Hi everyone!
The year is really winding down, and since I’m about to graduate, I’m feeling very nostalgic for all the fun things I’ve had a chance to do in my four years here. This weekend, I’m actually in Las Vegas for an ice hockey tournament. Since it’s the last time I’ll be playing for the USC women’s club team, I thought I’d write one final time about this team and how much it means to me.
First, a little bit about the team. We started off as a team that accepted anyone of any hockey background, with the mission of promoting ice hockey among women. While we still are very accepting of new players, we are working every year to become more competitive and eventually compete in the PAC-8 hockey league once it forms a women’s division.
We practice a few times a week, either at our home rink in Lakewood, or on campus working on conditioning. Here’s me with current VSA, Sophie, and former VSA, Kelly, at our rink!
The VSA hockey squad!
We had our last home game of the season (and my last home game ever) last Monday. We played really well and were really excited to take all we’ve learned and go into our tournament. It’s so crazy to think of how much has changed for me in the last four years. When I joined the team, I had never played hockey and really couldn’t even skate. But I relied on my previous athletic experience and practiced like crazy, and became the Captain for my senior year!
Team photo after my last home game.
So like I mentioned, I’m in Las Vegas currently because every year we go to a tournament in Las Vegas in April. It’s the culmination of all our hard work all year and our last chance to compete for a while. This year it’s my last time playing for USC! We have a team dinner at the end where we hang out and reflect on the season. We also give our seniors a good send off with a nice custom jersey and celebration. Here’s Kelly and me at last year’s dinner – this year I’ll be getting my own Captain’s jersey to match hers:
Kelly and me at the team dinner!
Overall, joining this team has been the best decision I’ve made in college. It gave me the opportunity to push myself and learn something totally new and different. I also made so many great friends, and of course, it made it easy to stay in shape! I’m really going to miss the team next year, but luckily I’ll be staying in the area so I can still cheer them on.
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