Only one competitive sport at Mississippi State University is self-sufficient; its budget is based purely on donations, and its practice facility is at least an hour away. This is the sport of ice hockey at MSU.
With no ice anywhere between Starkville and Tupelo, members of State’s ice hockey team have a difficult time getting much done. The team travels to places such as Tupelo, Birmingham or areas close to Memphis just to practice, and sophomore Kyle Grider said this becomes an issue for the team.
“We need ice,” Grider said. “Travel is expensive, and it hurts our pockets to have to travel so much.”
This program is not a club sport since it is headed by the intramural office here at State. Therefore, all of the proceeds are based on donations.
The team considers each promotional item purchased a donation, with that being the team’s only form of income aside from other donators in the community. Therefore, if the donations are not there, the cost for athletes to play rises and the roster slowly dwindles throughout the year.
Last weekend in matches against Alabama and Memphis, a lack of roster played a large factor in two losses for the team. Senior R.C. Martin said the lack of bench greatly affects the team.
“We only had six guys at the game on Saturday, five of which had to be on the ice at one time,” Martin said. “If we do not have skaters at practices and games, how are we supposed to get a feel for each other and create chemistry?”
Many sports fans use the word ‘chemistry’ to describe how well teams play together. If a team has good chemistry, it is likely the players have a strong friendship with one another and have been around each other long enough on the court or field, helping them to know each other’s tendencies and creating the best opportunities to win.
Likewise, teams with bad chemistry have issues during practice with how many players show up, causing them to not know each other’s tendencies, usually resulting in losses. This is the defining factor for the MSU ice hockey team.
Also, with the expense to play on the team, students can find difficulties in paying the fee to play. Players must provide their own equipment, as well as pay an additional fee to play for the team and pay for their own travel. These costs add up quickly, and without the ability for scholarships, there are few ways for players to pay for everything.
However, players such as Martin and Grider have made it very clear why they continue playing hockey.
“When I see fans come to watch us play, I feel like I’ve made it,” Grider said. “I come to play hockey.”
Grider said he shares in these feelings for the game he loves.
“Yes, it is costly to play, but if you love the game, you do whatever it takes,” Martin said.