Why is Pennridge’s Ice hockey the best sport to spectate? Well, simply put, because it’s different. Pennridge High school sponsors several sports like football and basketball, but its ice hockey team is more like a club. The players are dedicated, and they put in the effort to make a good showing. They don’t have a Pennridge stadium; instead, they play at the local skating rink Hatfield Ice. The smell of sweat, artificial ice, and Zamboni exhaust create an environment where everyone knows that two teams will go all out against each other in an intense and captivating game. The game is easy to watch as well. The black puck on the white ice is easy to track, even as the players move very fast. The players also interact with the crowds. During face-offs, yelling out a person’s name often leads to them looking over or waving. As opposed to at a football game where the players cannot hear you no matter how loud you are.

The first reason that Ice hockey is by far the best sport to spectate at Pennridge is that the team plays at Hatfield Ice, which means that students can experience the freedom of not being monitored and controlled by the school. This allows for a freeing environment that students can enjoy. This freedom also often leads to the student being more interactive with the game and makes them want to watch more. Fellow student Nick Sherm said, “Being able to cheer on your team and hurl insults at the other team makes those games better than other Pennridge games.”. Pennridge campus games are often quiet, making kids bored and leave before halftime. Giving the spectators freedom to shout what they want and do what they wish opens up the sport to first-time spectators and encourages going again in the future.

Another reason for Ice hockey being verifiably the best sport at Pennridge is because the risk of injury is much greater. Whether you’d admit it or not, the risk of players becoming injured plays a considerable role in whether a sport is enjoyable. The most remarkable example of this phenomenon is the swift death of Nascar. After Nascar implemented restrictor plate racing and safety walls and a ton of new rules to make the sport safer, the attendance for the sport shot lower and lower each year. Hockey, however, is ranked ninth for the rate of injury, but they have the highest percentage of concussions. Hockey Player Andrew David, number 88, said, “It’s dangerous. If you hit someone from behind into the glass, you could really do some damage.”. Hockey players are moving fast as they skate on the ice, increasing the risk of injury. Due to this, there is always an excitement when spectating a hockey game that someone might start fighting or be battered against the wall.

The interaction between the hockey players and the spectators is important to the spectators. When Everyone is yelling encouragement toward a player, and they turn and look, it causes the crowd to get louder. This interaction further pulls the crowd into the game. David said, “We try not to pay attention. We get hyped when we hear the crowd, but we try to pay attention at all times.”. This makes the interaction even rarer and its occurrence even more valuable to the spectators.

So why is Pennridge’s ice hockey team the most watchable sport at Pennridge? It’s because of the players who interact with their spectators. It is because of the thrill and excitement tied to a contact sport such as hockey. It’s also because of the freedom that the rink allows students to experience without school oversight and punishment. These attributes of Pennridge hockey games create an enjoyable and attentive environment that attracts students to spectate the sort more than any other.