.

There are several organizations around the country that are vying for all the roller hockey players since the sport is still considered new. Many national teams hold tournaments all over the country and some that Mosenson travels to participate in.

Some high schools do have leagues in the Island-Wide High School Roller Hockey League and Syosset is one of them. Mosenson is a defensive player for the Syosset Roller Hockey team, which will begin its third season this October. There are about 26 high schools that have a varsity team and ten that have junior varsity teams. The season runs from October through April.

The high school league consists of tournaments where high school teams can compete and go to the national championships. Syosset's team is not a sanctioned scholastic sport. Funding for the sport is not provided for the school as it is with other sports, but rather the individual player personally finances it even though, in order to participate in the league, every player must be a student at Syosset High School. If it is recognized this year as a club sport, then at least the players can get the recognition that they deserve.

Mosenson found great success during last year's Island-Wide High School Roller Hockey League Season. As a high school sophomore, he was the league's second highest scorer during the regular season with 73 points in 18 games. He led his team to the national championship and was voted to the Nassau County league all-star team. He was the leading vote getter of all players selected and voting is done by the league players. He was also voted the varsity league MVP from all of the players on the 18 varsity teams in Nassau and Suffolk.

This past summer, Mosenson represented the United States in the USA Roller Sports Junior World Cup Games held in West Palm Beach, Florida. The USA team won the gold medal by beating Canada two games to one in the best of three-championship playoff. Mosenson was the youngest member of the team at age 16 and playing with 19-year-olds. There were teams from Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and Taiwan. The USA team finished with a 7-2 record. Mosenson had three goals and six assists and was tied for sixth in scoring for team USA. Next year's games are scheduled to be held in either Australia or Czechoslovakia.

Also this past summer, Mosenson was selected to participate in the USA Hockey Inline Junior National Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A total of 56 players from 40 states were selected from over 400 hockey players who tried out for the teams. He also was a member of the Empire Mission Snipers who took second place in the Bantam Age division. He was selected to the tournament all-star team. He competed in the NARCH National Championships in Minnesota. Mosenson has also competed in Las Vegas, Illinois and Georgia.

Those interested in roller hockey are trying to promote the sport and have it be recognized as a collegiate sport so the players can get scholarships. According to Mosenson, becoming a pro sport is the ultimate goal, but there are smaller steps to conquer before that.

The problem is becoming that many students can't afford to participate in the sport and then the interest decreases. "When you play more you get better and some of the kids can't afford to play in as many leagues," said Mosenson. "The commitment of the kid and the money are the two biggest factors. Also, some parents can't drive their kids to the rinks and the games. It is not like it is down the block - the tournaments are all over. It is a big time financial commitment from the parents as well."

In order to foot the bill for this expensive sport, teams try to sign with sponsors and organizations try to put together teams to compete in a national championship.

Mosenson, for example, is on approximately six different teams through six different organizations. According to Mosenson, a good pair of skates run approximately $450, wheels are about $10 apiece and skates need eight wheels - Mosenson goes through those wheels in a month. A good stick is $150 and these expenses don't include the expensive cost of traveling. "A lot of the teams try to get their equipment from the manufacturers, but if not, they have to pay for it themselves," said Mosenson.