Street Hockey League Scores Big in Crystal City

The grunts and cheers and shouts and occasional pavement-crashing thuds in the parking lot at 220 20th Street in Crystal City every Thursday night aren't the sounds of a barroom brawl.

Rather, they're the sounds of Crystal Rolls, a popular street hockey league sponsored by the Crystal City Business Improvement District and managed by DC Social Sports.

"I got roped into it through a different sport," said 29-year-old Rachel Wiese of Falls Church, an environmental scientist.

"I like it because it forces me to leave work at a decent time," she said. "And it's outside."

Wiese is on the league's green team, which may or may not end up being called the Kale Chips. Apparently, the name is still up for a good-natured debate.

The league has four teams and is so popular that registration for the second summer 2013 season, which kicked off Thursday night, sold out in 14 hours. Organizers hope to get the permits necessary to launch a second league across the river in Washington.

Now in its third year, Crystal Rolls is going strong. DC Social Sports organizes a draft of the registered players and stats are kept in a shared document.

The league attracts players from all over the greater Washington area, said program manager Phil Karash. It exposes them to Crystal City, and everyone in Crystal City is exposed to the dynamic energy of the Thursday night games.

"It's just a good time," said 27-year-old Billy Shepherd of Woodbridge, a defense contractor. "It's good to get out here and hang out, and then we all go to a sports bar afterward."

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