Make no mistake, Ice Hockey and Palo Alto California are a bizarre combination, however this doesn’t stop it from having a passionate following.

“It is just big enough that you’re always meeting new people, but small enough that you feel like you know almost everybody,” junior Oliver Reid said.

The Bay Area poses an interesting opportunity and experience for those interested in joining an Ice Hockey program. As Ice Hockey is relatively unheard of in the golden state, those who play Ice Hockey are involved in a tight knit program that at times can be inaccessible and underfunded.

The Hockey program at Paly is newly established, as it was started in the 2018-2019 school year by Paly Alumn Sam Janik and his dad. Before that, students who played Ice Hockey resorted to club teams with seasonal breaks for time on the ice. Although the Ice Hockey program continues to grow in success and popularity, it is important to highlight the bumps along the way as the team found hardship with funding, accessibility, and connection.

The recruitment process of Ice Hockey is unique compared to other sports, athletes must already have advanced skill in order to make the competitive teams in the area.

Oliver Reid, Junior Paly ice hockey player, reflects on the initial process of becoming involved in the Ice Hockey world.

Unlike sports such as soccer or basketball, played on a typical terrain, Ice Hockey is played on ice, which demands balance, speed, control, and time, making it harder for new players to join later on and limiting the overall pool of recruits.

Once recruited however, commitment and time management is vital to embodying the sport. Balancing academics and extracurriculars is already a challenge for most students, but hockey players must also find time for a commute and, as well as hours of training., and keeping up with school on top of that.

“You have to drive 20 to 30 minutes to get to the rink, and with traffic it can take over an hour,.” Reid said.

For students who compete in those playing on both regional and school teams, coaches aid student athletes in balancing both the club and school responsibilities.

“Regional coaches understand that Mondays are game days for us, and they respect that commitment to high school hockey,” Reid said.

“Since we usually only have one game a week, it’s pretty easy to balance Ice Hockey and school,” senior Miles Joing said.

A highlight about the lack of abundance in rinks is that locations are often predictable.

“We don’t have to travel farther than San Jose for any games unlike some sports who do tournaments or play teams from far away,” Joing said.

However, putting time and effort into Ice Hockey doesn’t seem to be the issue for most.

“All of the guys get along really well because we all embody the organization,” Joing said.

Because Ice Hockey is such a big commitment in itself, those who stay committed at the high school level tend to have a lot of passion for the sport.

“The Ice Hockey community is small, but that’s what makes it strong,” Joing said.

The Bay Area Ice Hockey community is relatively small compared to most across the country, as the Paly team is unable to have a roster filled solely from Paly. This creates a unique situation in which the team is made of athletes from all different public and private schools in the area.

Unlike more integrated sports like soccer and basketball, Ice Hockey is a more tight knit community, every player more familiar with their opponents and teammates. This adds another layer of connections and individuality for the teens.

“Having players from multiple schools is really cool because it makes you kind of appreciate the time that you spend with your teammates at the rink more because you can’t see your teammates at school,” Reid said.. “I only get to see most of these guys once a week or once every couple weeks, outside the season.”,” Reid said.

Ice Hockey demands an expansive amount of time and practice in order to play at the competitive level of these high school teams.

“The travel ice time at school work can be hard because for a lot of players they’re also on club teams where they have like several days a week taken out for practices,” Reid said.

While this commitment can be hard to manage, it also creates a comfortable and amicable atmosphere for players to bond and grow their relationships.

“I feel like the Ice hockey community in the Bay Area is stronger because people appreciate these relationships more because a lot of times their teammates aren’t going to the same school as them so I feel like it’s a broad and strong community,” Reid said.

In the Bay Area, the weather doesn’t allow for most schools to have personal ice rinks meaning that the Paly Ice hockey program practices on the ice of the San Jose Sharks, a familiar rink among bay area clubs where the Junior Sharks play.

Many members of the Paly team play together in the club on the Jr. Sharks 16AA team, including Joing, Reid, and Weber, which familiarizes them with the ice and atmosphere. Additionally, Paly is not able to provide funding for the Ice hockey team, which means that each player has to pay a fee to afford the jerseys, equipment, ice rinks, travel costs, and other outside expenses. However, the team is student managed which means they don’t necessarily have to pay for coaching staff, but *Sam Janiks dad* has volunteered to lead the team since its creation.

“The team being student managed is sometimes difficult because it’s hard to get ice time to practice, as our coach has to do that, but otherwise it’s great because there is more of a community feel,” Joing said.

However, the players agree that it creates a sense of responsibility and authenticity that they wouldn’t feel if they had the regular structure of a coaching staff.

Luckily for Joing, Reid and Weber, the future of California Ice hockey may be even brighter than the current program.

“The league keeps growing and more talented players come through,” Joing said.

With more interest and popularity in the sport of hockey, perhaps schools and club programs can accumulate more funding and accessibility for Ice hockey players. However, even without all of the bells and whistles, Ice Hockey has proven to be a powerful sport for many teens involved.

“Being able to represent my school while playing the sport I love is something I really appreciate,” Joing said.

Community has proven to be the staple in cultivating a positive environment for all of the players participating.

“Being part of this team is about celebrating the bonds we’ve built through the Ice hockey community and getting to play for each other,” Reid said.