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Sports
THEORACLE
Student takes unique passion for hockey to the ice Kevin Gao
Features Editor
Senior Elliot Akama-Garren is one of the few hockey players on campus and plays for a travel team. He started playing hockey nine years ago by playing for a house team, but has been playing for a travel team ever since. House teams play within a certain area while travel teams travel to play different opponents. A k a m a - G a r r e n ’s m o t h e r, Bridget, says that he was first signed up to play hockey after missing cut-off dates of other sports. “I guess agewise, he didn’t meet the cut off for soccer like the rest of his classmates did because he had a late summer birthday,� she said. “We found Ice Oasis ice rink in Redwood [City] and they just had a youth hockey class and it kind of started from that.� Akama-Garren’s parents were the first to introduce him to hockey. “My parents grew up in Los Angeles when Wayne Gretzky was playing for the Kings, so everyone in L.A. was really into hockey,� he said. �So when they moved into the Bay Area, they wanted me to play.� Akama-Garren plays for the San Jose Junior Sharks alongside players from Bellarmine Preparatory School, Menlo Atherton High School and Palo Alto High School. According to Akama-Garren, meeting and playing with other
hockey enthusiasts is enjoyable. “The thing I like most is I get to meet a group of people outside of school and we share an interest not many people have in the Bay Area,� he said. Bridget also says that he loves the camaraderie and physical challenge of athletics. Hockey has become a family tradition of sorts for the AkamaGarrens. His family supports him by attending most games and tournaments. According to Bridget Akama-Garren, her younger sons are also interested in playing hockey. “His little brothers are his biggest fans,� she said. “His youngest brother Eian is beginning to play hockey. He’s six and Elliot takes him out on the ice.� During the hockey season (from August to May) AkamaGarren typically practices with the Junior Sharks two or three times a week on the same ice that the San Jose Sharks practice on. A typical practice for Akama-Garren involves one and a half hours on the ice and an hour off the ice. While in the rink, players usually practice drills, plays or skating. The remainder of the practice is spent running or conditioning on land. AkamaGarren plays teams around the Bay Area and has played in tournaments as far as Canada. Even in the off-season, AkamaGarren stays involved with hockey. “When I was a freshmen, I started a program to teach minorities in
Redwood City,� he said. “Unlike soccer or basketball, hockey costs a lot of money to play.� After the group of kids went off to play in higher levels of hockey, AkamaGarren began coaching younger kids and has continued to do so every year in the off-season. Akama-Garren believes that some people link hockey primarily to hostility fist-fights, but he says fights in his league are uncommon and not tolerated. “This one kid on our team punched a kid on the other team in the face and he got suspended eight games,� he said. According to Akama-Garren, the mechanics of hockey with his travel team are different from those of professional hockey. Instead of the fist-fights between players on the ice seen in the National Hockey League (NHL), players in his league have the opportunity to check (hit) each other while skating. “If you watch one of our games there’s a bit more hitting than a NHL game because NHL players skate faster,� he said. “In our league it’s a lot easier to actually hit someone.� Although Akama-Garren enjoys attending games, he prefers playing hockey with his travel team as opposed to watching professional hockey. Playing for the Junior Sharks requires a commitment to the long season and recommended offseason training at skill camps, but Akama-Garren manages it with his
Courtesy of Elliot Akama-Garren
Top: Senior Elliot Akama-Garren skates across the ice. Bottom: AkamaGarren faces off with a member of the opposing team for the puck. scheduling. “I think hockey takes up about 12 to 15 hours a week, so I’m still able to manage my schedule,� he said. “It’s not that big of a time commitment for me.�
Akama-Garren may or may not continue to play hockey in the future. “If I go to a school with a good team I might play club or at least intramural,� he said.
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