by: Yehoshua Segal
Just ask the random TABC kid, “Why is floor hockey the favorite sport around here?” surprisingly, despite its popularity, it’s hard to give a concrete answer. Just walking through the hallways on any game day, no one even has clue which sports events are taking place that evening unless it’s a hockey game. There are flyers flying everywhere including posters mocking the opposing team’s names so everyone knows to show up to the gym that night to cheer on the Storm.
But is hockey the TABC favorite just because it has flyers? Maybe it’s the winning attitude that the hockey program has at TABC: the Varsity team was won several championships over the past handful of season and the JV hockey program has won the championship six times in a row. Or maybe its because of the experience the fans get at the games. As a fan, you come to the game a few minutes early and enjoy watching the players warm up with some awesome pump-up music blasting in the background. Then as the game starts, you become part of the famously titled “Pikachu pit,” where fans huddle together to enjoy a game of hard fought TABC hockey.
These are just a few reasons for the popularity of the hockey teams currently floating around TABC. But what exactly do students on other sports teams in TABC think about the fame of TABC hockey? To find out I spoke to two members of the wrestling team, Sammy Landesman (’16) and Zack Greenberg (’16). Sammy said “I think that whatever people choose to follow is what they choose. Hockey has been the sport that wins every year so people like to support it. Over the past few seasons wrestling and basketball have more successful than in the past, but hockey wins year after year. People love hockey for its success in the Yeshiva League. When speaking to Zack, he said “I don’t think floor hockey is a real sport so I’d rather go to a basketball game over a hockey game. Wrestling happens to be a great sport and I honestly think it’s even more exciting to watch than hockey.”
From Sammy’s words it’s pretty clear that even members of other TABC sport’s teams understand the reason for the popularity of the hockey team, and even though it may be frustrating for teams other than hockey, they are consistent in bringing home the championship trophies. On the other hand, as we heard from Zack, the fact that he thinks it’s ridiculous that the sport is so popular considering it’s not a well-known/ professional sport.
Regardless, the hockey team’s continued success will serve as the backbone to the team’s recognition and in the future hopefully they will keep up this popularity with many more championships to come!