Growing up I have always watched sports. My family loved sports, especially football and hockey. My family used to have to force me to watch with them. I never thought I was allowed to like sports, because stereotypically, only boys liked sports. I hated being forced to watch these things I wasn’t interested in, until one day when I realized it was something I truly loved too.

Having a brother that is only a year younger than me, always meant going to every single game. Every football game, basketball game, baseball game, soccer game, track meet, I was always there. I loved supporting him with everything he did. As much as I wanted to be there for him, most of the time I had no interest in what was going on.

My family has always been really big into football. So when my brother was old enough, he began playing football and I became a cheerleader. I was a cheerleader from the time I was 8 until I was 18. This meant always being around football and not having a clue what was going on for years. I never felt the need to learn, I was concerned with cheering and only cheering. I never thought learning the game would change anything, but it really did. It helped me to understand my cheers and what cheers to do and when. I fell in love with this game I never paid any attention to.

Growing up in Michigan meant growing up not too far from Hockeytown. I’ve always loved how fast paced hockey was, and it was easy to figure out what was going on. I thought it was fun to watch when I was little. After the NHL lock out, I really got into hockey. I loved the sport so much and I haven’t stopped my obsession since then. Now I have favorite players and get all of the updates and watch all of the games I can.

Being the girl that loves sports is always weird. Boys don’t take you seriously when you say you like a team, it’s like you’re held to a higher expectation with your opinions. I’m a bigger Red Wings fan than most boys I know, but very few times is my love for the team looked at the same way.

Finding out that I loved these sports and these teams has given me new passions. All of the feelings and emotions are so exciting. The feeling you get when your team wins an important game, the sadness you feel when they lose, the excitement of making the playoffs, the heartbreak of the last game of the season. These feelings are like nothing you’ve ever felt before.

I’ll always love being the girl that loves sports. The high that you get is the most amazing, and indescribable thing in the world.