You may be wondering why I am here. A few weeks ago, I accidentally mentioned to sports editor Caleb Rowan and adviser Katie Ramirez that I had never written a sports article, so they made it their mission to force me to write one. If you know me, you know that I am able to weasel my way out of doing just about anything, and that is exactly what I am doing now. Welcome to my first (and hopefully last) sports article.For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing A-team flag football for my club. After one of our games, I turned to a teammate and said, “I wish there could be club floor hockey, because my two favorite sports are football and hockey.” She replied, “Is football not violent enough for you?”
You also may be wondering what hockey even is. This is a team sport that is typically played on ice with all players wearing skates, helmets and lots of padding. A wooden stick with a plastic blade is used to push a black rubber puck down the ice and past the goalie into a small goal. Body checks are allowed (and somewhat encouraged), and players will often get into fist fights right on the ice.
My favorite National Hockey League teams are my hometown team, the St. Louis Blues, and the Los Angeles Kings. My father and I would play floor hockey in our basement, and it was taught in P.E. classes at my high school. I even keep a white hockey stick in my room in the rare chance that I may need it. When my father’s intramural college floor hockey team won the finals, they pretended that a trash can was the Stanley Cup, held it up above their heads and kissed it. I know that’s kind of gross, but I’m just trying to illustrate to you that hockey exists and more people than myself are interested in it.
So, why exactly should Harding include floor hockey in the intramural and club sports itinerary?
I’m not suggesting that we play ice hockey, just floor hockey. To play floor hockey, all you need are plastic sticks, pucks, small goals and a face mask for the goalie. These are all relatively inexpensive. This sport could potentially be played in the GAC, so it doesn’t even require the construction of a new facility.
Not unlike soccer or football, floor hockey requires a lot of communication and strategy. Strategic, spontaneous play can benefit players off the floor. Team sports can be frustrating and communication can be difficult, but ultimately this teamwork can build strong friendships and engage students in camaraderie. This is the number one goal of this school, correct?
Not every Harding student knows how to play hockey, but isn’t that the point of club or intramural sports? They may expose students to sports they’ve never played before. Sure, some people play intramural sports because they want to relive their high school experience on a team, but lots of people get together with their friends and form a team whether or not they know how to play. Providing a more diverse selection of sports opens up an opportunity for students to embrace a whole new culture they may enjoy.
And most importantly, floor hockey is a lot of fun. Let’s go Blues.
