SHOKK MEMBER PICKED TO PLAY IN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS IS OFF TO
SLOVENIA.

SHOKK member, Matt Batterbee (aged 15 years),
is a keen roller hockey club player and has risen
to giddy heights being chosen as part of Team
Great Britain and joins the GBHI under 16
Academy 2007

SHOKK are helping Matt by sponsorship to enable
him to purchase kit and travel expenses.

We would like to acknowledge outstanding
results from other Shokk members. 
Use the contact page and let us know if you are achieving something special.

The following is a write-up by Matt (2007)  -

I started out as just a rookie, playing in the back garden of my house after watching the ice hockey film, "The Mighty Ducks".  Then when the tumble dryer broke and the man came to fix it he saw the stick, the ball and the skates and asked whether I played or not.  After talking with my mum, he left, she came and told me about Rhyl Rhinos roller hockey club, gave me all the details.  It was the day of my first training, sadly I couldn't go because I was ill.  Never been so upset about a sport before, but I was about this.
Finally I got to go to training the following week. Not wearing all the correct kit, just a borrowed helmet with a face guard, my old skates, not as good as all the other peoples, just a stick with a plastic blade and my own elbow & knee pads used for street skating.  I got on and I wasn't such a bad skater as I had been skating most of my life.  I got going and I got my first goal that very training.  It was a great feeling and I knew this sport was something special.
I eventually got all the right kit, I had my first season. I only played half the season and I never scored a goal.  We came second in the North Wales league on goal difference.
The summer went and the new season began. I was a better player and faster. I scored my first match goal that season against Prestatyn Piranhas. I can still remember celebrating the goal but then falling over and laughing.
The seasons flew by, we won matches, I got goals and I got trophies and evenually became captain of my club at Rhyl.  This was when my manager, Tracey, thought it was time I needed bigger and better hockey.  She arranged for me to go and train with Team Predators in Deeside which is where I began playing in GBHI.  I eventually left Rhyl and focused on Team Predators and GBHI.  I began to play Conference for Flintshire.  My first full season at the club we got to the National Championships and we came seventh.  It was a good feeling.
I was starting to get asked to play for all different teams and I got asked to play in another roller hockey organisation BIPHA for Walken Cobras. So I did to see what it was like. I enjoyed it so I stayed. This season was turning out to be the best ever.
In that one season I went to the unders 16's nationals and played a lot of time on the rink. Again only coming seventh but still, I was an under 14 and I was there. I didn't know what to think, it was my own age group and I was a big lad here unlike the week before. Our first day went in the weekend tournament and we were in the last four. The following day losing the semi-final was a heart break but we still came third in GB. That was an even better feeling. To make things better it was now time for the BIPHA Nationals for Walkden Cobras. The same thing happened again and I walked away with a bronze medal once again. This season was the best ever.
The end of that season was the beginning of another, the BISHA season began. This was full contact hockey and it was hard work in the full padding and summer conditions. I was in my element and I was known for aggression and physical play. It was good fund and very physical. We came second in our league and were on our way again to another national chapionship, only this time for Preston Phoenix. We came second only on goal difference after beating the winners 2-1.
The season began and I had left Walkden Cobras because the team had finished and Team Predators because there was no under 16's and I wanted to play with my own age. So, I decided to play with Preston Phoenix in all organisations. During this season I also played Conference as I do each year. I played for Flintshire going against Midlands, Southern and Scotland. We lost every game except one against Scotland because we had the youngest team in the league. I scored many goals and in the last Conference day I was noticed by two really important men, the Team GB Manager and Coach. I stayed for training and weeks later got an e-mail asking me to join the Academy. I am now on the GB squad and go taining at least once a month all over the country.

Other things are happening such as playing in senior international tournaments with people twice as big & twice my age which is good fund. I have National Championships coming up in GBHI, possibly a trip to Slovenia with Team GB & next season I am going back to Team Predators and also playing for the Saints in the Senior League in GBHI.