THE WARRIOR ETHOS

by Richard Graham

www.inlinehockeycentral.com

 

On the rink, whether it’s a friendly exhibition or a pressure-packed national tournament, the West Point Black Knights fight tooth and nail against tough opponents like Lindenwood University.

 

Off the rink, the Black Knights are just as likely to extend a helping hand to their Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Division I rivals. They did just that not too long ago, when the Lindenwood team bus broke down before the team was to play in and ECRHA Cross-Regional event in late January at the Hot Shots Sports Arena in Mt. Pleasant, PA. The cadets loaded up the Lions players in their cars and got them to the rink on time for their game. Lindenwood returned the favor by writing a letter to the West Point dean, extolling the Black Knights for their helpfulness and class.

 

The Black Knights are a competitive club team sponsored by the Department of Physical Education and the Directorate of Cadet Activities at West Point. Today I had a chance to interview Major Denise Berry and Cadet Kyle Wolfley (Pittsburgh, PA), a senior who is playing in his final year of collegiate inline hockey.

 

IHC: Major, how did you get involved in coaching the team?

 

Major Denise Berry: I actually was playing staff and faculty ice hockey, and some of the cadets played, and they asked for an OIC [Officer in Charge], because one was leaving that summer, and some of the guys had approached Major [Wayne] Sucharski. Since both of us were really good friends – we went to grad school together and whatnot and we both love hockey – we decided to tag-team it, and here we are.

 

IHC: Kyle, what kind of job have these two officers done for the team?

 

Kyle Wolfley: They’ve done a really phenomenal job, considering that there are only two seniors left on the team. It’s really impressive how much the team has changed from our freshman year to our senior year. Before it was just kind of like pickup roller hockey for fun; if the school would pay for it, we’d go off for the weekend. Now we’re a competitive team here at nationals, and it’s really because of Major Berry and Major Sucharski. 

 

IHC: How has the team evolved, from your perspective, Major Berry? 

Major Denise Berry: We used to be what we called a hobby club, which means we got very little funding, and no practice time. Basically, the cadets had to raise all their own money to go on trips. Now we’ve got what’s called competitive club status, which is basically one step below the NCAA corps squad athlete. We still do our own fundraising, but we do get some more money, we get some more recognition from the Academy, and it basically allows us to go out on some further trips. This year we went to Missouri to be ambassadors for the Academy.

 

IHC: How have you done so far in this tournament?

 

Major Denise Berry: This morning we lost 4-3 to Colorado State in a very close, very exciting, very tight game. Next, we play Lindenwood. We went out to Missouri and played them already, so we already kind of know what they look like, so we’re looking for a good game. We’re going to go at ‘em, we’re not going to sit back and just let them come to us. We’re doing to try and force ‘em. 

 

IHC: Kyle, what have been some of the best experiences of your college inline hockey career? 

Kyle Wolfley: We’ve had a lot of great experiences. We went to Key West when I was a sophomore and that was huge, that was really impressive. We went down there and played a couple of teams. That was really the first time when we played teams outside of our immediate area. We got to play Florida International and Missouri-Rolla, and so we got to see what the competition was like, and we began to realize, ‘Hey, we can play with some of these teams; let’s start building the program.’ Then we played in St. Louis, Missouri, and Lindenwood was really generous to us. I think we provided some rides to them when they were in need; I guess some of their cars broke down…

Major Denise Berry: Their bus got snuck in the snow and we shuttled them to the games with our vans, and they were pretty thankful, so they returned the favor when we went to Missouri. They provided a practice facility, a pizza party, they were just gracious hosts; they were great.

 

Kyle Wolfley: What Lindenwood showed us – a team that has won more championships than years we’ve been in existence in years – they were appreciative that we provided a ride for them. So, for a team that doesn’t even have our own hockey rink – they let us practice with them, they provided us with Gatorade, they really bent over backwards to help us out. It’s really good to see. We’re playing with them. Four years ago, we were losing 13-0 to some of the worst teams in our own league, and now we’re playing Lindenwood and having them say, ‘Hey, we really appreciate what you’re doing.’ They even wrote a letter to our dean, which big for us because we need all the help we can get for funding. They wrote and thanked us for helping them out, and our officers and generals look at that and say, ‘Hey, this hockey team really represents us well.’ Hopefully, this will lead to more funding in the future.

 

Major Denise Berry: Major Sucharski and I are both here for at least another year. We want to find someone who is just as passionate about hockey and working cadets – you have to love cadets to do this. It’s a tough job, but it’s so fulfilling. So, we’re just trying to keep the momentum going; right now our biggest need is a facility. We actually do not practice. We don’t practice on a regular basis; we practice when we get a chance. We drive to Glastonbury, two hours away, for a tournament, and we practice for an hour or two hours. So, that is our practice. We’re trying to get the funds for a facility; we want to put up a multi-purpose community facility up at West Point so that all the kids can play year round – lacrosse, soccer, whatever – that’s our next biggest step on the management side. But our first and foremost thing is to get them to get ready to go out and be lieutenants. This is just a great venue to personify and to communicate the warrior ethos and leader character and how you act with other people.

 

Kyle Wolfley is going to be an infantry officer. After he graduates from West Point and takes a couple of months of vacation, he will head to Fort Benning, Georgia, for a year. Then, if all goes well, he’ll be in Germany with his unit. Inline Hockey Central wishes him – and West Point’s inline hockey team – great success in the future.