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As we all know, high school sports can be an incredibly demanding activity for the many players, coaches, and fans involved.  Even the most organized teams with strongly established programs from the youth level to varsity can struggle at times.  This makes the efforts and successes of the Rock County Fury girls hockey team all the more impressive.  The Fury is a co-operative program in it's first year of existence at the varsity level.  After some early setbacks, the team has come together and shown great improvement, currently sporting a 6-7 overall record.



I had a chance to converse with head coach Darrel Moore about the team and how the season has gone so far.



WSN:  Give us a rundown of your season so far-



Darrel Moore:  We started out slow at the beginning of the year.  Being a first year program, we wanted to see what the girls could do.  After losing the first six, we went to two lines and have won five out of the last seven.



WSN:  Are there any moments so far this year that really stick out?  Any particular games, plays, performances?



Moore:  We are slowly getting girls back from injuries suffered in the beginning of the season, so we have been able to shift some players from defensive roles to scoring roles. We moved Megan Lindgren up to forward and that has increased are offensive capabilities.  Chelsea Pomeroy and Haley Bayreuther are fast, strong forwards who make it tough to match up against us.  Maci Weiser can put the puck home.  Our goalie, Caitlyn Gusk, has played extremely strong, which allows us to be a little more aggressive on the attack.



WSN:  Being a first year program, what went into getting this off the ground?  How long did it take?



Moore:  There had been talk about doing such a program for the past couple of years.  Last year, it really took hold.  The parents got the ball rolling.  Dave Witting, who was the interim Athletic Director for Beloit, was able to get us a 20 game schedule on very short notice.  It really was a cooperative effort by the school boards, administration, and parents.



WSN:  Any special challenges as a first year program?  What were your team's goals or expectations coming into the year?



Moore:  Having coached the Janesville Bluebirds JV team, I was used to having players around who knew my philosophy and systems.  It has been interesting this first year to establish those things.  Since we are not in a conference, my goal has always been to peak around tournament time.  I am really excited about our chances in our sectional.



WSN:  I know many girls hockey teams are largely self-funded without a lot of money from the district, how is your program set up?



Moore:  It was roughly $1,200 per player.  The School District of Janesville is paying all of the expenses for their players.  The Beloit Turner District has contributed $1,000 dollars to their players expenses.  The players from Beloit Memorial and Clinton districts have to pay their own way.  The Beloit Turner, Beloit Memorial, and Clinton girls had fundraisers to raise money.



WSN:  You are a co-op program, could you please just clarify what teams you co-op with.  Also, what challenges does having a co-op program present?



Moore:  Our team is made up of girls from Clinton (1 girl), Beloit Memorial (3 girls), Beloit Turner (3 girls), Janesville Parker (11 girls), and Janesville Craig (5 girls).  Our major challenge has been finding enough ice time that is at a reasonable time of the day.  Some of this is due to the fact that we were created so late last year.  Being a co-op, it makes it difficult to practice right after school or right before school (especially since 2 out of the 5 schools have different start and ending times).



WSN:  What are some challenges facing girls hockey right now and what would you like to see as the sport moves forward?



Moore:  I think the biggest challenge facing girl s hockey is the same as every other sport – school funding.  Wisconsin schools are not receiving the money that they once did.  Thus, it is hard for districts to increase opportunities for kids because of this.  I would love to see JV programs pop up to give girls with emerging hockey skills more time to play.