Varsity Ice Hockey

I've never really been one to embrace the student life to be honest. I went out a few times in Freshers week when I first started, but in all honesty I've spent most of my time at Uni waiting for it to be over.

I never felt like a 'proper' student and I suppose I never really acted like one!

Earlier this week though, my friend mentioned that a bunch of them were heading to the Varsity Ice Hockey and did I want to go with them? I don't know if it was a strange nostalgic feeling about nearing the end of my uni days, or the bottle of cider I'd just polished off; but I thought sure! It'd be fun!

We met up with everybody and had a quick drink in the pub, before heading up to the tram stop to grab the tram to the arena. As it turned out, this was a much bigger task than we had first anticipated! Each tram stop all the way up West Street was absolutely packed, and although they were running a special service, the trams we packed also! Not a fun experience I can tell you!

When we finally made it to the arena we quickly grabbed our drinks and snacks. The atmosphere was already amazing, as fans from each University cheered for their team. The game kicked off (I don't know what the correct term is!) and soon play was in full force. I'll admit, I don't have a clue how Ice Hockey is played but despite my confusion,I couldn't help getting really involved with the game and cheering along for my team!

After a couple of drinks, (I resisted the temptation to get a 'Supapint') the game was in full swing and everyone was having a ton of fun! It felt strangely nice to be part of a huge group of students all supporting the same team and all on the same side! I guess I was feeling pretty proud to be a Hallam student!

I'm genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed the whole match and, to be honest, it's made me feel a bit sad that I'm leaving. I still dislike the course, and I really can't wait to move on into adulthood, but I kind of wish I'd gotten more involved in the Uni lifestyle, when I had the chance. I sometimes feel like the pressure I put myself under to do well in life, can make me miss out on some quality experiences, and make some things nowhere near as fun as they could have been. I'm so glad I decided to go along though; I feel like it was a little reminder that life is there to be enjoyed and I don't want to miss out on any fun experiences if I can help it. I also had a pretty fab time!