Skateland Gympie to host 2022 Australian Clubs Roller-Hockey Championships

After two years of Covid-caused cancellations, one major competition has chosen Gympie as the place it makes its grand return.

Gympie’s roller-skating rink is expecting a massive crowd to roll in for the 2022 Australian Clubs Roller Hockey Championships, the first to be held in two years.

Skateland Gympie has been given the honour of hosting 20 teams for the national event from September 28 until October 1.

Skateland owner Dee Kernke said on Wednesday she is expecting a crowd of about 400, including players, coaches and spectators, to show up across the four-day event.

Dee Kernke is excited to see Gympie's rollerskaters compete with many interstate teams.

“It’s very exciting because it’ll put Skateland on the map and it’ll attract a lot of people to our area,” she said.

The Australian ladies team, sporting Gympie’s Charlotte Moore, will be training at the rink in the lead up to the World Skate Games in Argentina this November.

Ms Kernke said Gympie Thunder’s pee-wees, junior and senior teams will be participating in the event with the promise of the home-ground advantage.

“It’s very competitive out there,” she said.

Skateland Gympie is expecting a big crowd around their rink for the tournament.

The annual tournament will be the first in two years after Covid-19 forced skate rinks to shut their doors.

Ms Kernke called for Gympie to support the rink and welcomed spectators to the event.

The rink owner is keen to see the teams compete in her own complex and boast the Gympie Thunder spirit.