As we move forward in the seasons from fall to winter, the A Grade Ahead staff were asked to take a survey about winter sports. Many of the questions asked led to some interesting findings.What Is Your Favorite Winter Sport?
This question had a somewhat surprising answer, curling! This particular winter event has been elusive to most of us.
What is curling? Curling is a sport where players slide stones on ice towards an area called the “target” which is subdivided into circles. The sport is related to bocce ball and shuffleboard. Curling has been around for hundreds of years, but has become internationally known over the past few years because of the attention it has received during the Winter Olympics.
Other sports that were popular among the A Grade Ahead staff are basketball, football, hockey, indoor track and field, skiing, and figure skating (our top pick!).
What Winter Sports Do You Like to Watch?
This question seemed to have similarities to the favorite winter sport question for us. Basketball and hockey were the most-watched. Snowboarding came in third.
Who is Your Favorite Winter Athlete?
Football, always a popular sport, had Julian Edelman (a wide receiver and punt returner for the New England ). Another great pick was Sydney McLaughlin, an American sprinter and hurdler for indoor track and field. Not so surprising – one of the favorites was Ohio’s own Lebron James, a former Cleveland Cavaliers basketball forward and now Los Angeles Laker. Shaun White made the list, as well. He is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and holds many records in snowboarding.
Other winter athletes that made the A Grade Ahead list are
- Adam Rippon and Nathan Chen (American figure skaters),
- Maia Harumi Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (twins and an American ice dancing team), and
- Zdeno Chára (a hockey defenseman for the Boston Bruins of the NHL).
What is Your Favorite Team?
The answers to this question were not surprising considering the answers to the previous questions. With football, basketball and hockey as some of the most popular answers, the teams make sense.
For basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers were popular. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, and the Cleveland Monsters (formerly known as the Lake Erie Monsters), and the Boston Bruins were the winners for hockey. Football was also a favorite, and the top picks were the New England Patriots and *the Ohio State University.
*Not everyone was in agreement about the Ohio State University. One staff member stated their favorite team was “anyone who beats OSU!”
If You Play a Winter Sport, Do You Like the Cold?
Answers to this were pretty evenly split. Mostly, those who said they played winter sports agreed to liking the cold, and those who didn’t play winter sports stated, “no.”
Who Do You Want to Win the Super Bowl?
The Pittsburgh Steelers were popular, but one participant said, “not the Steelers.” This was the same reaction for the New England Patriots.
Other answers included the
- Cleveland Browns,
- Cincinnati Bengals,
- Green Bay Packers,
- Kansas City Chiefs,
- Los Angeles Rams,
- Miami Dolphins, and the
- Oakland Raiders.
The most unusual answer was “a team that never has / that nobody expects.”
What is Your Favorite Part of the Super Bowl?
Apparently, A Grade Ahead staff’s favorite part of the Super Bowl is the commercials. The past few years, the commercials have become the reason for many who may have never cared much for the game to tune in to watch the commercials. The commercials are talked about, by many, long after the winner is praised for their performance.
For those who love the sport of football, the game itself is the favorite part of the Super Bowl. Others enjoy the halftime show, and, of course, everyone looks forward to the food served at Super Bowl parties!
What is your favorite winter sport? Leave a comment, we would love to hear what you think!
Author: Pam Crum, Lead Teacher at A Grade Ahead.
