Go Team USA Hockey!
It has two 35-minute halves, a 10-minute halftime, two countries and a stadium full of fans. This is the game of London 2012 Olympic hockey. I purchased my tickets for a preliminary round of hockey a few months ago, not knowing that when the tournament pools were selected I would draw a Team USA vs. New Zealand game followed by Germany vs. Argentina. Both games were top quality and it was fun to see Team USA in action. I sat behind the parents of some of the US players and was surrounded by New Zealand fans on both sides.
The action was intense from the very beginning and here are some pictures to show what it was like inside Riverbank Arena.
The funniest part was the dynamic amongst the US and New Zealand fans. During breaks in play and at halftime, I was chatting with fans from both countries. During play, the fans aligned with their teams, commenting when the opposing team’s players made a good play, but secretly hoping that their team would win.
New Zealand beat Team USA 3-2, but I wish Team USA good luck in the rest of the tournament.
-Melissa Spitz
Posted by olympian on August 6, 2012 | Filed under: Olympics.
