By SK Thirumala ’22
So, I’m gonna talk about ice hockey, a sport that I watch and play almost on a daily basis.
To be honest, I really believe that the sport of ice hockey needs to be better appreciated. I’ve been watching hockey for 11 years, and to this day, I’m still baffled as to why it’s so unpopular. I would like to change that somehow.
An article might not do much, but it’s a start. And it might be boring. For like, a lot of people. Because I’m bad at keeping things interesting. And I can’t really be sarcastic or fun because this is a bit of a serious point I have to get across.
But here we go.
Bellarmine’s ice hockey program consists of over 50 members. There are two teams total, one junior varsity team and one varsity team. Bellarmine’s varsity ice hockey team is associated with the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League (ADHSHL) while the JV team is associated with the Sharks Ice High School Hockey League, and 40 games are played throughout the year.
I’ve only been playing for 3 years, so maybe I’m not the best person to talk to about this. But I do know someone who’s like a pro.
Meet David Nguyen ’20, 2-time ADHSHL All-Star MVP, Team California member, and junior here at Bell. I know Dave through the ice hockey program, in which he has acted as a role model to most freshmen like me. I sat down with Dave and asked him about what Bell ice hockey has to offer.
“Well, the ice hockey program at Bell has been around for quite some time now. I joined probably around its 10th or 12th year. The program started off [really] small and slowly started attracting players and coaches around NorCal. That’s because we [were] the first high school hockey program to join a league down south, [near] LA, and I’m grateful for that honor and privilege.”
I then asked him about what impact the program had on him and his teammates.
“As for my experience, all I can say is that I made a life-changing choice that I am very proud of. During my freshman year, I was a dual-roster player [meaning that I was playing for both Bell and a club team outside of school], and that caused lots of problems, specifically with my grades as I missed about 15-20 days of school. My dad [eventually] noticed my [heavy] workload and it was freshman year so he knew a change was needed. Sophomore year [he] gave me a choice, to play for Bell or Jr. Sharks [my club team], and after some time I chose Bellarmine. And to this day I don’t have a single trace of regret in me and it’s all because of this amazing [Bell ice hockey] family,” he said.
All in all, Dave’s story shows us how ice hockey really does go a long way, and how it’s not just guys bashing each other’s head in the boards. At least, not all the time. The sport and its community is beautiful; it deserves so much more recognition than it gets. And it can start right here at Bellarmine. For some of us, it already has.