Since our freshman year in this high school, the Rockport/Ipswich hockey team has been doing extremely well. As the season starts up again people are wondering if they can keep it up. A question on everyone’s mind is “Will this team do as well without the upperclassmen we had last year?” This question will not have an answer until the season gets up and running.

In the 2011/2012 season, the Rockport/Ipswich hockey team is going to fight to keep their winning title. I have faith in this team, as do many others in both towns. They have great talent and know how to play the game. To keep a title like this, the team must have skill. This requires hours of practice and dedication on a daily basis.

I talked to one of the players that go to our high school, Beau Gauthier, who is more than happy to start up a new season. “It will be good to get back on the ice again, play a real game,” he said. I’m sure a lot of last year’s players feel the same. Every new season there are new players. This keeps the crowd guessing if the team will do good or not.

There are other things to worry about than the performance of our team, such as other teams' performances. There’s a long way before they get to states; it will take a lot of practice and perseverance to get us there. “Once I get on the ice, kids will be begging for mercy,” Beau said. Although practice is one of the most important things in any sport, so is the gear.

I talked to Sean Phelan, a former hockey player in the 70s. “Back when I was 17, gear didn’t cost a lot because there wasn’t a lot of it,” he said. “Now, you kids have to pay close to a thousand dollars just to play the game.”

Problems come up everywhere, for every team, in every sport. They don’t have the upperclassmen of previous years, which may make it hard to keep the winning title. Also hockey is one of the most expensive sports to play in high school. These problems don’t seem to keep the Rockport/Ipswich team from playing the game and having fun doing it.