Since Dek Hockey was introduced to the Quad Cities a short time ago, it has become a popular sport for people of all ages in the QC. The sport offers a wide variety of levels to compete at, making it the ideal game for people of all ages and abilities to play.
Ranging from kids level to nearly professional dek hockey, the levels are differentiated by the number system established by the league. The different leagues begin at level D5, the lowest level of play, and work all the way up to D1. Every player that is involved with the sport is given a ranking that is made public on the official qc dek hockey website. Each player can know what leagues they are eligible to play in based off of their assigned ranking.
The Spartan Dek team was created in 2019 by a group of PV class of 2020 members. The team played their first season in D4+ (the “+” allows for some players from the next level up to play), and had a rocky first season. Despite not having the greatest team that year, PV graduate Jack Leslie and other members of the team created a Twitter account (@SpartansDek) to get fans to come support the team.
The twitter account stuck with the team into their second season, and eventually the fans started showing up to support week in and week out. “Our fanbase is called ‘The Fortress’ and the support from them really helped the team win games,” said Leslie. In addition to establishing a fan base through the team social media, the Spartans also attracted better players that found out about the team through the page.
The Spartans found their footing during the 2020 season and found themselves winning a lot of games with a lot of fans there to support. As the season went on the Spartans only got better, finishing at the top of the leaderboard after winning the D4+ Dek Hockey Championship.
PV Senior Nick Mahoney joined the team for the 2020 season and played a key role in the team’s success. “The team has consistently gotten better over the years, and only got hungrier after that championship win. It felt great to dominate at the D4+ level, but for the 2021 season we made the jump to the D3 level of play,” stated Mahoney.
The 2021 spring/summer dek season just began in late March, but the Spartans are off to a hot start in their new league with a record of 5-0 through the first five games. Winning is nothing new to this team, considering they are currently on a 27 game, or 540 day, winning streak that carries over from last season to the current one.
Even into the new season, the team has no intentions of slowing down. “The mindset is just keep winning. I think if we have our players able to attend or have solid play from subs, and of course The Fortress in attendance, I’m certain the streak can last another 27 games if not more,” stated Leslie.
The Spartan Dek team has had a wild ride so far, and plans to continue their domination for the foreseeable future, no matter the level of competition. Fans of the team can follow @SpartansDek on Twitter to be notified of upcoming games, including the team’s next game on Tuesday May 11th at 8 p.m.
