Local roller hockey ace Lindsay Hill will don the green and gold to represent Australia in the sport at the World Roller Games in China.
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More than 5000 athletes are anticipated to contest the Games in 10 skating disciplines.
It is the first time the Games have been held after the International Federation of Roller Sports decided to bring all the World Championships together.
Hill received the phone call with the news he made the Australian team last Monday and said it came as a bit of a shock but he was thrilled to have the opportunity.
“A bit of surprise, I tried my best down there but it is always good to get selected,” he said.
It is not just one thing, it is the combined thing of having to skate as well as play around with a stick and ball and get around people.
- Lindsay Hill
“We had two training sessions down in Melbourne two months apart and then the best 10 players were selected from those who tried out.”
Hill began the sport 17 years ago through a family friend and had never skated prior to playing.
He believes it is so challenging due to hockey combining with roller skating and the most difficult part for him was “trying to stay on my feet while trying to hit a ball”.
“It is so different to anything else,” he said. “It is not just one thing, it is the combined thing of having to skate as well as play around with a stick and ball and get around people.
“It takes a lot of thought on how to play because you only have the four floor players on each side so you really have to use the most out of each player and you really have to be thinking all the time.
“It can be quite physically demanding having to skate as well as play.”
It won’t be the first time Hill has pulled on the green and gold, having previously represented the country at the under 20s World Championships in Italy and touring New Zealand last year.
He trains with Northsports in Glen Innes, one of the few clubs within NSW who participate in roller hockey.
“We are quite a good club, especially for quite a small town,” he said. “We have had a lot of players from Glen Innes go away and represent the country. I think that is great.”
The competition begins on August 27 with the qualification rounds before the final on September 10 and Hill is excited to see the world’s best go head-to-head.
"Going over there and seeing the sport being so different,” he said. “The talent is unbelievable.”