Freeze the Puck shows Greek life isn’t all about partying

It’s not always easy to be a frat boy at Michigan. I often feel the need to walk through the Diag with my head down, hiding the Greek letters on my t-shirt beneath another layer, because as soon as my true identity is revealed, every ounce of credibility that I deserve becomes sacrificed.

Whether it’s damages from ski trip or a surge in hospitalizations across Welcome Week, there never fails to be another over-amplified scandal shaming Greek Life. What is rarely talked about, though, is the collaborative potential embodied by its community. Fraternities and sororities create a thriving population of students that both encourage and engage with each other’s efforts to evolve the culture. On this notion, no event speaks higher volumes than ‘Freeze the Puck’.

Pi Kappa Alpha faces off against Chi Psi

This past Saturday, four fraternities participated in an annual philanthropy hockey tournament that placed them on ice for fast, full-contact competition in an effort to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association. The event was the Ann Arbor version of a national project, Freeze the Puck on Cancer, so a parent organization handled most of the logistics while local frat boys provided the entertainment. It took place at Veteran’s Park Ice Arena, just a few miles from campus, and tickets for entry were sold at the door. But how exactly do you spark a profit by throwing out of shape ex-athletes back into the game? This is where the power of Greek Life comes in.

Tickets for Freeze The Puck cost $15 for those who ordered online, but $20 for those who did not purchase ahead of time. For perspective, that’s enough to pay the cover charge four different nights at Skeep’s or buy ten cups of coffee from Espresso Royale. Surely the entertainment students paid for wasn’t worth this fee, but still they swallowed it, knowing that it would support a charitable cause and anxious to cheer on their chapters. That is what Greek Life does. It turns ordinary afternoons into social happenings that everyone attends, and even when they don’t include alcohol, people show up to support their peers. 

Sorority girls supporting friends at ‘Freeze the Puck’

Hundreds of students attended Freeze the Puck on Cancer throughout the day. They may not have carefully watched the game or analyzed their team’s strategies, but they donated willingly and brought high, festive energy. By cheering excitedly for big hits and celebrating great goals, they turned an empty brick building into an arena with professional aura. As a player in the actual game, I was humbled by their participation. It wasn’t about beating other fraternities for the sake of boasting. It was about channelling our massive communal strength for the sake of helping a good cause.

I haven’t played hockey in more than two years, but I skated on Saturday because I couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to wear my letters across the chest of my hockey jersey. Greek Life does that to its members. It creates a prideful obligation to support the larger community, because in turn, the community will eventually support you. This exchange is what makes the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised through philanthropy work each year possible.

Every purchased ticket to Freeze the Puck represents an entrusting in the community to put our shared energy towards positive causes. It is a bet that the charitable investment will eventually be returned through a continuous exchanging of support. Saturday felt great, not just because of the inevitable flashbacks to my high-school hockey glory days, but because it is physical proof that Greek life has great potential even beyond the realm of partying. Consider the immense power possessed by so many sharp Wolverines. Consider what we can accomplish.

Crowd during a ‘Freeze the Puck’ game