A Team Left Behind

On Friday, December 5th, Judge Memorial Hockey played a game against Davis High School. As the people began piling in, the Davis side of the rink was swarming with Davis fans. Within five minutes of the game, there was not a single spot open on the Davis bleachers. The Judge team alternatively, had one, lone student, a dedicated teacher/priest, and a few supporting parents. Out of the 815 students that go to Judge Memorial, there was one student representing Judge and supporting the hockey team. The Davis fans were nothing short of brutal. Not only were they making snide remarks to Judge Players, but they were mocking everything Judge stands for; they were disgracing the name of Judge Memorial, but in the same sense, Judge was disgracing itself. The game ended in an outlook of aggravation and deep frustration because bluntly this was nothing new. The hockey team represents Judge, but who represents them? The moral and mental conditions were at a saddening low.

This was not the only game of this outcome and degrading mental affect. As part of its mission statement, Judge Memorial encourages and teaches students: “Respect for oneself, for one another, for the learning process, and for the physical environment which should be the hallmarks of all who form the Judge family.” The Judge Family: Is that what we really are? A family doesn’t leave out a member; a family respects and loves everyone; and most important, a family supports each other. Seeing this year’s hockey season, one can conclude we are far from family.

As these Davis fans cheered on their players and insulted and degraded the Judge players, the one Judge fan and the few supporting parents yelled as loud as they could for their team, but their voices could not be heard over the opposing sides.

We, as a school, can help out the hockey team, and all unrecognized and shadowed teams for this matter. Whether it is hockey, swimming, soccer or dance, we all need to be there to show our love and support for each other. We need to be a family and we have to start now. We, Judge Memorial Catholic High School, need to build up that pride again and show our students we care for them. “When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back.” –Herb Brooks at the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Game.