Nov. 29, 2007

John Dingle is the drummer in the band Shorthanded with the Special Teams, joining Johann Kroll and former Buckeyes Tyson Strachan and JB Bittner. The senior forward from Shaker Heights, Ohio, was a drummer in a band, The Silver Company, throughout high school. In his own words, read Dingle's story "The Making of Shorthanded."

The Making of Shorthanded
by John Dingle, Ohio State senior forward

For the past four years, classmate Johann Kroll and I have been playing both on and off the ice. As two of the original members of the Ohio State men's hockey band, Shorthanded, Johann and I have spent our off-seasons pursuing music as a diversion to the usual grind of a long college hockey season.

It all started when I came on my official visit and JB Bittner (2002-05), an upperclassman on the team, started talking with me about music. Somehow through the grapevine he heard that I played drums in a band in high school and when I signed at Ohio State he asked if it was possible to bring my drums to Columbus.

At that time eight of the guys lived in a big house on campus dubbed the `Hockey House'. Bittner, a guitar player himself, also met Johann on his official visit and found he did a little bit of singing and guitar playing as well.

With Bittner's motivation, Kroll and I brought our equipment to Columbus and threw all our stuff in their basement. Over time, we started buying the miscellaneous necessary equipment like a PA system and amps we picked up from my old high school band mates.

I was excited about the opportunity because I hadn't even thought about the possibility that other guys on the team are musicians. I hadn't even considered it.

Quickly the band was shaping up with Johann on lead vocals and guitar, Bittner on guitar and me on the drums. The last thing we needed was a bassist. Upperclassman Tyson Strachan (2004-07) played a little guitar so with work we turned him into a bassist and he ended up being pretty good.

Although we hardly ever practice during the season because our main focus is hockey, playing in Shorthanded really has helped me bond with my teammates from my rookie year to now my senior and final season. It's a lot of fun to get the guys together and do something a little bit different.

Music has served as a release off the ice for these Buckeye hockey players.

At first our coaches were worried we were doing it during the season but it's not a distraction it's more of a release for us. I think it is key in college athletics to have a release but know how to keep it from becoming a distraction. That is what music has been for Johann and me over the years. Even when we are not playing, just listening, talking about and finding new music is a release for us.

While we mostly just play for friends - it's usually the same crowd just a different venue - we've set up outside sometimes and played house parties, covering a variety of bands. From Sublime to Johnny Cash to Creedence Clearwater Revival, our band's own sound is kind of a blend of all that.

This spring will be interesting because Johann and I will have fewer commitments after finishing our final year of hockey. We'll have more time to write lyrics together like we used to when school wasn't as hard our freshman year.

Playing is something I want to keep doing for the rest of my life and I think it's the same for Johann. I enjoy it every time we play and ask myself why I don't do it more. It would be fun to be able to live 10 different lives and be a musician in one of them.

Although the band looks quite different now after we had to replace Bittner and Strachan when their time at Ohio State was completed, it still holds the same enjoyment for Johann and me. With graduation and life beyond Ohio State hockey in our near future, the last of the founding members of Shorthanded marks the end of the band's era in Buckeye hockey history. As we go our separate ways, Johann and I will always have the memories we've made both on and off the ice to look back on and remember what it was like to play the dual role of teammates and band mates.