Why did you decide to join the team?

“I got an email a couple of weeks ago saying the hockey team was open to everyone. [Hockey] had always interested me, but I thought it was a sport I couldn’t play. I talked to my parents and decided to try it out. I can ice-skate pretty well. I ice-skated for five years—like figure skating…I watched the hockey area of the rink and thought it was cool.”

What was the process of joining like?

“I got added to a group chat and then we had the initial meeting in a classroom. We wrote our names down and the position we were thinking of playing…I got to talk to some people about what gear to buy and how to prepare.”

What are your expectations for the season? 

“I think we are going to start practice soon. I anticipate dryland workouts and I’m unsure of the ice rink—we are going to have to travel for that. I have to buy gear because I don’t know how much I can borrow. I’m excited to just get started. I’m confident: I can work out and I know how to ice-skate.”

How do you feel about the gender imbalance?

“It was a little intimidating. I’m not gonna lie—when I signed up, I did not realize I was going to be the only girl. I have received support from a lot of people, so it’s making me feel more comfortable and motivated to keep going. Everyone on the team has been really nice and helpful so far. I feel really included and safe.” 

Any words for girls considering joining male-dominated teams? 

“I think that it’s really important to go for it. I was kind of nervous and then was like, you know what, I’m going to do this. I’m actually so impressed by the amount of support I’ve had. People I don’t know come up to me like ‘you play on the hockey team—that’s so cool.’ I didn’t even realize it was that big of a deal until I did it. It’s really nice and I feel like everyone wants me to succeed and that makes me want to succeed. I think that if you want to play a sport you have been interested in, you should just do it.”