2008 Woodie Awards
Out of Bounds, a Sports Commentary
Wait a minute, hockey is bigger than basketball?
Ryan Hayner
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 11/15/07 at 7:19 PM EST
Last update: 11/16/07 at 8:40 AM EST
- Page 1 of 1
When I came to Plattsburgh State in fall 2005, I had no idea how big hockey was in the North Country.
Coming from Schenectady - about 20 miles from Albany for those not familiar - basketball is the city's sport. During my four years at Schenectady High School, the basketball games drew packed crowds at the Pat Riley Sports Center, named after arguably the school's most famous alumnus. Games against Christian Brothers Academy were so popular that they had to be moved to places like the Pepsi Arena (now the Times Union Center) and would draw 6,000 fans, roughly the number of students here at PSUC.
For a high school basketball game. Yes, high school.
Our hockey team, on the other hand, drew so little interest at SHS that the team was actually a combination of students from two schools.
When the realization hit that it was the reversal up here, I did not get it.
The only live hockey I had seen was Union College games in my younger years when I was more interested in snagging rogue pucks and exploring the nooks and crannies of the arena.
Hockey was a game I did not understand. On television it seemed boring. Scoring didn't happen all that often, and the excitement never came. Definitely not for me.
How wrong I was.
With the Cardinal basketball season kicking off this weekend, I'm a changed man.
All it took was one live men's hockey game to see what I had been missing all along.
One of the best live sporting events, hands down. The fast-paced, physical nature of the game is given no justice on the boob tube.
The women's game, though not physical, offers a different version of the game just as interesting.
And from that I draw a lesson about diversifying interests. It's on a sports level, but it's a lesson that can be applied to anything.
It just took sports to help me realize that there are things out there that may not seem interesting at first glance, but until you give it a try you will never know. You learn not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it just takes something you love to show you the light.
Hockey fans up here might not realize how good of a basketball team this school has. They might not also realize attending many of the other sports - soccer, softball, lacrosse, etc. can be a great experience. Try a different sport out, see how you like it. One thing is for sure - you won't need to bundle up to catch a basketball game.
Basketball will still hold a higher place in my heart, but I'll be hitting up Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena as much as possible this year along with Memorial Hall.
Coming from Schenectady - about 20 miles from Albany for those not familiar - basketball is the city's sport. During my four years at Schenectady High School, the basketball games drew packed crowds at the Pat Riley Sports Center, named after arguably the school's most famous alumnus. Games against Christian Brothers Academy were so popular that they had to be moved to places like the Pepsi Arena (now the Times Union Center) and would draw 6,000 fans, roughly the number of students here at PSUC.
For a high school basketball game. Yes, high school.
Our hockey team, on the other hand, drew so little interest at SHS that the team was actually a combination of students from two schools.
When the realization hit that it was the reversal up here, I did not get it.
The only live hockey I had seen was Union College games in my younger years when I was more interested in snagging rogue pucks and exploring the nooks and crannies of the arena.
Hockey was a game I did not understand. On television it seemed boring. Scoring didn't happen all that often, and the excitement never came. Definitely not for me.
How wrong I was.
With the Cardinal basketball season kicking off this weekend, I'm a changed man.
All it took was one live men's hockey game to see what I had been missing all along.
One of the best live sporting events, hands down. The fast-paced, physical nature of the game is given no justice on the boob tube.
The women's game, though not physical, offers a different version of the game just as interesting.
And from that I draw a lesson about diversifying interests. It's on a sports level, but it's a lesson that can be applied to anything.
It just took sports to help me realize that there are things out there that may not seem interesting at first glance, but until you give it a try you will never know. You learn not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it just takes something you love to show you the light.
Hockey fans up here might not realize how good of a basketball team this school has. They might not also realize attending many of the other sports - soccer, softball, lacrosse, etc. can be a great experience. Try a different sport out, see how you like it. One thing is for sure - you won't need to bundle up to catch a basketball game.
Basketball will still hold a higher place in my heart, but I'll be hitting up Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena as much as possible this year along with Memorial Hall.
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