This story is part of Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Baker’s ’25 series he’s calling “Bucket List Locations,” where he joins a student doing something or going someplace for the first time that every student should do or visit before graduating. Read other stories in the series here.
Camilo Pereda ‘25, from Uruguay, at his first hockey game. Photo: Mitchell Baker ’25.
I took Camilo Pereda ‘25, a Uruguayan on the U19 soccer team, to watch his first hockey game at the famous Olympic Center. Every Northwood student needs to cheer on the Huskies at a home hockey game.
Lake Placid, the host city of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, has global recognition as a hockey town. Miracle is a famous movie that contributed to the global recognition and the history of hockey in this special town. I felt as if it was only right to take Camilo to watch the Prep team play in the Olympic Center.
The hockey game was played over Family Weekend, so several families and all sports teams were there to cheer the boys on. The buses to the game were packed, and several chants were led as students were excited to see the team play.
“I have never seen a hockey game, and I don’t understand the rules, but I am excited to learn more,” Pereda said. “In Uruguay, Ice hockey is almost unheard of. I knew it was a sport, but I have never seen anyone play or watch it.”
Camilo comes from a very soccer-focused background. In Uruguay, soccer is life. Everyone lives to watch or play soccer, no matter who you are. Camilo was surprised to learn about the cultural differences in the U.S. Hockey in Lake Placid is like soccer in Uruguay.
The student section at a recent Prep game vs. Stanstead College. The Huskies won 5-0. Photo: Mitchell Baker ’25
Hockey will always play a special role in uniting this school and this town. People from all over the world come together to enjoy a physical game whilst supporting their team with immense amounts of passion.
“I was shocked to see how it united all the different sports teams at Northwood,” Camilo said. “Most of us had no idea what was going on, but we screamed for every play like our life depended on it.”
This year’s school theme is Unity, which has been something Northwood has struggled to pride itself on in a while. The constant travel for the variety of teams makes it difficult to create that school unity. All the activities that force unity benefit the community but ultimately are nowhere near as unifying as the hockey games. Sport brings people together in unthinkable ways. The unification experienced at a hockey game is what makes the event so special.
“My experience was unbelievable. I celebrated goals with people I would normally not talk to. For moments, I really felt like the school was united, which is an experience that money can’t buy,” Camilo added.
The Prep team won the game 5-0 against Stanstead and were ecstatic after the win. Camilo concluded the evening by saying, “I am grateful that I was able to experience this form of unity and sport. It is something I would never have experienced back in Uruguay, so I am very grateful.”