Rink hockey has always been a part of Martin Arevalo’s life, even now as he juggles his dayto- day responsibilities as a South Plains College student.
After years of rink hockey training and multiple competitions, Arevalo was selected to display his skills at this year’s Pan-American championships.
As part of Team USA, Arevalo will participate in the 2024 World Skate America Rink Hockey Pan American Championships from March 4-10 in Bogotá, Colombia.
Arevalo, a second-year computer aided drafting major, was born in Lubbock and grew up learning rink hockey from his dad. When Arevalo was 10, he moved with his family to their home country of Argentina, where he played in a rink hockey youth league.“Growing up as a kid, I’d practice at least twice a week,” he said. “When I went to the youth league in Argentina, it was three times a week and one game on the weekend.”
At the age of 16, Arevalo moved back to Lubbock alone and lived with the owner of the city’s Skate Ranch. Even during offseasons, he has maintained a training schedule of playing rink hockey two to three times a week while skating on the weekends.
This year’s Pan-American championships will be a familiar experience for Arevalo, as he has participated in rink hockey events from the local to the international level.
Arevalo played in the 2018 Pan-American championships as a captain of a junior team and played on a junior team in the 2019 Men's Roller Hockey World Cup in Spain. After playing in the 2023 Roller Hockey National Championships hosted at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Arevalo was selected for this year’s Pan-American championships.
“This is the fastest, youngest, most talented team we’ve had in a while,” he said.
As a manager at Lubbock’s Skate Ranch, Arevalo not only trains for his games but also coordinates the practice times for a local in-line hockey squad, which he hopes to evolve into an official league after he returns from the Pan-American championships. Since rink hockey is not a common sport in the U.S., he said he hopes the upcoming competition will showcase the excitement behind the sport. “The sport is growing a little each year,” he said. “If we get to show people there’s a chance of being successful in it, it’ll grow even more.”
For more information about the 2024 World Skate America Rink Hockey Pan American Championships, visit https:// www.usarollersports.org/wsarink- hockey- pan- american-continental championships.