by Brian Deutschmeister
Most students in this part of New Jersey support local teams like the Nets and the Super Bowl champion Giants. But some students have developed a passion for teams beyond the Garden State.
Sophomore Caitlin Williams has been a fan of the Boston Bruins for about four years now. The home city is the draw for Williams. “I’ve always really liked Boston since I’ve gone on vacations there, and I want to live there when I’m older,” said Williams.
This season she attended a Bruins-Devils game in Newark. She watched her favorite players, Tyler Seguin and Nathan Horton, help the Bruins come from behind to beat the Devils in the final period of the game. “If I don’t have hockey practice, I’m watching the game even if I have homework,” said Williams, who will attend a Bruins home game in March.
Junior Mike Rempter has been a fan of the Indianapolis Colts since 2003. Rempter’s passion for his team began when one well-known player caught his eye. “The way Peyton Manning played impressed me from the beginning of my football days, so he was a major attraction for me to the team,” said Rempter.
As a Colts fan, Rempter has many fond memories including the team’s Super Bowl win in 2006, its 2009 victory over the New York Jets to go to the Super Bowl, and when Peyton Manning broke the record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season in 2004.
Rempter owns a jersey signed by Peyton Manning and a Dwight Freeney signed photograph.
Freshman Justin Cryer has been a Denver Nuggets fan for five years and it was a particular basketball player that attracted him to the team. That player was Alan Iverson, whom Cryer admired for the way he played the game. Cryer’s favorite memory of the Nuggets is when he attended the Nuggets-Nets game last season in Newark. For Cryer, going to Nuggets games is almost an annual event.
Senior Ryan McKenna has been a Manchester United fan for six years. He was immediately drawn to England’s Premier League professional soccer team because he was told that the star of the team, Wayne Rooney, looked exactly like him. Today, Rooney is McKenna’s favorite player. “[Rooney] is one of the best at his position, and he has the ability and skills to influence the outcome of a game and get everyone around him involved,” said McKenna. “I’ve woken up at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday to watch them play. When they lose, I get really upset, but I really just enjoy following them and supporting them. It’s a hobby and a passion at the same time.”
Sophomore Sarah Fischmann has been a Philadelphia Phillies fan since birth. “My mom grew up in the suburbs of Philly so she was a fan, and [the family is] all Phillies fans because of her,” said Fischmann.
Fischmann also has some great bonding moments with her father at games. “When I was younger, we used to go every summer for a Phillies game and my father would get a free hat for Father’s Day. It was a tradition,” said     Fischmann.