Iowa State has had its ups and downs this year in athletics.

The women’s basketball team is having a decent season with an 11-9 overall record and several close games that ended up in the loss column.

A similar thing happened with the football team last fall. It seemed that every time it looked as though we were going to win, everything went wrong. Granted, our 2-9 record didn’t reflect the effort exerted by the players.

ISU’s grapplers have at least three wrestlers nationally rated, with the team placed seventh on national polls. The team is lead by a score of coaches headed by Bobby Douglas, a man who has coached the Olympic wrestling squad.

And, of course, there is the men’s basketball team. Throughout the season, Tim Floyd’s Cyclones have remained ranked in the top 15, but have also suffered a few losses, including a blowout in Colorado.

There are other sports on this campus that deserve attention, but of all the sports ISU students participate in, perhaps the one that deserves the most credit is hockey.

Yes, hockey. Did you know the Iowa State hockey team is ranked number one? Those boys give the crowd one heck of a show.

Before this past weekend, I was pretty much a hockey virgin. I’ve seen Mighty Ducks, highlights on the evening news and watched the Cyclones scrimmage a few weeks ago, but nothing prepared me for what I witnessed at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.

People crowded at the entrance of the ice arena to escape an even-colder outside. More people congregated around the concession stands, where everything from Do-Biz cookies to hot chocolate to beer is sold. Perhaps one of the things hockey is best known for is that it is the only sporting event at ISU that sells beer.

That’s a core reason why many students become hockey fans. I see nothing wrong with being able to have a few and watch the game of your choice. It’s definitely better than sitting on the couch and watching a game on television. Nothing matches a live game.

ISU hockey spectators seem to think the same thing. At the far end of the stands is a group of students standing as the team’s own little fan club.

Now, I’ve been to many basketball, football, volleyball and other games, but never before have I seen a crowd get so involved in the game. The standing student section makes up its own cheers, even though the cheers don’t have the cleanest language. The crowd has certain cheers for different actions out on the ice. For example, the crowd has a chant for when ISU scores, one for when ISU misses a goal, one for when the opponents score, plus various other well-known cheers. If you want to know exactly what the cheers are, you are going to have to go to a game and find out for yourselves.

Although the fans may be drinking a little alcohol and chanting some not-so-clean cheers, it is all in good fun. ISU hockey gives them a reason to bond. This bonding has lead to quite a following of loyal fans.

The fans have every right to be celebrating their team. After all, ISU is rated first in the league. Friday and Saturday nights’ sweep of North Dakota State now chalks the Cyclones’ winning streak to 13 and a 25-4-3 overall record. The team also has local and international flavor. A following of families have come out to support several Ames team members. In addition, players from Canada and China sport the cardinal and gold for ISU.

I really don’t understand the rules of hockey. For now, all I know is that the goal is to get that puck past the goalie and into the net. Setting the rules aside, what is amazing is the action on the ice. I enjoy watching the players skate around and defend themselves. It’s challenging. (At least, it would be for me.)

One of the crowd’s chants worthy of mentioning, not only because it is one of the few that doesn’t include profanity, but also because it reflects the spirit of why some people enjoy watching the game so much. The chant is “more fights, less hockey.” Although it is fun to watch the players skate around, most people want to see more action.

Even if you have never been to a game, you’ve seen it on the news. “Checking,” when a player slams an opponent against the wall, is, for lack of a better word, cool. Personally, I’d never want to be on the receiving end of a check. Actually, on Friday night, one check caused a glass plate to break. Needless to say, it was neat to see that kind of action.

Fan involvement during breaks occurs at all the sporting events. At football games, you can throw for dough and at basketball games, Ed will lead you around the key as you attempt to make a few shots. There is a little more adventure at hockey games. The hockey cheerleaders (the real ones, not the loud crowd) choose people from the audience to go out on the ice to shoot for various prizes, ranging from pizza to a car.

As a fan participating in any of these activities, you are put on display before tons of other Cyclone fans, but at hockey games fans out on the ice have courage — they risk falling on the ice in front of everyone.

And for those fans who fear that someday they will be called to the ice, precautions can be taken. The ice arena has open skating after the games and at various other times during the week. It’s a good time to practice up.

It’s also a good time to be a Cyclone hockey fan.

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Erin Payne is a junior in journalism and mass communication and political science from Rock Rapids.