Look good, feel good, play good

I still remember the first time I stepped on the ice. Its one of those life changing moments that no matter how old I get, I will never forget it. Hockey is my passion and I love it more than I can express in words. It produces a range of emotions for me because sometimes I hate it so much. Times when I have a hard practice or I am just feeling absolutely exhausted, I ask myself, “Why do I do this? Why do I put in so much effort?”

Those thoughts don't last every long because I remember why I play hockey and how much joy it brings me. I play for traveling with my team, scoring goals, and not only do I play for the wins but I play for the hard losses, the losses were I can't help but cry because even after giving it our all, it just doesn't turn out. During those rough times I always go back to the moment when I stepped on the ice for the first time, and that is what keeps me going.

When I was six years old, on a chilly saturday morning, I took my first step into a new passion. The feeling of butterflies as a started to skate around and the whisk of cold air on my face. Honestly, I could barely skate. Even have no idea what I was doing, I loved it. After an hour of practice, I stepped of the ice with a hug smile on my face and ran over to my dad yelling, “Daddy I didn't even fall once!”

I don't expect other people to understand the love and passion hockey players have for the sport. Its the kind of thing were you just have to play it to fully get it. We are different than other athletes. We would move away from home, and our friends, in a heartbeat to play for a better team. We love the long car rides and the tired feeling on sunday afternoons after playing five games. We love the sweaty smell of ice arena locker rooms but most of all, we love the feeling of the freezing cold air on our faces as we skate down the ice. My coach always says, “Play for the girl that feel in love with the game and play for the girl who never looked back.”