Envision walking into a crowded hockey rink. You are entirely surrounded by boys as they tower over you like giants. Their big masks stand out as they all turn and look your way. You stand in your skates, stick in hand. The room becomes quiet as you head out to the ice. You spend the next suspenseful hours skating around the rink as the puck glides across the ice. When called over to the sideline by the coach, your nervousness suddenly vanishes as the coach congratulates you on your acceptance onto the team. This is how Molly, a seventh grader at St. Robert, overcame the challenge of joining a hockey team and becoming one of the only girls on her hockey team.

Molly, an experienced hockey player now, started at a very young age. Molly explains, “I started skating when I was three, then I started hockey.” Before Molly even began playing this hard sport, she had to first learn the basics of it: skating. “I really started to like [hockey] because it teaches you how to be a good teammate, and it is super fun,” Molly states. She has played hockey in many different places. “I play for winter club right now, we practice at university school,” she explains.

Hockey requires some serious team communication. “My team has won six games, lost 16, and tied 3, all of which were very close battles,” Molly explains. “The biggest thing our team struggles with is working as a team and communicating on the ice.” Just like many other sports, relaying, and working with your teammates is crucial to being successful in games. Communication is another key trait in many sports including hockey.

Molly faces the challenge of being one of only two girls on her team. The other girl plays goalie, so she isn’t as involved with the game play as Molly is each day. Even though is it is a challenge being the girl on the ice, there are some advantages. “I like being the only girl because the level of play is a lot higher and it challenges me, and the boys are very nice to me,” Molly states, “but sometimes I wish there was another girl on my team.” Being the girl can be pretty intimidating to some, but this situation has helped Molly become mentally tough.