When I was, younger I was on a summer league hockey team and my team and I were playing in our final game before the hockey contest, which I finally got asked to participate. The 3rd period was almost over and I couldn’t contain my excitement. This girl and I were racing towards the puck in the corner as she reached her stick out in front of me I skated on it, slipped and fell backwards hitting the boards feet first. As I slammed into the boards hard I heard this pop in my foot and I knew right then and there this wasn’t going to end good. I laid on the ice in excruciating pain I felt broken, I couldn’t get up by myself, nor could I put any weight on my foot and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to finish the game as well as take part in
I believe joining my high school lacrosse team was an influential part of my high school career. Having social anxiety, it was not always easy for me to be around others kids. Joining the team thought me to face my fears and that sometimes it is better to stop thinking and just take that “leap” into whatever you're afraid of. Secondly I learned to push through challenging times even when I wanted to quit. Lacrosse also allowed me to meet people who I would come to look up to, and cause me to want to improve myself for the better.
My first Opening season game was two years ago at the Blues Hockey stadium in ST. Louis Mo. It was a cold day, The sun was barely shining and I had just got to ST. Louis driving thru the city making our way to the hockey rink. The traffic was horrible and not safe there was tons of people walking on the streets trying to get to that game. When we finally got there we pulled into the parking garage and got out the car after we did that we put on our jerseys and went to the side of the garage and watched tons of people rolling in and not to mention the band that was there. After the band was done we went inside and found our seats when we got there we had an unlimited buffet of food to eat, I had chicken tenders, hot chocolate, soda, and hot
It was my sophomore year, and the day had come to find out who made the varsity lacrosse team. We piled into the locker room to discover rows of brand new helmets. The list of the varsity players was written on the whiteboard. The team was excited, the locker room buzzing with noise. My heart dropped as I realized that my name wasn’t written there. My friends were admiring their new helmets and I had to hold back tears and disappointment. I know now that I still had to be developed at the junior varsity level, but it wasn’t easy to understand back then. At practice that day, I played out of pure spite, every move filled with rage. You aren’t good enough, I thought. I left practice that day without saying goodbye to my friends.
It all started at the beginning of tryouts. The week of excitement and nervousness. Everyone was already making guesses on who was gonna be on the team. Then so it started, the first day was pretty easy and so was the next. The third was conditioning day, which was the worst. Then the last two days were fairly easy too. But those days were the most nerve racking. Those were the days when the cuts were made.
“I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! One! Two! Three! Gooooo Breakers!” I believe that those six words helped my lacrosse team win the championship game and motivate me to score my first goal of the season!
Sixty minutes. A field hockey team has sixty minutes to prove that it worked longer, faster, and harder than the opposing team. The countless amounts of effort, time, sweat, and pain all pays off during those sixty minutes. Practice is close to indescribable; after the warm up run, we sprint. After we sprint, we do drills. If we don’t sprint in the drills, we do more sprints. Summing it up simply, the running is intense and extensive. The practices are long and hot, and the expectations for performance are extremely high. I absolutely love it.
Second year as an Under-10 Squirt level hockey player for the New Jersey Colonials ice hockey team proved to be a challenging and harrowing experience that shaped the course of my future hockey career. I was a determined, naïve child with fantasies of playing in the NHL when I grew older. The source of my troubles began with Coach Ruben, a relentless, unforgiving hockey coach. Coach Ruben was in charge of determining the AAA hockey team that I desperately wanted to make. Unfortunately, I would not have that opportunity. My mom, compassionate and sympathetic, guided me through the confusing maze of anger and depression. My dad, a coach and former hockey player, gave me valuable, supportive advice that would change my hockey expectations and
Have you worked so hard for something not knowing the outcome? Just skating there hoping for the best outcome? I do it all the time playing hockey. Hockey has been a part of my life, my identity, ever since I can remember. I love playing hockey more than anything.
It was approaching the hockey state tournament, but it was not the hockey games that I was nervous for. My rookie haircut was “scheduled” for the Thursday before that weekend.
Today was the day. As I woke up I wondered about the day ahead of me. Once I got up I looked out the window, the bright light shining in my face. I took a quick second to adjust my eyes, and realized that it had snowed almost 9 inches. “This is going to be interesting,” I thought. It was the day of the annual pond hockey tournament. The small town of about 500 people participate in the tournament. As I get ready to go, I debate what to wear. I finally decide on warm pants, thick jacket, a hat, gloves, and hand warmers along with my skates and gloves.
Friday night rolled around, it was the game we had all been working so hard for. Knowing we were seniors, we knew it would be the end of the journey.
It all started when I moved from Missouri to Arkansas about 4 years ago. Immediately after college I accepted a job several hours away from my friends and home. I didn’t know anyone in my new town so I needed to find something to do. I grew up playing hockey but the word ‘hockey’ made every Arkansan puzzled. I’m pretty sure that 90% of the population down there doesn’t even know it’s a sport. My Dad was a construction guy that grew up in Minnesota playing hockey. He was a brute guy that taught us toughness and hockey was the way of life. Growing up he made us believe golf was a bunch of men in goofy pants chasing a golf ball.
“The name on the front of the jersey is a lot more important than the name on back”, Herb Brooks. My years as a hockey player has been fun. I’ve gained experience and learned the game from my hockey coach Travis Lupke and friend Hunter Johnson. I’ve played hockey for six years and I’m now going into my sixth year. This is my first year of high school hockey and I’m excited to learn the game from the more experienced players.
Ever sense I was a young girl I’ve been really into physical activities. At the age of five I started skating and instantly fell in-love. At the age of six my dad enrolled me into hockey, and from that point on my life has never been the same. I’ve had numerous opportunities in sports such as: winning gold and silver for U18 Team Canada hockey, and getting a scholarship to Wisconsin University to play on the women’s hockey team. Although these moments are surreal, it is not only the moments that I remember but the mentors and teachers that I have been fortunate to meet along the way. These coaches have not only taught me the game but have also taught me life values such as: teamwork, leadership, discipline, time management and much more. Without hockey, and sports in general I don’t know where I would be today, but I do know one thing and that is without sports I wouldn’t have met all the amazing people that helped guided me towards wanting to become a physical education teacher. Sports have always been a huge part of my life, and I am blessed to have sports guide me through life. Thus, I want to become a teacher to help kids have the same opportunities that I had growing up.
Today, I’m not going to miss the game. I instinctively ran through the hallways as I 've done throughout every Friday. My hockey game is always on Friday we have a match against another AA team, sometimes we lose and sometimes we win but today’s the big game, I can’t be late. While running I took two immense steps one at a time down and out the stairwell. “ Not going to be late, Not going to be late.” I just repeated this phrase in my head over and over again as I dashed out the main entrance, nudged someone and squeezed my way through the automatic door.