Nothing really beats Friday night lights down west, here in Texas. Football often overshadows other sports but just because it does doesn’t mean it should. Hockey is too popular in a state where getting 2 inches of snow means school gets cancelled but that doesn’t stop our school hockey team from being dominant on the ice.
Our hockey team is actually made up of all the other schools in the district but they play under the Seven Lakes name, and those who aren’t zoned to Katy get put in a draft. While other sports head down to the gym or field to practice, hockey players have to make the long drive to the closest available ice rink such as Bellarive or the Sugarland ice rink, where the latter is where most of their games take place.
The travel distance to practice alone demonstrates another level of dedication to the team and its success, and all that dedication doesn’t go to waste: Seven Lakes has one of the higher winning streaks within the bracket they compete in, proving just how much hard work and effort goes into the team. The team doesn’t operate the same way most teams do as established; they have to practice off campus and their coach is a volunteer that ranges from parents to previous Seven Lakes coaches.
Moreover, their gear isn’t provided by the school or district: they have to pay them out of pocket. And while each school might not have a team, it doesn’t negatively impact the size of the team. Lastly, the hockey team had a healthy 24 players and this year has slimmed down to 16 due to graduates. However, the benefit of combining the schools doesn’t come from just numbers but also connections.
“I think [it’s really interesting] how people are zoned so you meet and play with people from different schools even though it’s Seven Lakes based,” Kenze said.
Hockey is very popular in some states but has less of a cult following in the west which is what leads to an unconventional situation for high school hockey teams. But that unconventional method is what has led to a successful winning team. The Katy ISD hockey team has used subversive methods and unconventional procedures to come out on top and dominate at every level.
