Football, basketball, baseball and soccer are sports nearly everyone knows at least a little bit about through friends, family or other news sources. Along with global and national sports, people often take interest in the sports teams at their school. However, one team that not many students realize plays at school is the hockey team, even though they have been around for some time. And even though they are not sponsored by the school, the team makes the most of what they have.

“We still have fun,” junior Joshua Eigenmann said. “We just get to play our sport. Even if we’re not school-sponsored, we still get to represent our school, in a way. At least this year, they’ve started promoting us more.”

Even without proper school sponsorship and trials provided by COVID-19, the team has been able to practice on their own and has now finally gotten back out on the ice.

“It’s been a while for any of us to get back to [playing] so it’s really cool,” senior Cody Johnson said. “So far we look the best out of any other year that I’ve played here.”

Hockey is a more fast-paced sport, which is why many people enjoy playing and watching. However, it is not all about how fast someone can skate or how hard they can check. There is a lot more to hockey than speed.

“It’s a very team dependent sport,” senior Jarret Meyers said. “[There is] a lot of brotherhood and a lot of sportsmanship. Even though we’re kind of brutal on the ice, it’s a great community outside.”

Teamwork is one of the most important things in the majority of sports. Without a proper team, the odds of winning are almost zero. Even the worst player can be as important as the best.

“A good team doesn’t necessarily mean a lot of skill,” Eigenmann said. “You need to all work together. You need to communicate. Don’t bring down other people. You all [need] to be working together [and] bringing each other up. The more you flow the better you play.”

Although their actual season has just begun, the hockey team has played against other schools in the Fort Zumwalt School District for what they call the Fort Zumwalt Cup. The team managed to win the first two games by a landslide. The final game for the Zumwalt Cup was held on Nov. 1 and the team, once again, won by a long shot.

“Bringing the cup back to West is something we’ve wanted to do for the past couple of years,” Meyers said. “We just haven’t been able to, so winning that cup would be awesome. I think we have a great chance [at winning]. We just have to come out and play our game.”