Sports pride

If you were one of the many Bulldog hockey fans watching the Frozen Four, then you were excited to see Ferris advance to the finals.

FSU students flocked in large numbers to meet at local sports bars and travel down to Tampa, Fla. to show their support of FSU’s hockey success.

The success of Ferris’ men’s hockey team has made our university a household name in schools previously unfamiliar to our Big Rapids campus.

However, a statement bearing more longevity than the plays on the ice is the company of countless students cheering in Ferris apparel. Though wins and losses are experiences dealt to every sports team, it is an act of collected encouragement that immortalizes great moments. Ferris State University and the city of Big Rapids experienced a great moment in sports history when FSU men’s hockey played its first-ever NCAA Division 1 national championship game.

As students that make up FSU, our support for our sports teams not only builds tradition, it helps establish an attitude of winning. Ferris’ athletics symbolize the competitiveness, pride and teamwork that all of us have. This is what draws us to the stands. We can’t allow these characteristics, along with our memories of past games, to disappear in empty bleachers and cheerless crowds. The athletic achievements of FSU sports teams are as much intertwined in our reputation as a great university as our academics.

Therefore, the support of our university must continue to go beyond education and be equally relevant in arena attendance and sports pride.

We may not remember every score, win or loss, but we will remember the feeling of cheering in the stands, the FSU commemorative shirt hanging in our closet or the ticket stub we decided to save. We’ll remember the moments when we supported our teams. Go Bulldogs! n